| Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 | |
| Type: | compilation |
| Artist: | Pet Shop Boys |
| Cover: | Pet Shop Boys - Smash.png |
| Length: | 218:51 |
| Label: | Parlophone |
| Prev Title: | Lost |
| Prev Year: | 2023 |
| Next Title: | Nonetheless |
| Next Year: | 2024 |
Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 is a compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 16 June 2023 through Parlophone.[1] It includes 55 tracks, comprising most of the duo's singles from 1985 to 2020 in chronological order, across three discs or six LPs.[2] A compilation of the duo's videos on Blu-ray was also released alongside the album.[3] The duo supported the album with the Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour, with dates in the UK and Europe from May to July 2023.[4]
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe said in a statement that "As we start work on a new album, and later this year continue our 'Dreamworld' Greatest Hits Tour, it seems like a good time to take stock and bring together every single we've released."[2]
Every track included on the compilation was officially released as a single by the duo, and nearly every version is either the 7-inch or CD version that was serviced to British radio. The exception to this rule is "New York City Boy", which instead has its US radio edit included. Alongside the album announcement, they explained:
The singles not included on Smash because they do not fit the criteria above include:
Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 received a score of 95 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Uncut felt that the album "demonstrates that PSB are without peer as exponents of the pop single", while Mojo stated that it "re-contextualises them as an act who wrecked glorious havoc on their unchanging musical parameters for decades". Owen Myers of Pitchfork called the compilation "as definitive as it gets, pearl after pearl of fabulous singles from one of the best to ever do it", and although he felt that it "weakens a little in the last of its three discs, [...] there are remarkably few true duds". Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote that the "wonderfully eclectic body of work they've created as Pet Shop Boys speaks for itself" and "unpacking its 55-song sequence, the first thing one notices is the uniform quality of their songs: elegantly constructed, dense with pop nutrients, undeniably catchy, yet ever so smart". Monger concluded that while "work ethic and quality don't always go hand in hand, [...] Pet Shop Boys have both in spades". Record Collectors Daryl Easlea wrote that it "is with little doubt that the first half of Smash contains some of the greatest pop singles ever released in this country" and "this collection is called Smash for a very good reason".
| Peak position | |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[5] | 94 |
|---|---|