ABC | ||
| Allmusic Biography : One of the most popular new wave bands of the early 80s, the British group ABC built upon the detached, synthesized R&B; pop of David Bowie and Roxy Music, adding a self-conscious, campy sense of theatrics and style. Under the direction of vocalist Martin Fry, the group scored several catchy, synth-driven dance-pop hits in the early 80s, including "Poison Arrow," "Look of Love," and "Be Near Me." During the late 70s, Fry ran his own fanzine, Modern Drugs, while he attended Sheffield University. ABC formed in 1980, after Fry interviewed Vice Versa members Mark White (guitar) and Stephen Singleton (saxophone) for his fanzine. The two musicians asked Fry to join their band as a vocalist, and he soon became part of the group; the lineup also featured drummer David Robinson and bassist Mark Lickley. Soon, Fry had taken control of the electronic band, steering them in a more pop-oriented direction and renaming the group ABC. By the fall of 1981, the band had signed a record contract with Phonogram Records, which agreed to distribute ABCs own label, Neutron. ABC released their first single, "Tears Are Not Enough," in November; it peaked at number 19 on the U.K. charts. Before they recorded their second single, Robinson left the band and was replaced by David Palmer in early 1982. Two singles, "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love," became British Top Ten hits in the spring, paving the way for their debut album, The Lexicon of Love, to enter the charts at number one. "All of My Heart" also became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1982. Toward the end of 1982, the group began concentrating on the United States. Their American success was helped greatly by the fledgling MTV network, which aired videos for "The Look of Love" and "Poison Arrow" frequently, making both singles Top 25 hits in the spring of 1983. Palmer left the band in the summer of 1983, as ABC were recording their second album. Featuring a harder, rock sound driven by guitars rather than keyboards, Beauty Stab was released late in 1983. Supported by the number 18 single "That Was Then But This Is Now," the album didnt perform as well as the debut, peaking at number 12; the record was also a commercial disappointment in the U.S. Late in 1984, ABC -- now consisting solely of Fry and White augmented by various session musicians -- released "(How to Be A) Millionaire," which failed to put a halt to their commercial slide. Following its release, the duo moved to New York, where they added David Yarritu and Eden to the group; neither member could play or sing -- they were added for the visual effect. Released at the beginning of 1985, the light, catchy "Be Near Me" became a hit single in Britain, climbing to number 26. Due to the singles success, How to Be a...Zillionaire! became a Top 30 hit in both the U.K. and U.S. "Be Near Me" was released as a U.S. single toward the end of 1985 and it became the groups first American Top Ten hit. Even though they had a fair amount of success in 1985, ABCs subsequent singles stalled on the charts. Fry was also ill for most of the latter half of the year; he recovered in 1987 and began writing and recording with White. In the summer of 1987, ABC released "When Smokey Sings," which was a major hit, reaching number five in the U.S. and number 11 in the U.K. Alphabet City followed that fall, peaking at number seven in the U.K. and number 48 in the U.S. Two years later, they released Up, which only charted in the U.K. Absolutely, a greatest-hits collection, made it into the British Top Ten upon its release in 1990. Following the release of Up, Fry took an extended break from the music industry, returning in 1997 with a revamped ABC and a new album, Skyscraping, which was only released in the U.K. Shortly before ABCs comeback, England experienced a short-lived new romantic revival called Romo, which increased Frys exposure substantially, in turn helping Skyscraping to earn good reviews and respectable sales. A live album followed in 1999, and several ABC reissues appeared during the 2000s, including a double-disc deluxe offering of Lexicon of Love. The drummer from that album, David Palmer, returned to the ABC lineup