ABC - David Yarritu

[zill]

I decided tonight to follow up on something that has been bothering me since 1985. David Yarritu.

Seriously, am I the only person in the world who ever wondered what the hell was up with the addition of David Yarritu (and Ededn for that matter) to ABC in 1985? WTF??? Was the commercial failure of Beauty Stab really so awful that Martin and Mark felt it necessary to resort to this ill conceived gimmickery? Apparently Yarritu (or Eden for that matter) couldn't sing or play a note and was added to the band only for visual effect.

"Mark White said at the time - David Yarritu came to see him and he's tiny - so he'll make me look even taller than I really am. So we went off from there - we wanted it to be like cartoon characters and it was just kind of insane" - Martin Fry interview, 2006

Back in the day, I'd always guessed he'd been added to the group for "image" or "style", though I didn't get it. Nice to have it confirmed.

If you can't remember him, he's in the "Be Near Me" video, though I think you get a better look at him in the UK version of the "Vanity Kills" video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-FMyoWPzsc from 1985. It seems like he had been deleted from ABC by the time the US version of the "Vanity Kills" video was made in 1986.

Apparently he is a photographer living in NY. From the height of fame, "playing" with ABC in 1985 to this little gem a short 2 years later in 1987...need I say more?

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XMyfDKLJ36g&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XMyfDKLJ36g&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[New Wave Garth]

Unfortunately, style over substance is the norm in the entertainment industry. New Wave music is not immune from it.

[i]New Wave or nothing![/i]

[NuWaveRx]

I remember reading a interview with Mark and Martin around the time that "Alphabet City" came out saying the the whole of the "zillionaire" era of ABC was a kind of backlash to the Howard Jones/Nik Kershaw earnest pop singer that (they felt, anyway) had no humor to it. So to make up for it they took the pendulum the other way to make a "cartoon" version of themselves, including two members who didn't really do anything.

[Bitter Almonds]

<p align="justify">I'll take the crappiest ABC album over the best Howard Jones album any day[}:)] Martin Fry is still one of the best vocalists from that time.

[Retro_NRG]

Hmm..
It never occurred to me to question that particular iteration-phase of ABC.
However, after viewing those videos it now looks pretty comical and superfluous in retrospect.

Speaking of HoJo, it calls to mind that whole 'Jed' performance mime shtick he put on during his 'Dream Into Action' days.

<IMG SRC="http://www.multinet.no/~jonarne/Hjemmesia/Favorittartister/howard_jones/howard_jones_10.jpg">

Perhaps ABC's PR wonks thought there was something to using a diminutive bald headed guy (and then some) to kitsch up ABC's perceived image at the time.[|)]

<MARQUEE><h5>Moving @The Speed of Life</h5></MARQUEE>

[Screen13]

[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br><p align="justify">I'll take the crappiest ABC album over the best Howard Jones album any day[}:)] Martin Fry is still one of the best vocalists from that time.
[/quote]

I agree with that totally.

At the time, I thought of it as just another 1-album happening, and thankfully that turned out right. I had no problems with what was going on, especially with some of the songs being great. It would have looked silly if it was something that stretched out to another album, but thankfully they knew when to end something, and that to me was one of ABC's strengths - The Lexicon is clearly one classic stand alone concept, and Beauty Stab was one of those sharp moves that may have worked for a couple of more albums but in the end turning out as something that was brewing up after all that happened in the Lexicon era which worked very well as a 1-album outlet with the lack of commercial response possibly being a spark to return to what they did best although that era had some very strong work. Even if the decision to bounce back as a cartoon had a few additions that were not important to the music everything still worked as it still had the unifying factor through The 80's of Fry's great vocals and White's ear for a strong tune. It could be safe to say that the cartoon image did help them come back from the major commercial disappointment of Beauty Stab in a head-turning way.