Alphabet City (album)

Alphabet City
Alphabet City
Studio album by ABC
Released	12 October 1987
Recorded	November 1986 – August 1987
Studio	Marcus Recording Studios, London
Genre	Sophisti-pop; blue-eyed soul; dance-pop;
Length	40:55
Label	Mercury; Phonogram; Neutron;
Producer	Mark White; Martin Fry; Bernard Edwards;
ABC chronology
Singles from Alphabet City
	"When Smokey Sings"; Released: 22 May 1987; "The Night You Murdered Love"; Released: 1987; "King Without a Crown"; Released: November 1987;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[5]

Alphabet City is the fourth studio album by English pop band ABC. It was originally released in October 1987, on the labels Mercury, Phonogram and Neutron, two years after their previous album How to Be a ... Zillionaire! Following a hiatus in which singer Martin Fry was being treated for Hodgkin's disease, it was recorded over a period of nine months between November 1986 and August 1987, in sessions that took place at Marcus Recording Studios in London, assisted by Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with the American band Chic.

The album's title and the titles of several tracks were inspired by the Alphabet City section of Manhattan, New York City, where Fry and Mark White lived for a time prior to the album's release. It peaked at No. 7 in the UK, making it their first album to reach the Top 10 since their debut The Lexicon of Love. The album launched three charting singles in the UK. "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart; "The Night You Murdered Love" peaked at No. 31; "King Without a Crown" at No. 44.

In 2005, a digitally remastered CD of the album was released with six bonus tracks.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Martin Fry and Mark White, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Avenue A"	Mark White Anne Dudley	0:56
2.	"When Smokey Sings"		4:22
3.	"The Night You Murdered Love"		4:53
4.	"Think Again"		3:41
5.	"Rage and Then Regret"		3:34
6.	"Ark-Angel"		4:54

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"King Without a Crown"		4:41
8.	"Bad Blood"		3:56
9.	"Jealous Lover"		3:36
10.	"One Day"		5:35
11.	"Avenue Z"	White Dudley	0:42
Total length:			40:55

Additional tracks on initial CD pressing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Minneapolis"	White Bernard Edwards	2:57
13.	"When Smokey Sings [The Miami Mix]"		7:05
14.	"The Night You Murdered Love [The Whole Story]"		8:16
15.	"Chicago [Abridged]"	White Edwards	3:42

Additional tracks on 2005 version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Minneapolis"	White Edwards	2:57
13.	"Chicago [Abridged]"	White Edwards	3:42
14.	"24 Carat Plastic"		3:34
15.	"The Night You Murdered Love [The Reply with Contessa Lady V]"	Martin Fry White Vaughan Arnell Anthea Benton	4:50
16.	"One Day [Instrumental with Real Strings]"		5:47
17.	"King Without a Crown [Monarchy Mix]"		8:46

Personnel[]

ABC

Martin Fry – lead and backing vocals
Mark White – guitars; keyboards; programming

Additional personnel

David Clayton – keyboards
Brad Lang – bass guitar
Danny Thompson – double bass
Graham Broad – drums
Pandit Dinesh – percussion; tabla
Luís Jardim (misspelled as "Louis Jardin" on album notes) – percussion
Howie Casey – saxophone
Judd Lander – harmonica
Miriam Stockley – backing vocals
Tessa Niles – backing vocals
Dolette McDonald – backing vocals
Linda Taylor – backing vocals
Alan Carvell – backing vocals
Richard Niles – string arrangements on "When Smokey Sings" and "The Night You Murdered Love"
Anne Dudley – string arrangements on "One Day" and "Bad Blood"

Production team

Martin Fry – producer
Mark White – producer
Bernard Edwards – producer
Martyn Webber – engineer
Tim Burrell – assistant engineer
Julian Mendelsohn – mixing
Ian Cooper – mastering at the Townhouse Studios, London
Andy Earl – photography
Keith Breeden – artwork
Peter Curzon – artwork

Charts[]

Chart performance for *Alphabet City*
Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[6]	45
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[7]	47
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[8]	19
European Albums (Music & Media)^[9]	22
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	20
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[11]	82
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[12]	25
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[13]	26
UK Albums (OCC)^[14]	7
US Billboard 200^[15]	48

References[]

^ Stylusmagazine.com
^ AllMusic
^ Itunes.apple.com
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ABC – Alphabet City". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 10. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0880". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABC – Alphabet City" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 45. 14 November 1987. p. 18. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ABC – Alphabet City" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
^ AA.VV. (25 April 2006). Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970~2005. Tokyo: Oricon. ISBN 978-487-1-31077-2.
^ "Charts.nz – ABC – Alphabet City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
^ "Swisscharts.com – ABC – Alphabet City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
^ "ABC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

External links[]

Alphabet City at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] Stylusmagazine.com

[2] AllMusic

[3] Itunes.apple.com

[4] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ABC – Alphabet City". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 December 2016.

[5] Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.

[6] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 10. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[group=-7] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0880". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

[ac_Netherlands_ABC-8] "Dutchcharts.nl – ABC – Alphabet City" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2012.

[9] "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 45. 14 November 1987. p. 18. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.

[ac_Germany4_ABC-10] "Offiziellecharts.de – ABC – Alphabet City" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

[11] AA.VV. (25 April 2006). Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970~2005. Tokyo: Oricon. ISBN 978-487-1-31077-2.

[ac_New_Zealand_ABC-12] "Charts.nz – ABC – Alphabet City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.

[ac_Switzerland_ABC-13] "Swisscharts.com – ABC – Alphabet City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2012.

[ac_UK2_-14] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

[ac_Billboard200_ABC-15] "ABC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

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hide v t ABC
Martin Fry Stephen Singleton Mark White Mark Lickley David Robinson David Palmer Fiona Russell Powell David Yarritu
Studio albums	The Lexicon of Love Beauty Stab How to Be a ... Zillionaire! Alphabet City Up Abracadabra Skyscraping Traffic The Lexicon of Love II
Live albums	The Lexicon of Live
Compilation albums	Absolutely Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC The Ultimate Collection
Singles	"Tears Are Not Enough" "Poison Arrow" "The Look of Love (Part One)" "All of My Heart" "That Was Then but This Is Now" "S.O.S." "(How to Be a) Millionaire" "Be Near Me" "Vanity Kills" "Ocean Blue" "When Smokey Sings" "The Night You Murdered Love" "King Without a Crown" "One Better World" "The Real Thing" "The Look of Love (1990 Mix)" "Love Conquers All" "Say It" "Stranger Things" "Skyscraping" "Rolling Sevens"
Videos	Absolutely... ABC
Related articles	Discography Vice Versa Honeyroot