"How to Be a ... Zillionaire!" By ABC (Full Album Listen)

"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 (Info Source). By this time, only two founder members remain: Martin Fry and Mark White, who are joined by two new "performers" (Eden and David Yarritu), which even then we/I were knowledgable about.

I had remembered then that not everyone in the band had to be a "musician" to be "effective" - a notion of "non-musician members" was borne out of/during the 80's British New Wave "invasion", IMHO.



By this album, it felt as if ABC had gone for a more kitschy-vibe, very "Deelite" and neon acid colored feathers, and quite frankly a visual put-off for me ... but the songs themselves, were a slightly different matter. And while the musicality was reminiscent of their first album 1982's "The Lexicon of Love", they had yet again morphed into something both refreshing and tapping into a past that echoed at the back, at least of my mind.

Starting this post, I had wondered if I'd remembered any of the tracks - beyond their usual singles with music videos (My ABC YouTube Playlist) like "Be Near Me" (which somehow is remembered as my quintessential "ABC-Song"), and the animated "How to Be a Millionaire!" (which I caught once on local TV) .... Then the tracks grew instantly into earworms when In searched the tracklist, especially "Ocean Blue" (to me the equiviant of the lovely "S.O.S" on their previous "Beauty Stab" album). I don;t think I own this album, actually.

All tracks are written by Martin Fry and Mark White.

Side One
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
Side Two
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"













Side Two





















Additional tracks on initial CD pressing
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

Additional tracks on 2005 version
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)

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