There doesn't seem to be an ABC thread as such

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Though Dave Q has this winner -- Taking Sides: ABC vs. Culture Club -- and there's a thread for Beauty Stab. And I know how Dr. C feels about "All of My Heart" in particular.

But I bring this up because of the upcoming ABC comp The Look of Love, which looks a treat:

Disc One - CD
Look of Love
All of My Heart
Poison Arrow
When Smokey Sings
That Was Then but This Is Now
Tears Are Not Enough
How to Be a Millionaire
Night You Murdered Love
Peace and Tranquilty
One Better World
S.O.S.
King Without a Crown
Be Near Me
Ocean Blue
Vanity Kills
Real Thing
Blame
Tears Are Not Enough

Disc Two - CD
Poison Arrow (Jazz Mix)
Look Of Love (1990 Remix)
All Of My Heart (Live From Boston)
Be Near Me (Munich Mix)
How To Be A Millionaire (Bond Street Mix)
Vanity Kills (US Remix)
ABC Megamix
Ocean Blue
When Smokey Sings (12" Version)
Night You Murdered Love (Sheer-Chic Mix)
King Without A Crown (Monarchy Mix)
One Better World (Garage Mix)

Disc Three - DVD
Poison Arrow
Look Of Love
All Of My Heart
That Was Then But This Is Now
S.O.S.
How To Be A Millionaire
Be Near Me
Vanity Kills (UK Version)
Vanity Kills (US Version)
Ocean Blue
When Smokey Sings
Night You Murdered Love
King Without A Crown
One Better World

I admit I'm most interested in the videos, since I'm less familiar with them than the other songs. But why not a discussion of the band as a whole? Growing up, I essentially only knew them for their American hits -- "The Look of Love," "Poison Arrow," "Be Near Me," "When Smokey Sings" and "How To be a Millionaire" to a lesser degree -- and the whole lexicon/arch/knowing element -- plus to a degree the Trevor Horn influence, that I only gathered about after the fact -- passed me by. But I still remember the conflicted feeling over "The Look of Love" I had when I was 12 -- at once spectacularly thrilling and suddenly stupid (the latter growing out of what I thought was a spoiled ending when Fry did those 'hip hip hooray' etc. bits. I still don't think they're accomplishing whatever they were supposed to do, like an intentional blemish on that fantastic ending (but perhaps that's the point).

Time and learning more about the band and its context has helped in seeing them differently but ultimately I still find it hard to hear of them in any other way than an intermittently brilliant mainstream pop group whose background and goals, while clearly essential to how and why they came about in the first place, simply aren't needed to enjoy them as is, in contrast to the more specific grounding and tension I sense in the likes of the Human League, say, equally thrilling pop but now, to my mind, more 'placed' in history somewhere, at some time. And I don't mind that difference at all!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:31 (twenty years ago)

I find it a little hard to believe that ABC doesn't have their own thread.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

but you really would know, i suppose.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

I checked but perhaps I am of the blind.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

"I still don't think they're accomplishing whatever they were supposed to do, like an intentional blemish on that fantastic ending"

OMG It's totally the best part!!! It's totally thrilling. But, then, i was 14 when i first heard it and prone to melodrama.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

SISTERS AND BROTHERS!!!

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

all you have to do is bring that up and i totally want to hear it now. now i have to dig around until i find my megaepicparts1-4lookoflovemaxi-single. thanks a lot, ned. i'm supposed to be dusting.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

I found a good-condition copy of "How To Be A Millionaire" on 12" last year, and proceeded to geek the fuck out.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

ABC lost me when they turned into cartoon characters. Later singles always sounded a mite fussy, though that comp sure looks nice.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 24 September 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

SISTERS AND BROTHERS!!!

I actually like that part! And up through the 'heavens above!' bit too.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 September 2005 21:06 (twenty years ago)

ABC lost me when they turned into cartoon characters.

Ah, donut disagrees there:

ABC "How to be a Zillionare": best 80s pop record?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 24 September 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

They proved they could tone it down when they wanted to -- see "Ocean Blue" -- but I can't see "Look of Love" having any different ending since camp was Martin Fry's essential stock in trade. "Turned into" cartoon characters?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 24 September 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

my friends just saw them live in SF and said it was remarkable. but I don't know if it was all hired guns in the band or not.

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 24 September 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

I bought this comp when it came out and used to play it all the time:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001FWD/102-4665372-8964168?v=glance

The four remixes at the end are superfluous and have dated REALLY badly, as you'd expect.

"When Smokey Sings" (song and video) seems incredibly cheesy in retrospect and I'm a bit embarrassed for ever having liked it.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 24 September 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

my friends just saw them live in SF and said it was remarkable. but I don't know if it was all hired guns in the band or not.

Related: they were on VH1's "Bands Reunited", and Martin Fry and David Palmer were the only original members to participate.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 24 September 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

It's all about the YIPPEE YI YIPPEE YI AY-AYEE!

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 24 September 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

The somewhat spritely kind of Elijah Wood-looking one in the video who goes, "What's that!?" -- whatever happened to him?

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Saturday, 24 September 2005 23:27 (twenty years ago)

Nah, it's all about the
I've seen the future, and
I can't afford ittt-tUHHH.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 25 September 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

I know this is out of context, Ned, but your line, " still find it hard to hear of them in any other way than an intermittently brilliant mainstream pop group" is OTM. They made one unimpeachable album and several wonderful singles, but for whatever reason Martin Fry was unable to make the transition from Elvis Costello to Bryan Ferry very compelling.

