ABC – The Lexicon Of Love

Even after 40 years and having played this vinyl so many times it still sounds totally amazing. One vinyl I’ll never part with!

Like the Human League’s ‘Dare’, Frankie’s ‘Pleasuredome’ Heaven 17 ‘luxury Gap’ and a few other great 80s electronic pop albums ABC’s first has stood the test of time.
It is in fact timeless.

A timeless classic since more than 40 years! Pressing sounds great!

I’ve had a troubling week and this album tonight has uplifted me. Thank you ABC. Spending my Friday night listening to this album was totally worth it. Cost me $5. The world is a good place once again.

Favourite track: All Of My Heart

This pressing sucks. I would avoid all of the these re-issues and just track down an original pressing.

Nice sounding press on this vinyl. Everything is crisp and clear. Tight bass. Sounds great!

Bought this PDO issue and it's shocking at the lack of inner booklet artwork for such a great album!

One of the best albums of the Eighties without a doubt. From Fry's smart and witty lyrics to Trevor Horn's stellar production the LOL is an essential pop masterpiece. This deluxe set is a must have for fans of slick Eighties pop. The follow up from 1983 was "Beauty Stab" which is a flawed beast but I'm also very fond of that because it shows a stark contrast with it's guitar heavy style and concept about Thatchers Britain. It's in fact the polar opposite to LOL and also well worth having. I often wonder how it would have turned out if Horn was at the controls again. He was penciled in but his duties with Yes took over unfortunately.
While I also have How To Be A Zillionaire, their 1985 return to slick synth pop, and 1887's Alphabet City, LOL and BS are probably the best and most endearing work. 1989's Up is a dated house style affair that offers no punch and just pales into easy listening. That's it for me but I did buy LOL 2 and it's actually not that bad at all.

Steven Wilson nailed this (no surprise there). This 24-bit 96kHz remaster (Qobuz), coming 41 years after its debut, sounds amazing. The clarity, dynamics, and mix are perfect. The soundstage is very wide and deep, making speakers nearly disappear. The vocals are located well in front of the music, like a hologram. Fantastic!

Steve Wilson brings his magic to one of the 80s high points. Bass is the big winner here, with the overall mix being way more balanced. Only criticism is that there are points where the vocals are very harsh, though this was probably inherent in the original mix. Has anyone noticed how ordinary the first three tracks sound in the original mix? Yes, Steve has vastly improved them in his mix. Even the vinyl remaster sounds dreadful on the corresponding tracks.