Beauty Stab
Beauty Stab is the second album by the British band ABC. Released in November 1983, it was a departure from the stylised production of the band's first album, The Lexicon of Love, featuring a more guitar-oriented sound.
The album was produced by ABC and Gary Langan, who was the sound engineer on the band's first album. The band employed the rhythm section of Andy Newmark (drums) and Alan Spenner (bass)[2] both of whom had recently played and toured with Roxy Music at the time. The cover photography was by Gered Mankowitz.
The album was certified Gold by the BPI for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies, but was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. It peaked at no. 12 in the UK album charts and spawning only two top 40 singles (neither of which made the top 10).[4] In a 1995 article, music journalist Simon Reynolds listed Beauty Stab among "the great career-sabotage LPs in pop history".[5]
In 2005 a digitally remastered reissue of the album was released.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Martin Fry, Stephen Singleton, and Mark White.
| 1. |
"That Was Then but This Is Now" |
3:34 |
| 2. |
"Love's a Dangerous Language" |
3:40 |
| 3. |
"If I Ever Thought You'd Be Lonely" |
3:55 |
| 4. |
"The Power of Persuasion" |
3:32 |
| 5. |
"Beauty Stab" |
2:06 |
| 6. |
"By Default by Design" |
4:07 |
| 1. |
"Hey Citizen!" |
3:55 |
| 2. |
"King Money" |
4:02 |
| 3. |
"Bite the Hand" |
3:06 |
| 4. |
"Unzip" |
2:49 |
| 5. |
"S.O.S." |
4:49 |
| 6. |
"United Kingdom" |
3:23 |
| 13. |
"Vertigo" |
1:58 |
| 14. |
"Selections from the Magnificent New ABC Long-Player 'Beauty Stab'" |
5:48 |
| 15. |
"That Was Then But This Is Now" (Unedited) |
5:58 |
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) |
Peak
position |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] |
58 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[7][8] |
36 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[9] |
29 |
| Finnish Albums Chart |
22 |
| German Albums Chart[10] |
50 |
| Japanese Albums Chart |
34 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[11] |
42 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[12] |
32 |
| UK Albums Chart[13] |
12 |
| US Billboard 200 Chart[14] |
69 |
Personnel
- Additional personnel
References
- ↑ "Rimmer, Dave (24 November 1983). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 5 no. 24 (EMAP Metro). p. 27.
- 1 2 DeGagne, Mike. "ABC: Beauty Stab [Bonus Tracks] > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "ABC: Beauty Stab". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ "ABC". ChartStats.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ↑ Simon Reynolds (1995), ""Unknown Pleasures: Great Lost Albums Rediscovered" (Melody Maker free supplement booklet)", Melody Maker (free supplement booklet) (IPC Media),
Tusk ranks as one of the great career-sabotage LP's in pop history, alongside The Clash's Sandinista, ABC's Beauty Stab and Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique; one of those albums by bands apparently on a creative and commercial roll who nonetheless wilfully confound their audience, motivated by artistic frustration, or fucked-up/fucked-off confusion, or simply because they've succumbed to a kind of collective death-wish.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ Steffen Hung (17 December 1983). "ABC – Beauty Stab". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ "charts.de". charts.de. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "ABC – Beauty Stab". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "ABC – Beauty Stab". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Beauty Stab by ABC Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
- ↑ ABC. "ABC – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
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