in 2004, and the band released an album of original material in 2008 entitled Traffic. They continued to play concerts and festivals, and in 2009 they played the entirety of Lexicon of Love at Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Orchestra conducted by album collaborator Anne Dudley. They did the same thing in 2012 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the album, performing again with Dudley, only at London Theatre Royal Drury Lane instead. That night while on-stage, Fry was struck by the idea that the album needed a sequel and soon after he began to assemble the songs and players to help make it a reality. Enlisting Dudley and producer Gary Stephenson, the album captured the sound and feel of Lexicon of Love, while Frys ageless voice and wry lyrics made it feel like nary a moment had passed since 1982. The album was titled Lexicon of Love II and released by Virgin/EMI in May of 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 28 Title: The Lexicon of Love Released: 1982 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Show Me (04:02) 2 Poison Arrow (03:24) 3 Many Happy Returns (03:57) 4 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 5 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 6 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 7 Date Stamp (03:51) 8 All of My Heart (05:17) 9 4 Ever 2 Gether (05:30) 10 The Look of Love, Part Four (00:58) |
| The Lexicon of Love : Allmusic album Review : ABCs debut album combined the talents of the Sheffield, U.K.-based band, particularly lead singer Martin Fry, a fashion plate of a frontman with a Bryan Ferry fixation, and the inventive production style of former Buggles member Trevor Horn and his team of musicians, several of whom would go on to form the Art of Noise. Horn created dense tracks that merged synthesizer sounds, prominent beats, and swaths of strings and horns, their orchestrations courtesy of Anne Dudley, who would follow her work with the Art of Noise by becoming a prominent film composer, and who here underscored Frys stylized romantic lyrics and dramatic, if affected, singing. The production style was dense and noisy, but frequently beautiful, and the groups emotional songs gave it a depth and coherence later Horn works, such as those of Yes ("Owner of a Lonely Heart") and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, would lack. (You can hear Horn trying out the latter bands style in "Date Stamp.") Fry and company used the sound to create moving dancefloor epics like "Many Happy Returns," which, like most of the albums tracks, deserved to be a hit single. (In the U.K., four were: "Tears Are Not Enough," "Poison Arrow," "The Look of Love," and "All of My Heart," the last three making the Top Ten; in the U.S., "The Look of Love" and "Poison Arrow" charted Top 40.) ABC, which began fragmenting almost immediately, never equaled its gold-selling first LP commercially or artistically, despite some worthy later songs. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 28 Title: Beauty Stab Released: 1983-11-14 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 2 Love’s a Dangerous Language (03:41) 3 If I Ever Thought You’d Be Lonely (03:55) 4 The Power of Persuasion (03:31) 5 Beauty Stab (02:06) 6 By Default by Design (04:07) 7 Hey Citizen! (03:55) 8 King Money (04:02) 9 Bite the Hand (03:06) 10 Unzip (02:49) 11 S.O.S. (04:48) 12 United Kingdom (03:19) |
 | Album: 3 of 28 Title: How to Be a… Zillionaire! Released: 1985 Tracks: 14 Duration: 59:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fear of the World (03:50) 2 Be Near Me (03:39) 3 Vanity Kills (03:31) 4 Ocean Blue (03:34) 5 15 Storey Halo (05:35) 6 A to Z (02:50) 7 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 8 Tower of London (03:39) 9 So Hip It Hurts (04:19) 10 Between You & Me (03:19) 11 Fear of the World (In Cinemascope) (04:40) 12 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:28) 13 How to Be a Millionaire (Bond St. mix) (06:05) 14 Vanity Kills (The Abigails Party mix) (05:09) |
