How to Be a ... Zillionaire! | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 October 1985 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1984–1985 | |||
Studio | Jacobs Studios (Farnham, Surrey) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:52 | |||
Label | Neutron (UK) Mercury (US) Vertigo (Canada) | |||
Producer | ||||
ABC chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative covers | ||||
![]() Original CD artwork | ||||
Singles from How to Be a ... Zillionaire! | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Mirror | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Smash Hits | 8/10 [10] |
The Village Voice | B− [11] |
How to Be a ... Zillionaire! is the third studio album by English pop band ABC. It was originally released in October 1985,on the labels Neutron,Mercury and Vertigo. The album peaked at No. 28 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. [12] [13] Four singles were released from the album,"(How to Be A) Millionaire" (UK Singles Chart:No. 49;Billboard Hot 100:No. 20),"Be Near Me" (UK:No. 26;US:No. 9),"Vanity Kills" (UK:No. 74;US:No. 91),and the fourth was "Ocean Blue",(UK:No. 54). It is the group's only album to feature founder members Martin Fry and Mark White flanked by new members Eden and David Yarritu,the latter two credited merely as "performers" with effectively no or limited musical contribution to the album. The four-piece was also presented in a cartoon form for the album's artwork and promotional videos,and wore outrageous costumes and played false instruments for "live" promotional performances.
In 2005,a digitally remastered CD of the album was released with eight bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by Martin Fry and Mark White
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the World" | 3:50 |
2. | "Be Near Me" | 3:37 |
3. | "Vanity Kills" | 3:28 |
4. | "Ocean Blue" | 3:36 |
5. | "15 Storey Halo" | 5:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "A to Z" | 2:49 |
7. | "(How to Be A) Millionaire" | 3:34 |
8. | "Tower of London" | 3:36 |
9. | "So Hip It Hurts" | 4:17 |
10. | "Between You and Me" | 3:16 |
Total length: | 37:52 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Fear of the World" (In CinemaScope) | 4:40 |
12. | "Be Near Me" (Munich Disco mix) | 5:27 |
13. | "(How to Be a) Zillionaire" (Bond Street mix of "(How to Be a) Millionaire") | 6:05 |
14. | "Vanity Kills" (The Abigail's Party mix) | 5:08 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "(How to Be a) Trillionaire" (Harajuku mix of "(How to Be a) Millionaire") | 3:38 |
12. | "What's Your Destination?" (B-side to UK version of "Be Near Me" single) | 3:38 |
13. | "Vanity Kills" (USA remix) | 5:40 |
14. | "Vanity Kills" (The Abigail's Party mix) | 5:08 |
15. | "Ocean Blue" (Pacific Mix) | 3:40 |
16. | "Judy's Jewels" (B-side to "Vanity Kills" single) | 2:03 |
17. | "Fear of the World" (in CinemaScope) | 4:40 |
18. | "Tower of London" (instrumental version) | 3:38 |
Credits adapted from the original album liner notes.
ABC
Additional personnel
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
ABC is an English pop band that originated in Sheffield in 1980, evolving from the earlier ensemble Vice Versa. The band's classic formation featured Martin Fry as the lead vocalist, Mark White on guitar and keyboards, Stephen Singleton playing the saxophone, and David Palmer behind the drums.
The Lexicon of Love is the debut studio album by the English pop band ABC. Released by Neutron Records on 21 June 1982, it entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, also topping the New Zealand and Finnish charts. Certified gold in the US, it went platinum in the UK where four singles reached the top 20; "Tears Are Not Enough", "Poison Arrow", "The Look of Love" and "All of My Heart", which Pitchfork ranked number one on their "Now That's What I Call New Pop!" list.
The Dreaming is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on 13 September 1982 by EMI Records. Recorded over two years, the album was produced entirely by Bush and is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release. The Dreaming peaked at No. 3 on the UK album chart and has been certified Silver by the BPI, but initially sold less than its predecessors and was met with mixed critical reception. Five singles from the album were released, including the UK No. 11 "Sat in Your Lap" and the title track.
