NationMaster - Encyclopedia: ABC (band)

ABC is an English New Romantic band that charted eleven Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. Image File history File links ABCversion1. ... Martin Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Manchester) is the lead singer of the band ABC. Just The Two Of Us Martin Fry appeared in the BBC Television programme Just The Two Of Us in February 2006. ... This article is about the city in England. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... New Romantic was a New Wave music genre and fashion movement that occurred primarily in England during the early 1980s. ... See also: 1979 in music, other events of 1980, 1981 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // [edit] Events [edit] January January 1 - Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. The only other pop music acts to be created MBEs are the... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The EMI Group is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... Martin Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Manchester) is the lead singer of the band ABC. Just The Two Of Us Martin Fry appeared in the BBC Television programme Just The Two Of Us in February 2006. ... David Palmer is an American vocalist and songwriter. ... Andy Newmark is an American musician, best known as the drummer for influential funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1973 to 1975. ... Fiona Russell-Powell is a British journalist. ... Eden is a fictional character depicted on the rock group ABCs third album, (How To Be A) Zillionaire. ... Heaven 17 from a 1996 press photo for Bigger Than America:(Left to right) Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory Heaven 17 is a British synthpop band originating in Sheffield, England in the early 1980s. ... Honeyroot is an ambient dance collaboration between Glenn Gregory and Keith Lowndes, that is signed to the Just Music recording company. ... New Romantic was a New Wave music genre and fashion movement that occurred primarily in England during the early 1980s. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ...

History

ABC was formed in 1980 in Sheffield after Martin Fry, a music journalist, interviewed the band Vice Versa for his fanzine Modern Drugs. They adopted Fry as lead vocalist and changed their name to ABC. The revamped band were pigeonholed as part of the New Romantic movement of the time, which included the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and The Human League. The band would offer many stylistic spins within its career and perhaps they are better labelled as Northern Soul, their obvioius inspiration and the most universal element to influence all of their offerings. Perhaps the most distinguishing fact is the bands non-ominous use of synthesizers. Ominous, Dischordant, or Minor-keyed synthesizer parts were something that would unite the majority of true New Romantic bands. Also, ABC from the very beginning incorporated a predominate funk and soul sound into their compositions. For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... Martin Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Manchester) is the lead singer of the band ABC. Just The Two Of Us Martin Fry appeared in the BBC Television programme Just The Two Of Us in February 2006. ... New Romantic was a New Wave music genre and fashion movement that occurred primarily in England during the early 1980s. ... Duran Duran are an English New Wave band notable for a long series of catchy, synthesizer-driven hit singles and vivid music videos. ... Spandau Ballet were a popular English band in the 1980s. ... The Human League are an English synthpop band formed in 1977, who, after several changes in line up, achieved great popularity in the 1980s and a limited comeback in the mid-1990s. ... Northern Soul refers to music and associated dance styles and fashions that were popular in the dancehalls of northern England, starting in the late 1960s. ...

Their first single, "Tears Are Not Enough", made the UK Top 20 in 1981. Soon afterwards, David Robinson left the band and was replaced by now-revered drummer David Palmer (no relation to keyboardist David Palmer). The band had three Top 10 hits during 1982: the singles "Poison Arrow", "The Look of Love (Part One)" and "All Of My Heart" and shot high-concept music videos that captured a suave Great Gatsby-meets-James Bond aesthetic. Tears Are Not Enough was the first single to be released by New Wave group ABC. It was released in 1982 on two formats (7 and 12 vinyl record). ... Dee Palmer (born David Palmer in 1937) is a British arranger and keyboardist best known for her membership in the rock band Jethro Tull. ... Poison Arrow was a new wave song by ABC in 1982. ... High concept, in movies, is a term typically used to refer to the style and mode of production developed by Hollywood studios in the late 1970s. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The cover of a more modern edition The Great Gatsby, by the American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published in 1925. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent [1] created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ...

Image File history File links ABCversion2. ... Image File history File links ABCversion2. ... Martin Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Manchester) is the lead singer of the band ABC. Just The Two Of Us Martin Fry appeared in the BBC Television programme Just The Two Of Us in February 2006. ... Fiona Russell-Powell is a British journalist. ...

Albums

The Lexicon of Love

Later that year, the band released their debut album The Lexicon of Love. Heavy on rhyming couplets and tales of unrequited love, the album was a big hit, reaching number one in the UK album charts. Produced by Trevor Horn, it often features in UK critics' lists of favourite albums: it ranked 42nd in The Observer Music Monthly's "Top 100 British Albums" (June 2004) and 40th in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums" (June 2000). The album is revered for its uncanny mixture of wit, overall musicality (tightly bound by funk basslines and Palmer's steady drumming), attention to recorded sonics, and exceptional graphic design. Image File history File links ABC-Lexicon. ... Image File history File links ABC-Lexicon. ... The Lexicon of Love was the acclaimed chart topping debut album by the British pop band ABC released in 1982. ... The Lexicon of Love was the acclaimed chart topping debut album by the British pop band ABC released in 1982. ... Trevor Charles Horn, born July 15, 1949 in Durham, England, is a British pop music record producer, songwriter and musician. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ...