| How to Be a… Zillionaire! : Allmusic album Review : Moving away from the guitar histrionics of Beauty Stab, Martin Fry reduced ABC to a duo of himself and Mark White for 1985s danceable How to Be a...Zillionaire! Incorporating light hip-hop rhythms, ABC made sure Zillionaire sounded contemporary for mid-80s dance clubs, and as a result, some of the record sounds stiff and dated. Still, when Frys sense of melody is on, as on the catchy single "Be Near Me," or when he works in his vicious, cynical wit, as on "How to Be a Millionaire" and "So Hip It Hurts," the record rivals the peaks of Lexicon of Love. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 28 Title: Alphabet City Released: 1987-11 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:02:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Avenue A (00:55) 2 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 3 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 4 Think Again (03:40) 5 Rage and Then Regret (03:33) 6 Ark‐Angel (04:55) 7 King Without a Crown (04:41) 8 Bad Blood (03:56) 9 Jealous Lover (03:36) 10 One Day (05:35) 11 Avenue Z (00:42) 12 Minneapolis (02:57) 13 When Smokey Sings (The Miami mix) (07:05) 14 The Night You Murdered Love (The Whole Story) (08:14) 15 Chicago (abridged) (03:41) |
| Alphabet City : Allmusic album Review : Returning to the Motown and Northern soul that provided the basis of their debut album, ABC turned to the pop songcraft on their fifth album, Alphabet City. The increased songcraft is certainly engaging, particularly on the hit "When Smokey Sings," but the songs are usually indistinguishable from each other, resulting in a sleek, stylish, and thoroughly entertaining album that leaves no lasting memory. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 28 Title: The Suberbs of Alphabet City Released: 1988-01-25 Tracks: 8 Duration: 44:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 When Smokey Sings (Detroit mix) (06:47) 2 When Smokey Sings (bonus beats) (04:40) 3 King Without a Crown (Monarchy mix) (abridged version) (04:18) 4 The Night You Murdered Love (The Reply) (04:50) 5 The Night You Murdered Love (The Sheer-Chic mix) (06:31) 6 Chicago (Parts 1 & 2) (06:40) 7 Look of Love (06:10) 8 Poison Arrow (04:44) |
 | Album: 6 of 28 Title: Up Released: 1989 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:00:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Never More Than Now (06:04) 2 The Real Thing (04:55) 3 One Better World (05:38) 4 Where Is the Heaven? (06:27) 5 The Greatest Love of All (05:35) 6 North (05:40) 7 Im in Love With You (04:35) 8 Paper Thin (05:52) 9 One Better World (Pickering-Park mix) (04:24) 10 The Greatest Love of All (Kraushaar mix) (05:44) 11 Never More Than Now (Kraushaar mix) (05:56) |
 | Album: 7 of 28 Title: The Look of Love Released: 1990 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:09:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 Poison Arrow (03:24) 3 Tears Are Not Enough (demo) (03:32) 4 The Night You Murdered Love (The Sheer-Chic mix) (06:31) 5 Fear of the World (03:50) 6 North (05:40) 7 Never More Than Now (06:04) 8 S.O.S. (04:30) 9 Think Again (03:40) 10 Im in Love With You (04:35) 11 One Better World (04:29) 12 Vanity Kills (03:31) 13 The Greatest Love of All (03:32) 14 Alphabet Soup (05:20) 15 Tower of London (03:39) 16 King Money (04:02) |
 | Album: 8 of 28 Title: Absolutely Released: 1990-04-19 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:13:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Poison Arrow (03:24) 2 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 3 All of My Heart (04:49) 4 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 5 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 6 S.O.S. (04:30) 7 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 8 Be Near Me (03:39) 9 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 10 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 11 King Without a Crown (04:41) 12 One Better World (04:29) 13 Ocean Blue (03:34) 14 The Look of Love (1990 remix) (04:38) 15 When Smokey Sings (The Miami mix) (05:10) 16 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:00) 17 One Better World (Pickering-Park mix) (06:10) |
 | Album: 9 of 28 Title: Abracadabra Released: 1991 Tracks: 9 Duration: 40:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Love Conquers All (05:00) 2 Unlock the Secrets of Your Heart (04:54) 3 Answered Prayer (05:56) 4 Spellbound (04:15) 5 Say It (04:21) 6 Welcome to the Real World (04:02) 7 Satori (02:58) 8 All That Matters (04:29) 9 This Must Be Magic (04:20) |
