The Lexicon Of Love

I one extra star cause I’m surprised how much I liked it!

The most interesting thing about this album is the tug of war between the end of disco and the beginning of 80s sound. They're trying to employ too much and ended up with a lackluster time capsule piece. Outside of that, they don't do anything exceptionally well. Did I really need to listen to this before I die?

Funky slap base, high hats, drum machines and vapid lyrics… guess it must be the 80s. 80s pop produced within an inch of its life. What to give this as a review ? “I do not know the answer to that question.“ There is one thing that turns this grey review from a two …”That’s the look of love -pt 1” oh and “Poison Arrow” Harsh but it scans more than “it’s okay to great in places “

Marriage, crush, and romance, just to name a few.

Weird album. I didn't not like it, but its very forgettable to me. It's got an 80's disco/dance vibe, not really my style. Looking at the track listing after my listen I already don't remember any of the songs. I didn't hate it, I just didn't feel anything about it.

Harmless

I had never heard of them before and I still wouldn’t say I know quite what category to place them in. Such a range of genres but none of it felt like it was done badly

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/abc/the-lexicon-of-love/ Pretty nice! Very slick. Some Bowie-sounding stuff I can enjoy. Should listen to this once more to settle on a true score, but I think 4/5 is a good bet.

ABC – The Lexicon of Love (1982) On Day 320, this high-gloss landmark of British New Pop proved to be an immensely fun, infectious, and meticulously arranged record that balanced slick 80s theatricality with serious musical craftsmanship. Guided by Trevor Horn’s pioneering, three-dimensional production and Anne Dudley’s cinematic orchestrations, the album transformed themes of modern romantic heartbreak into a sophisticated, disco-infused pop opera. The standouts defined the record’s brilliance: "Poison Arrow" delivered sharp, galloping funk-bass drama and unforgettable melodrama, while "The Look of Love (Part One)" stood tall as an immaculate, effortlessly groovy pop masterpiece anchored by lush harp sweeps and tight rhythmic bounce. Bringing essential emotional weight to the stylish flair, "All of My Heart" closed the loop with a vulnerable, sweeping ballad performance that soared with genuine feeling. A vibrant, richly orchestrated triumph of the New Pop era. A strong 4/5.

Die britische Band ABC kommt aus Sheffield, ihr Debüt vom Juni 1982 klingt aber eher nach Smoking und Hotelbar als nach Stahlstadt. Synth-Pop mit New-Wave-Herkunft, aufgenommen überwiegend in den Sarm East Studios in London, dazu kamen Abbey Road, Townhouse, RAK und Good Earth. Erschienen ist es auf Neutron, dem bandeigenen Label, das Phonogram vertrieb. In Großbritannien stieg es direkt auf Platz eins ein. Trevor Horn produzierte, Gary Langan war Engineer, Anne Dudley schrieb die Orchesterarrangements, J.J. Jeczalik programmierte den Fairlight. “Poison Arrow” kommt mit gesprochener Frauenstimme und Trompete, “The Look of Love” mit Harfe und Xylophon und etwas Zuckerguss. “Tears Are Not Enough” war schon 1981 die erste Single, Horn mischte sie fürs Album neu. “All of My Heart” ist die große Ballade. Martin Fry singt Liebeskummer, als hätte er ihn im Anzug erledigt: Die Texte sind ironisch, die Stimme ist Soul. Der Titel stammt aus einer NME-Überschrift zu einem ABC-Konzert. Man kann die Politur für zu viel halten. Dagegen spricht, dass kaum ein Song eine Hook verschenkt und die Arrangements auch dort tragen, wo die Texte bitter werden. Die Glätte ist Absicht, und sie hält bis heute.

It's not too bad, I enjoyed a few tracks

So 80’s.

This album really is on the verge between awesome, bombastic 80s synth-pop and deeply annoying, pomppus 80s synth-pop and overall, I don't think it sticks the landing. On the one hand I find the album to be a bit repetitive. On the other, I think many moments of earnest emotion suffer from certain 80s-typical instincts going into cheesy territory - which is unfortunate for an album called Lexicon Of Love. At the end, my favorite track is probably the synth-free version of Poison Arrow. (Maybe just listen to Alphaville instead, might be my recomendation)

Внутривенные восьмидесятые. Но слишком чисто, рекламно. Не хватило теплоты и души, мягче бы. Есть хиты, альбом целиком переслушивать не стану 2.9

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None I am shocked. Shocked I say, that there is another 1980s new wave, synth-pop record on the List. This number 43 and 39 respectively from both styles. I am only slightly more half way though the List and I imagine there's no slowing down the new wave train. Keep em' coming and I will keep rating them poorly! The only aspects of this record I liked are when ABC veered into the disco elements. I am not sure why I like disco, but I seem to rate it somewhat favorably, in comparison to how I rate most of the music coming out of the 80s.

