"I've got the brains, you've got the looks--let's make lots of money."

Most managers say that to their pop star clients, but few would ever dare be so blunt about it in public. Expect nothing less from the catty Pet Shop Boys, England's sarcastic synth-pop treasure. Begining in the early '80s, they were a hit both in their home country and the states, most prominently in the gay club scene. But the Boys have more to offer than just a few cheesy beats, though they seemed to revel in danceable guilty pleasures as well. What they built their reputations on was incisive lyrics skewering pop culture, music, gay culture, and generally anything under the sun. That's not to say that they were all prickly jibes; there's a very tender, human side to their music as well, and it comes out noticeably on their songs about relationships and love. When vocalist Neil Tennant sings "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk," there's a weariness and patient love in his voice, just under the humor of the situation.

The band consists of Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe. Their enthusiam for dance music brought them together while they were in an electronics store one day, and the two decided to channel their creative energies into a project of their own. Naming themselves in salute to friends who worked in pet shops, they soon had a minor hit on their hands called "West End Girls." When they finally released their 1986 debut album, Please, they had several songs that proved popular in the discos of the day, "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and "Suburbia" among them.

As their sound evolved, their music became more an amalgamation of both dancey club music and pop. Their sophomore effort, 1987's Actually, perfected the recipe with hits like "It's a Sin."