Today marks the end of my journey with ABC. It's a band that has been hit or miss, in terms of gems to add to the old shuffle list. However, in general, it's been a pretty good listening experience. Hands down, The Lexicon Of Love is their most superior album, and frankly, I don't think that's going to be topped.
ABC had redeemed themselves with their 1987 release, Alphabet City, returning to chart success with their biggest hit to date, When Smokey Sings. With that album also returning the (now) duo to gold certification, things seemed on the rise again. Then they returned to the studio, completely changed their style, and released, Up (1989). It would become their first album to not hit the top forty in the UK, and from there would usher in an era of continued dwindling sales, the departure of Mark White, and effectively solo albums for Martin Fry, released under the guise as ABC.
Well, that doesn't set expectations very high, now does it?
As soon as it starts up, I got the sense that this wasn't going to be for me. House music is generally not a genre I visit. Not that I don't like the style, I'm just not that big into dance music. I prefer my albums to sooth my ears, not full-on assault them with pounding beats.
I let the album run its course, but never really came across anything that screamed, "I'm a great song!" All and all, it was fairly mediocre, and pretty uninspiring. I dare say I won't remember any of these songs by this evening. In fact, I've relatively forgotten them already.
Personally, it's a pretty poor note to end the era on, but I've said that before about a lot of artists. It just makes me reiterate what I've said before. The 80's kind of follow the timeline of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Between 80 - 82 it's an okay start, but nothing really exciting. 83 the potential starts to shine through. 84 - 86 you get the classic era. 87 still has a lot of good stuff, but there's some questionable things starting to show up. 88 - 89 things start to head on a downward trajectory.
Martin Fry and Mark White would collaborate one final time for 1991's Abracadabra. However, by the end of it, White was tired and had enough. He retired from music, seemingly closing the chapter on ABC. That is until 1997, when Fry returned to the studio to record and release Skyscrapping. Though released as an ABC album, it was effectively a solo project for the singer.
In 2004, VH1's Bands Reunited saw host Aamer Haleem pounded the pavement in search of original members, Martin Fry, Mark White, Stephen Singleton, and David Palmer. While he was able to track them all down, only Fry and Palmer would end up reuniting. This would lead to the two collaborating on a new ABC album, 2008's Traffic.
No information seems to be available as to why Palmer departed a third time, but by the time Fry returned in 2016 for The Lexicon Of Love II, he was essentially a solo act again. These days, Fry continues to tour under the banner of ABC, with his most recent shows being a collaboration with Howard Jones in 2025.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 28, 1985 |
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