Good vibe, kinda forgettable tho

331. ok

A decent british new wave album. I am not familar with ABC but it does sound a lot like its contemporaries. Debating whether it should be a two or a three, but I'm leaning more toward a two right now because it was just alright.

Levyä on tullut ihan hiljattain kuunneltua. Ihan ok ja muutama biisi nousee muiden yli. Aikansa kuva ja muistan kuunnelleeni tätä jo aikanaan, kun ilmestyi.

I liked it more than I thought I would. A few really good tracks.

Knew a few songs, not my vibe but not terrible

I liked this nice background driving music, good vibes

Wow, was I really surprised by this one. There’s just a ton of great tracks on here. Interestingly, Broken Arrow, which is one of their big hits, wasn’t one of them for me. The Look of Love was though, great track. But there’s so much more to like beyond that, including Show Me, Many Happy Returns, Valentine’s Day, Tears Are Not Enough, All of My Heart, and 4 Ever 2 Gether, all of which sounded great to my ear. This reminded me a bit, at times, of Tears For Fears early stuff like Mother’s Talk. Some of the early 80s music doesn’t hold up, but this definitely does. To be honest, I’ve debated between four and five for this album, but moving it up because the 80s as a decade is very underrepresented on this countdown.

first to make me laugh out loud

More 80s than Daley Thompson

Some of the first 80s pop sound.

I didn’t have high hopes for what I thought was a flash in the MTV early-80s synth/pop pan, but damn if ABC doesn’t deliver on that level. “Poison Arrow” and “Look of Love” are just perfect pop songs of that era. And there is enough interest in the other tracks, which feature synths and guitar and hooks aplenty, to bring this little surprise into 4 territory.

generic 80s pop

The sound and vibe just scream 80s pop rock, and I’m here for it on this album. An iconic voice and smooth, cool sound that I loved then and still do now. +1 for the debut hit release.

Could tell this was 80's a few seconds in. What an album, so many recognisable tracks. Not sure that the cover fits it like

Catch yp

Didn't listen. Gut feeling.

Utterly uninspiring

One of the best albums of the 80s. Dazzling production.

These songs SLAP. Bangers from front to back, with some of the prettiest and nicest production I’ve heard come out of the 80’s. Has the potential to rise up to 5 stars given some more time, I only have reservations with the vocals, but everything else is just a great time. This is a great example of what I’m hoping to discover through this project.

Pretty fun? Totally the epitome of the 80s sound, but I guess it's fine. I sound a bit like a broken record. Why exactly do we have another 80s synth-pop/new wave album on this list? How can they all be that important? Whatever. This was a good showing of the sound.

I have not heard this before. In fact I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard any of these songs before or even anything by ABC. I’m showing my age here because I thought this was Another Bad Creation and got really confused. It’s possible I have heard most of the singles from this album because it sounds indistinguishable from other early synthpop that was in the radio when I was little, with a little bit of a Duran Duran type backbeat to it that sets it apart from some, but not most, of the pop from the time. These are all decent fun songs but as I was listening to it on streaming I couldn’t tell when the album ended and the suggested mix started; it had gone into a few songs by Human League and Kajagoogoo and Talk Talk before I realized it ended, and I had to go back and listen to the last 2 songs again to get the feel of how it closed out. I don’t know if this is a situation like Ringo or ZZ Top where it sounds extremely ordinary because everyone else who followed this debut was copying them or if it just sounds ordinary because it is. Maybe I need to listen to it all the way through again to reassess it because i was pretty unmoved by this.

This is the most 80s music I’ve ever heard. Can you have too much 80’s? I just don’t know.

It's ok. Funky and interesting music but meh.

Far better than I thought it would be maybe I’m coming around to 80s music??

Not for me.

This actually has some pretty sick basslines. funkier than I thought it would be. Not a fan overall but it's decent.

80s pap

Some of the worst lyrics ever to see the light of day

Funky, I like it.

Some of these songs were great. I think they did enough to distinguish their sound from a lot of the new pop trash of the era

This an amazing example of 80s music and shows some through lines to 2000s indie. Mid 3s.

cero mi onyi.

