# Alternative (album)

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | |
| Melody Maker | (favorable) |
| NME | 6/10 |
| Select | |
Alternative is a compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 7 August 1995 by Parlophone.
Alternative is a two-disc set, consisting of 30 B-sides in chronological order. The title Alternative was a last-minute change from the title that had been long saved for such an album, Besides, but that title was taken by American rock band Sugar, who released their own B-sides compilation two months prior.
A remake of the original 7-inch "Paninaro", titled "Paninaro '95", was released as a single (which was included on the later PopArt: The Hits set) to promote the two-disc compilation which reached number two in the UK Albums Chart.
The cover of Alternative features photographs of Tennant and Lowe in fencing masks. The first copies of the CD have a lenticular image on the cover which shifts between the two photographs.
Neil Tennant revealed in a radio interview with Absolute Radio that a second B-side album may be released in 2010. On 11 November 2011, the duo announced through Varsity that they would release another B-sides album in February 2012, titled Format.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted

## Personnel

* Neil Tennant
* Chris Lowe

### Producers

* Pet Shop Boys – all tracks except disc 1: track 13
* Phil Harding – disc 1: track 1
* Bobby O – disc 1: track 2
* Shep Pettibone – disc 1: track 7, additional production on disc 1: track 4
* David Jacob – disc 1: track 8
* Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson – disc 1: track 13
* Harold Faltermeyer – disc 2: track 6
* Stephen Hague – additional production on disc 2: tracks 7 and 9
* Jonathon Ruffle – disc 2: track 8
* Richard Niles – disc 2: track 13

### Guest musicians

* Blue Weaver – Fairlight programming on disc 1: tracks 1 and 11, Hammond organ on disc 1: track 11
* Adrien Cook – Fairlight programming on disc 1: tracks 5, 6 and 7
* Helena Springs – additional vocals on disc 1: track 7
* Stephen Lipson – guitar on disc 1: track 11
* Shirley Lewis and Dee Lewis – additional vocals on disc 1: track 11
* Chris Newman – assistant Fairlight programming on disc 1: track 12, additional programming on disc 2: track 4
* Juliet Roberts – additional vocals on disc 2: track 2
* Dominic Clarke – programming on disc 2: tracks 2 and 3
* Gary Maughan – additional keyboards on disc 2: track 3
* Scott Davidson – programming on disc 2: track 5
* Harold Faltermeyer – programming on disc 2: track 6
* Pete Gleadall – programming on disc 2: tracks 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15
* Richard Coles – additional keyboards on disc 2: track 8
* Carol Kenyon, Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles – additional vocals on disc 2: track 9
* Bruce Woolley – additional vocals on disc 2: track 10
* J.J. Belle – guitar on disc 2: track 11
* Sylvia Mason-James – additional vocals on disc 2: track 11
* Johnny Marr – guitar on disc 2: track 12
* Frank Ricotti – percussion and vibraphone on disc 2: track 12
* Richard Niles – string arrangement and conduction on disc 2: track 12, arrangement and conduction on disc 2: track 13
* Tony Walthers, Daniel Gaha & Lance Ellington – backing vocals on disc 2: track 13
* Gerard Presencer – trumpet solo on disc 2: track 13

## Charts

Chart performance for Alternative :
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 8 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 33 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 44 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 29 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 27 |
| European Albums (Music & Media) | 37 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) | 17 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 28 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 31 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 7 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 14 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 19 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 | 103 |

## Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Alternative :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000$^^$ |
| United States | — | 68,000 |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||