Official press release
'Lexicon DELUXE'

 
THE LEXICON OF LOVE - DELUXE EDITION
1st NOVEMBER 2004

CAT NO: 982 437-3 BARCODE: 060249824373 (2)

DISC ONE:

PART ONE: THE ORIGINAL ALBUM : Show Me / Poison Arrow / Many Happy Returns / Tears Are Not Enough / Valentine's Day / The Look Of Love / Date Stamp / All Of My Heart / 4 Ever 2 Gether / The Look Of Love Part IV 
PART TWO: THE ORIGINAL SINGLES : Overture / Tears Are Not Enough 7" / Alphabet Soup 12" / Theme From 'Man Trap' / Poison Arrow Jazz Mix 
PART THREE: AN OUT-TAKE AND AN ODDITY : Into The Valley Of The Heathen Go (Lexicon Of Love out-take, 5/82) / Alphabet Soup (BBC Swapshop Version, 29/11/81) 

DISC TWO:

PART FOUR: THE ROUTE TO THE LEXICON : Tears Are Not Enough (Phonogram demo) 20th July 1981 / Show Me (Phonogram demo) 20th July 1981 / Surrender (Phonogram demo) 20th July 1981 
PART FIVE: THE LEXICON OF LOVE LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH ODEON, NOVEMBER 1982 : Overture /Show Me / Many Happy Returns / Tears Are Not Enough / Date Stamp / The Look Of Love / All Of My Heart / Valentine's Day / 4 Ever 2 Gether / Alphabet Soup / Poison Arrow (Encore) 

Few albums define the resonance and the beauty of a particular era as does The Lexicon Of Love by ABC. It could be said that it even kick-started the musical 80s as we know them. It's embedded deep in the fabric of popular culture; more know the album than those who bought it. Name checked, referenced and, now, frequently in 'best of all-time' polls; more knowing than anything else then on offer. The album, as a whole, just is: the album that finally signalled the end of the seventies and really opened up the 80s wide, in full, glorious Technicolor.

In 1982, ABC became the toast of the world with this album. It launched the production career of Trevor Horn; because of the timeless qualities of the material, it remains a permanently fresh listen. The secret ingredient was, as always, what had been the participants' previous cultural diet. Mark White, Stephen Singleton, David Palmer and Martin Fry were all astute music historians and in Fry, they had a front man with the appropriate balance of pretence and ability; an English Literature graduate who could not only string a sentence or two together but also recite them eloquently.

Looking back, Fry is satisfied. "The Lexicon Of Love is a bit like Mount Rushmore, it's finished - I really don't feel the need to chisel another face in. We always felt like outsiders. You had to be an outsider to make The Lexicon Of Love. We weren't following trends. Other acts have been more successful using the blueprint, well, good luck to them." "I'm very fond of The Lexicon Of Love," Trevor Horn reflects on the album that made his name in production. "I think it's a lovely record. I've never really tired of it. Every couple of years I play it in the car. I always get a kick out of it. I love the lyrics, you see, especially "A pirate station on the radio, a sunken ship with a rich cargo".

The Lexicon Of Love's afterlife winds on. Pop has moved through many revolutions and the vinyl dreams of Lexicon have long been replaced. It was one of the very first CDs on the market, then it was remastered in the first golden age of bonus material and then, third time lucky it was re-rubbed one more time in 1999. Leaving a decent gap of five years, it's time to elevate The Lexicon Of Love to the status of Universal's other Deluxe Edition releases by fabled artists and acts such as Marvin Gaye, The Who, Cream and The Velvet Underground. For a generation, it is their Velvet Underground and Nico. 

Here it is accompanied by unheard demos, an outtake from the album that foresaw The Darkness and the full, live glory of the band on The Lexicon of Love tour; the very gig at Hammersmith Odeon that David Bowie was watching them from the wings. The package comes with extensive sleevenotes including new interviews with Martin Fry and Trevor Horn as well as memorabilia from Fry's personal archive

This may be the last time. But, with a work of heart like this, you know it will never really be the end. 

So redevelop product, redesign the package . . .

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