ABC’s The Lexicon of Love on SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio

40th anniversary blu-ray audio • Steven Wilson Remixes • Limited to 5,000 units worldwide • Quick pre-order link

ABC‘s 1982 album The Lexicon of Love is to be reissued (belatedly) for its 40th anniversary and fans will be able to buy special vinyl editions and an SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio, No. 12 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series.

The band’s timeless debut is, undeniably, their defining album; it reached number one in the UK album charts and delivered three UK top 10 hit singles: ‘Poison Arrow’, ‘The Look of Love” and ‘All of My Heart’ with first single – the original version of ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ –  breaching the top 20 in late 1981. ABC also enjoyed US success with The Lexicon of Love, as ‘Poison Arrow’ and ‘The Look of Love’ did well on the Billboard Hot 100 (number 18 and 25 respectively) and the album reached the top 30, Stateside.

The Lexicon of Love sounds fantastic, thanks to the impeccable credentials of the ‘backroom’ team; it was produced by Trevor Horn, engineered by Gary Langan, with keyboards and orchestration by Anne Dudley. J.J. Jeczalik contributed some programming and Fairlight and Luis Jardim offered additional percussion. These names would go on to shape some of the best-sounding albums of the 1980s.

We can now add the renowned musician, songwriter and producer Steven Wilson to that list since he has remixed The Lexicon of Love in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo for this reissue, but before we get to that, let’s establish the formats for this re-release. They are as follows:

• SDE-exclusive standalone Blu-ray Audio
• 4LP vinyl + Blu-ray
• Half-speed mastered vinyl LP

In case it’s not clear from the above, there is no CD version of The Lexicon of Love available as part of this 40th anniversary campaign!

In terms of what’s on the SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio, it very much mirrors what we did with the best-selling (and now sold out) blu-ray audio of Tears For Fears’ The Hurting. It includes FIVE versions of the album:

• The Lexicon of Love – Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
• The Lexicon of Love – Steven Wilson DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix (96/24)
• The Lexicon of Love – Steven Wilson Stereo Mix in hi-res (96/24)
• The Lexicon of Love – Steven Wilson Instrumental mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
• The Lexicon of Love – Original 1982 mix in hi-res stereo 96/24

All four Steven Wilson mixes are previously unreleased and an instrumental version of the album is entirely unheard (and fascinating!).

Here’s what Martin Fry has to say about Wilson’s work on this album: “…Part-alchemy and part-archaeology. Steven had unearthed all the magic that lay within the analogue tapes of the original recordings with dexterity and diligence, shining a light on all that lay inside. The mix is vivid and crystal clear. True to the spirit of what was on tape all those years ago”.

A point of detail: the blu-ray in the 4LP vinyl box offers the promo videos (including Mantrap) – these don’t feature on the SDE version. However, the blu-ray that comes with the vinyl box doesn’t include the original 1982 mix of The Lexicon of Love (it’s on the SDE disc in hi-res 96/24 stereo) so the disc in the vinyl box set has four versions of the album and not five.

Of course, the SDE-exclusive doesn’t require you to buy four vinyl records to enjoy the spatial audio mixes, which is a positive! This ABC blu-ray audio is No 12 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series and will be packaged the same as previous editions and ships with a free, collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase with the number ’12’ on the spine (the one in the vinyl box comes in a simple card sleeve).

Here’s the now traditional reminder as to why the blu-ray is highly recommended:

• It’s the only way to enjoy the Dolby Atmos mix of the album via a physical product
• You don’t need to sign-up to a streaming service such as Tidal or Apple Music to hear the spatial audio mix
• The Atmos Mix on the Blu-ray is not compressed due to streaming bandwidth restrictions
• You own the product, you are not renting it from a digital service provider
• The Blu-ray audio is an excellent format for music and you don’t want to see it die off
• Supporting SDE with these initiatives is leading to similar collaborations with labels/artists and we are keen to bring your more in the near future!

The other physical formats for this 40th anniversary celebration are a half-speed mastered vinyl edition (mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road) and the aforementioned 4LP + blu-ray vinyl box set which includes the half-speed master and three other vinyl records which feature demos, remixes and The Lexicon of Love performed Live at Hammersmith in 1982 (previously issued on CD).

Important: There is no pre-order window for the SDE-exclusive Blu-ray Audio of The Lexicon of Love; it is strictly limited to 5,000 units worldwide and available on a first come, first served basis (bear in mind we shifted 7,000 copies of Tears For Fears’ The Hurting blu-ray).

Secure your copy today by pre-ordering at the SDE shop, either directly via this link or using the special SDE shop buy button (‘add to cart’) below. We ship worldwide (the tracked service to USA for blu-ray is £8, for example) and a small amount of specially-priced blu-ray + half-speed vinyl LP bundles are also available.

