Permanent Record Podcast

Episode 200: Pet Shop Boys – Please (1986) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") – Part 1 and Colours of Ever announcement

The 200th "regular" episode of Permanent Record Podcast is here! ("Regular" excludes special episodes and the PRP 007 Mini-Broadcasts, which don't follow the same numbering scheme.)
 
Brian and Sarah wanted to do something big and special for episode 200, so they chose to cover an album which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary: Please, the debut album from the Pet Shop Boys. And to make the episode even bigger and more special, they invited the charming and talented Andrew Dineley to join in on the conversation. Andrew, as you probably already know, is host of the excellent "Art on Your Sleeve" podcast, as well as proprietor of the fabulous Soft Octopus Design Studio and contributor to Classic Pop magazine.

This first episode in the Please series sets the stage for what's to come. Brian and Sarah look back to the pre-Pet Shop Boys days of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and recount the story Neil and Chris's first meeting. Our hosts then follow the journey of the Boys' musical collaboration, which takes us from Chelsea, to Camden Town, to New York City, and back to London, and introduces us to characters such as Ray Roberts, Bobby Orlando, Tom Watkins, and Stephen Hague. 

Andrew Dineley joins the conversation to provide insight on the design aspects of Please such as the original album cover concept, the final cover design done by Mark Farrow, as well as a few of the single covers. He also shares stories about and from Pet Shop Boys' first manager, Tom Watkins, and Andrew recalls his first exposure to Pet Shop Boys music-- on a children's show with eerily-animated pound notes! And, we even get to hear about a chance encounter recently Andrew Dineley had with OMD's Andy McCluskey!
As is usual with PRP album discussions, the release history, chart positions, and reviews of Please are covered in this episode, as well as Brian and Sarah's personal history with the album, which Brian feels slightly embarrassed to share. 

And because it's the big 200th episode, several listeners sent in voicemails to mark the occasion, and our hosts happily share those messages as well. 
Finally, as if that's not enough, Brian has exciting musical news of his own to share, about yet another synthpop duo. This duo, called Colours of Ever, consists of Brian and his longtime friend Jason, and they've released their first single on Bandcamp! Check them out at https://coloursofever.bandcamp.com/ .

There's so much good stuff in this episode, so don't delay-- Please download and listen to it today!
Video discussed in this episode:
Pet Shop Boys performing "Opportunities" on Poparound, July 1985
https://youtu.be/rVxqEWt4Inc?si=XY6kZ9MHay9IwUUj

Listen to Andrew on his "Art of Your Sleeve" podcast: https://softoctopus.co.uk/podcast/
Get all the details on Andrew's design studio: https://softoctopus.co.uk/
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PRP 007 Mini-Broadcast: Episode 9– Live and Let Die (With Robbie Sims)

Since the beginning of the show, Brian has done his best to strong-arm discussion of Agent 007 into as many podcasts as he could. Finally he convinced Sarah to embark on a new mission: the Permanent Record Podcast 007 Mini-Broadcast!
This occasional series from your friends Brian & Sarah started with "Dr. No" and will work its way up to the most recent Bond adventure, and on the way, it will discuss and critique all of the 007 theme songs and other relevant recordings. It's a dream come true for one of the hosts - and for Bond fans everywhere!

Speaking of Bond fans everywhere, they will no doubt be delighted to learn that Robbie Sims, author of the delightful book Quantum of Silliness: The Peculiar World of Bond, James Bond, can once again be found co-hosting this installment with Brian and Sarah.
Episode 9 in the series brings us up to the 1973 film Live and Let Die. It's Roger Moore's first appearance as the MI6 agent, and it's also the first Bond movie to feature a rock song for the theme. The song was written by Paul and Linda McCartney, performed by Paul and his band Wings, and produced by George Martin. George Martin also ended up providing the score for the film.

Our three hosts discuss how Paul McCartney and George Martin became a part of the 007 universe as well as what led erstwhile Bond composer John Barry to be uninvolved with the franchise's eighth film. The trio talk about the chart success of the theme song as well as the other awards and accolades it received. George Martin's score is discussed, with some speculation over how John Barry would have done with the score for this film that covers some different thematic territory than other Bond movies.

While discussing the movie, Robbie, Brian, and Sarah also talk about the fact that the theme song is performed in the film, and Brian has an impromptu trivia session with Robbie and Sarah about Bond theme songs being heard during other Bond movies. And of course, each host reveals where "Live and Let Dies" falls in their personal ranking of Bond themes.

There's talk about the current state of affairs in the Bond universe, and Robbie is put to the test again with a series of Bond trivia questions. And Brian and Sarah talk about their encounter with Solitaire! It's an episode full of excitement, fun, and laughs that you won't want to miss!

