Alphabet City (album)

Alphabet City
Studio album by ABC
Released	1987
Recorded	November 1986 – August 1987
Genre	Sophisti-pop,[1] soul[2]
Length	40:55
Label	Mercury
Producer	Martin Fry, Mark White, Bernard Edwards
ABC chronology
How to Be a...Zillionaire! (1985) Alphabet City (1987) Up (1989)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]

Alphabet City is an album by the band ABC released in 1987.

Following a hiatus while singer Martin Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned to the studio to record Alphabet City, which they thought might be their final album. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album also spawned "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown" as singles. Many critics lauded Alphabet City as a return to form for the group, noting its polished production by Fry and White in conjunction with Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with Chic. The album's title and the names of several songs were inspired by the Alphabet City section of Manhattan, New York, where Fry and White lived for a time prior to the album's release.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Martin Fry and Mark White except where indicated.

Vinyl

Side One

1. "Avenue A" (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

1. "King Without a Crown" – 4:41
2. "Bad Blood" – 3:56
3. "Jealous Lover" – 3:36
4. "One Day" – 5:35
5. "Avenue Z" (White/Dudley) – 0:42

Original CD

1. "Avenue A" (White/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
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
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

2005 version (remastered)

1. "Avenue A" (White/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
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
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/Mark 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

Chart performance

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4]	45
Canadian Albums Chart[5][6]	47
Dutch Albums Chart[7]	19
German Albums Chart[8]	20
Japanese Albums Chart	82
New Zealand Albums Chart[9]	25
Swiss Albums Chart[10]	26
UK Albums Chart[11]	7
US Billboard 200 Chart[12]	48

Personnel

• Martin Fry - vocals
• Mark White - guitars, keyboards, programming

Additional personnel

• Graham Broad - drums
• Brad Lang - bass
• Dave Clayton - keyboards
• Danny Thompson - double bass
• Judd Lander - harmonica
• Luis Jardim - percussion
• Howie Casey - saxophone
• Anne Dudley - string arrangements on "One Day" & "Bad Blood"
• Tessa Niles - background vocals
• Dolette McDonald - background vocals
• Miriam Stockley - background vocals
• Linda Taylor - background vocals
• Alan Carvell - background vocals
• Richard Niles - string arrangements on "When Smokey Sings" & "The Night You Murdered Love"
• Pandit Dinesh - percussion/tabla

References

2. http://www.allmusic.com/album/alphabet-city-mw0000188973
3. Alphabet City (album) at AllMusic
4. 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.
5. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
6. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
7. Steffen Hung. "ABC – Alphabet City". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
8. "charts.de". charts.de. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
9. Steffen Hung. "ABC – Alphabet City". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
10. Steffen Hung. "ABC – Alphabet City". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
11. "The Official Charts Company – Alphabet City by ABC Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
12. ABC. "ABC – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2012.