ABC ~ The Look Of Love 1982 Disco Purrfection Version

The genesis of ABC is rooted in a UK pop group called Vice Versa formed in 1977 by Mark White and Stephen Singleton, both synthesizer players. As an up and coming group, they were interviewed by Martin Fry for Modern Drugs, a local fanzine. After the interview, Fry was asked to join the band and he accepted. After a September 1980 concert the group officially changed their name to ABC with Fry taking on lead vocals, Singleton on saxophone and White on guitars and keyboards, adding new members Mark Lickley on bass and David Robinson on drums. ABC's first single "Tears Are Not Enough" broke through and reached #20 on the UK survey and did not chart US. Robinson left and was replaced by David Palmer, Lickley then quit the band leaving them without a bassist.

They went into the studio with Trevor Horn and completed "The Lexicon Of Love" in 1982 with its centrepiece single "The Look Of Love" topping the UK Album chart and claiming its position as one of the Top 100 UK albums ever released. They were able to gain three top 10 UK hits with "The Look Of Love", "Poison Arrow" and "All Of My Heart". In the US, "Look Of Love" peaked at #18, "Poison Arrow" followed at #25 and "All Of My Heart" failed to make the pop survey. "The Look Of Love" did top the US disco/dance chart for one week and spent 26 weeks on that survey, a whole half year!

Palmer then left to join the Yellow Magic Orchestra, leaving the other three to reconvene and put out "Beauty Stab" in 1983 that did not fare as well without Horn as producer. Gary Langan who was the engineer on "Lexicon" took the producers chair, copying a move by the Bee Gees who hired Arif Marden's engineers Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson when Marden became unavailable to them after giving them a new sound and career with "Jive Talkin'".

ABC did not allow any remixes for the songs on "Beauty Stab" and the album tanked. They came back in big way in 1985 with new members Eden and David Yarritu for "How To Be A Millionaire" with "Be Near Me" hitting #9 US. Their last US hit was 1987's "When Smokey Sings" which became their best performing song ever in the US with a chart peak of #5.

They had a much better career on the disco/dance chart with "Be Near Me" and "When Smokey Sings" each spent two weeks at #1, "How To Be A Zillionaire! got to #4, "Vanity Kills" to #5, and "The Night You Murdered Love" peaked at #3. In 1991 with the Blackbox produced "Say It" they reached #3.