You're just blatantly not me nan. What is this. Please no. This sounds like a failed jukebox musical. In a bad way. If there can even be a good way to say that. The 80s were a weird time. Favourite: Lowk none Least favourite: Show Me

This must be the most 80s sounding album I’ve heard in a long time. I could practically smell the clove cigarettes. I used to go dancing every weekend at an all-ages club and there were many songs from this album that were on frequent rotation, but I’d completely forgotten that this band existed. Quite the nostalgic listen, but did it age well? I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard music described as post-funk, but it is an apt description of these tunes. The strong hooks, along with excellent incorporation of strings and horns make the compositions more interesting than most synth-pop albums. Fry is also an outstanding singer. So yes, despite being overt 80s pop, I do think this album held up to time well. In fact. I think it is a great album to highlight why music like this became so popular in the 80s. Will I be adding the album to frequent rotation? Probably not, my personal tastes have moved on, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t appreciate the listen.

Jazzy... curious melodies

A lot more fun than I initially anticipated.

Looking at a lot of the reviews of this album and there are certainly extremes (perhaps why, at the time of writing, the overall score is 3.07). I can see why. It is a sound that clearly polarizes. But at its core, it is just pop music. But pop music coming out of the back of prog, punk and disco. It was the next step to follow. New Romantic? Maybe, but it is a good listen if you set aside what style you are listening to. It is a product of its environment and, to me, is quintessentially '80's. All Of My Heart is a winner, as is The Look of Love. An album I hadn't listened to before, and enjoyed more than I thought I would. 4/5

Worse than Coldplay

solid 3

Hated this on first listen, and marginally improved on additional spins. Don't need to hear this one again

2 hitjes, 2 sterren

Takes me back tot Vice City... Good times...

Pristine New Wave record. Every hook, vocal line, arrangement choice is in its right place. Would not expect anything else from Trevor Horn on production duties, really. The cleanliness and sophistication of this can get a little much to some, but I really loved it. I do wonder why I haven't looked into the band's output beyond this album. The band probably wonders that too, so much so they released a sequel in 2016, which I did listen because of the title and was pretty good. Marketing strategy success! Key tracks: Poison Arrow Valentine's Day The Look of Love (Pt. 1)

There is almost no band more pristinely 80s cheese than ABC. They don't even bother having a real name. But sincerely, ABC You wouldn't know at first if you didn't know anything about the band, but it's really jarring that “Show Me” has so many nigh-identical musical cues to its follow up, “Poison Arrow”. That's a shame, because for a new listener, that puts Poison Arrow on the back foot, and it is quite truly one of the great overwrought 80s pop songs. That insistent “who broke my heart? YOU did, YOU did!” It's probably supposed to be very emotional, very meaningful. But with that spoken word Bridge, the theater-kid energy of every note, it really comes across as a goof and a bop. It is big stupid 80s and fun as hell. “The Look of Love” is probably the even bigger track, but it's also sillier. It's a song about, well, the look of love, and the centerpiece of the song is him refusing to answer any questions about his song topic. Who's got the look? What's the look? No fucking answer. But thats the look. Yippie aye ayy! All that overlaid on overdramatic horns with that Dun dun Dun ending each chorus. The camp is so blatant and yet it still feels like no one on the record was told about it. The weird thing is that the album keeps feeling like it was put together from magnetic 80s poetry. The lyrics are pretty regularly goofy, the music regularly reminds you more of the previous song than you'd probably find comfortable. The frontman is so, so camp, and you aren't entirely sure if he intends to be. I would totally believe that every song was sung serious as a heart attack, even when Tears are Not Enough is reusing that descending piano riff, even when most songs have similar harmonic three-chord riffs driving them. A musician I like once talked about how they realized every bit of Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hands was built from pre-sets from a keyboard he also owned. I can't speak to the validity of that, but I can definitely say that this album has that same feeling, like everything here is 80s music fashion plates, mixing and matching to create slightly new outfits. All that and a closing song called “theme from Mantrap” that is just a re-imagining of “Poison Arrow”. I don't really believe this isn't all one big cabaret with the loosest theme possible. It doesn't feel like a real album at all. But I guess that's entertaining in its way. Light ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great pop record

not bad, but the songs all sound the same

Sparat

The first half is really fun and danceable, but the second half wasn’t in my opinion. Still good though!

Was okay

Why?

4 stars in the first listen. 5 stars on the second

Did not give this the time it deserved but enjoyed it! Add it to the revisit list

Phenomenal bass lines! It's hard to get past the goofy '80s style. I'm having fun listening to it but I'm not sure I would would put it on by choice.

The dying breathes of the disco era meets the infancy of generic 80's pop. Terrible.

