Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: Millennium

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ABC formed in 1980 after Martin Fry interviewed Vice Versa guitarist Mark White and saxophonist Stephen Singleton for his fanzine. Under the direction of Martin Fry, the group scored several catchy, synth-driven dance-pop hits including "POISON ARROW", "THE LOOK OF LOVE" and "BE NEAR ME". The major factor in ABC's success was its stylish videos in the early days of MTV and "THE BEST OF ABC" includes the theme from its 1982 music video collection "THEME FROM MANTRAP".

One of the biggest hits was in 1987 with the pop-soul Motown tribute "WHEN SMOKEY SINGS" from Alphabet City. More adventurous than most, ABC was one of the more popular purveyors of perfect pop. Highly recommend this "best of" album from the most significant music artists of the past century.

Total Time: 45:06 on 11 Tracks/ Mercury Records - 314 542 459 2 (2000)

Being a fan of a few ABC songs, I bought this CD as a way to have add some of these songs to my collection. This CD accomplished it and accomplished it well. When I buy such a CD, I look for two things: 1) Additional songs that I haven't heard before and hope to get into some new song I haven't heard before; 2) Great Liner Notes.

All in all, every ABC song I would expect to find from ABC is in this collection (again this is from a more casual fan's perspective). Songs such as "Poison Arrow" and "Theme From Mantrap" fall into that category of "Song I haven't heard before that caught my attention", but there wasn't much more to help me really get into ABC. The interesting thing I noticed was how "Theme From Mantrap" had a twist on the lyrics from "Poison Arrow". Every song from ABC has a true "80s" feel to it. Most of the songs from this album range from 1982 to 1987 and during this time, it doesn't appear like they took many new directions musically..

The liner notes were average, but not great. They did give some information on how the songs did on the chart, but didn't have details in terms of the band credits that I would have liked to see. There is a nice writeup on the history of the band.

Having reached my thirties, it's a little daunting to realize that I've loved some of the music on this collection for more than half my life. This is a solid no-frills collection of a group that specialized in elegant, sometimes perfect pop music. Taking many of the right cues from David Bowie and Brian Ferry and combining it with a musical sense all their own, ABC's best songs have endured while many artists who scored hugher on the pop charts of the day have been forgotten. Some gems are obvious ("The Look of Love", "Be Near Me" and "When Smokey Sings") while others such as "S.O.S." (which is not a cover of the ABBA song) may not be familiar on first listen. Nonetheless, all the songs here will be thoroughly enjoyed and taken to heart by all those who appreciate exquisite pop music.

"Best of ABC" is at best a slapdash affair by Mercury to fob off a handful of tracks from their first four releases with two harder to find non-album tracks. "Absolutely ABC" covers the same ground more effectively and re-releases of other recordings have appended the non-album tracks so its not worth wasting your money on this unless you HAVE to have it. "Best of ABC" skews WAY heavily to "Lexicon..." their first release with only one to two tracks from each of the remaining three. While ABC is one of the best of the New Romantic bands of the 80s they are NOT well served by this release and potential buyers would be advised to start elsewhere. This release has all the earmarks of a record label seeking to cash in by merely tacking on a couple rarities.

This CD is a clean, concise compilation of ABC's biggest hits of the 80's. Here is a track by track review:

1. Poison Arrow - #25 on Billboard's Hot 100 - this is the single version which most would be familiar with from the radio - a classic smooth, slick, polished new romantic track featuring Marty's dramatic vocal style.

2. The Look of Love (Part One) - #18 on the Hot 100 - the song that brought them to fame here in the US - their first hit here and quite possibly their best ever. Marty, maybe one day you'll find true love.

3. Tears are Not Enough - this song did not chart here in the US, although the video did receive some airplay on video outlets at the time. A geat song.

4. All of my Heart - another song that did not chart in the US, but a beautiful song. A perfectly crafted pop song with some of the most clever lyrics in the bands history. Somehow this song manages to convey feelings of both desperation and indiference towards a lost love. A masterpiece.

