Topic: listened to Lexicon of Love for the first time the other week

[madhair60]

fucking great. love the songs on it. its a good album.

[peanutbutter]

The Look of Love being so much better than all the other songs is an issue for me

[the science eel]

Well you're wrong because 'All Of My Heart' is the best thing.

I've always been a bit puzzled by the praise. It's good but it's difficult to overlook the embodiment of 80s naffness Martin Fry and all his pretensions.

[sevendaughters]

Tears Are Not Enough, Poison Arrow, and Valentine's Day are all megatunes.

went for a drive around rural Lancs with a spotify list of Trevor Horn-produced bangers from the Buggles to Tatu via ABC and Seal, was magic.

[Dr Syntax Head]

Fucking hell to hear this for the first time again. Not one note that isn't absolute perfection. Up there with one of the best musical moments I've ever heard. So fucking rich. Everything about this album is pure perfect gold.

[Brundle-Fly]

Well you're wrong because 'All Of My Heart' is the best thing.

I've always been a bit puzzled by the praise. It's good but it's difficult to overlook the embodiment of 80s naffness Martin Fry and all his pretensions.

He was sending up naffness though.

[phantom_power]

Well you're wrong because 'All Of My Heart' is the best thing.

I've always been a bit puzzled by the praise. It's good but it's difficult to overlook the embodiment of 80s naffness Martin Fry and all his pretensions.

Jarvis Cocker nicked all his moves

[Dr Rock]

'If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover.' It may rhyme but surely that doesn't work right.

[Brundle-Fly]

'If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover.' It may rhyme but surely that doesn't work right.

Yeah, shouldn’t it be, ‘ if you judge a book by the cover then you judge the lover by the look?’

[the science eel]

Didn't his older brother start up that band?

[the science eel]

THE FRED FRY SYMPOSIUM

[Twonty Gostelow]

'If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover.' It may rhyme but surely that doesn't work right.

If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover
I hope you'll soon recover, who put fireworks in the coal? My bruvver!

[pigamus]

Very slick and impressive, not overrated, but... they've always left me a bit cold.

[purlieu]

'If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover.' It may rhyme but surely that doesn't work right.

I always found that lyric utterly hilarious. I'm not sure it was intended so but it never fails to make me grin. What utter daftness.

'4 Ever 2 Gether' is my favourite on there. So stupidly over the top. It's not an album I love but the production is beautiful and it really is a huge load of fun.

[itsfredtitmus]

better than roxy music!

[Psmith]

Epitome of  the 80's.

Musically that was not my time.

[SavageHedgehog]

Still haven't got round to listening to Lexicon of Love II. Hope it answers all of my questions.

[Indomitable Spirit]

Great band, but it's always weirded me out that Martin Fry was only 24 when LoL came out. The man has had the head of a middle-aged bank manager since puberty.

[Oz Oz Alice]

better than roxy music!

While I wouldn't go that far I think of the New Pop Ferry clones Fry was the best in that he managed to also emulate the self deprecating humour and lingering doubts behind the artifice of the playboy persona. Plus the songs are actually good. There's a great Trevor Horn quote in Rip It Up and Start Again: "if you want a pizza we'll phone for a pizza and if you want a horn section I'll give you a horn section". At times it's hard to pick out what's Ann Dudley and what's Fairlight but it's so big and bright and shiny it doesn't matter. I also think Beauty Stab us unfairly maligned: songs like Loves Dangerous Language do the Roxy thing really well albeit with more distorted guitars than are present here.

[Twonty Gostelow]

Great band, but it's always weirded me out that Martin Fry was only 24 when LoL came out. The man has had the head of a middle-aged bank manager since puberty.

Not a very good vocalist either really. Cod crooning and Bowiesque emoting quite common to that era - Tony Hadley was in the same vein. In The Look of Love his scream on the "I" in "I don't know the answer to that question" is eesh.

[grainger]

Yeah, shouldn’t it be, ‘ if you judge a book by the cover then you judge the lover by the look?’

What actually is "the look" though? Surely it isn't what the lover looks like. Does it mean how they look at you? In the Bacharach song of the same name it does, but does it mean that here? It doesn't seem like it from the lyrics. He even asks "what's the look?", but doesn't give a clear answer (and doesn't say he would tell us if he knew about that one). Does it mean some sort of property of love in general?

In which case, in the line we're examining, he's saying "don't judge love as a whole by an individual love affair", isn't he?

[grainger]

He's not a good singer, but he's a great vocalist (at least on this album).

[The Culture Bunker]

It's one of my favourite albums ('Date Stamp' being the highlight for me) but that ABC/Fry didn't manage to get close again (there were some good singles, but for me never again a really consistent high-quality collection) does make me wonder how much of the chemistry that makes this album so great was down to Trevor Horn.

After this, Horn nearly did what would have been Spandau Ballet's 'True' album, after he'd rescued their career by remixing 'Instinction', providing a much needed hit. Instead, he went off to work with Malcolm McLaren.

[Twonty Gostelow]

He's not a good singer, but he's a great vocalist (at least on this album).

Fair point - I don't listen to them thinking they need a different singer. I just can't listen to him for long.

I've just watched the video for Look of Love and had forgotten Paul Morley blowing his big moment by missing the sudden look direct to camera and having to adjust his gaze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNEdxZURTaI&t=91

[grainger]

I just remembered that Martin Fry was on an "80s pop star" special edition of The Weakest Link. When grilling the contestants, Anne Robinson asked each of them to "give us a tune" (or similar). Belinda Carlisle obligingly sang the chorus of her most famous song. Fry refused to sing. Most of the audience probably thought he was an idiot, but he was the one who kept a modicum of dignity (for himself and for pop music).

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Didn't his older brother start up that band?

None too sure. I know he founded Earl Brutus, though.

Why did that gypsy fiddle playing lady from the video  poke Martin Fry in the eye? Seems a bit much.

[the science eel]

None too sure. I know he founded Earl Brutus, though.

That's it.

Any good?

[Jockice]

Didn't his older brother start up that band?

I don't think Jim Fry was ever in ABC. They were called Vice Versa at first and did electronic stuff. The two founders of that were Steve Singleton and Mark White. Martin Fry interviewed them for his fanzine and ended up hanging around with and then joining them. They haven't had anything to do with ABC for a long time though and aren't too fond of Fry.

I think Jim Fry had something to do with World Of Twist in their early days and was definitely in Earl Brutus.

[The Culture Bunker]

I don't think Jim Fry was ever in ABC. They were called Vice Versa at first and did electronic stuff. The two founders of that were Steve Singleton and Mark White. Martin Fry interviewed them for his fanzine and ended up hanging around with and then joining them. They haven't had anything to do with ABC for a long time though and aren't too fond of Fry.

I think Jim Fry had something to do with World Of Twist in their early days and was definitely in Earl Brutus.

Years ago I watched that VH1 show 'Bands Reunited' and they did one on ABC. Usually the aim is to get the reformed band to do a performance for the end credits - as I remember, only David Palmer took part in that alongside Fry, though White and Singleton were involved in the rest of the show.

[Jockice]

Years ago I watched that VH1 show 'Bands Reunited' and they did one on ABC. Usually the aim is to get the reformed band to do a performance for the end credits - as I remember, only David Palmer took part in that alongside Fry, though White and Singleton were involved in the rest of the show.

Yeah, I saw that too. Quite embarrassing, although David Palmer is a great drummer. I'm not sure exactly what the other two's beef is with Fry (Singleton left after Beauty Stab, White was in ABC for a while longer) but I reckon that they think he claimed all the credit for ideas that weren't solely his, and also was a bit of a user. But mine is not to reason why.