The Orchestral Lexicon Of Love

The Orchestral Lexicon of Love – a manuscript of pop excellence takes to the famous stage of the Royal Albert Hall, London.

From the first string sweep of ABC’s Overture, imagine the spine tingling magic that will be heard on 8th April 2009 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, at what certainly promises to be one of the most memorable moments in the history of ABC’s pop masterpiece The Lexicon of Love.

26 years, 9 months and 15 days after the album’s release, ABC will be accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform The Lexicon of Love in its entirety, taking on a classical production with string serenades befit to the works of Tchaikovsky and Dvo?ák. The orchestra will be conducted by Anne Dudley and the performance introduced by Trevor Horn.

Originally recorded between 1981 and 1982, The Lexicon of Love reached number one upon its release and for a total of four weeks. It continues to grow in stature as one of the finest pop records in music history, in the eyes of both fans and the music industry. It was an incredibly unique record for its time, crafted by a new band that had emerged from post-disco and post-punk eras, and providing a lavish moment of slick, modern, UK soul-pop. With ballads to cling to, pure pop gems to sing to and a lexicon of lyrics of twisted fate and aspirations to hold close, it still shines.

The BBC Concert Orchestra was formed in 1952 and is well known for its versatility in handling different musical styles. The 56-piece orchestra has performed with the legendary José Carreras at The Proms through to Mark Ronson at The Electric Proms. It has recorded film-scores, played with Annie Lennox, Neil Tennant and Abdullah Ibrahim, and is best known for its residency spanning 55 years on BBC 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night. Now performing with ABC, it promises to be a special evening.

Martin Fry provides some insight about the Lexicon of Love in 1982 and though the years, as well as what to expect from the Royal Albert Hall performance (and some other ABC trivia).

Ladies and gentleman…

The Lexicon of Love is a timeless classic, still relevant today. Why?
Martin Fry: All these years down the line I don’t really know why The Lexicon of Love is so popular. In 2009 performing something like “All of my Heart” always provokes an intense reaction. I suppose they’re all love songs , songs that approach the subject with honesty , songs that map out the heartache and ecstacy and stupidity we all feel when we’re really into someone. I think that a lot of people identified with that sort of emotion. The songs intertwine. I think people liked that.

When The Lexicon of Love went to number one in the album charts, where were you, how did you feel and how did the band celebrate?
MF: When it went to number one it replaced Avalon by Roxy Music which was a pretty awe inspiring record from an incredible band. That kinda summed up the feeling we had at the time. It definitely felt like we’d arrived. We were probably on New Bond Street in London. The record label was there next to Sotheby’s. There was never enough time to celebrate. It was always about moving on to the next thing.

Which album comes closest to the Lexicon of Love’s sound, by ABC and by any other band?
MF: As songs “Love Is Strong” on Traffic. Something like “Unzip” or “By Default By Design” off Beauty Stab approach that sound. There’s a thread flowing through all the albums. “Alphabet City” is shiny and cosmopolitan too. Of course Trevor Horn’s production is integral to The Lexicon of Love as a sound. Other bands? I don’t know. Spandau with True maybe?

In this current era of looking back to the 1980's, which band would you like to hear reinterpret The Lexicon of Love album in its entirety, or which bands would best record each song as a tribute?
MF: Lets fantasize ..........The Killers. MGMT. I’d love to hear Kraftwerk interpret it. Joni Mitchell. I’d be interested in hearing anyone’s version. I’d like to hear Tony Bennet sing something like Datestamp. U2 burn through The Look of Love. At shows it’s great hearing the audience sing along.

When was the last time you watched Mantrap?
MF: Over 10 years ago. Some friends came over and insisted on watching it. I hid in the kitchen.

What are your memories of filming?
MF: We filmed it over ten days in December 82. It was a non stop frantic ten days. It was freezing. Julian Temple was absolutely brilliant. It’s a blur. I remember I had a doppleganger in a gold suit I had to fight. We spent a lot of time on trains.

