496. ABC - The Lexicon Of Love (1982)

















Track Listing

1. Show Me
2. Poison Arrow
3. Many Happy Returns
4. Tears Are Not Enough
5. Valentine's Day
6. Look of love (part one)
7. Date Stamp
8. All Of My Heart
9. 4 Ever 2 Gether
10. The look of love (part four)

Review

Finally we get to 1982, where theoretically stuff should be in my own living memory, well not really until 1984 as my early memories are from when I was two. Never mind, I was born. And what does my year start with? Some kick ass new-romantics that's what!

I have a kind of love hate relationship with synth-pop, because I hate to love it as much as I do. It is not fashionable, it is not smart etc. but I grew up on this and even if I am at times cringing at some tackier moments in the music the truth is I love it.

But there are good reasons to love it, the production on this is pretty much perfect, Trevor Horn does one of his best jobs on this, just take the strings on The Look Of Love and you'll get what I mean. Actually they were so proud of the strings they actually add a track with just the strings at the end of the album, heh. And the lyrics are great delivered with proper emotion by Martin Fry, it is just a perfect piece of 80's pop that you can only love.

Track Highlights

1. The Look Of Love (part one)
2. Poison Arrow
3. Many Happy Returns
4. Valentine's Day

Final Grade

9/10


Trivia

From Wikipedia:

It is a concept album in which the singer experiences heartache as he tries and fails to have a meaningful relationship. It was produced by Trevor Horn and featured orchestration by future Art of Noise member Anne Dudley.

Most of the production team and sessions players listed below would form the basis for the ZTT label, and their work with Horn meant all concerned would be in constant demand throughout the industry in years to come. "Tears Are Not Enough" (in its initial release produced by Steve Brown), "All of My Heart", "Poison Arrow", and "The Look of Love (Part One)" were all Top 20 hits in the UK; the last two also charted in the US. The album reached #1 on the British charts, and peaked at #24 in the U.S. charts.

In 2004, a deluxe 2-disc reissue including outtakes and early demos and a live performance of the album from 1982 was released on the Neutron label.

In 1998, Q magazine readers voted The Lexicon of Love the 92nd greatest album of all time. In 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 40 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.

The woman who says "Goodbye" in "The Look of Love (Part One)" is the woman who dumped Martin Fry and this album is about his feelings of outrage about it. The idea of getting her to do that part of the song came from producer Trevor Horn

The Look Of Love (part one):