Beauty Stab is the second studio album by English pop band ABC, released on 14 November 1983 by Neutron Records, Mercury Records and Vertigo Records. The album was recorded over a period of three months between August and September 1983, in sessions that took place at Sarm Studios East and West, Townhouse Studios and Abbey Road Studios. It was a departure from the stylised production of the band's debut studio album, The Lexicon of Love (1982), and featured a more guitar-oriented sound.
The Hunger is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Michael Bolton. It was released in 1987 by Columbia Records, his third for the label. It became Bolton's breakthrough album, producing his first two Top 40 hits in the United States, the ballad "That's What Love Is All About" and the Otis Redding cover "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay".
Fiona Russell Powell is a British journalist. She is best known for her series of interviews throughout the 1980s in The Face magazine. For a brief period in the mid-1980s, she performed as a member of pop group ABC in videos and onstage to support their cartoon-synth album How to Be a ... Zillionaire! (1985). She was credited originally as "Fiona" in early recordings of material for this album, but eventually performed under the stage name "Eden".
Alphabet City is the fourth studio album by English pop band ABC. It was originally released in October 1987, on the labels Mercury, Phonogram and Neutron, two years after their previous album How to Be a ... Zillionaire! Following a hiatus in which singer Martin Fry was being treated for Hodgkin's disease, it was recorded over a period of nine months between November 1986 and August 1987, in sessions that took place at Marcus Recording Studios in London, assisted by Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with the American band Chic.
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.
Abracadabra is the sixth studio album by English band ABC. It was originally released in August 1991, on the label EMI. It was the final ABC album to feature founding member Mark White, who departed the band in 1992.
How Men Are is the third studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 24 September 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK and was certified Silver by the BPI in October 1984.
"Be Near Me" is a song by English pop band ABC. It was released in April 1985 as the second single from their third studio album, How to Be a ... Zillionaire!. It peaked at No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985, and was the only single from the album to reach the UK top 40. It was more successful in the United States where it reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also went to number-one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart in September of that year, remaining on top for two weeks.
"Poison Arrow" is a song by English pop band ABC, released as the second single from their debut studio album, The Lexicon of Love (1982).
One to One is the third album by British pop singer Howard Jones. It was released in October 1986. The album contains the singles "You Know I Love You... Don't You?", "All I Want" and "Little Bit of Snow". The CD release also contains the single version of "No One Is to Blame", a song included in its original form on Jones's previous album, Dream into Action, which had been re-recorded and released as a single earlier in 1986. This version features Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals. One to One reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart.
Measure for Measure is the fourth studio album by the Australian rock/synth-pop band Icehouse, released in April 1986 in Australia by Regular Records and in the United States by Chrysalis Records. It was one of the first three albums to be recorded entirely digitally.
Velocity is the debut studio album by American new wave and synth-pop band the Vels, released in 1984 by Mercury Records and PolyGram. It was principally recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with producer Steven Stanley, known for his work with Tom Tom Club, whereas "Secret Garden" was produced by their A&R representative Peter Lubin at Park South Studios in New York City. When reflecting on the recording of the album, lead vocalist Alice Cohen said, "the whole Compass Point thing was great. We were unassuming Philly folks, living in cheap apartments, suddenly in this amazing studio in the Bahamas. It was very surreal." While the album itself failed to chart, it featured two songs that charted on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, with "Hieroglyphics" peaking at No. 30 and "Look My Way" peaking at No. 39. "Look My Way" also peaked at No. 72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, their only showing on that chart.
"Secret" is a 1985 song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the second single from their album Crush. Paul Humphreys sings lead vocals on the track. It became their second US Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 63, and also made number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
Sheila E. is the third solo album by Sheila E., released on Paisley Park Records/Warner Bros. Records in July 1987.
"All of My Heart" is a song by English pop band ABC, from their debut studio album, The Lexicon of Love (1982). It was released as a single in the UK on 27 August 1982 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, "Overture", was an instrumental, orchestral medley of songs from The Lexicon of Love, arranged by Anne Dudley.
Don't Stop is the third solo album by Jeffrey Osborne, released on September 21, 1984.
Stephanie Mills is the tenth studio album by the American R&B singer Stephanie Mills, released in 1985 on MCA Records. Following her last release I've Got the Cure on Casablanca Records, Mills self-titled new album was the first release upon signing a new recording contract with MCA Records.