 | Album: 10 of 28 Title: 2 Released: 1992 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:05:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 All of My Heart (04:49) 2 Where Is the Heaven? (06:27) 3 The Real Thing (03:53) 4 The Greatest Love of All (03:32) 5 The Look of Love - Parts Three & Four (05:19) 6 Between You & Me (03:19) 7 Vertigo (01:56) 8 Poison Arrow (03:24) 9 Chicago (Parts 1 & 2) (06:40) 10 Never More Than Now (06:04) 11 Many Happy Returns (03:57) 12 Jealous Lover (03:36) 13 Tower of London (03:39) 14 A to Z (02:50) 15 Judy’s Jewels (02:01) 16 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) |
 | Album: 11 of 28 Title: 1 Released: 1992 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:06:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Parts 1 & 2 (07:13) 2 Love’s a Dangerous Language (03:41) 3 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 4 Show Me (04:02) 5 Date Stamp (03:51) 6 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 7 Overture (03:58) 8 Beauty Stab (02:06) 9 When Smokey Sings (04:22) 10 4 Ever 2 Gether (05:30) 11 If I Ever Thought You’d Be Lonely (03:55) 12 The Power of Persuasion (03:31) 13 15 Storey Halo (05:35) 14 Rage and Then Regret (03:33) 15 Bite the Hand (03:06) 16 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) |
 | Album: 12 of 28 Title: Tears Are Not Enough Released: 1993 Tracks: 14 Duration: 55:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Poison Arrow (03:24) 2 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 3 Be Near Me (03:39) 4 Never More Than Now (06:04) 5 Love’s a Dangerous Language (03:41) 6 Bite the Hand (03:06) 7 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 8 The Greatest Love of All (Mayday mix) (06:04) 9 Minneapolis (edit) (01:57) 10 Vanity Kills (03:31) 11 Think Again (03:40) 12 Im in Love With You (04:35) 13 The Real Thing (03:53) 14 Chicago, Part 1 (03:40) |
 | Album: 13 of 28 Title: The Remix Collection Released: 1993-03-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:18:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Tears Are Not Enough (extended version) (07:47) 2 Alphabet Soup (12″ mix) (08:03) 3 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 4 How to Be a Zillionaire (Bond Street mix) (07:35) 5 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:00) 6 Poison Arrow (US remix) (06:54) 7 The Look of Love, Part 1 (US remix) (07:39) 8 Ocean Blue (Atlantic mix) (05:09) 9 The Night You Murdered Love (The Sheer-Chic mix) (06:31) 10 King Without a Crown (Monarchy mix) (08:40) 11 One Better World (Garage mix) (06:02) 12 The Real Thing (Frankie Knuckles mix) (05:14) |
 | Album: 14 of 28 Title: Master Series Released: 1997 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:07:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 3 All of My Heart (04:46) 4 The Real Thing (album edit) (03:35) 5 Be Near Me (03:39) 6 Poison Arrow (03:24) 7 Unzip (02:49) 8 Between You & Me (03:19) 9 S.O.S. (04:30) 10 The Greatest Love of All (03:32) 11 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 12 Tower of London (03:39) 13 Beauty Stab (instrumental) (02:09) 14 North (05:40) 15 So Hip It Hurts (04:19) 16 Bite the Hand (03:06) 17 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 18 Vanity Kills (03:31) |
 | Album: 15 of 28 Title: Skyscraping Released: 1997-03 Tracks: 11 Duration: 51:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Stranger Things (05:15) 2 Ask a Thousand Times (05:12) 3 Skyscraping (04:19) 4 Who Can I Turn To? (03:48) 5 Rolling Sevens (04:31) 6 Only the Best Will Do (04:19) 7 Love Is Its Own Reward (04:08) 8 Light Years (06:40) 9 Seven Day Weekend (03:31) 10 Heaven Knows (03:59) 11 Faraway (05:20) |
 | Album: 16 of 28 Title: Lexicon of Live Released: 2000 Tracks: 13 Duration: 55:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Poison Arrow (03:56) 2 Stranger Things (04:43) 3 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 4 (How to Be a) Millionaire (03:31) 5 Be Near Me (04:38) 6 Who Can I Turn To? (04:04) 7 Show Me (03:36) 8 Skyscraping (04:46) 9 Rolling Sevens (04:46) 10 One Better World (03:53) 11 Tears Are Not Enough (04:00) 12 All of My Heart (05:29) 13 The Look of Love (04:03) |
