ABC
–
The
Lexicon of Love
Vinyl LP Album, 1982
Mercury
ABC
wouldn't exist without Roxy Music, but with even that Martin Fry and
company has brought a certain amount of glamour angst to the pop
world circa 1982. And it is not only the music but the visuals as
well. The
Lexicon of Love is
an over-the-top concept, that includes the music (of course) but also
the graphics of the album cover and 12” & 7” sleeves as well
as the videos – and their one hour film by Julian Temple that sort
of puts the whole theme in one package. The film “Mantrap” is
not great, but the individual videos are still of great charm and
intelligence.
Trevor Horn, the producer and his
team, brought the songs aurally into the scale of a full-color 1950's
cinemascope film. This album and the first album by Frankie Goes To
Hollywood, is Horn's masterpiece of production and conception. But
one can't underestimate Fry's lyrics/conceptual skills and the
sophisticated funk/pop of the band. Also beyond the visuals, one is
struck by Fry's face which is acne-scarred, yet beautiful in the
context of the ABC world. In other words it adds a certain amount of
soul into the illusion of their world.
I
remember seeing ABC at the height of the hype for The
Lexicon of Love at
the Hollywood Palladium with a full orchestra. It was a great
spectacle, and ABC is very much about spectacle.
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