Find Robbie Sims at
https://www.instagram.com/quantumofsilliness
https://www.threads.net/@quantumofsilliness
https://bsky.app/profile/quantumofsilliness.bsky.social
 
You can purchase Quantum of Silliness at https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/quantum-of-silliness/ or other reputable booksellers.
 
Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod
 - we're ready to believe you!

Bonus Episode: In Conversation with Rob Rowe: WHITEWAITS/VHXRR/Cause and Effect (2026) 

Brian and Sarah are delighted to welcome back a previous and much-beloved guest of the Permanent Record Podcast, Rob Rowe. In past episodes, Rob has been here with Von Hertzog, who together make up the excellent duo VHxRR. However, this time Rob is here to represent his solo project, WHITEWAITS.
After a hiatus of more than a dozen years, WHITEWAITS is releasing a new album, called Dusk Becomes Dawn. It's a collection of nine stellar tracks which explore familiar topics like darkness, despair, loss, and love, all with incredibly catchy melodies, intelligent lyrics, and impeccable vocals.

Brian and Sarah sit down with Rob and do a deep-dive into Dusk Becomes Dawn, learning details about the creative process as well as inspirations and meanings behind the songs. But the questions don't all come from our hosts; Brian and Sarah asked a few other folks, most of them associated with Rob in some form or fashion, to provide questions for their guest. They range in depth from 'favorite snack while writing' to 'what has changed in Synthpop since 1991,' with many falling in between.
It's a warm, friendly, and enlightening conversation, but you won't want to listen for just those reasons. You'll want to listen so you can get the details on how you can win your own copy of Dusk Before Dawn on compact disc! And trust us; you'll want to do whatever you can (legally, of course!) to get a copy of this fantastic album!
Learn more at https://www.whitewaits.com/
Get the music at https://whitewaits.bandcamp.com/

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
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Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod  - we're ready to believe you!

Bonus Episode: In Conversation with Blaklight (Adam Collier, Brian Belknap, and Omar Quiñones) 2026 

In this episode, Brian and Sarah have the great pleasure of talking with Brian Belknap, Adam Collier, and Omar Quiñones of the band BlakLight. BlakLight was formed as a duo back in 2020, and our hosts chatted with Brian and Adam back in March 2021. A lot has changed with the band since then, so it was definitely time to do some catching up.
In the conversation, our hosts find out how Omar came to join the band, as well as learning more about Omar and his other musical endeavors. They also check in on Adam's side projects as well.

BlakLight has been downright prolific with releasing new music over the past six years; their latest album is called The Haunting of Us and was released late last year. Brian and Sarah talk with the band members about the new album, as well as many of the other projects the band has released. And of course, all of these releases can be found on their website or their Bandcamp pages.
And, if they weren't busy enough with making and promoting their new music, BlakLight is set to go on tour in several different countries this year. Brian and Sarah talk with the band about their chart success overseas and the prospects of performing for fans in Germany, the UK, and Mexico.

Blaklight's music has even been featured prominently in a recent movie, so Brian and Sarah ask Brian, Adam, and Omar about that experience of hearing their music in such a different context.
It's an entertaining and enlightening conversation with some truly talented musicians and performers, so you won't want to miss it—and make sure you check out the links below to pick up their music and keep up to date with all their goings-on!
Learn more at https://www.blaklightband.com/
Get the music at https://blaklight.bandcamp.com/music
Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod  - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 199: Depeche Mode: Home Video Concert Releases (Part 5)

Brian and Sarah are back and ready to discuss the next home concert video release from Depeche Mode.
Part 5 in this series brings us up to the 2013 album Delta Machine, which was once again supported with a worldwide tour. The city of Berlin was chosen for the filming location, and it was familiar territory for the band, as they spent several years there in the mid-80s.

Depeche Mode also returned to familiar territory with their choice of director for this concert film. After a several-year stretch of working with directors who had very different ideas on how a concert video should look, the band once again enlisted their longtime friend and collaborator, Anton Corbijn, to helm this project.

The result of Anton's return to the director's chair, in the opinions of both Brian and Sarah, is a much more pleasurable viewing experience. Both hosts expressed relief at being treated to more traditional filming and editing techniques for Depeche Mode: Live in Berlin.

Anton Corbijn didn't just film the concert, though; he also recorded interviews with the band members, the members of the band's management staff, and several fans. Corbijn interspersed these interview segments between songs in the concert and called this version of the film Depeche Mode: Alive in Berlin.

Brian and Sarah cover all the same topics and questions for this release as they've done for the other movies in this series. They also share social media comments from listeners about this film and the Delta Machine tour, and they even have a voicemail to share as well, regarding the previous installment in the mini-series.

So for talk about dogs, fire, steak sauce, and—oh yeah, Depeche Mode too—take a listen to this episode!

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod  - we're ready to believe you!