"How to Be a ... Zillionaire!" is an album by the English new wave band ABC, released in 1985. As the band's third studio album, it marked a departure from their previous sophisticated and polished sound, exploring a more funky, electronic, and cartoonish style.
With the band's previous album, "Beauty Stab", receiving a lukewarm response due to its more rock-oriented sound, ABC made a conscious decision to move in a more market-friendly and mainstream pop direction with "How to Be a ... Zillionaire!". As part of this transition, this album was the first to feature the band as a quartet, after the departure of their previous bandmates, David Palmer and Mark White.
The inspiration for the album's sound and aesthetic was reportedly derived from the burgeoning culture of MTV and the rise of cartoon bands like Gorillaz and Prozzak. The band members even created cartoon alter-egos for themselves for promotional material and the album's cover art.
The album contains notable hits such as "Be Near Me", "How to Be a Millionaire", and the breakdance-inspired track "Vanity Kills". Overall, "How to Be a ... Zillionaire!" also embraces the use of samplers and drum machines, prefiguring the band's continuing fascination with the technology of pop music.
Despite being initially divisive among critics upon its release for its departure from ABC's previous sound, "How to Be a ... Zillionaire!" has since been recognized as a distinct and imaginative exploration of 1980s popular culture, and a landmark album in the band's discography.
