{"id":80596,"date":"2023-03-13T12:50:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T11:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=80596"},"modified":"2023-03-13T12:50:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T11:50:13","slug":"if-i-were-to-say-to-you-can-you-keep-a-secret-we-speak-to-abcs-martin-fry-about-the-lexicon-of-love-live-in-sheffield-and-the-staying-power-of-the-music-of-abc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2023\/03\/if-i-were-to-say-to-you-can-you-keep-a-secret-we-speak-to-abcs-martin-fry-about-the-lexicon-of-love-live-in-sheffield-and-the-staying-power-of-the-music-of-abc\/","title":{"rendered":"If I Were To Say To You, Can You Keep A Secret? We Speak To ABC’s Martin Fry About ‘The Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield’, And The Staying Power Of The Music Of ABC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Forty years to the day of the release of the iconic album, ‘The Lexicon Of Love’, ABC performed in concert, along with a symphony orchestra, in their hometown of Sheffield. That performance was recorded for posterity, and is set to be released on May 19 as ‘The Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield’. We’ve already written about the album here<\/a>, but now we’d like to share with you our interview with the incredible Martin Fry himself.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for speaking to us Martin! \u2018The Lexicon Of Love\u2019 was a pivotal album from its first release, and it\u2019s certainly lost none of its power today, it\u2019s just as monumental \u2013 what do you think is the reason for this, what makes an iconic album?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The reason ‘The Lexicon of Love’ is remembered today, all these years later\u2026\u2026\u2026 maybe Trevor Horn\u2019s luscious production, maybe it came along at the right moment in time, it foretold the future. A lot of people, the world over, have had their hearts broken at some point in their lives. Lexicon documents heartache. So maybe it\u2019s that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield\u2019 comes out on 19 May, and was recorded 40 years to the day of the album\u2019s first release. How was the home-town reception, and how did you feel, coming back to perform it, basically where it all started?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phenomenal. Very emotional. It completed the circle for me going back 40 years to the day the original music was released. The album had to be recorded on that night in that city. It was destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s been the most inspirational person in your career, and why? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Best. I always wanted to play for Man United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked for questions on social media, and Steve Holley asks,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou did a brilliant version of \u2018Thunderball\u2019 on David Arnold\u2019s \u2018Shaken and Stirred, a James Bond Project\u2019. That album turned out to be David\u2019s successful audition as a prolific James Bond composer. Did you ever yearn to do a Bond theme, especially after dipping your toe into the genre with \u2018Mantrap\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love Bond. Love movies. Love Netflix. David Arnold was brilliant to work with on ‘Thunderball’. Tom Jones was obviously a very tough act to follow on the original version of that song. I seem to remember John Barry came to the sessions at Air Studios to check it all out so I had to raise my game in the vocal booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I always thought was really lovely on the original \u2018Lexicon Of Love\u2019 was the inclusion of the horns and strings, and with the new live release you\u2019ve gone with a full symphonic orchestra, and that takes it to a whole new level. What do you think the response would have been if you\u2019d gone there, used a full orchestra, on \u2018Lexicon Of Love\u2019 40 years ago?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The time is right now to showcase the symphonic version of those songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Steve Holley returns with another question (he\u2019s a HUGE fan!) and says,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2019Lexicon Of Love\u2019 is widely regarded as an almost perfect 80s pop album, and is still wonderful. It was always going to be near impossible to follow, and \u2018Beauty Stab\u2019 went back to the band\u2019s post punk roots, and \u2018Vice Versa\u2019. ABC would go on to always reinvent with each project following that with the awesome, \u2018How To Be A Zillionaire\u2019. Were you worried by some of the negativity that greeted \u2018Beauty Stab\u2019, or was \u201cthat was then but this is now\u201d a career mantra?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That Was Then was the ABC manifesto back then. Keep moving, keep changing, keep evolving. No regrets. Then and now. Sometimes we got it right, sometimes we got it wrong. That\u2019s the beautiful thing about experimenting musically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield\u2019 contains songs from pretty much your entire discography \u2013 are these your favourites or are they the songs that work best in front of a live audience\/are most popular? Are there any that you wish you could have added?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah the Live album does contain a lot of songs from the ABC catalogue. Some songs work better than others with orchestra. Something like ‘Ocean Blue’ or ‘Viva Love’ were ideal for violins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, over your career you\u2019ve very likely had the same questions asked over and over and over \u2013 but what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what\u2019s the answer to that question? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s plenty of questions I\u2019ve never been asked. I\u2019m happy with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘The Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield\u2019 will be released on 19 May, 2023, via Live Here Now Recordings. The new live album will be available as a 2 x CD set, 3 x sparkly purple vinyl, and as a collector\u2019s edition, book and 3 CD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about the release, as well as about ABC and their music, online on their official website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forty years to the day of the release of the iconic album, ‘The Lexicon Of Love’, ABC performed in concert, along with a symphony orchestra, in their hometown of Sheffield. That performance was recorded for posterity, and is set to be released on May 19 as ‘The Lexicon Of Love Live In Sheffield’. We’ve already written about the album here, but now we’d like to share with you our interview with the incredible Martin Fry himself.<\/p>\n

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The album was recorded last year at a show in ABC's hometown of Sheffield, to mark the 40th anniversary of the seminal album, 'The Lexicon Of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-7.png?fit=625%2C625&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-7.png?fit=625%2C625&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-7.png?fit=625%2C625&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":82870,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2023\/07\/abc-announce-extra-dates-for-the-lexicon-of-love-orchestral-tour\/","url_meta":{"origin":80596,"position":1},"title":"ABC Announce Extra Dates For ‘The Lexicon of Love’ Orchestral Tour","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"18\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to demand ABC have announced an extra five dates to their UK tour in January and February 2024 which sees them perform the timeless debut album \u201cThe Lexicon of Love\u201d album in its entirety. The new dates include shows in Southend, Stoke, London, Cardiff and Bournemouth.","rel":"","context":"In "Concerts"","block_context":{"text":"Concerts","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/concerts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ABC.jpg?fit=733%2C644&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ABC.jpg?fit=733%2C644&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ABC.jpg?fit=733%2C644&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ABC.jpg?fit=733%2C644&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83350,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2023\/08\/abc-announce-extra-tour-dates-for-the-lexicon-of-love-tour\/","url_meta":{"origin":80596,"position":2},"title":"ABC Announce Extra Tour Dates For \u2018The Lexicon Of Love\u2019 Tour","author":"Declan Hafey","date":"02\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to the tour\u2019s popularity, where dozens of venues have sold out already, English pop band ABC are announcing extra tour dates for their \u2018The Lexicon Of Love\u2019 40th anniversary tour. 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