Customer Reviews

The Lexicon Of Love

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1981: Just when you thought you had heard every David Bowie and Bryan Ferry imitator to warble his discontented angst into the wind, along came ABC. They were smart like Bowie, fashion-mad like Ferry, and (before he became producer du jour) sonically adventurous with Trevor Horn at the dials. Lyrically witty to the point of brilliant, "The Look Of Love" remains a sonic marvel. It combined the lush orchestrations of disco with the propulsion of Motown, with enough English mannerisms to broach "new wave." Horn's production touches also made it sound completely unlike anything else on the radio or dancefloors at the time.

Yet there was more than a dreaded one hit wonder here. Songs like "Poison Arrow" and "Tears Are Not Enough" had more hooks than a hardware department and made radio sound vibrant in the early 80's. Lead Singer Martin Fry also had the looks down for the early generation of MTV, and the high style of the band's early videos (including one of the earliest longform music vid/movies in "Mantrap") gave them the extra boost that they needed to conquer the US. But what really mattered was, and remains, the music. "The Lexicon Of Love" has held its original splendor years after many of the other MTV bands of the period have lost their sheen. This was one of the first CD's I bought when Disc players were relatively new, and the remaster here, as it does with Roxy Music's "Avalon," brings out even more of the original disc's depth and sparkle. I can't imagine my record collection without "The Lexicon of Love."

"We spend a lot of time writing and crafting the songs-they must be danceable, memorable, intelligent, functional, passionate. These things shouldn't be excluded from pop music-they should be exploited and exaggerated."

ABC's debut album, coming out in 1982 amongst a flurry of Post-Disco/Brit New Wave acts, linked ABC with bands like Spandau Ballet, Human League, Culture Club, Kajagoogoo, Gary Numan, Scritti Politti and Howard Jones. Certainly many of those bands shared a love of classic Motown, but ABC was never part of any scene, and considered themselves outsiders. From the first "The Lexicon of Love" was something else entirely and seemed to cut through the airwaves like a knife once the first piano chords and wailing saxophone of "The Look of Love" gave way to the funky syncopated baseline and lead singer Martin Fry's choir-boy inflected voice declaring dramatically:

"When your world is full of strange arrangements
And gravity won't pull you through
You know you're missing out on something
Well that something depends on you...."

The song instantly propelled them to fame in the US and Europe, but unlike many of their contemporaries, ABC had a fully realized album to back up their single. Over twenty years later, "The Lexicon of Love" is increasingly mentioned in the list of recording studio masterworks, largely due to the skill, audacity and precociousness of studio engineer wonderboy Trevor Horn, who cut his teeth with the Buggles, and had embraced the DIY - Keyboard/Synth/Pop esthetic and with this recording, declared himself heir apparent the minute it was released and people realized just how damn good a bunch of machines in service of some well crafted pop songs could sound.

I don't think it's hyperbole whatsoever to say that this album was a dividing point and paradigm shift in the history of modern recorded music. It subsequently inspired what is now a long line of producer/engineers as artists, and can be traced directly to the work of Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, and contemporary acts like NIN, Prodigy, Daft Punk, Crystal Method, and the collected works of Dr. Dre. The samples, the lush orchestral flourishes, the Fairlight, the pulsing Base and Drum lines that still sound fresh twenty years later -- this is an album that is best described as unabashedly artificial, in service curiously to the demands of idealists who would accept nothing less than a sound that would grab your ears, and pack the dance floor of London's most fashionable night club.

Certainly ABC as credited, was primarily Martin Fry, who gave the band it's New Romantic front man image, Motown influences, and sex appeal (not to mention that bit of vintage 80's sexual-preference ambiguity) supported primarily through the years by guitarist Mark White. Fry's arch english annunciation and distinctive warbling tenor voice which frequently jumps a falseto octave when the time seems right, matched perfectly his penchant for ambiguously clever rhyming wordplay. But the ABC of "Lexicon of love" was more a collaborative studio project with contributions not only from Horn and the other 2 members of ABC, but also Anne Dudley (who would become Art of Noise with Horn) providing Orchestral flourishes on keyboards, and Tessa Web who sings choruses, and provides backing vocals on several tracks most notably "Poison Arrow" which became a major radio hit, and staple of MTV.

"The Look of Love" is very much studio lightning in a bottle, and provides a high water mark of the studio art joining the list of similarly regarded albums like "Pet Sounds", "Sgt. Pepper's" and "Dark Side of the Moon". What the IPod/MP3 generation will likely miss is that "Lexicon of Love" was also a carefully constructed and arranged collection of song, with instrumental diversions inserted between tracks, and songs that flow from one to another elevating the collection to something more than the sum of its parts. That this was the intention and design was made quite clear in the album liner, which featured what appeared to be lyrics to a song, but were in fact, snippets of lines from each of the songs placed together to form one continuous lyric.

