Episode 208: Pet Shop Boys – Please (1986) – Part 4

After a couple of special episodes, Brian and Sarah return to the task at hand—delving deep into the Pet Shop Boys' debut album, Please.

The beginning of this episode finds our hosts with yet another single to discuss: "Suburbia." Chart positions and reviews are shared, during which Sarah brings up a musical instrument that was much-loved and desired by Brian back in the day. The sleeves for the 7" and 12" singles are also discussed, and an interesting fact is revealed about the image on the 12" sleeve.

The focus then turns to the making and meaning of the song. The inspiration for the song came from real-life events as well as a film, and the film also provided inspiration for the music video, which was once again directed by Eric Watson. Brian makes a confession about the part of the video he found to be most memorable, which elicits a laugh from Sarah.

After a thorough discussion of "Suburbia," it's finally time to flip the record over and get into the songs on Side Two. The first track wasn't known as a separate song for many years, and its origins are from a song on Side One. The ensuing discussion is probably one of the shortest on record for this podcast!

The first "proper" track on Side Two is "Tonight is Forever," and it's the first non-single of the album. However, there's a bit of a controversy over its single status, which our hosts attempt to clear up by playing a brief interview. At any rate, both Brian and Sarah agree it's a very strong song that could have been a single.

The final song discussed in this episode is "Violence," which is a definite non-single, but by no means a bad song. It shares some thematic similarities with "Suburbia," and Brian feels the sounds of the backing vocals share some similarities with another song, which happens to be one of his favorites of the current season.

Videos discussed in this episode:
Suburbia
https://youtu.be/-VCqAjYO3NM?si=3-DPsSFSQKXUQZ3Y

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Episode 207: In Conversation with Colours of Ever (Jason Beil and Brian Linnen)

Permanent Record Podcast is happy to welcome Colours of Ever to the program. Jason Beil and Brian Linnen have been making music together since....wait a second! Did we just say "Brian Linnen"? Like the same Brian Linnen who has co-hosted 206 episodes of this podcast? HE'S a guest on the show??? How can this be???

Well, with their debut CD out today, we wanted to share some of Brian and Jason's songs with you and let you know how you can get a copy of the album "Waiting For Something." So Brian had to shift over to the guest chair, leaving Sarah to run the board and the show.

Of course, Sarah is not without influence in the world of podcasting, so she made a call to the great Eric Miller, formerly of the Pods and Sods Network and currently of Stone Turtle House Concerts, and asked him to join her for a discussion with two men who many are calling "the most important and influential musicians of their generation."

Yeah, we're gonna need to see a citation for that!!

But anyway, together, Sarah, Eric, Jason, and Brian talk about 40 years of writing music together, creativity and influences, singles and remixes, and the brand new CD "Waiting For Something", available now on Bandcamp and on streaming platforms starting in October 2026.

We had a great time recording this one and we hope you will enjoy listening!! And don't forget to visit Colours of Ever on Bandcamp at https://coloursofever.bandcamp.com

You can follow Colours of Ever on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ColoursofEver/

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
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Episode 206: Concert Memories Roundtable (with Mr. K's Super Show and I'm In Love With That Song Podcast)

Recently, Brian and Sarah took a trip up north to the state of New Hampshire. They met up with some podcasting friends to watch Gary Mullen & The Works perform their incredible One Night of Queen show. The next day, it seemed only right for all these podcasting friends to record a podcast together, and the end result is this episode.

The friends in question are Brad Page, host of the "I'm In Love With That Song Podcast;" Brad's lovely wife, Heidi Waugaman-Page; and Chris Karam, host of "Mr. K's Super Show." Music—especially live music—is important to all of them, so the premise of this show is to talk about particular memories from the many concerts they've all attended.

After reliving the memories from the previous night's amazing performance, all five guests were subjected to the same ten questions related to their concert attendance. Throughout the conversation that ensued, there were many great stories told and even more laughs!

Take a listen to this episode, and then make sure you check out the excellent podcasts at the links below!

Find "I'm In Love With That Song" podcast at https://lovethatsongpodcast.com/

Find "Mr. K's Super Show" podcast at https://cbkaram.podbean.com/

Listen to Colours of Ever at https://coloursofever.bandcamp.com

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Episode 205: Pet Shop Boys – Please (1986) – Part 3

Brian and Sarah are back at their microphones to continue their discussion of Please, the debut album by the Pet Shop Boys.

In Part 2, our hosts discussed the first two songs on the album. The next song up for discussion is "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," which, like the track before it, had two different versions released. However, unlike "West End Girls," neither version of "Opportunities" was produced by Bobby O.

"Opportunities" also had two videos released, and interestingly, each host was more familiar with a different video. Brian and Sarah talk about all three versions of the song (to include the version recorded with Bobby O), both videos, and the single's interesting chart history, which includes a run as recent as 2021. During this discussion, several movies are mentioned too: Midnight Cowboy, Wise Blood, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

After a thorough examination of "Opportunities," our hosts move on to track four, which is yet another single. "Love Comes Quickly" differs from the preceding songs, however, in that only one version was released. Sarah shares a Smash Hits review of the song written by someone in another PRP-approved band, which Brian is quite happy to hear.

