There are some acts that seem to forever be associated with a period in time and for ABC it’s without doubt the 80s. Lead by original front man and chief songwriter Martin Fry, ABC continue to perform to sell-out crowds and produce great records yet it’s that first album, The Lexicon of Love, which reached the UK No.1 spot in the summer of 1982 that seems to define them.Hailing from Sheffield, they came into view just as the autumn of 1981 was giving way to winter. Fully formed, bright, confident and with a peerless debut album up their sleeves, together with Trevor Horn’s blossoming production talents they’d arguably forged the perfect debut pop album. Over the next 10 years they’d score no less than 10 UK top 40 single hits, 5 of which would chart across the pond, where alongside fellow Sheffield band The Human League, the US would refer to them as part of The Second British Invasion!It’s the first 10 years, between 1981 and 1990 of the band’s history which this 3CD set celebrates and it features all 10 of those aforementioned hit singles together with key tracks from their 6 studio albums from the same period, 5 of which graced the UK album chart top 30. So prepare for a listening experience that takes you from the instantly memorable Poison Arrow (UK No.6), to the perfect pop of The Look of Love (UK No.4) and the fairy tale All of My Heart (UK no. 5) to the infectious blue-eyed soul of 1987’s When Smokey Sings (UK No. 11), the 80s electro of How To Be A Millionaire (UK No. 49), the jazz funk of Tears Are Not Enough (UK No. 19) and the uplifting house sounds of One Better World (UK No. 32).More than just a best of, the Essential ABC casts the spotlight on the first decade of one of the UK’s most enduring bands.
D**Z
Great sound, great price - well worth having
This is an excellent 3CD set for just £5.99 online (or just a fiver in the local supermarket), delivering most of the well-known songs and a decent selection of 12" mixes. It also has excellent sound quality, better than 2004's similar set ABC The Ultimate Collection (which is now out of print and highly priced).The programming of tracks is a little odd. It would have been more logical to have all the remixes on CD3 rather than strewn through the second and third discs. Then the casual listener would know what they were listening to and not feel they were getting the same thing twice.In at least one case, if you select a track individually it does not start cleanly but has the last note of the previous track, so indexing is not perfect. Also, a very minor type-setting error means that The Night You Murdered Love (The Whole Story) is all in the same heavy font when The Whole Story is not part of the track title but the name of the version and so should therefore be in a lighter type like the other mix names. But these are negligible niggles that most won't even notice.Overall, it's fantastic for a cheap comp and is enjoyable and well worth getting.
C**S
Good but not outstanding.
A good selection of the old ABC, however do not expect any thing off their recent albums. If you just want singles you would be better off buying The Look of Love, but if you want more such as the rest of the 1981 No1 The Lexicon of Love or are interested in finding more about the band then for £5 it is a bargain.
D**S
Great
Having never heard abc before last week I took a chance bought this 3cd set as it was around £5.00 it's got all the essential abc tracks. Poison Arrow is a great tune which kicks this set off. 3 discs are excellent and covers most of their career
F**R
Terrible!!
Dissappointing. My wife was a big fan of abc but this cd is a rip off unless you want to listen to the same song over and over.
L**N
Top Music
Top music from a fantastic band. Recommended
B**N
Very good cd
This brings memories A Reall good album
D**G
A bargain price, a reminder how good they are Selection of hits and lesser known
Headline says it all, best of pluses versions and mixes. Really enjoyed.
M**Q
First class delivery
Very good New Wave music from the 80's.
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