Vinyl Icons

Original release (1987)
The vinyl pressing of Actually [PCSD 104] that did most of the unit-shifting when the album was first released (CD had a way to go before it would take over as the dominant format, of course) is generally held in high regard by fans. And given the sheer numbers in which it sold back then, it's not hard to find a copy in near mint condition.

A collector's item would be the Japanese release [RP28-5507], because it has the original TV show version of 'Always On My Mind' thrown in as the A-side of a bonus 7in, with a dub version of 'Heart' on the B-side. For a long time it was a bona fide Pet Shop Boys rarity until it was included on Actually / Further Listening 1987-88 [see entry below], and completists could still pick one up for around £15.

Original CD (1987)
Mastered by Sonopress and issued in a then-standard jewel case with an eight-page booklet, this UK version [CDPCSD 104, pictured above] is deemed to have slightly stronger bass than its American equivalent [CDP 7 46972 2], with a marginally warmer sound thanks to stronger midrange. But in any case, CD buyers may wish to upgrade to the expanded edition.

Deluxe reissue (2001)
The album was given a lavish repackaging [Parlophone 7243 5 30506 2 7] as part of the group's Further Listening series of reissues with a second disc of bonus material and extensive interviews with Tennant and Lowe on the sleeve notes – from which we have quoted in this article, in fact. Actually / Further Listening 1987-88 also includes 14 demos, remixes and previously unreleased songs from those sessions.

Some listeners have griped that the remastering by Metropolis suffers from the lack of subtlety associated with the 'Loudness Wars' era in which it emerged. These 'wars' saw engineers applying greater compression and gain to recordings, but this release sounds pretty tidy to these ears.

CD remaster (2018)
The album appeared again on CD in 2018 [Parlophone 0190295826222], this time using a new remaster by Tim Young, also of Metropolis, which was primarily made for the 180g vinyl reissue [see entry below]. It's widely viewed as the best representation of the album yet heard, and in these curiously CD-phobic times you can pick a copy up for little more than a tenner.

Audiophile vinyl (2018)
Reissued in the US and Europe on 180g vinyl [Parlophone 0190295832612] this handsome edition of Actually boasts a 'brand-new 2018 remaster of the original album'. Again it was by Metropolis, whose overhaul of the sound on the 2001 CD didn't hit the spot for everyone, but it received a resounding thumbs up from PSB fans, for whom it had never sounded so bright and clear on the bigger format.