Beauty Stab

ABC found it difficult to follow up their debut. Lickley and Palmer left the band before Beauty Stab, the second ABC album, was released in 1983. It performed poorly in comparison to its predecessor. Beauty Stab was, by design, a dramatic departure from the lush, melodramatic pop/funk of The Lexicon of Love, with emphasis instead placed on guitar-based rock. The new sound was underpinned by the presence of the Roxy Music rhythm section of Andy Newmark and Alan Spenner, most notably on "If I Ever Thought You'd Be Lonely". The first single, "That Was Then But This Is Now", a clear attempt to mark a new chapter in the band's career, briefly appeared in the UK Top 20, followed by a Top 40 showing for "S.O.S.". Stephen Singleton retired from the band in 1984. Image File history File links Sl_beauty. ... Image File history File links Sl_beauty. ... Beauty Stab is the 1983 hard rock album by the band ABC. It was the bands attempt to keep up with the protest music revival that was going on in the bands native England at the time. ... Beauty Stab is the 1983 hard rock album by the band ABC. It was the bands attempt to keep up with the protest music revival that was going on in the bands native England at the time. ... Beauty Stab is the 1983 hard rock album by the band ABC. It was the bands attempt to keep up with the protest music revival that was going on in the bands native England at the time. ... The Lexicon of Love was the acclaimed chart topping debut album by the British pop band ABC released in 1982. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ...

How To Be A...Zillionaire!

Now a duo of Fry and White, augmented by two non-performing band members, Fiona Russell-Powell and David Yarritu, who were chosen for their unusual looks,^{[citation needed]} ABC's chart fortunes in the UK further dwindled with the 1985 album How To Be A...Zillionaire!. It marked another change of style, in this case toying with mid-1980s dance beats and samples. While the group did score its first American Top 10 hit with the infectious "Be Near Me", at home in the UK it failed to break the Top 20. The album also featured the hits "How to Be a Millionaire", "Vanity Kills" and "Ocean Blue". The record's greatest distinction would likely be that it is among a handful of 1980's albums that made extensive (almost extreme) use of the Fairlight CMI (and similar sampling synthesizers). Others in this vein would include "Naked Eyes" by the band of the same name, "The Dreaming" by Kate Bush, "Zoolook" by Jean-Michel Jarre, "Stella" by Yello. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (923x923, 332 KB)Artwork by Alan Best, Ted Hall, Peter Care and KB Design. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (923x923, 332 KB)Artwork by Alan Best, Ted Hall, Peter Care and KB Design. ... (How To Be A) Zillionaire is an album by the band ABC. It was released in January 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... Fiona Russell-Powell is a British journalist. ... (How To Be A) Zillionaire is an album by the band ABC. It was released in January 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... Be Near Me is a song by ABC. The hit single from How to Be a. ... The Ocean Blue, formed in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1986, is a band that combines synthesizer-based New Wave hooks with bluesy saxophone solos and high tinsel guitars to produce a truly unique sound. ... The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was the first digital sampling synthesizer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Naked Eyes was an Eighties synthpop duo, best known for their first single, a cover of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David standard (Theres) Always Something There to Remind Me (Bacharach himself has cited the cover as a personal favourite). ... The Dreaming is an original manga series created by Artist/Author Queenie Chan and published by TOKYOPOP. Jeanie and Amber Malkin - identical twin sisters - are new students at the 100-year-old Greenwich Private College, a boarding school in North Sydney that lies on the edge of vast, virgin bushlands. ... Catherine Kate Bush (born 30 July 1958, Bexleyheath, Kent, now part of Greater London), is an English singer-songwriter with an expressive three-octave vocal range. ... Zoolook is the fifth album by Jean-Michel Jarre, and released in 1984 on Disques Dreyfus. ... Jean-Michel AndrÃ© Jarre (born August 24, 1948 in Lyon, France) is a French composer and producer. ... Stella is the Latin and Italian word for star. ... Yello is a popular Swiss band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. ...