 | Album: 17 of 28 Title: The Look of Love: Best Released: 2000-02-07 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:18:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 Poison Arrow (03:24) 3 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 4 Show Me (04:02) 5 Many Happy Returns (03:57) 6 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 7 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 8 All of My Heart (05:17) 9 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 10 Be Near Me (03:39) 11 Ocean Blue (03:34) 12 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 13 S.O.S. (04:30) 14 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 15 The Real Thing (album edit) (03:35) 16 Rage and Then Regret (03:33) 17 North (05:40) 18 One Better World (04:29) 19 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 20 The Look of Love (Part Two) (00:59) |
 | Album: 18 of 28 Title: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of ABC Released: 2000-06-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Poison Arrow (03:24) 2 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 3 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 4 All of My Heart (05:17) 5 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 6 S.O.S. (04:30) 7 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 8 Be Near Me (03:39) 9 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 10 Vanity Kills (The Abigails Party mix) (05:09) 11 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) |
 | Album: 19 of 28 Title: Hello! An Introduction to ABC Released: 2001 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:06:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Tears Are Not Enough (12" remix) (07:43) 2 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 3 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 4 Overture (03:58) 5 Love’s a Dangerous Language (03:41) 6 King Money (04:02) 7 Unzip (02:49) 8 Bite the Hand (03:06) 9 15 Storey Halo (05:35) 10 A to Z (02:50) 11 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 12 Between You & Me (03:19) 13 Bad Blood (03:56) 14 One Day (05:35) 15 Avenue Z (00:42) 16 Minneapolis (02:57) 17 Im in Love With You (04:35) |
 | Album: 20 of 28 Title: Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC Released: 2001-11-06 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:10:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 All of My Heart (04:49) 3 Poison Arrow (03:24) 4 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 5 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 6 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 7 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 8 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 9 Peace and Tranquility (04:04) 10 One Better World (04:29) 11 S.O.S. (04:30) 12 King Without a Crown (04:41) 13 Be Near Me (03:39) 14 Ocean Blue (03:34) 15 Vanity Kills (03:31) 16 The Real Thing (04:55) 17 Blame (05:02) |
 | Album: 21 of 28 Title: Poison Arrow Released: 2002-04-29 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:09:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 Poison Arrow (03:24) 3 Tears Are Not Enough (demo) (03:32) 4 The Night You Murdered Love (The Sheer-Chic mix) (06:31) 5 Fear of the World (03:50) 6 North (05:40) 7 Never More Than Now (06:04) 8 S.O.S. (04:30) 9 Think Again (03:40) 10 Im in Love With You (04:35) 11 One Better World (04:29) 12 Vanity Kills (03:31) 13 The Greatest Love of All (03:32) 14 Alphabet Soup (05:20) 15 Tower of London (03:39) 16 King Money (04:02) |