In the short-attention-span 21st century, where software on our digital player creates a virtual radio station, few newcomers to the songs on the album will probably ever fully appreciate the way the absence or presence of a second or two of silence can help build on the theatrical design of an album like this one -- how the opening track "Show Me" flows into "Poison Arrow" for example. If you can, listen to the CD without those features on to get the full effect. It's no surprise that in the years since the album was released, people who first experienced it on vinyl and were blown away and forever changed by what it accomplished sonically, have made sure the album appears on magazine and critics best lists, despite all the assumptions that accompanied it originally, when ABC was seen as one of many bands to be consumed and dicarded as byproducts of a short lived fad.

The bands follow up, "Beauty Stab" was a major departure from this album, and perhaps an attempt to acknowledge that despite the 14 additional musicians the band required to to perform the songs of "Lexicon of Love" on their first world tour, ABC actually had aspirations to be an honest to goodness guitar/drums/bass performing unit. It would be an understatement to say that what for many other bands would have been seen as a strong collection, for ABC was a spectacular disaster.

Which is not to say, that it's even possible to seperate where the artistry of Fry and his bandmates, and their years of songwriting and performance, honing their material ends, and the studio wizardy and session musician contributions begin. In other words, without the songs, and the conceptual design, studio perfection can only get you so far. The two halves were required for the whole. "The Lexicon of Love" was born of collaboration and shared aspirations, and despite Fry's deliberation, long recruitment and rehearsal period, and intense focused vision, it certainly is less the product of a band, and more a carefully crafted art piece, offering a first glimpses of what the digital age had in store for us.

The New Romantic movement gave us many memorable artists, but perhaps none left as stylish and indelible a mark as Sheffield's ABC. The band first hit the U.K. charts with "Tears Are Not Enough" on their own Neutron label. Interest in the single lands them a deal with a major label and Trevor Horn (Yes, Art of Noise) agrees to produce their first full length recording. The end result "Lexicon of Love" is one of the quintessential New Romantic recordings. A lush paean to love it summons echoes of Roxy Music, but at the same was very original and unique. Fronted by vocalist extraordinaire Martin Fry the crack four man group was ably augmented by Horn's studio wizardry. Equal parts intelligence, flamboyance and swagger Fry commands the show and his lyrics reflect a mixture of ecstasy and agony, treachery and regret, irony and sorrow. Hearing the original demo of "Tears..." you can hear the genesis of what would evolve under the benevolent tutelage of Trevor Horn. Who made who is obvious.

The curtain lifts on with the dramatic opener "Show Me" with Fry soaring to a wonderful falsetto at points amid a lush orchestrated backdrop, the perfect set up for "Poison Arrow," perhaps one of their best tracks. The video of "Poison Arrow" is perhaps most indelibly etched in people's memories for the band in white ties and Martin cavorting in the infamous gold lamé suit with an 80s beauty. On the pulsating track the wonderful Tessa Niles plays vocal foil to Martin who posits "I thought you loved me, but it seems you don't care" to which Tessa counters "I care enough to know I can never love you" to a crescendo of drums. The song is absolute ecstasy and my all-time favorite. "Many Happy Returns" starts off with a spoken into and then rapidly picks up tempo and actually points the direction ABC would go with the following release "Beauty Stab." Fry's lyrics and the raw emotionalism of the song is quite striking and it gives yet another chance to show off his astonishing falsetto. "Many Happy Returns" glides into the rambunctious "Tears Are Not Enough" which kicks off with Martin's highest falsetto. The track crackles with life recalling Haircut 100 (a contemporary New Romantic band) with its lively horns and prominent bass line. While it bears a passing resemblance to the demo version it's clear that Trevor Horn is the mastermind pumping life and energy into the recording. Heavy strings and glockenspiel (or is it fairlight?) open "Valentines Day" with Martin pushing his vocals to their very limits building to a crescendo where Martin implies "I'd be a Millionaire; I'd be a Fred Astaire." There's nowhere to go but the first single that broke ABC in the USA, "Look of Love (Part One)" which summons up images of the dapper band from their music video. Vocally this is a showcase for Martin's full range, from low spoken asides and growls up to his falsetto. Musically its ABCs absolute zenith with full orchestration and once its over its hard to imagine where you could go from such ecstasy, but there's more cards up Martin's sleeve. "Date Stamp" is pure Trevor at the intro pointing at things to come for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Propaganda, and others. Martin and Tessa heat things up in what is practically a duet against a thumping bass line. What follows is perhaps one of my favorite track "All of My Heart" a profoundly felt song on love, loss, and regret reflected in Martin's vulnerable and heartfelt vocals. For me the recording could and should have ended here as there's no way you could top the sentiments and raw emotionality in "All of My Heart." Recalling not so much "Manifesto" or "Flesh and Blood" era Roxy Music as it does "Avalon" it would be the obvious direction for ABC to continue. Instead things resume with "4 Ever 2 Gether" a slight tune with a rather creepy intro and eerie backing track that hints somewhat at where they would go with "Beauty Stab." The rather fitting coda to it all is the closing blast of "Look of Love (Part Four)." The original recording had "Look of Love (Part Two)" which is not included here, but "Theme From Mantrap," a track from their spy movie/accompanying full length video (on VHS and Laserdisc). Thematically "Mantrap" fits in with the rest of the tracks, and many of the tracks on "Lexicon..." were used in "Mantrap."