The SDE shop is also offering a blu-ray+half-speed vinyl bundle and an exclusive Lathe-cut 12-inch etched vinyl of ABC’s ‘The Look Of Love’ and ‘All Of My Heart’. The latter is limited to 50 copies worldwide and comes hand-numbered and signed by Martin Fry! (STRICTLY ONE PER CUSTOMER – orders will be cancelled if this is not adhered to).

The Lexicon of Love will be reissued on 4 August 2023 via UMR. The Lathe-cut vinyl is issued on the same date.

TECHNICAL NOTES: This blu-ray audio requires a blu-ray player. Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp. The Dolby Atmos mix will ‘fold down’ to 5.1 or stereo if a Dolby Atmos decoder is not detected.

EU SHIPPING NOTES: If you are ordering from the EU please be aware that that goods may be subject to import VAT when they arrive from the UK. The prices the SDE shop charge you do not include VAT

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The Lexicon of Love 4LP vinyl box with blu-ray

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Tracklisting

The Lexicon of Love ABC / 40th anniversary

• SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio
  • SDE Blu-ray Audio

    The Lexicon of Love in the following audio mixes:

    1. Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
    2. Steven Wilson DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix (96/24)
    3. Steven Wilson Stereo Mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
    4. Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumental mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
    5. Original 1982 stereo mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)

    The Lexicon of Love

    1. Show Me
    2. Poison Arrow
    3. Many Happy Returns
    4. Tears Are Not Enough
    5. Valentine’s Day
    6. The Look of Love (Part One)
    7. Date Stamp
    8. All of My Heart
    9. 4 Ever 2 Gether
    10. The Look of Love (Part Four)

Tracklisting

The Lexicon of Love ABC / 4LP + blu-ray box set

• • LP 1 – The Lexicon of Love half-speed master

    Side One

    1. Show Me (4:04)
    2. Poison Arrow (3:23)
    3. Many Happy Returns (3:59)
    4. Tears Are Not Enough (3:30)
    5. Valentine’s Day (3:42)

    Side Two

    1. The Look Of Love (Part One) (3:30)
    2. Date Stamp (3:51)
    3. All Of My Heart (5:19)
    4. 4 Ever  2 Gether (5:31)
    5. The Look Of Love (Part Four) (0:56)
  • LP 2: The Route to Lexicon

    Side One

    1. Overture* (3:58)
    2. Surrender (Phonogram Demo) (3:26)^
    3. Show Me (Phonogram Demo) (4:01)^
    4. Tears Are Not Enough (Phonogram Demo) (3:31)^

     Side Two

    1. Tears Are Not Enough* (Steve Brown 12”) (7:48)
    2. Alphabet Soup* (Steve Brown 12”) (8:02)
       Theme From ‘Man Trap’* (4:19)

    ^ – previously unreleased on vinyl

  • LP 3: Lexicon Plus

    Side One

    1. Tears Are Not Enough (original 7”)* (3:35)
    2. Poison Arrow (Jazz Mix)* (7:05)
    3. The Look Of Love (Special Remix)* (7:37)

    Side Two: The Lexicon Of Love Live At Hammersmith Odeon, November 1982

    1. Overture (3:56)^
    2. Show Me (4:21)^
    3. Many Happy Returns (7:02)^
    4. Tears Are Not Enough (5:33)^

    ^ – previously unreleased on vinyl

  • LP 4: The Lexicon Of Love Live At Hammersmith Odeon, November 1982

    Side One

    1. Date Stamp (7:07)^
    2. The Look Of Love (5:59)^
    3. All Of My Heart (6:45)^

    Side Two

    1. Valentine’s Day (4:44)^
    2. 4 Ever 2 Gether (6:53)^
    3. Poison Arrow (5:22)^

    ^ – previously unreleased on vinyl

  • blu-ray

    The Lexicon of Love in the following audio mixes:

    1. Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
    2. Steven Wilson DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix (96/24)
    3. Steven Wilson Stereo Mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
    4. Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumental mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)

    Promo Videos

    1. Mantrap
    2. Poison Arrow
    3. The Look Of Love
    4. All Of My Heart

Tracklisting

The Lexicon of Love ABC / half-speed mastered vinyl LP

• • The Lexicon of Love half-speed master

    Side One

    1. Show Me (4:04)
    2. Poison Arrow (3:23)
    3. Many Happy Returns (3:59)
    4. Tears Are Not Enough (3:30)
    5. Valentine’s Day (3:42)

    Side Two

    1. The Look Of Love (Part One) (3:30)
    2. Date Stamp (3:51)
    3. All Of My Heart (5:19)
    4. 4 Ever  2 Gether (5:31)
    5. The Look Of Love (Part Four) (0:56)