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. surround mix of the album (individual and continuous mix) by Steven Wilson plus notes from Martin Fry himself, and essay by Record Collector’s Daryl Easlea, this is a suitably sumptuous celebration of one of the most perfect pop albums ever.

With the concept album, singer Martin Fry processed a separation, which the often critical to cynical lyrics make clear.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. There are 4 classy singles featured here:- 'Tears Are Not Enough', the punchy 'Poison Arrow', 'The Look Of Love' and, best of all, the gorgeous ballad 'All of My Heart'. Such larger-than-life arrangements may seem over-the-top to some listeners, but as the soundtrack to a lexicon of love--how else would you expect it to sound? Songs were written collectively by the band, with arranger Anne Dudley also given a credit on some tracks.

Produced by Horn and engineered by Gary Langan, it features orchestrations by Dudley and programming of the recently-developed Fairlight CMI by J. I had been looking for this on vinyl for a while and was delighted to find an original 1982 pressing of this classic album!Sheffield’s finest, ABC, were back in their hometown for a very special anniversary show which marked exactly 40 years to the day since the album was released on the 21 st June 1982. 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. Between November 4 and 9, 2015, the band and orchestra also performed at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sheffield City Hall, the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London and Symphony Hall, Birmingham. The SDE blu-ray additionally features the original 1982 mix of The Lexicon of Love in hi-res 96/24 stereo, whereas the blu ray in the vinyl box features video material instead, so each edition is unique.

Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp.This is a really good LP for turning up loud and blowing away the cobwebs so it's a thumbs up from this reviewer. Here’s what Martin Fry has to say about Wilson’s work on this album: “…Part-alchemy and part-archaeology. ABC leader Martin Frey sings with a histrionic despair, at once naive and cynical, and all dressed up by horn and string sections that feel positively overwhelming. Album d'ABC avec la fraicheur des premiers morceaux d'un groupe et surtout la perfection et finesse du producteur de ce début de décennie : Trevor Horn.