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| Artist: Abc |
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Product Summary
Format: CD
Manufacturer: Polygram Label Group
Buy.com Sku: 60514698
UPC: 731453825024
UPC 14: 00731453825024
Release Date: 2/5/2002
See more in Pop
Song Listing
Disc 1
Song Title
Sample
1. Show Me ~ ABC
2. Poison Arrow ~ ABC
3. Many Happy Returns ~ ABC
4. Tears Are Not Enough ~ ABC
5. Valentine's Day ~ ABC
6. Look Of Love, The - (part one) ~ ABC
7. Date Stamp ~ ABC
8. All Of My Heart ~ ABC
9. 4 Ever 2 Gether ~ ABC
10. Look Of Love, The - (part four) ~ ABC
11. Theme From "Mantrap" ~ ABC
Album Notes and Credits
Notes & Personnel Info |
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ABC includes: Martin Fry (vocals); Mark White (guitar, keyboards); Stephen Singleton (alto & tenor saxophones); David Palmer (drums, percussion). |
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Additional personnel includes: Gaynor Sadler (harp); Kim Wear (trumpet); Andy Gray (trombone); Anne Dudley (keyboards); Brad Lang, Mark Lickley (bass); Louis Jardin (percussion); J.J. Jeczalik (programming); Tessa Webb (background vocals). |
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Producer: Trevor Horn. |
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Compilation producers: Paul Reidy, Martin Fry. |
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Recorded in 1982. Includes liner notes by Martin Fry and Giles Smith. |
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All tracks have been digitally remastered. |
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Personnel: Tessa Webb, Martin Fry (vocals); Mark White (guitar, keyboards); Gaynor Sadler (harp); Kim Wear (trumpet); Andy Gray (trombone); Anne Dudley (keyboards); Brad Lang (bass guitar); David Palmer (drums, percussion). |
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Liner Note Authors: Giles Smith; Martin Fry. |
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Photographers: Gered Mankowitz; Paul Cox. |
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Easily one of the '80s' finest albums, THE LEXICON OF LOVE not only established singer Martin Fry and guitarist Mark White as two of the decade's smartest and most skillful cross-breeders of Motownish dance grooves, Beatlesque pop and Roxy Music-style art-rock urgency, it cemented ex-Buggle Trevor Horn's status as the era's defining producer. |
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Throughout THE LEXICON OF LOVE, Horn's over-the-top blend of strings, horns, lush choirs and bizarre production tricks battles Fry's literate, witty lyrics and commanding voice and White's encyclopedic knowledge of pop hooks for the listener's attention. While the singles "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love"--aided by stylish, funny videos--garnered the most interest, there's not a single less-than-brilliant track, from the compelling opener "Show Me" to the near-desperate closer "4 Ever 2 Gether" and the lovely orchestral coda "The Look of Love (Part Four)." THE LEXICON OF LOVE is a classic. |
Engineer: Gary Langan |
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Musical Guests | |
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Anne Dudley |
Artist Overview
ABC was the epitome of the flashy "new pop" sound that dominated the British charts in the first half of the '80s. The band's roots lay in the Sheffield electro-pop group Vice Versa, which shifted gears when singer/songwriter Martin Fry joined, moving towards a glam/soul sound that fit in nicely with the Duran Duran/Spandau Ballet New Romantic school. Fry's Bowie/Roxy Music-influenced image and witty lyrics, along with the band's smashing pop hooks and Trevor Horn's lush production, earned the band a batch of hits straight out of the gate with 1982's THE LEXICON OF LOVE. While ABC never duplicated that album's success, they persevered through stylistic shifts and personnel changes, achieving a longevity few might have predicted.