ABC epitomized everything great about the New Romantics and this recording perfectly encapsulates 1982 and that era. ABC were on the cutting edge with sumptuous videos and sterling production. From "Lexicon..." they moved to the perceived misstep of "Beauty Stab" from which they would recover. "Lexicon..." has nary a dull track and will have you enthralled from start to finish. A must for any fan of 80s or New Romantic music!

Who else but Martin Fry & Co. could produce "Disco" music with just the right amount of twists so that it survives for over 20 years as "New Wave"? This is, simply put, *the* best album ABC ever released. For me, it sums up 1982 perfectly -- I was in college, I had just bought an unbelievably clever new product by Sony called a "Walkman", and I listened to this album everywhere I went. But memories aside, every track is a winner: the music is lively, the vocals are expressive and passionate, the lyrics are cleverly crafted, and the production is excellent. Some of my favorites are "Look Of Love" (of course), "Poison Arrow", and "Date Stamp". ABC would never again achieve this level of brilliance. Their next album, the truly awful "Beauty Stab", proved this without a doubt. There were a few moments of greatness in later releases such as the songs "Be Near Me", "How To Be A Millionaire", "The Night You Murdered Love", and a good portion of the "Up" and "Abracadabra" albums. But too many of the other tracks seemed like filler material and detracted from these particular gems as a whole. Rumors that ABC's been back in the studio have been floating around for a couple of years now. If it's true, let's hope they give us something that matches the excellence of "The Lexicon Of Love".

No matter how you feel about "eighties music," "synth pop," "new romantic" or any other now meaningless terms, this is an incredible creative achievement that belongs in any serious musical collection. Comparisons to Bowie and Roxy Music are appropriate, but do not tell the whole story: this is one of the catchiest, most enjoyable pop records of all time. The remastered sound and bonus track are an extra plus. If you don't have this record, your collection is incomplete, and your ears are poorer for it.

This is something everyone should have in their collection. Without a doubt. Whether you like jazz, or metal, or funk. Whatever your tastes, they should include great music, and at least one album that Trevor Horn has produced :)

This album from start to finish is classic. With a capital C for the class part. Musically smart, lyrically clever (sometimes brilliant), and performed with alot of style, ABC's first full length album can sit on your stereo from start to finish.

To begin with, the songwriting is excellent. With or without Horn, Martin Fry and Mark White did know how to write good songs, melodically catchy and hook laden, with just enough smarts to separate it from the rest of the 80's pack of new Romantic / European disco bands. ABC's album survives trends and fashions just because the album is timeless. Its not mired in a dated 80's sound really. Keyboards and synths are in the background adding texture, String arrangements add the flourishes, and the bass guitar dominates the whole album.

I think my favourite song has always been DATE STAMP on this album. The obvious hits The Look of Love / Poison Arrow will always be what they are, great dance pop, and Many Happy Returns is always a joy to behold.

Just a great album to own, not in nostalgia, just because it is a great piece of work.

ABC's the Lexicon of Love is the ultimate Valentine's Day album, a pop masterpiece, a thinking (and pretty funny) man's disco party. That man is lead singer Martin Fry -- a silver-tongued devil in a gold lame suit.

What makes the CD so great is the juxtaposition of the glittering sheen of the music with Fry's head-spinningly witty, sarcastic, and self-aware lyrics. "More puns and allusions than Elvis Costello had managed in a career," says Spin Magazine in its Alternative Record Guide, and it's no overstatement.

Here's some of the best quotes on a CD full of em:

1. "If you judge a book by its cover/then you judge the look by the lover."