Alphabet City

Following a hiatus while Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned to the studio to record Alphabet City, which they thought might be their final album. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album also spawned "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown" as singles. Many critics lauded Alphabet City as a return to form for the group, noting its polished production by Fry and White in conjunction with Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with CHIC. For the B-sides of the album's first two singles, the band offered two rhythmic vignettes ("songs" would be a stretch) inspired by their time in the States. One was simply called "Minneapolis" and was a striking homage to the early Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis sound. The other was slightly more abrasive, hard-hitting and titled "Chicago" (presumably after the burgeoning House Music scene). Add in the fact that "When Smokey Sings" was featured in a Motown doppleganger called the "Detroit Mix" and it is obvious ABC were in love with American soul music and its many derivations. All three tracks would make the c.d. version of the group's first anthology. Image File history File links Sl_alphabet. ... Image File history File links Sl_alphabet. ... Following a hiatus while Fry was treated for Hodgkins disease, ABC returned to the studio to record Alphabet City, which they thought might be their final album. ... Following a hiatus while Fry was treated for Hodgkins disease, ABC returned to the studio to record Alphabet City, which they thought might be their final album. ... William Smokey Robinson, Jr. ... Bernard Edwards (1953-1996), born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of Chic and on his own. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word vignette has several meanings, depending on the context. ... Jimmy Jam (born James Harris III in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 6, 1959) and Terry Lewis (born November 21, 1956 in Omaha, Nebraska) are an R&B and pop songwriting and record production team. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... Doppleganger (sic) is episode Five, of the First season, of Alias (TV series), created by J. J. Abrams, and starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a CIA double agent. ...

In 1989, the duo issued Up, their fifth and final PolyGram studio album. This time experimenting with house music, ABC scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World", an ode to love, peace and tolerance. They then released another single, "The Real Thing". it is during this period that the group worked on a couple of outside productions aimed at the House music scene. One was Paul Rutherford's (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) solo album and first single release, the other was for signee Lizzie Tear on the group's own Neutron label. The Rutherford tracks made the bigger stir. Image File history File links Sl_up1. ... Image File history File links Sl_up1. ... Up is the name of several albums: Up by Peter Gabriel Up by Great Big Sea Up by R.E.M. Up! by Shania Twain This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Up is the name of several albums: Up by Peter Gabriel Up by Great Big Sea Up by R.E.M. Up! by Shania Twain This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Paul Rutherford (born December 8, 1959 in Liverpool, England) was the backing vocalist and dancer with 1980s pop band Frankie Goes To Hollywood (FGTH), one of the groups two openly gay singers. ... Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the most controversial and commercially successful UK new wave acts of the early 1980s. ...

Absolutely

In 1990, the band released a comprehensive greatest hits package called Absolutely. This covered all of ABC's albums up until 1990 and feaured all of their singles. A video package featuring promos was also released. One new song, "The Look of Love 90", was released to promote the package, though the band did not approve of the mix and implored fans not to buy it.

Image File history File links Sl_absolut. ... Image File history File links Sl_absolut. ... In 1990, ASBC released a comprehensive greatest hits package called Absolutely. ... A greatest hits album (sometimes referred to as a best of album) is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band. ... In 1990, ASBC released a comprehensive greatest hits package called Absolutely. ... In [marketing], sales promotion is one of the four aspects of [promotion]. (The other three parts of the [promotional mix] are [advertising], [sales|personal selling], and [publicity]/[public relations].) Sales promotions are non-personal promotional efforts that are designed to have an immediate impact on sales. ...

Abracadabra

The group then moved to the EMI label (and MCA in North America), where they recorded the LP Abracadabra, a tightly produced fusion of early 1990s techno sounds and 1970s dance grooves which was met with muted critical approval and appreciation from the band's fan base. "Love Conquers All", the first single, barely placed in the UK charts, though Black Box ("Ride on Time") provided remixes of "Say It" which were well received on the U.S. dance charts. Image File history File links Sl_abracad. ... Image File history File links Sl_abracad. ... Abracadabra is the twelfth album by American rock band The Steve Miller Band, released in 1982. ... The EMI Group is a music company comprising the major record label, EMI Music, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... Abracadabra is the twelfth album by American rock band The Steve Miller Band, released in 1982. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Love Conquers All may refer to: Love Conquers All, the English translation of the Latin Amor Vincit Omnia, a painting by the Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Love Conquers All, a song by Deep Purple from their 1990 album Slaves & Masters Love Conquers All, a song by ABC from... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Say It is a single by New Wave group ABC. It was released in 1992 in three formats a 7 single, a 12 single and a CD single. ...

ABC split up in 1992, with White leaving the music business to pursue an interest in Reiki therapy. Martin Fry continued to work with EMI in the months thereafter, but he was axed from the label before his solo material was released. Reiki is performed through a technique similar to the laying on of hands. ...

