Up (ABC album)

Up is the fifth studio album by English pop band ABC, released in October 1989. This time experimenting with house music, it was ABC's first album not to make the top 40 in the UK. However, they scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World", an ode to love, peace and tolerance. "The Real Thing" was also released as a single. Up was the band's final album released on the PolyGram label.

Up
Studio album by
ABC
Released16 October 1989 (1989-10-16)
Recorded1988–1989
StudioMarcus Studios, London
Genre
Length44:41
Label
Producer
ABC chronology
Alphabet City
(1987)		 Up
(1989)		 Absolutely
(1990)
Singles from Up
  1. "One Better World"
    Released: 15 May 1989
  2. "The Real Thing"
    Released: 11 September 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
New Musical Express7/10[3]
Record Mirror[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide2/10[6]

In 2005, a digitally remastered CD of the album was released with five bonus tracks.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Martin Fry and Mark White, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Never More Than Now"
6:02
2."The Real Thing" 4:52
3."One Better World" 5:45
4."Where Is the Heaven?" 6:25
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."The Greatest Love of All"5:33
6."North"5:39
7."I'm in Love With You"4:33
8."Paper Thin"5:52
Total length:44:41
Additional tracks on initial CD pressing
No.TitleLength
9."One Better World" (Pickering-Park Mix)4:23
10."The Greatest Love of All" (Kraushaar Mix)5:50
11."Never More Than Now" (Kraushaar Mix)5:56
Additional tracks on 2005 version
No.TitleLength
9."One Better World" (Pickering Park Mix)6:33
10."One Better World" (Percapella Mix)4:00
11."The Real Thing" (Frankie Knuckles Due Mix)5:18
12."The Greatest Love of All" (May Day Mix)6:06
13."Paper Thin" (1986 Demo)6:23

Personnel

ABC

Additional personnel

  • Dave Clayton – keyboards
  • Ritchie Close – keyboards
  • Mike Pickering – keyboards, programming and DJ (9)
  • Rob Dean – guitars
  • Maurice Michael – guitars, backing vocals
  • Danny Cummings – drums, percussion
  • David Palmer – drums, percussion
  • Phil Smith – saxophones
  • Graeme Park – DJ (9)
  • Alan Carvell – backing vocals
  • Lorenza Johnson – backing vocals

Production
  • Producers – Martin Fry and Mark White
  • Additional production on tracks 3 & 9 – Blaze
  • Engineers – Mark Stent (tracks 1 & 3–11); Bob Kraushaar (track 2).
  • Assistant engineer – Tim Burrell
  • Mixing – Bob Kraushaar (tracks 1, 2 & 4–8); Julian Mendelsohn (track 3).
  • Remix – Graeme Park and Mike Pickering (track 9); Bob Kraushaar (tracks 10 & 11).
  • Mixed at Marcus Studios and Sarm West Studios (London, UK).
  • Mastered by Ian Cooper at Townhouse Studios (London, UK).
  • Sleeve design – ABC and Design KB
  • Photography – Paul Cox
  • Management – Bennett Freed

Chart performance

Weekly charts
Chart (1989) Peak
Position
German Albums Chart[7] 38
UK Albums Chart[8] 58

References
  1. Ruhlmann, William. "ABC – Up". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  3. Williams, Simon (21 October 1989). "Long Play: ABC – Up (Neutron)". New Musical Express. London: IPC Limited. p. 38. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 28 May 2023 – via Flickr.
  4. Mellor, Chris (31 October 1989). "Review: ABC – Up" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. pp. 18–19. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
  5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 4.
  6. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 4–5.
  7. "charts.de". charts.de. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  8. "The Official Charts Company - Up by ABC Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
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