 | Album: 22 of 28 Title: The Ultimate Collection Released: 2004-05-17 Tracks: 40 Duration: 3:05:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 2 Poison Arrow (03:24) 3 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 4 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 5 All of My Heart (05:17) 6 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 7 Beauty Stab (02:06) 8 King Money (04:02) 9 Bite the Hand (03:06) 10 S.O.S. (04:48) 11 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 12 Be Near Me (03:39) 13 Vanity Kills (03:31) 14 Tower of London (03:39) 15 Ocean Blue (03:34) 1 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 2 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 3 King Without a Crown (04:41) 4 Im in Love With You (04:35) 5 One Better World (05:38) 6 The Real Thing (04:55) 7 The Greatest Love of All (05:35) 8 North (05:40) 9 The Look of Love (1990 remix) (04:38) 10 Love Conquers All (05:00) 11 Say It (04:21) 12 Stranger Things (05:15) 13 Skyscraping (04:19) 14 Rolling Sevens (04:31) 15 Peace and Tranquility (04:04) 1 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 2 Tears Are Not Enough (12" remix) (07:43) 3 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:28) 4 How to Be a Millionaire (Bond St. mix) (06:05) 5 Vanity Kills (The Abigails Party mix) (05:09) 6 When Smokey Sings (The Miami mix) (07:05) 7 The Night You Murdered Love (The Whole Story) (08:14) 8 One Better World (Pickering-Park mix) (04:24) 9 Viva Love (Brother in Rhythm edit) (04:13) 10 Blame (05:02) |
 | Album: 23 of 28 Title: Gold Released: 2006 Tracks: 30 Duration: 2:28:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Look of Love, Part 1 (03:29) 2 All of My Heart (04:49) 3 Poison Arrow (03:24) 4 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 5 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 6 Tears Are Not Enough (03:31) 7 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 8 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 9 Peace and Tranquility (04:04) 10 One Better World (04:29) 11 S.O.S. (04:30) 12 King Without a Crown (04:41) 13 Be Near Me (03:39) 14 Ocean Blue (03:34) 15 Vanity Kills (03:31) 16 The Real Thing (04:55) 17 Blame (05:02) 1 Tears Are Not Enough (7″ version) (03:35) 2 Poison Arrow (Jazz mix) (07:04) 3 Look of Love (1990 remix) (05:44) 4 All of My Heart (06:49) 5 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:28) 6 How to Be a Millionaire (Bond St. mix) (06:05) 7 Vanity Kills (U.S.A. remix) (05:40) 8 ABC Megamix (08:54) 9 Ocean Blue (03:34) 10 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 11 The Night You Murdered Love (The Sheer-Chic mix) (06:31) 12 King Without a Crown (Monarchy mix) (08:40) 13 One Better World (Garage mix) (06:02) |
 | Album: 24 of 28 Title: Never More Than Now: The ABC Collection Released: 2007-04-30 Tracks: 33 Duration: 2:32:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Tears Are Not Enough (12" remix) (07:43) 2 Alphabet Soup (12″ mix) (08:03) 3 Poison Arrow (03:24) 4 Theme From “Mantrap” (04:19) 5 The Look of Love, Part Three (04:19) 6 Valentine’s Day (03:42) 7 All of My Heart (06:49) 8 That Was Then but This Is Now (03:34) 9 The Power of Persuasion (03:31) 10 Hey Citizen! (03:55) 11 S.O.S. (04:48) 12 How to Be a Millionaire (03:35) 13 Be Near Me (03:39) 14 15 Storey Halo (05:35) 15 Tower of London (03:39) 16 Ocean Blue (single mix) (03:39) 17 Between You & Me (03:19) 1 When Smokey Sings (04:20) 2 The Night You Murdered Love (04:53) 3 24 Carat Plastic (03:30) 4 King Without a Crown (04:41) 5 Rage and Then Regret (03:33) 6 Minneapolis (02:57) 7 Chicago, Part 1 (03:40) 8 One Better World (05:38) 9 The Real Thing (04:55) 10 North (05:40) 11 Im in Love With You (04:35) 12 Never More Than Now (Kraushaar mix) (05:56) 13 Paper Thin (05:52) 14 Blame (05:02) 15 Peace and Tranquility (04:04) 16 Be Near Me (Munich disco mix) (05:28) |
 | Album: 25 of 28 Title: Traffic Released: 2008-04-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sixteen Seconds to Choose (03:11) 2 The Very First Time (03:38) 3 Ride (03:37) 4 Love Is Strong (04:06) 5 Caroline (04:45) 6 Life Shapes You (03:49) 7 One Way Traffic (03:44) 8 Way Back When (04:12) 9 Validation (03:57) 10 Lose Yourself (04:02) 11 Fugitives (04:02) 12 Minus Love (04:07) |
