[Introspective] Chris Lowe in Time Out London

[Carlos E Restrepo]

Time Out
December 17, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 38 39
HEADLINE: Always on my mind;
Music Chris Lowe

BYLINE: Interview Johnny Davis

BODY:
To celebrate the recent release of the Pet Shop Boys'greatest hits album, Chris Lowe invites Time Out round for a glass of wine and a trawl through his record collection to find the ten singles and albums that mean the most to him.

'I'll give you a short journey through my record collection, ' chortles Chris Lowe, 'but really you'd need all night.' To commemorate the release of Pet Shop Boys' 'Pop Art - The Hits' - a best-of not inaccurately described by one reviewer as 'a cornerstone of twentieth- century pop music' - Lowe has invited Time Out up to his chic brushed-steel-and-pine luxury penthouse flat so we can leaf through his records and determine the songs that made him the man he is today.

Given that his PSB partner Neil Tennant once described him as having a home so minimal, he was impossible to buy Christmas presents for, the Lowe household is surprisingly cosy and inviting. Chicken and spinach pasta awaits for supper, a scented candle burns expensively in the lounge 'area' and Harvey, Lowe's sister's dog, relieves himself on the floor. 

'Oh, it's just the excitement!' Lowe roars in his quite filthy laugh. A bottle of 1997 Chateau Musar is uncorked, then it's over to the Technics 'I've got the decks, but mixing's not really my thing, ' for an ear-battering romp through some of his faves.

The last record I bought

DIRT DEVILS 'MUSIC IS LIFE' (2003)

I got this from HMV last Tuesday. I normally go and buy things I want, whereas Neil tends to buy things that he's heard are interesting, to try them out. It sounds Germanic, but actually I think it's by a bloke from Holland. Isn't this called electro tech? I've always liked Wagnerian dance music, it's very 'Ride of the Valkyries' absolutely glorious. When I used to drive into London on a Friday night, Danny Rampling used to be on the radio with his 30-minute Euro mixon the 'Love Groove Dance Party' and I used to be driving down the A10 going faster and faster and faster. I used to think, 'Well, if I get caught, it's Rampling's fault.' Sighs. I've always liked a lot of Euro.

A record that sums me up completely

SHERYL LEE RALPH 'IN THE EVENING' (1984)

Something that me and Neil were listening to in the '80s.

This was a huge record at the time. It's about living for the night. That feeling of escape, the idea of becoming a different person you might be on the dole and do absolutely nothing during the daytime and just become fabulous at night. It's the sort of thing we try to do in our music it's all encapsulated in this. Sings along. 'New York! /Life in the city can be so hard! /But afterdark new energy finds me/And I light up like a star!' Well, I'm sorry, that is absolutely me. 'After dark new energy finds me'? To me, that is clubbing in a nutshell.

Something to spend your Christmas vouchers on

VARIOUS RAVE COMPILATIONS (2003)

You don't really want to be messing around looking for records you can't find at Christmas, so my recommendation would be to buy some dance compilations of various genres. Digs among his stash. Here we are 'Trance Nation'. I mean, how many more compilations do I need mixed by Judge Jules? Looks at track listing. Of course, I've got most of the records on here already.

But then I always think, 'Oh God, maybe I haven't actually got "The Answer" by Aptness.' And I often buy the 'Ministry Annual'. It compiles all the big records of the year that you might have been dancing to in Ibiza on the terrace at Space.

Actually, I didn't go this year. I'm planning to go for four weeks next year and have a proper, relaxing time.

You might think I'm mad, but

WILL YOUNG 'LEAVE RIGHT NOW' (2003)

At the same time as I bought the Dirt Devils record just to show you how diverse I am I also bought the Will Young single. It got a really, really horrible review in Time Out, but what a beautiful song! I've been listening to it on repeat. I never thought I'd like one of his records. With 'Light My Fire', I thought pop music couldn't sink any lower, but I absolutely love this. Oh yes,the video's rubbish. It's got '80s-style 'acting'. But you're not buying it for the video. Well, actually you are, because they've included it on the CD.

A record I would have played at my funeral

DONNA SUMMER 'LAST DANCE' (1979)

It would have to be Donna Summer. There won't be a dry eye in the house. I like a bit of drama in music. We went to Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball this year and Donna Summer was the cabaret with Barry Manilow and she sung this. Oh! Cabaret doesn't get any better than that. Disco was great, wasn't it? It was when I first started clubbing in Blackpool, at Man Friday's.

We used to have fake palm trees, and a light-up disco floor.

We had our own Travolta lookalike in a white suit. Did he come with the club? No! He was a member of the public who always dressed like that.

A record that reminds me of falling in love

ARETHA FRANKLIN 'I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER' (1968)

Love's a hard one, but this is a record that makes me think about being in love. I don't think I've ever fallen in love to a record.

Oh, unless it's 'Ain't Nobody' by Chaka Khan that era. Late '70s. That was the last time I fell in love. Ha ha! I've got this song on a compilation I've made. It's my 'Emotionally Disturbed' CD. Listens to lyrics. I mean, this is exactly how it is to be in love. Well, apart from the bit about putting on your make-up when you wake up, obviously.

A great record by someone you might not expect

CILLA BLACK 'ALFIE' (1966)

This song has one of my favourite lyrics of all time, which is 'Without true love/We just exist'.

You might not have thought Cilla was capable of making such a good record, but I think this version compared to Dionne Warwick's is far superior. Cilla is just so emotionally charged. I saw Dionne Warwick on 'Top of the Pops 2' the other night and she didn't compare. You can just hear Cilla's leaps there's three octaves there. Thinks. All of the songs I listen to are about love being found, enjoyed or lost, really. Love in all its many facets.

My obscure trainspotter's record

LORRAINE MCKANE 'LET THE NIGHT TAKE THE BLAME' (1984)

That can't be her real name, can it? I tend to only like populist stuff, but I've got some obscure crap Hi-NRG, ha ha! Hi-NRG has been long forgotten. Someone should open up a Hi-NRG night. I'm lucky enough to live round the corner from Turnmills, so it's very convenient for clubbing. I still go out once a week. Well, maybe twice.

Punches the air. I mean, this is absolute trash! File under fun.

But there's nothing more enjoyable than dancing round your flat totally naked after you've had a shower, getting ready to go out. Often that's more fun than the actual going out.

If you have to buy one album

MARVIN GAYE 'WHAT'S GOING ON' (1971)

I don't really like albums. It's all about singles, really. But this is one album everyone should buy. For the social comment laughs. It falls into the category of a why-can't-the-world-be-a-better-place type record. That's what I always loved about a lot of early house music like 'Promised Land' and 'It's Alright'.

I always think music can make the world a better place. I believe there's goodness in the world and it's not all horrible, selfish people. When you're on the dance floor listening to 'Promised Land' you can feel that. Thinks. Actually, this album peters out after about the fifth track. But as albums go, it's good. And as Gary Kemp so rightly said, 'Listening to Marvin all night long.'

Without this record I wouldn't be here now

THE FLIRTS 'PASSION' (1983)

It's so electronic. When you hear this in a club with dry ice and lasers they don't have dry ice anymore? Well, they should have. This is really why we became the Pet Shop Boys. We wanted to make something as good as this. If we hadn't have heard this, Neil wouldn't have met Bobby Orlando who produced 'Passion' in New York and asked him to make a record with us. Of course, when we flew over to make 'West End Girls', it sounded nothing like this. Ha ha! This record is about nothing more than sex. It's so sleazy. And it's very druggy. A real amyl nitrate record. In fact, it's probably one of the best records ever made.

Genius. 'Pop Art The Hits' is out now.