He also must have erued the day Neil Tennant stole his gold jacket.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 25 September 2005 01:46 (twenty years ago)

i'd like to see their other videos - there were videos after "one better world .
i thought "unzip" could've been a single.

and candy davis the sexy blonde,busty receptionist from the last few "are you being served" episodes is in "poison arrow".

― retroman, Sunday, 25 September 2005 02:07 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure their background and goals not being essential to enjoying them is a problem.

Oh, and Zillionaire is essential in its entirety. As is their failed stab at beauty.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 25 September 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and Zillionaire is essential in its entirety.

Even "A to Z" ?!?

"My name is Martin Fry. F-R-Y. Who needs the moon when we've got the stars?"

"That's right!"

"Hi! I'm Kitten! I want you to Kiss My Snatch!"

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 25 September 2005 05:40 (twenty years ago)

that's the best part though. did you see it coming the first time? did you? no, you didn't. how many songs can you say that about?

'zillionaire' is classic because it was #1 in my college dorm room the winter we went for months during finals with a huge broken window and we had three stoner friends crashing in the common room, I think they founded The Cult Of David Yarritu.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Sunday, 25 September 2005 05:43 (twenty years ago)

did you see it coming the first time? did you? no, you didn't. how many songs can you say that about?

Pretty much every B-52's song through 1986, and they did it better.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Sunday, 25 September 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

"A to Z" is essential if only because it allowed me to realize years after the fact that it stole its backing track from a an agitprop electro track called "Strike" from 1984 (http://www.londonlee.com/2005/07/boogie-friday_29.html).

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Sunday, 25 September 2005 08:05 (twenty years ago)

Heaven 17 were better.

― Jagdish, Sunday, 25 September 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

-- Haikunym (zinogu...), September 25th, 2005.

What year was this?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 25 September 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

um, 1985-6 maybe?

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

yeah, that winter, so I guess January '86. I don't know how we knew the stoner dudes, I guess friends of a roommate.

(It wasn't a big cult, Alf. Just these guys, and I guess a woman too, we were all obsessed with the little fella.)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:22 (twenty years ago)

Tracking down the cult of David Yarritu for the modern day -- besides being a photographer in general, I gather, he is/was:

A 2nd unit director on Unzipped

An attender of art parties and events in NYC

And most intriguingly of all, a co-promoter of Runt with one S. Merritt, of whom we all have heard. If you scroll down here you get Merritt talking with Musto about his 'runt heroes.'

Meanwhile, these days Mr. Y looks like this (no points for guessing which one in the photo he is):

http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/people/laster/Images/laster2-19-5.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

I'll give you one guess which one is closest to the moon and stars.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 25 September 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

Nice sneaks, for sure.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 25 September 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

be near me 'munich mix' is a trev h. production (the only non lexicon trev h abc track? think so) it's aces.

― piscesboy, Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Is that Anthony on the right?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

you know, i was really, really hoping this was gonna be a thread about:

http://www.gocontinental.com/photos3/anothe~1.jpg

― ken taylrr has gone off the internet because of you (ken taylrr), Sunday, 25 September 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

ten years pass...

'Be Near Me' = one of the best songs this band ever did.

― Turrican, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 22:53 (ten years ago)

It only peaked at #26 in the UK, too... absolutely criminal.

― Turrican, Wednesday, 18 November 2015 22:54 (ten years ago)

Mark White is making music again.
In a reactivated Vice Versa with Stephen Singleton!

http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/vice-versa-interview/

― mr.raffles, Thursday, 19 November 2015 03:47 (ten years ago)

Ah, that's great news! I was beginning to think he'd given up on music completely.

― Turrican, Thursday, 19 November 2015 19:13 (ten years ago)

"MARK WHITE - THAT'S RIGHT"

― mark e, Thursday, 19 November 2015 19:19 (ten years ago)

in other news :
i recently tracked down the 'neutron' reissue version of 'beauty stab'
me OCD re my cds ?
surely not.
the edition in all the shops these days is the non-neutron edition.
i realise the two probably sound the same, but the label needed to have that logo on it !

― mark e, Thursday, 19 November 2015 19:26 (ten years ago)

Beauty Stab is without a doubt my favourite ABC album. ...Zillionaire! has some great stuff on it but also some crap.

― Turrican, Thursday, 19 November 2015 20:08 (ten years ago)

i love each of the original trilogy the same, however, each for different reasons.

― mark e, Thursday, 19 November 2015 20:24 (ten years ago)

eight months pass...

I was incredibly skeptical about The Lexicon of Love II, but I'm really surprised by it.

― the hair - it's lost its energy (Turrican), Tuesday, 16 August 2016 16:19 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

Listening to The Lexicon of Love II again now and... this album could easily have been a complete and total disaster, and the fact it's not is quite remarkable. Now, it was never going to be as good as The Lexicon of Love, but it's still a very good record with plenty to offer: 'The Flames of Desire', 'Viva Love', 'Singer Not The Song', 'The Ship of the Seasick Sailor' ...

― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Saturday, 30 September 2017 09:40 (eight years ago)

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