ABC's second album was met with hostile reviews when it was released in 1983, with some reviewers suggesting that the band had sabotaged itself. I think it's fair to say that the public expects more of the same when it finds something it likes. Rather than Lexicon of Love II, they got Beauty Stab, a record that moved away from the synth sound to one that highlighted guitars. The single, That Was Then but This is Now, didn't really suggest that a change was afoot. Listen to the whole album, and you get a far different sense of what the band hoped to achieve. Very little of what made Lexicon of Love a fan favourite is present on the follow-up.
I wonder how those same reviewers would view the album 30 years on? I think that there is lots to like in this record. It's dark, edgy, but a far cry from the New Romantic sound of the first record. Bite the Hand is a good example.
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