ABC was the epitome of the flashy "new pop" sound that dominated the British charts in the first half of the '80s. The band's roots lay in the Sheffield electro-pop group Vice Versa, which shifted gears when singer/songwriter Martin Fry joined, moving towards a glam/soul sound that fit in nicely with the Duran Duran/Spandau Ballet New Romantic school. Fry's Bowie/Roxy Music-influenced image and witty lyrics, along with the band's smashing pop hooks and Trevor Horn's lush production, earned the band a batch of hits straight out of the gate with 1982's THE LEXICON OF LOVE. While ABC never duplicated that album's success, they persevered through stylistic shifts and personnel changes, achieving a longevity few might have predicted.