Is an English band which was formed in Sheffield, England in 1980. Martin Fry was a music journalist and he interviewed the band Vice Versa for Modern Drugs. They recruited him as their lead vocalist and changed the name of their group to ABC. The new band was a part of the New Romantic Movement of the era, which included others such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, and also The Human League. The band changed their music style several times during their career. From the very beginning, the group had a funk and soul style to their music.
The group’s first single was, Tears Are Not Enough, and it reached the Top 20 in the U. K. In 1981. David Robinson left the band shortly after that and was replaced with David Palmer, who was no relation to the other David Palmer who was a keyboard player. The group released three Top 10 hits during 1982. They were, Poison Arrow, The Look of Love (Part I), and All of My Heart. They also released music videos. Later in the same year, the group released a debut album called, The Lexicon of Love. The album was a big hit and reached number 1 on the U. K. Album charts. The album was produced by Trevor Horn and was listed as number 42 in the Observer Music Monthly’s Top 100 British Albums in June, 2004, and number 40 in Q. Magazine’s 100 Greatest British Albums in June 2000. The song, Poison Arrow, is featured on the 2002 PlayStation 2 video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as part of the New Wave radio station, Wave 103.
The band had trouble getting together a follow up album after their debut album and Lickley and Palmer left the group. The second album, Beauty Stab, was released in 1983 and it did not get much attention. Gary Langan was the producer for the album. That Was Then But This Is Now was their first single. The song appeared briefly on the U. K. Top 20 chart and their second single, S. O. S. Reached the Top 40. In 1984, Steven Singleton left the group and this left only the duo, Fry and White. The two recruited two non- band members as back up for the duo. Their career dwindled even further in 1985 with the release of, How To Be A... Zillionaire! The music style was changed for the album but it was not very successful. The group did reach it’s first Top 10 hit in the United States with the hit, Be near Me. The song did not fare as well in the U. K. As it failed to hit the Top 20 on the U. K. Charts. The final duo split up in 1992 and Fry went solo and still tours. In 2004 Palmer re-joined Fry and they appeared again for the first time in 20 years. They have also put together another album which is to be released in 2007.