A discussion of "Love Comes Quickly" would be incomplete without mentioning the iconic single sleeve, featuring Chris Lowe in a "BOY" hat. And of course, the video for this song is covered as well, including the declaration from one of its directors that the video was "a complete disaster."

Putting aside the video, both hosts agree that "Love Comes Quickly" is a beautiful song, and they talk about the fact that Neil and Chris think so too, even to this day. But as much as Brian loves the PSB version of the song, he reveals there's one person he wished would have recorded a cover. Who is this mystery artist? You'll have to listen to find out!

Videos discussed in this episode:

Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) – Version 1
https://youtu.be/di60NYGu03Y?si=udMl_sj6YyODC0I4

Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) – Version 2
https://youtu.be/PyeWRd7ZEBs?si=s4RiBK90uhXSE9op

Love Comes Quickly
https://youtu.be/QHaA1beOwrY?si=SwhfQ8sN76yVFbrS

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How to listen to Brian & Sarah talk about David Bowie for 4 Hours with their friend Sly Dog

Are you going through Brian & Sarah withdrawal? Well, there's really no need for it! Did you know that your favorite hosts recorded almost FOUR HOURS of David Bowie talk with their friend the Sly Dog, and all four episodes of this chat are now available for download?

Here's the link to part one - just to get you started! Be sure to check it out!
https://slydogmusiccast.podbean.com/e/david-bowie-setlist-dreams-part-1-wpermanent-record-podcast/

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State of the Podcast: August 2026

We hope everyone is well. We plan to be back talking about PSB "Please" before the end of the month. In the meantime, you can check out the sites mentioned in this brief episode here:

https://www.facebook.com/ColoursofEver/

https://coloursofever.bandcamp.com

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
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You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
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Episode 204: In Conversation with Grant Walters – Co-Author of "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1980s" – Part 2

In this episode, Brian and Sarah continue their conversation with Grant Walters, co-author of the Decades series of books covering the career of the Bee Gees. The latest volume, Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1980s, has just been released in the UK, and it will be available to purchase in the US in September.

Part 2 of the discussion finds Grant, Brian, and Sarah talking about the solo work undertaken by Barry, Robin, and Maurice during the 1980s. Barry released a solo album, which was accompanied by a full-length film; Robin released three solo albums; and Maurice composed movie scores, produced an album for Swedish singer Carola, and worked with both his brothers on their solo projects.

In the second half of the decade, the Bee Gees returned to the studio as a group, recording and releasing the albums E.S.P. and One. In between these albums, they suffered the great loss of their youngest brother, Andy. As the 1980s come to a close, the Bee Gees find themselves enjoying a resurgence in their popularity, once again achieving worldwide success on the music charts.

As mentioned in Part 1, Grant and Andrew are going on tour to support the new book, including an appearance at the Thame Museum in Thame, Oxfordshire, which is home to the Robin Gibb Gallery. The event is on September 5, and you can purchase tickets for both in-person and livestream attendance. To learn more, visit this link:
https://thamemuseum.org/join-us-for-a-very-special-evening

For more information on all the books in the Decades series about The Bee Gees, as well as more information about Grant and Andrew's upcoming book tour, visit
www.beegeesdecades.com

Videos for songs discussed in this episode:

Barry Gibb - "Shine Shine"
https://youtu.be/fhO3gcpWBBk?si=b5eA_4TG4wvCmclU

Robin Gibb - "Juliet"
https://youtu.be/D3k3y7dykx0?si=GD60EgFKtclw30Zp

Robin Gibb- "Boys Do Fall in Love"
https://youtu.be/D8WSSG3UzwU?si=goQT5Fx5Gux69L_a

Bee Gees - "You Win Again"
https://youtu.be/xviuC-0FwQ0?si=RhQMxPoEQlvRm6cb

Bee Gees - "One"
https://youtu.be/KRUeMgzOCCo?si=A75q6vm0e_2V3f5i

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Episode 203: Concert Report – Alison Moyet, Soft Cell, & The Human League (June 2026)

Hardly any time has passed since their last episode was released, but Brian and Sarah are already back with another episode for your listening enjoyment!

This time, they're here to give a report on the recent concert they attended on June 28 at The Met Philadelphia, which featured an amazing triple bill of Alison Moyet, Soft Cell, and The Human League.

Brian and Sarah were fortunate enough to have just seen Alison Moyet in April 2025 for her Key tour, and they saw Soft Cell for the first time in June 2025 as an opening act for Simple Minds. But the last time they saw The Human League was way back in 2003! It seemed as though our hosts would never see Phil, Susan, and Joanne perform again, so when the Generations tour was announced earlier this year, and Philadelphia was listed as one of the stops, Brian and Sarah were over the moon! Brian was adept with his ticket-purchasing skills and secured some excellent seats at The Met, a venue our hosts had never visited before.

It's a great pleasure to report that the venue and all three of the acts did not disappoint! Brian and Sarah had an absolutely marvelous time at the show, singing and dancing to some of their favorite songs of the 1980s, as well as some newer tunes.

Sarah took lots of pictures, a few of which are here with the show notes. However, if you want to see full photo albums for each act, be sure to check out the Facebook page.

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