2. "Look but don't touch in paradise/Don't let them catch you damaging the merchandise."

3. "Everything is temporary, written on that stand/Looking for the girl who meets supply with demand."

4. "I stuck a marriage proposal in the waste disposal."

5. "No I won't be told, there's a crock of gold/at the end of the rainbow. All the pleasure and pain, sunshine and rain/might make this love grow."

6. "Skip the hearts and flowers, skip the ivory towers."

7. "I get sales talk from sales assistants/When all I want to do, girl, is lower your resistance."

8. "When she's gone all I've got to learn/is the law of diminishing returns."

9. "The 12 disciples might kiss and tell/But you can tell me much more than they can."

10. "Then I say I love you, foul the situation/Hey, girl, I thought we were the right combination."

Woo-hoo!

At first blush, the thing that stands out is the music, specifically Trevor Horn's impeccable production. Xylophones, glockenspiels, synths, a string section, cash registers, and probably a couple of kitchen sinks, are the order of the day.

The smooth production is probably what got ABC (mistakenly) lumped in with Spandau Ballet and Wang Chung back in the day, which was maybe part of the joke. Fry's bitchy Vegas-singer-with-a-brain shtick points to satire, but it says something about the quality of the writing that these songs also pack an emotional wallop.

The big hits here are the Look of Love and Poison Arrow, great songs both, but for my money the overblown orchestrations on All of My Heart, the happy ca-ching of the cash registers on Date Stamp, the opening fanfare of Show Me, and (of course) the Mr. Roboto intro ("Evil!") on 4 Ever 2 Gether" make these tracks equally deserving of your time.

ABC has never had an album as good as this one, but fans should check out Be Near Me, Between You and Me, Ocean Blue, How to be a Millionaire, and 15-Storey Halo (on the underrated How to be a Zillionaire CD), When Smokey Sings (the band's tribute to Smokey Robinson from the Alphabet City CD), and That Was Then, but This is Now (from the otherwise awful Beauty Stab CD).

If you like this CD, I also recommend the Divine Comedy's "Casanova" and the Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs."

ABC, along with The Human League, were Sheffield England's greatest contribution to the New Romantic movement. They were a fabulous mix of glitz, pomp, beauty and imagination.

"The Lexicon of Love" has been described as "over-produced," by none other than Trevor Horn, its producer! There may be some truth to this claim. But the production is intregal to its allure. The album is awash with strings, horns, and other classic sounds usually lacking from rock albums. This is the soundtrack to a trip across Europe by train (just like in "Mantrap," ABC's short film by Julien Temple). It touches on most of the themes in life, and leaves the listener tingling.

Martin Fry's voice remains one of my favorites from the era. For a recent sample, see his wonderful cover of Tom Jones's
"Thunderball" from the 1997 release Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project.

This album came onto the scene in 1982.I was a junior in high school.After LoverBoy spread itself all over the air waves a band from Britian calling themselves ABC released The Look Of Love and Poison Arrow on MTV.It was a gtoup mixing Disco,Dance,Blues,Rock and a little Jazz while adding string textures.Most of the groups were into that mixing sounds and textures and some worked while others failed.Styx tried it with Mr Roboto and bombed! Never the less its kinda like a bad commercial,ya never forget it.Every song on this album is great to good and never lets up.Its definately a party album for us to remember the eighties rightly for that was a time period I could look back on and say. "Yep gotta love the Eighties."

This is quite simply one of the landmark albums of the 80's and one which sounds as fresh today as when it first released in 1982. I first heard ABC through the single Tears Are Not Enough, I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed. The next couple of singles though (Poison Arrow, The Look Of Love & All Of My Heart) hooked me on this band, which sounded like no other at this time. Most albums are essentially the singles with a lot of fillers on (some good, others not so good), this album quite simply keeps up the high standard all the way through - I've even re-evaluated Tears Are Not Enough.

There a number of reasons why this album is regarded so highly. You can start with Martin Frys exquisite lyrical genius, oozing romanticism (not the New kind either). You can add the lush strings of Anne Dudley (Art Of Noise) into the mix. You can then finish off with a polished production by Trevor Horn, although you also can't forget the gorgeous backing vocals by Tessa Webb.

Outstanding tracks on an outstanding album : Valentine's Day, The Look Of Love (the breathy spoken refrain), All Of My Heart. This album was re-released with some extra tracks on a couple of years ago. Don't even think about it, just get this one. The Lexicon Of Love is too perfect to be heard in any other form, all you need is the original 10 tracks and a stereo you can turn up fairly loud. This is an album for all music lovers transcending most genres with its sheer gorgeousness.