 | Album: 26 of 28 Title: All of my Heart the Collection Released: 2010 Tracks: 33 Duration: 2:32:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Poison Arrow (03:25) 2 The Look Of Love (Part 1) (03:29) 3 Be Near Me (03:39) 4 One Better World (05:39) 5 Tears Are Not Enough (12" Mix) (07:42) 6 Valentines Day (03:42) 7 Between You And Me (03:19) 8 Paper Thin (05:52) 9 The Power Of Persuasion (03:34) 10 Ocean Blue (03:39) 11 North (05:37) 12 Hey Citizen! (03:58) 13 24 Carat Plastic (03:30) 14 Tower Of London (03:40) 15 Alphabet Soup (12" Mix) (08:03) 16 How To Be A Zillionaire (03:37) 17 All Of My Heart (Live From Boston) (06:48) 1 When Smokey Sings (04:22) 2 That Was Then But This Is Now (03:35) 3 The Night You Murdered Love (04:54) 4 The Real Thing (04:55) 5 Chicago (Part 1) (03:42) 6 15 Storey Halo (05:36) 7 Minneapolis (02:59) 8 Peace And Tranquility (04:06) 9 Blame (05:02) 10 Rage And Then Regret (03:36) 11 S.O.S. (04:51) 12 King Without A Crown (04:43) 13 Theme From "Mantrap" (04:20) 14 Im In Love With You (04:36) 15 Never More Than Now (Kraushaar Mix) (05:56) 16 Be Near Me (Munich Disco Mix) (05:29) |
 | Album: 27 of 28 Title: The Lexicon of Love II Released: 2016-05-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 45:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Flames of Desire (04:27) 2 Viva Love (04:14) 3 Ten Below Zero (03:58) 4 Confessions of a Fool (03:55) 5 Singer Not the Song (04:10) 6 The Ship of the Seasick Sailor (04:41) 7 Kiss Me Goodbye (04:52) 8 I Believe in Love (04:42) 9 The Love Inside the Love (04:12) 10 Brighter Than the Sun (05:13) 11 Viva Love (reprise) (00:55) |
| The Lexicon of Love II : Allmusic album Review : While on-stage at a show commemorating the 30th anniversary of ABCs undeniably classic album The Lexicon of Love, Martin Fry had an epiphany. Why not make a sequel? Something that captured the sweeping vision of the original, but also added the wisdom of three decades gained by living through the endless ups and downs of love. Working with Anne Dudley, who arranged the strings on the original Lexicon, producer Gary Stevenson, and a few songwriters, Fry did exactly what he set out to do on 2016s The Lexicon of Love II. The album gets the majestic, cinematic scope of the original down perfectly, with Dudleys epic string arrangements embellished with grand pianos, some fluid fretless bass playing, impassioned backing vocals, and the occasional moment that, if you close your eyes, almost sounds like 1982 -- not only because of the musical backing, but also because Frys voice is relatively untouched by age. While he cant hit the same falsetto notes that he could 30 years earlier, he does still sing with the same urgency and power that he used to, and thats very impressive. Of course, there are no tracks here as perfect as "The Look of Love" or "Poison Arrow," but there arent any weak links either, and the album holds together unexpectedly well. And some of the tracks do come pretty close to the heights reached on the original Lexicon, like the swaggering disco-funk workout "Viva Love," the nautically romantic "The Ship of the Seasick Sailor," and the most 1982-like of the lot, "The Flames of Desire." There are even a couple that might have fit in on Beauty Stab (the guitar-heavy "Singer Not the Song") or Zillionaire (the slickly danceable "Confessions of a Fool"). Throughout, Frys lyrics cast a wryly practiced eye on the travails of being a failed lover, the difficulty of making a living playing music, and the inevitable march of time. Its a melancholy journey, made even sadder by the strings that permeate everything, but its also inspiring and always stylishly delivered. Fry and his crew of accomplices could have failed miserably trying to re-create the sound of Lexicon exactly, making it a stale nostalgic exercise that would have tarnished the original by association. Instead, they got at what makes it great -- the over the top romanticism, the audacious vocals, and the widescreen melodies -- and gave it a wiser, more thoughtful update. The Lexicon of Love II isnt exactly a return to form, since their 2008 album Traffic is a hidden gem in their catalog, but it does serve as a reminder that Martin Fry and ABC created one of the best albums of the 80s, if not ever, and they still have what it takes to come within shouting distance of those ridiculously lofty heights. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 28 Title: Christmas… With Love Released: 2016-12-02 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 A Christmas We Deserve (04:46) 2 The Love Inside the Love (acoustic) (04:00) 3 Viva Love (acoustic) (03:53) 4 The Look of Love (acoustic) (03:29) |