5. That Was Then But This is Now - #89 on the Hot 100. After the success of their first album, the band suffered the sophomore jinx with "Beauty Stab" and this excellent song did not find the audience that it deserved. Part of the problem was that a band that had been known for stylish suits and perfect haircuts tried to go the U2 serious, political route.

6. S.O.S. - another non-hit in the US. It seemed like things were looking dark for the band around this time, but they rebounded with their next album.

7. How to be a Millionaire - #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. With this album, the band dropped the suits and went for a bizarre, club look. They also dropped the heavy orchestration of their previous releases for a more synthesized, dance beat. This song and the Pet Shop Boys "Opportunities" have to be 2 of the best tongue-in-cheek odes to 80's greed ever written.

8. Be Near Me - #9 on the Billboatd Hot 100. The band finally cracked the US Top 10 with this perfect pop song.

9. When Smokey Sings - #5 on the Hot 100. Their 2nd and last Top 10 hit. After one album of dance music, the band dropped the odd club attire and went back to their suits and highly polished style for this slice of blue-eyed soul set to the distinctive ABC beat. This version is the longer, album version. I personally prefer the single version without the added references to Marvin Gaye and James Brown.

10. Vanity Kills - not a chart hit. I like this song, but I do not like the remixed version that is included here.

11. Theme from "Mantrap" - not a chart hit. This song is "Poison Arrow" slowed down. I prefer the original "Poison Arrow" to this.

Two problems with this CD: #1 - the songs are not in chronological order. #2 - The versions of "When Smokey Sings" and "Vanity Kills" are not the versions I prefer. Otherwise a great CD and a great way for the casual fan to have all of ABC's biggest hits on one disc.

ABC were one of the best bands of the '80s that most people didn't pay attention to. Often known as "Purveyors of Perfect Pop," ABC created an impressive body of early work, including "Poison Arrow," "The Look of Love," "Be Near Me," "When Smokey Sings," and "How to Be a Millionaire" (my personal favorite) that reinforced that notion. Unfortunately most of their other songs were not all that impressive, and this collection wisely does not stuff the album with too much filler. The album sleeve also has a nice little history of the band, which is useful for those who only knew them from a few select songs. There's also an Absolutely ABC-Best Of album that features some 1990 remixes, but most of those are intolerable. Instead, stick with this album.

WEll, I have to say as far as the world is concerned, ABC may have made little more than a ripple in the music industry. This CD proves why it should have been otherwise. This is an excellent starter for someone just finding their way to ABC or for anyone who has enjoyed them from the outset. It has most of the great songs, all of the notable ones, and none of the messy re-mixes.

So nice to hear their songs once again...a real good CD collection for the 80's lovers

ABC, in my opinion, was one of the top acts of the 80s. If you like well-written pop music along the lines of Culture Club, but with more of a "new order" twist, you will like ABC.

This has some of their biggest hits, but is not the best collection out there. Absolutely ABC was much better, with more songs and even a few remixes. Unfortunately though, that one seems to have been discontinued.

I think this one will be fine for the casual fan who wants the very top hits, like Poison Arrow. For those who want some of the more obscure (but still good) stuff, look elsewhere.

I always thought ABC were one of the better bands to come out of the 80's. The British group, led by powerful singer Martin Fry, had a great knack for excellent, romantic pop (and, I gotta give 'em credit, they were also snappy dressers---remember those gold suits they wore?). This collection contains their best-known songs, and they're all winners. "Look Of Love," "Poison Arrow," "All Of My Heart," "That Was Then This Is Now," "Be Near Me," "When Smokey Sings," they're all here. I just love the band's tunefulness, the romanticism of their music, and Martin Fry's rich voice. The 80's DID have some great bands, and ABC were definitely one of the best to come out of that MTV decade. This CD collection is the proof of that.