Neutron Records | UK | 7″ | 1981 | NT 101

ABC: Tears Are Not Enough UK 7″ [1981]

1. Tears Are Not Enough [ver. 1]
2. Alphabet Soup

Before we move on for a long time, let’s take one more look at ABC through the Monk’s lens; focusing on their idiosyncratic debut single, “Tears Are Not Enough.” I’ve written before about the trends of UK pop at the time that this single was released. The UK funk trend was in full flower at this time. Spandau Ballet had moved from stiff synth riffing to Latinesque funk with killer horns by the summer of ’81. Funk was in the air. ABC stated for posterity that “we want to do for funk what The Police did for reggae.” This single was their first attempt but it’s miles away from the eighth wonder of the world production style that Trevor Horn brought to their plate the following year.

This is a completely different recording to that which later appeared on “The Lexicon Of Love.” It was produced by Steve Brown and it features a different arrangement and performance of the song. The two biggest differences, apart from the dramatic sonic qualities that Horn later brought to the material is in the track’s middle eight and the no doubt budgetary lack of strings. The middle eight carries on for twice the length of the LP version and lacks the over the top harpsichord, but it still features the percussion solo and whispered voice over from Martin Fry. The percussion is similar to what Steve Norman was adding to Spandau records at the time, so one can see what ABC were shooting for.

Speaking of percussion, the band lineup sported a different drummer for this debut single. David Robinson was manning the skins instead of David Palmer, who would take over the drumkit for the recording of their debut album. Original bassist Mark Lickley was also in evidence, and he would last through the band’s next single, “Poison Arrow.” Afterward, Brad Lang would play bass for the rest of the “Lexicon Of Love” album, while never becoming a member of the band. Interestingly enough, Lang would play bass on “How To Be A Zillionaire” and all of “Alphabet City” in later years.

If you are familiar with the album version of “Tears Are Not Enough,” you might be excused for thinking that this was a demo version, since it sounds like an eight track production in comparison to the 48 track splendor of the LP version. Particularly notable is the relative dryness of the recording. Steve Brown obviously has differing ideas on the appropriate use of reverb to that of Trevor Horn!

The B-side of the single is a non-LP track that’s a borderline ludicrous parody of James Brown’s late 60s/early 70s proto-funk numbers. It’s heavy on the bass and light on the melody. If they really wanted to be authentic, they would have made it the A-side and split the full length 12″ version of the song at four minutes to a side and titled it “Alphabet Soup [parts I & II].” Speaking of authenticity, this single inaugurated Martin Fry’s penchant for pastiche 1962 liner notes and styling.

click to read

His breathless liner notes share the same love of retro pastiche as could be found on Mari Wilson records dating from 1980 through same time period, as shown below.

“Face B” of Mari Wilson’s debut single, “Love Man” ca. 1961 via 1980

The first three ABC singles would share this trait, but eventually, the band moved on and Fry left the kitsch liner notes to the master, Tot Taylor of The Compact Organization.

Considering how most people heard ABC as though they had sprung fully formed, from the forehead of Zeus via their world-spanning Trevor Horn productions that would follow on the heels of this single, it’s almost criminally wrong that this glimpse under the makeup exists for ABC. I’d like to imagine Fry clenching his fist and wishing he could round up all of the copies of this single and have them ceremoniously destroyed so that none would know; except for the fact that it’s out there on the recent 2xCD deluxe remaster of “The Lexicon Of Love.” If he wanted, Fry surely could have pulled this recording from that issue. As it stands, it remains a testament to the power of production to radically overhaul a song and performance.

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