Artist Influences
ABBA | Barry White | Bee Gees | Chic | Curtis Mayfield | David Bowie | David Essex | Earth, Wind & Fire | Hall & Oates | Isaac Hayes | Kool & the Gang | Marvin Gaye | Roxy Music | Smokey Robinson | The Beatles | The Temptations (R&B)
ABBA | Barry White | Bee Gees | Chic | Curtis Mayfield | David Bowie | David Essex | Earth, Wind & Fire | Hall & Oates | Isaac Hayes | Kool & the Gang | Marvin Gaye | Roxy Music | Smokey Robinson | The Beatles | The Temptations (R&B)
Artist Contemporaries
A Flock of Seagulls | Alphaville (German) | Bananarama | Blancmange | Bronski Beat | Buggles | China Crisis | Culture Club | Dead or Alive | Depeche Mode | Duran Duran | Erasure | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Haircut 100 | Heaven 17 | Information Society | Kane Gang | King | Naked Eyes | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (O.M.D.) | Pet Shop Boys | Soft Cell | Spandau Ballet | Sparks | The Art of Noise | The Fixx | The Human League | The Motels | Thomas Dolby | Ultravox | Visage | Wang Chung | Wham! | Yello
A Flock of Seagulls | Alphaville (German) | Bananarama | Blancmange | Bronski Beat | Buggles | China Crisis | Culture Club | Dead or Alive | Depeche Mode | Duran Duran | Erasure | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Haircut 100 | Heaven 17 | Information Society | Kane Gang | King | Naked Eyes | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (O.M.D.) | Pet Shop Boys | Soft Cell | Spandau Ballet | Sparks | The Art of Noise | The Fixx | The Human League | The Motels | Thomas Dolby | Ultravox | Visage | Wang Chung | Wham! | Yello
Artist Followers
Cathy Dennis | Deee-Lite | G-Man (Techno) | George Michael | Happy Mondays | Howard Jones | Lisa Stansfield | M People | Paul Young | Pet Shop Boys | Phoenix | Pulp | Rick Astley | Roger Sanchez
Cathy Dennis | Deee-Lite | G-Man (Techno) | George Michael | Happy Mondays | Howard Jones | Lisa Stansfield | M People | Paul Young | Pet Shop Boys | Phoenix | Pulp | Rick Astley | Roger Sanchez
Compilation Appearances
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Produced By Trevor Horn |
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The Dark Box: The Ultimate Goth, Wave & Industrial Collection 1980-2011 |
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Ultimate Goth Wave Industrial Colle |
Technical Info
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Release Date : 11/16/1998 |
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Original Release Date : 1982 |
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Catalog ID : 5382502 |
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Label : Universal Distribution |
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Number of Discs : 1 |
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Studio/Live : Studio |
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Mono/Stereo : Stereo |
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SPAR Code : AAD |
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UPC : 00731453825024 |
Professional Reviews
Q (6/00, p.72)
- Ranked #40 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums"
- Ranked #40 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums"
Q (9/99, p.124)
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- "...superb....The set has been carefully chosen to reflect the highs...and...lesser known but equally forthright slices of powerpop..."
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- "...superb....The set has been carefully chosen to reflect the highs...and...lesser known but equally forthright slices of powerpop..."
Uncut (p.160)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[A] grand love story, or at the very least an elaborate seduction. It's the sound of a band - a generation - falling in love with the new stylistic and technological promise of '80s pop..."
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[A] grand love story, or at the very least an elaborate seduction. It's the sound of a band - a generation - falling in love with the new stylistic and technological promise of '80s pop..."
Melody Maker (4/6/96, p.38)
- Bloody Essential - "...Martin Fry was 23 when he conceived this masterpiece of orchestral songcraft and audacious lyrical insights, this celebration/deconstruction of photo story romance....sounds like the future, still."
- Bloody Essential - "...Martin Fry was 23 when he conceived this masterpiece of orchestral songcraft and audacious lyrical insights, this celebration/deconstruction of photo story romance....sounds like the future, still."
Mojo (Publisher)
(p.124)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[Including] songs as perfect as 'The Look Of Love' - replete with knowingly absurd talkover - or the jaw-dropping 'All Of My Heart,' still one of the '80s most underrated singles..."
(p.124)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "[Including] songs as perfect as 'The Look Of Love' - replete with knowingly absurd talkover - or the jaw-dropping 'All Of My Heart,' still one of the '80s most underrated singles..."
NME (Magazine)
(9/25/93, p.19)
- Ranked #15 in NME's list of "The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s."
(9/25/93, p.19)
- Ranked #15 in NME's list of "The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s."
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