Skyscraping

Fry resurrected the band's name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, an homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music, and The Sex Pistols. A collaboration with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 and Keith Lowndes, the album again was met with critical approval rather than broad commercial success. However, three singles were released, "Rolling Sevens", "Skyscraping", and "Stranger Things", complete with extra b-sides. Image File history File links Sl_skyscrapLP.jpgâ€Ž (negative1) This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which produced the recording or cover artwork in question. ... Image File history File links Sl_skyscrapLP.jpgâ€Ž (negative1) This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which produced the recording or cover artwork in question. ... Fry resurrected the bands name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, a homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Sex Pistols. ... Fry resurrected the bands name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, a homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Sex Pistols. ... David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer whose work spans more than four decades. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ... The Sex Pistols in 1977. ... Heaven 17 is a British synthpop band originating in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England in the early 1980s. ... Honeyroot is an ambient dance collaboration between Glenn Gregory and Keith Lowndes, that is signed to the Just Music recording company. ...

The Lexicon of Live

In 1999, ABC released their first live album, cleverly titled The Lexicon of Live. This live album covered most of their major hits. Although Martin Fry was the only member left, he had a backing band and adorned the album cover in his trademark gold lamé suit. Image File history File links Sl_live. ... Image File history File links Sl_live. ... In 1999, ABC released their first live album, cleverly titled The Lexicon of Live. ... In 1999, ABC released their first live album, cleverly titled The Lexicon of Live. ...

Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC

Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. Although essentially a reissue of greatest hits package Absolutely (from 1990), the album featured two new songs by Fry titled "Peace and Tranquility" and "Blame". A companion DVD, along with a bonus disc of remixes was also released. Image File history File links Looklov2. ... Image File history File links Looklov2. ... Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. ... Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. ... In 1990, ASBC released a comprehensive greatest hits package called Absolutely. ...

Re-issues

In late 2004 Universal UK re-issued a "Deluxe" double CD version of Lexicon of Love with 31 tracks, including demos and live tracks from the time of the original release. In 2005, Universal Music issued remastered versions of the group's five PolyGram albums, complete with previously unreleased tracks and elaborate booklets with pictures and album/single covers. EMI followed suit with a reissue of Abracadabra, again featuring unreleased songs, demos, and remixes via music download services such as iTunes and 7-Digital. iTunes is a digital media player application, introduced by Apple Computer on January 10, 2001 at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco,[1] for playing and organizing digital music and video files. ...

Traffic

Fry still tours as ABC, often in conjunction with other 1980s nostalgia or revival acts. In 2004, the VH1 show Bands Reunited attempted to get the line-up of Martin Fry, David Palmer, Stephen Singleton and Mark White together for a reunion concert. Martin Fry and David Palmer appeared and played together for the first time in over twenty years. Singleton and White opted not to participate. VH1 (spelled VH-1 (Video Hits One) until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV, which originally came up with the idea of the channel). ... Bands Reunited was a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. ...

Having completed a tour of the U.S. in May and June 2006, Fry and Palmer are putting the finishing touches on a new ABC album with a working title of Traffic, scheduled for release in February 2007. Gary Langan, who worked on The Lexicon of Love and Beauty Stab, is producing. Gary Langan (born May 11, 1955) is an audio engineer and record producer. ...

Miscellaneous

Country music, once known as Country and Western music, is a popular musical form developed in the southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals, and the blues. ... Be Near Me is a song by ABC. The hit single from How to Be a. ...

Members

Current

Martin Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Manchester) is the lead singer of the band ABC. Just The Two Of Us Martin Fry appeared in the BBC Television programme Just The Two Of Us in February 2006. ...

Former

Andy Newmark is an American musician, best known as the drummer for influential funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1973 to 1975. ... Fiona Russell-Powell is a British journalist. ... Eden is a fictional character depicted on the rock group ABCs third album, (How To Be A) Zillionaire. ... Heaven 17 from a 1996 press photo for Bigger Than America:(Left to right) Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory Heaven 17 is a British synthpop band originating in Sheffield, England in the early 1980s. ... Honeyroot is an ambient dance collaboration between Glenn Gregory and Keith Lowndes, that is signed to the Just Music recording company. ...

Contents

History

Albums

The Lexicon of Love

Beauty Stab

How To Be A...Zillionaire!

Alphabet City

Up

Absolutely

Abracadabra

Skyscraping

The Lexicon of Live

Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC

Re-issues

Traffic

Miscellaneous

Members

Current

Former

See also

External links

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Albums

The Lexicon of Love

Beauty Stab

How To Be A...Zillionaire!

Alphabet City

Up

Absolutely

Abracadabra

Skyscraping

The Lexicon of Live

Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC

Re-issues

Traffic

Miscellaneous

Members

Current

Former

See also

External links

History