ABC – Alphabet City
(Neutron Records 1987 NTRH4)
Matrix No’s: A1/B2 – UK Pressing
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– sticker mark in top right corner and crease on top left corner
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
ABC are an English pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Martin Fry, guitarist and keyboardist Mark White, saxophonist Stephen Singleton and drummer David Palmer.
ABC developed from an earlier band, Vice Versa, and established themselves as part of the New Romantic movement, with Fry being famed for his gold lamé suit. Their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love, was a UK number-one and they achieved ten UK and five US Top 40 hit singles between 1981 and 1990. The band, now essentially singer Fry solo, continue to tour and released their ninth studio album, The Lexicon of Love II, in 2016.
Alphabet City is the fourth studio album by English pop band ABC. It was originally released in October 1987, on the labels Mercury, Phonogram and Neutron, two years after their previous album How to Be a … Zillionaire! Following a hiatus in which singer Martin Fry was being treated for Hodgkin’s disease, it was recorded over a period of nine months between November 1986 and August 1987, in sessions that took place at Marcus Recording Studios in London, assisted by Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with the American band Chic.
The album’s title and the titles of several tracks were inspired by the Alphabet City section of Manhattan, New York City, where Fry and Mark White lived for a time prior to the album’s release. It peaked at No. 7 in the UK, making it their first album to reach the Top 10 since their debut The Lexicon of Love. The album launched three charting singles in the UK. “When Smokey Sings”, a tribute to Smokey Robinson, peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart; “The Night You Murdered Love” peaked at No. 31; “King Without a Crown” at No. 44.
Track listing
All tracks written by Martin Fry and Mark White, except where noted.
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | “Avenue A” |
|
0:56 |
| 2. | “When Smokey Sings” | 4:22 | |
| 3. | “The Night You Murdered Love” | 4:53 | |
| 4. | “Think Again” | 3:41 | |
| 5. | “Rage and Then Regret” | 3:34 | |
| 6. | “Ark-Angel” | 4:54 | |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 7. | “King Without a Crown” | 4:41 | |
| 8. | “Bad Blood” | 3:56 | |
| 9. | “Jealous Lover” | 3:36 | |
| 10. | “One Day” | 5:35 | |
| 11. | “Avenue Z” |
|
0:42 |
| Total length: | 40:55 | ||
Personnel
ABC
- Martin Fry – lead and background vocals
- Mark White – guitars; keyboards; programming
Additional personnel
- Graham Broad – drums
- Brad Lang – bass guitar
- David Clayton – keyboards
- Danny Thompson – double bass
- Howie Casey – saxophone
- Judd Lander – harmonica
- Pandit Dinesh – percussion; tabla
- Luís Jardim (misspelled as “Louis Jardin” on album notes) – percussion
- Miriam Stockley – backing vocals
- Tessa Niles – backing vocals
- Dolette McDonald – backing vocals
- Linda Taylor – backing vocals
- Alan Carvell – backing vocals
- Richard Niles – string arrangements on “When Smokey Sings” and “The Night You Murdered Love”
- Anne Dudley – string arrangements on “One Day” and “Bad Blood”
Production team
- Martin Fry – producer
- Mark White – producer
- Bernard Edwards – producer
- Martyn Webber – engineer
- Tim Burrell – assistant engineer
- Julian Mendelsohn – mixing
- Ian Cooper – mastering at the Townhouse Studios, London
- Andy Earl – photography
- Keith Breeden – artwork
- Peter Curzon – artwork
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