ABC

Emerging as one of the leading new wave acts during the first half of the 1980s, the British ensemble ABC expanded on the cool, electronic R&B-inflected pop pioneered by David Bowie and Roxy Music by layering in an ironic, exaggerated theatricality. Led by singer Martin Fry, the band notched multiple memorable, keyboard-propelled dance-pop successes early in the decade, among them “Poison Arrow,” “Look of Love,” and “Be Near Me.”

In the late 1970s Fry published the fanzine Modern Drugs while studying at Sheffield University. ABC coalesced in 1980 once Fry, after interviewing Vice Versa guitarists Mark White and saxophonist Stephen Singleton for his publication, accepted their invitation to become the group’s vocalist; the initial roster also included drummer David Robinson and bassist Mark Lickley.

Fry soon assumed creative command, guiding the electronic outfit toward a more commercial pop sound and rechristening it ABC. By autumn 1981 the band had secured a deal with Phonogram Records for distribution of its independent Neutron imprint. The debut single “Tears Are Not Enough” appeared that November and climbed to number 19 on the UK chart. Robinson departed before the follow-up was tracked, with David Palmer taking over the drum stool in early 1982. The next two releases, “Poison Arrow” and “The Look of Love,” both reached the British Top Ten that spring, propelling the first album, The Lexicon of Love, straight to number one upon entry. “All of My Heart” likewise hit the Top Ten later that autumn.

Late in 1982 the quartet turned its attention toward America, where exposure on the fledgling MTV network propelled videos for “The Look of Love” and “Poison Arrow” into heavy rotation and lifted both singles into the Top 25 by spring 1983. Palmer exited during the summer sessions for the second album. Beauty Stab, issued toward the end of 1983, traded synthesizers for a guitar-driven rock approach and was supported by the number-18 single “That Was Then But This Is Now,” yet the LP stalled at number 12 in Britain and underperformed commercially in the States. By late 1984 ABC, now reduced to Fry and White augmented by session players, issued “(How to Be A) Millionaire,” which failed to reverse their declining fortunes. The pair subsequently relocated to New York and recruited David Yarritu and Eden, neither of whom performed musically but were added purely for visual impact.

Issued at the start of 1985, the breezy “Be Near Me” rose to number 26 in Britain; its success helped How to Be a...Zillionaire! reach the Top 30 on both sides of the Atlantic. When the track was serviced as a U.S. single late that year it became the band’s first American Top Ten hit. Despite this resurgence, later singles faltered. Fry fell ill for much of the second half of 1985; he regained his health in 1987 and resumed writing and recording with White. That summer ABC released “When Smokey Sings,” which peaked at number five in the U.S. and number 11 in the UK. Alphabet City followed that autumn, climbing to number seven in Britain and number 48 stateside. Two years later Up charted only in the UK. The 1990 greatest-hits compilation Absolutely entered the British Top Ten.

After Up, Fry withdrew from music for several years, resurfacing in 1997 with a reconstituted ABC and the UK-only album Skyscraping. Shortly before the return, Britain witnessed a brief new-romantic resurgence known as Romo that boosted Fry’s visibility and aided the record’s favorable notices and sales. A live set appeared in 1999, followed by multiple ABC reissues throughout the 2000s, among them a deluxe two-disc edition of The Lexicon of Love. Drummer David Palmer rejoined in 2004, and the band delivered the original-material album Traffic in 2008. Continuing to perform live, ABC presented The Lexicon of Love in full at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2009 with the BBC Orchestra under the direction of longtime collaborator Anne Dudley; they repeated the presentation in 2012 at Theatre Royal Drury Lane to mark the album’s thirtieth anniversary, again with Dudley. That evening Fry conceived the notion of a sequel, and he subsequently assembled songs and musicians—including Dudley and producer Gary Stephenson—to recapture the original’s sonic palette while showcasing his still-youthful voice and incisive lyrics. The resulting Lexicon of Love II surfaced on Virgin/EMI in May 2016.