GET OUT OF THE GALLERIES AND BURN SOME CALORIES…

The Fry Man keeps it up.

"Am I Right? Am I Wrong? You'll find this Mark where the beat goes on. Six strings at his disposal, Sixties soul in his holdall. Mr Mark White will excite you right. This Mark says 'Get out of the galleries and burn some calories!' Sax equals sex equals sax, which makes Stephen positively pornographic. Stephen Singleton says 'If you're standing still then you're going nowhere.' Favourite dance-the boomerang."

THE MAGNIFICENCE IS IMPORTANT…
A.B.C. says they've sorted out their first priority: a catalogue of songs they feel proud of, none of them duplicates, none of them weedy. They don't belong to, or believe in, the rock tradition.
"The rock way just leads to the OGWT studio and meaningless platinum discs."

They scoff at the constant strident calls for New Big Things: the phoney 'promise' of rock. Their tradition is that of The Song.
"We're songwriters-our songs are lyrically strong, a series of signals, of certain fixed scenarios. They're statements looking for certainty, authenticity, the real McCoy. We spend a lot of time writing and crafting the songs-they must be danceable, memorable, intelligent, functional, passionate. These things shouldn't be excluded from pop music-they should be exploited and exaggerated. The writing of songs is more important than any movement. We have such high demands and aims and want to compete with the great songwriters so the stakes are high and it's hard but ultimately it's more rewarding and more exciting."

A.B.C. say pop is a drug: could make your day, going to make your night…"It's vitamin A, B and C… we've got a series of statements to make and we're going to make them as attractive as possible via The Song.
"We don't do anything flippantly or totally without humour, and we know that we're not in a position to criticise the charts-that's our competition and it's up to us. We have to compete on those terms, with Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Kate Robbins, Kim Wilde… we'll take any blame but we'll go for the prizes. We are committed and if we'll succeed we'll succeed magnificently and if we'll fail it'll be a magnificent failure. The magnificence is important."

A.B.C. say show business is what counts: lights, camera, action. A.B.C. say give them some money and they'll show you their way, all the way. They want the smartest package, the sharpest show, the snappiest video, the loudest effect, the hardest style, the deepest colour. They have the blueprint: they need the cash. The man from Mothercare?
"If only! We're looking for financial cash injection for Neutron Records. We want to keep our identity and freedom and use the money and machinery of big business to help us get our ways, to move on up."

A.B.C. say their confidence and energy is increasing all the time. And why shouldn't it? Their music is a real soul thrill, a brill soul peal, a plush detonation, a celebration rush, a ringing jingle blare. Here it goes, here it go, from Nat King Cole to the Four Tops to Earth Wind And Fire to James White & The Blacks to A.B.C.

A.B.C. are on the make.
"We make something that is physical but not stupid. There are things that are physical and good for the feet but they've been stupid, there' been things that have been dry and intelligent but over-intellectual. Part of what we do is fuse the two."

A.B.C. say what they fully want to do is loosen you up, shake you by the throat and take you for all you're worth. I say-now, it's up to them. I HOLD IN MY HAND THREE LETTERS The Fry Man signs his name.
"But don't forget the guy who rhymes moon with June, who croons the tune. Let the golden throat teach ya, let the golden feet preach ya! Mr Martin Fry. 'The pen is mightier than the sword and you're going to feel my vocal chord.' I hold in my hand three letters. A.B.C…. alphabetically yours…"

- PART ONE OF THIS ARTICLE -
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