The Lexicon of Love was a creative masterpiece by ABC, and always called for a classical performance. How did the Royal Albert Hall performance come about – a real endorsement for its longevity and status as a fine record?
MF: Peter Brennan from Jean’s and Classics invited me over to Canada to perform with his orchestra last February. He was adamant about performing ”Ocean Blue“, ”S.O.S.” and “Vanity Kills”. Songs I’d never played live before. Songs I didn’t think would work live. I was wrong. He was right. His charts were brilliant. ”One Better World” sounded great in a different context. That experience inspired us to perform in London. Simon Moran suggested we perform the whole of The Lexicon of Love. Trevor Horn and Anne Dudley were happy to come on board. David Palmer gets a night off from performing with Rod Stewart that night so he’s flying in for it to play drums.

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It's 27 years since working with Anne Dudley on the original Lexicon of Love string arrangements. Can you describe the creative process in 1982 and how it will differ for the Royal Albert Hall show?
MF: When we were making the record everything was done in pieces. It was very experimental. Anne supplied the pizzicato’s on The Look of Love and that inspired us to use more orchestration on something like ”All of My heart”. Trevor could tell that we had concerns and pledged a million pounds in an IOU as a guarantee that with strings it would go to Number 1. It went to number 4 in the charts I think. Today with the Albert hall show it’s like the scripts been written. Equally as exciting but in a totally different way. It’s a different sort of challenge.

Traffic returned with some classic string arrangements, so are you inspired by particular classical composers or compositions?
MF: Chuck Kentis arranged the strings on the album Traffic on “Love Is Strong” and “Caroline”. He did a brilliant job.

Of all of the songs ABC have recorded, which recording are you most proud of?
MF: Honest answer. I’m proud of them all I suppose. Faves include “All of My heart”, “ Fear of the World”, “Be Near Me”, “ When Smokey Sings”

Lexicon of Love...on cassette, vinyl, DAT, 8-track, 16-track, CD (reissues), mp3?
MF: Blue Ray Disc. Maybe it’s time to turn it all into a film. Which one releases the magic best? What arrangements are in place to record the show for CD/DVD and other multi-media formats?
MF: All of them. The medium is the message.

To play as part of a concert orchestra must be an amazing experience. You experienced singing live in front of an orchestra in 2001 as part of Night Of The Proms (in Europe) and in 2008 with Jeans ‘n Classics (in Canada). What’s it like standing in front of a big orchestra singing?
MF: It’s like driving a Bentley. Singing with an orchestra is a luxury. On night of the Proms we had a 36 strong choir too. Phenominal.

Many hardcore fans have never seen what "Modern Drugs" looked like. Do you still have some copies laying around, and would you ever consider scanning them and putting them on the internet for fans like us to see?
MF: Maybe it’s time for a reprint.

Last December you toured the UK with Heaven 17 and The Human League as “The Steel City Tour”. How did you experience that?
MF: It was a lot of fun. I’d toured extensively with The Human League in the US over Summer so it felt natural to bring the show to the UK. I was in the audience for a lot of seminal Human League shows back in the early 80’s so it felt good being on the same bill. I’m a fan. I’ve also known Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory for years. Worked with Glenn on Skyscraping. The tour climaxed in Sheffield at the Hallam arena.It was a very emotional night. It was a fantastic experience. I owe Sheffield a lot.

"Traffic" was well received by the critics. The BBC's Daryl Easlea wrote that "(Traffic) frankly shouldn't be as good as it is". How proud are you of "Traffic" and does it hold up well in comparison to the big seller ABC records' "Lexicon of Love", "How to be a Zillionaire" and "Alphabet City" as a staple ABC album?
MF: It felt good to be writing new songs. Traffic’s opened up a lot of doors for me.

What are your plans for 2009? And beyond? Any chance of more recordings?
MF: I never plan that far ahead. I’m looking forward to the Albert Hall. I might tour in the USA in June. I’m always a little bit intrigued to see what the future holds and never disappointed.

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* * * Forward and (most) questions by Stephen Grady. Pictures By Mark Evans. Compiled by Melvin Welters. Thanks to Gary Flanagan, Jeremy Kennedy and Marco Federici