Decent 80s British rock/pop, nothing stood out, but very akin to other bands of that time

A superb slice of the 80's... I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I do when I first heard it. Yes, it's cheesy in places for sure (we are talking 80's after all) but the craftmanship that has gone into these songs, not to mention the execution, is wonderful. Many Happy Returns is my favourite but there's not really a dud on here at all...

I feel like this album is the missing link between so many 80s new-wave bands that either embraced pop/dance or pouted in its general direction--The Cure, Human League, Soft Cell, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Culture Club, etc. ABC seems to have fond a way to blend all sorts of synth-pop styles into a fairly lush arrangement, with Trevor Horn's over-the-top vocals making Martin Fry's despairing love lyrics seem somehow more fun and less bleak. I'm not sure I could say I enjoyed the album and their music, but that's not for their lack of effort, and it's definitely a lot more entertaining than most of their contemporaries' efforts (that goes double for the videos to their singles "Poison arrow", "The look of love", and "All of my heart"). They took a hand of Sparks and raised the bet to Meatloaf levels.

This is that 80s British pop synth sound, kind of like Rick Astley and Aha. Not my thing but nothing awful.

meh

Good soft rock, but too gay for my tastes.

Really nice sounding music that I have no want to listen to again

If you are not squeamish about open hearted theatricality in your pop, then you will find a lot to love here (pun intended). There is a funk to the songs, with plenty of flourishes. The lyrics have a mix of brains, heart and sharpness. Production is great thanks to the acclaimed Trevor Horn and it is a wonderful sounding record. Very successful in mixing funk/R&B with electro-pop sensibilities.

The music isn’t bad. But it is tainted by 80s production elements. Thrown in the affected accent of the singer and the dramatic delivery and I’m pretty out on it.

The singer is channeling David Bowie, while the rest is run-of-the-mill pop music—exactly the kind of thing I found unbearable back then. And still do. I recognize the track "The Look Of Love," but I’ve either never heard the rest or have blocked it out. Worth one point at most, as far as I’m concerned.

I quite enjoyed that. It's 1980s pop/new romantic music in a bottle.

Actually pretty fun, some great basslines in there as well.

9/10

This was a pretty fun album. Very 80s and something that would be a good, upbeat change of pace. The only song I recognized was "All of My Heart" but tbh most of it sounded the same.

ABC was one of a plethora of synth pop bands in the 80s. As such, it took me a moment to remember exactly which one they were! At the time, I preferred slightly harder, edgier music, so ABC wasn't really on my playlist then. The 2 hits I remember from this album (Look of Love and Poison Arrow) are ok, but mostly the album faded into the background for me. Nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn't be queuing for Britfest tickets to see them perform their hits in a Cheshire field either. 2.5 rounded down to 2.

Very 80s, such a fun listen! It’s funny I thought it was going to be some broadway or showtimes based on the album cover. Some tops are Show Me, Tears are Not Enough and Theme from Mantrap

This didn't really didn’t do much for me. It was well produced and polished, but underneath that I found it pretty dull. The songs all merged into one another. Nothing particularly bad, but the whole album went by without giving any reason to care. 2/5

Ear candy!!

Pretty great! Can feel the roots of a lot of soaring pop in the future

This should have been buried somewhere deep so it could never again bother mankind.

Not too bad for 80s, but sadly still 80s. 2.5

For 80s music this actually kinda slaps

Bog standard inoffensive 1980s pop. Its not bad, but I think even the members of ABC would question it being anything other than filler on this list.

PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY

Groovy, baby!

Honestly found this a pretty good listen. I've heard a few of these songs and di not know where they came from. Feels like if Brecht and Weill had come of age in the 80s.

coming from sheffield is abc with their... ahem, lovely debut, the lexicon of love. a group of eager and creative musicians with electronic roots pretty much expanded what they started in the late 70s, playing songs with producer and arranger anne dudley, who'd later be a prominent member in the art of noise. all the tracks, unsurprisingly are about the concepts and themes revolving around love. while it's classified as synthpop, this record i think fits more of a dance pop descriptor. it's pretty similar to past records in similar genres, i think it's a waste of time repeating similar talking points again and again. but it has a nice foundation above anything else. i would be very complimented if a man stood outside my house and blasted a track or two from his boombox. melodramatic singing voices, glitzy glamour and some groovy fancy pop songs for either sipping some wine or shuffling in your dress shoes, this is a pretty good record for really dabbling into the sparkly inner-workings of sophisti-pop.

Easy to listen. Childhood pop

Over the top 80's pop. Duran Duran does theatre.

This breaks all the rules of me liking it. It is VERY 80s sounding and VERY pop. But this is full of great songs and great performances. The singles are catchy after a single listen and there's not a bad song here.