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 (7 Customer Reviews)
Recorded in 1982. Includes liner notes by Martin Fry and Giles Smith.
Easily one of the '80s' finest albums, THE LEXICON OF LOVE not only established singer Martin Fry and guitarist Mark White as two of the decade's smartest and most skillful cross-breeders of Motownish dance grooves, Beatlesque pop and Roxy Music-style art-rock urgency, it cemented ex-Buggle Trevor Horn's status as the era's defining producer.
Throughout THE LEXICON OF LOVE, Horn's over-the-top blend of strings, horns, lush choirs and bizarre production tricks battles Fry's literate, witty lyrics and commanding voice and White's encyclopedic knowledge of pop hooks for the listener's attention. While the singles "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love"--aided by stylish, funny videos--garnered the most interest, there's not a single less-than-brilliant track, from the compelling opener "Show Me" to the near-desperate closer "4 Ever 2 Gether" and the lovely orchestral coda "The Look of Love (Part Four)." THE LEXICON OF LOVE is a classic.
Additional personnel includes: Gaynor Sadler (harp); Kim Wear (trumpet); Andy Gray (trombone); Anne Dudley (keyboards); Brad Lang, Mark Lickley (bass); Louis Jardin (percussion); J.J. Jeczalik (programming); Tessa Webb (background vocals).
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Additional Tracks
Producer: Trevor Horn.
Compilation producers: Paul Reidy, Martin Fry.
ABC includes: Martin Fry (vocals); Mark White (guitar, keyboards); Stephen Singleton (alto & tenor saxophones); David Palmer (drums, percussion).
Q (6/00, p.72) - Ranked #40 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums"
Q (9/99, p.124) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...superb....The set has been carefully chosen to reflect the highs...and...lesser known but equally forthright slices of powerpop..."
Uncut (p.160) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[A] grand love story, or at the very least an elaborate seduction. It's the sound of a band - a generation - falling in love with the new stylistic and technological promise of '80s pop..."
Melody Maker (4/6/96, p.38) - Bloody Essential - "...Martin Fry was 23 when he conceived this masterpiece of orchestral songcraft and audacious lyrical insights, this celebration/deconstruction of photo story romance....sounds like the future, still."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[Including] songs as perfect as 'The Look Of Love' - replete with knowingly absurd talkover - or the jaw-dropping 'All Of My Heart,' still one of the '80s most underrated singles..."
NME (Magazine) (9/25/93, p.19) - Ranked #15 in NME's list of "The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s." Lexicon Of Love Music | List Price | $9.95 (You save $2.70) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs, Pop, New Romantic | | Label | Mercury | | Orig Year | 1983 | | All Time Sales Rank |  9098  | | CD Universe Part number | 1377103 | | Catalog number | 538250 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Feb 05, 2002 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Engineer | Gary Langan | | Personnel | Anne Dudley, Louis Jardin, J.J. Jeczalik, Andy Gray, Brad Lang, Gaynor Sadler, Kim Wear, Mark Lickley, Tessa Webb | | Additional Info | Bonus Tracks; Remastered |
ABC Lexicon Of Love Songs Lexicon Of Love Music Review Average Rating: (4.3 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews abc is great
lexicon of love by abc is really a great work of art. it rpresents the best of the 80's.
Submitted by jackal2060 (jackson,ms. usa) 
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 Stunning Eighties Masterpiece
The Lexicon of Love ranks as one of the best albums of the decade. Emotional, playful, sweeping and fun, it's an example of why people have fond memories of the time. "The Look of Love", "Poison Arrow", "Tears are Not Enough", "All of My Heart" and "Show Me" make it seem like a greatest hits collection rather than a debut. Fry and company never equalled these heights again and that's nothing to be ashamed of.
Submitted by a reviewer (Reston, VA)
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this is a eargasm
slick, polished and epic stuff. ahead of its time. abc brought a freshness to its era. some refer to these as old school. if this is what old school is all about, then long live old school.
Submitted by frankie b. (spring hill fl. usa)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  "Witty Lyrics"? Not really - great pop? YES YES YES
Now come on, Fry is no Shakespeare! SOme of the lyrics would embarrass the word "cliche" itslef...but this album is for fun not education! And as such it succeeds brilliantly. No one with a soul can have lived hrough the eighties and NOT tapped their foot to at least ONE track on this album, and several if they have real heart. Pop would be the poorer without it. Its quintessential pop: catchy, yet well-orchestrated, danceably predictable yet full of quirks and surprises. Yes the videos were art-house pomposity (an old mate of mine was in the video for "All of my heart" and even HE didnt know what the hell it was about!) but the music is whats its all about, and this album is all about music. One of my top ten of all time, and I inlcude Bowie / Roxy Music, Pink Flord in that list. A classic that any true music lover MUST have in his collection to deserve that title. The look of Love? maybe not...the sound of Class? definitely.
Submitted by phil.bowles (London UK)
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Trevor Horn Produced!!
That right there says it all.what an incredible marriage of the fine pop production of HORN and the style of the songwriting and you have a unique and masterful concept album.The album rolls along steadily until All Of My Heart and even that has such a powerful punch that you wish the album would continue forever.Martin Fry once said that he wanted an album that was part Clash and part Chic. Well you get both.The lyrics are so intelligent and not mindless fluff and mesh so well with the stellar production that i wish they would have continued to use Trevor after this but it was not to be. He actually was on board to do the Beauty Stab album but had some other obligations to attend to. ABC did not want to do a Lexicon Of Love part 2 but it sure would have been nice.They continued to challenge themselves artistcally and go in different directions throughout their career but at least for this one shining moment they give us their best work.ABC+TREVOR HORN=SMASH
Submitted by cobrafunk (Edmond, OK)
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