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ABBA

ABBA was one of last weeks RYM Rough Guide subjects. Many seem only to have listened to the both ABBA Gold compilations ("ABBA Gold" and "More ABBA Gold"), though. So, for you who are interrested in a further ABBA penetration, I feel the obligation to give you some further tips. Never a true ABBA fan myself, but living with them for the whole of my childhood and longer I will try to pick the raissins from the cake from a more qualitative "rock" point of view.

One good starting point is to check out the "ABBA - The Complete Studio Recordings":

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/abba/abba___the_complete_studio_recordings/

or

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9frxqudldfe


Next, I put together some stats from the RYM poll:

The numbers in parenthesis are votes in the RYM song poll and ""Gold" and "More" are appearance on the compilation albums ("ABBA Gold" and "More ABBA Gold" respectively. Which is the the best first and most common way to start listen to ABBA.



Ring Ring (1973)

1 Ring Ring 3:04........................More ABBA Gold
2 Another Town, Another Train 3:12(?)
3 Disillusion 3:04
4 People Need Love 2:44
5 I Saw It in the Mirror 2:33
6 Nina, Pretty Ballerina 2:51.......(2)
7 Love Isn't Easy 2:54
8 Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother
9 He Is Your Brother 3:17
10 She's My Kind of Girl 2:46
11 I Am Just a Girl 3:02
12 Rock'N Roll Band 3:09............(1)


Waterloo (1974)

1 Waterloo 2:44.....................(10)....ABBA Gold
2 Sitting in the Palmtree 3:37
3 King Kong Song 3:12
4 Hasta Mañana 3:09
5 My Mama Said 3:11
6 Dance (While the Music)...3:11 (?)
7 Honey, Honey 2:54..................(1)....... More
8 Watch Out 3:45*....................(1)
9 What about Livingstone 2:55
10 Gonna Sing You My Lovesong 3:37
11 Suzy-Hang-Around 3:10


ABBA (1975)

1 Mamma Mia 3:31......................(8).......Gold
2 Hey, Hey Helen 3:16.................(1)
3 Tropical Loveland 3:04..............(1)
4 SOS 3:21 *.........................(24).......Gold
5 Man in the Middle 3:01
6 Bang-A-Boomerang 3:03 *.............(1)
7 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 3:15 *.(2).......More
8 Rock Me 3:04 *......................(1)
9 Intermezzo №1 3:46
10 I've Been Waiting for You 3:40
11 So Long 3:05 *...............................More


Arrival (1977)

1 When I Kissed the Teacher 3:01......(1).......More
2 Dancing Queen 3:51.................(17).......Gold
3 My Love, My Life 3:52*..............(1)
4 Dum Dum Diddle 2:54.................(1)
5 Knowing Me, Knowing You 4:02 *.....(15).......Gold
6 Money, Money, Money 3:06............(7).......Gold
7 That's Me 3:15
8 Why Did It Have to Be Me 3:20
9 Tiger 2:55..........................(1)
10 Arrival 3:01

11 Fernando 4:12......................(1).......Gold


The Album (1978)

1 Eagle 5:49 *........................(5).......More
2 Take a Chance on Me 3:58............(9).......Gold
3 One Man, One Woman 4:32
4 The Name of The Game 4:52...........(8).......Gold
5 Move On 4:41........................(1)
6 Hole in Your Soul 3:41
7 Thank You for the Music 3:48........(2).......Gold
8 I Wonder (Departure) 4:33.....................More
9 I'm a Marionette 4:03


Voulez-Vous (1979)

1 As Good As New 3:22 *
2 Voulez-Vous 5:07....................(3).......Gold
3 I Have a Dream 4:43...........................Gold
4 Angeleyes 4:20......................(1).......More
5 The King Has Lost His Crown 3:32
6 Does Your Mother Know 3:13..........(4).......Gold
7 If It Wasn't for the Nights 5:09
8 Chiquitita 5:25.....................(2).......Gold
9 Lovers (Live a Little Longer) 3:29
10 Kisses of Fire 3:16 *

11 Summer Night City 3:34.............(4).......More
13 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!...............(8).......Gold

Super Trouper (1980)

1 Super Trooper 4:12..................(4).......Gold
2 The Winner Takes It All 4:55........(7).......Gold
3 On and On and On 3:40...............(2).......More
4 Andante, Andante 4:39
5 Me and I 4:54
6 Happy New Year 4:23
7 Our Last Summer 4:19..........................More
8 The Piper 3:27......................(2)
9 Lay All Your Love on Me 4:35 *......(8).......Gold
10 The Way Old Friends Do 2:54..................More


The Visitors (1981)

1 The Visitors (Crackin' Up) 5:45...............More
2 Head over Heels 3:47 *..............(1).......More
3 When All Is Said and Done 3:17................More
4 Soldiers 4:38
5 I Let the Music Speak 5:19
6 One of Us 3:55......................(4).......Gold
7 Two for the Price of One 3:36
8 Slipping Through My Fingers 3:53 *
9 Like An Angel Passing Thru My Room *(1)

13 The Day Before You Came 5:50.......(4).......More
14 Cassandra 4:52...............................More
15 Under Attack 3:45..................(2).......More


5 Lovelight 3:24................................More
10 I Am the City 4:02...........................More


ABBA Gold:

1 Dancing Queen 3:49..................(18)
2 Knowing Me, Knowing You 4:01........(15)
3 Take a Chance on Me 4:01.............(9)
4 Mamma Mia 3:32.......................(8)
5 Lay All Your Love on Me 4:32.........(8)
6 Super Trouper 4:10...................(3)
7 I Have a Dream 4:43
8 The Winner Takes It All 4:54.........(7)
9 Money, Money, Money 3:05.............(7)
10 S.O.S. 3:19........................(24)
11 Chiquitita 5:26.....................(2)
12 Fernando 4:10.......................(1)
13 Voulez-Vous 4:21....................(3)
14 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!................(7)
15 Does Your Mother Know 3:14..........(4)
16 One of Us 3:53......................(4)
17 The Name of the Game 3:56...........(8)
18 Thank You for the Music 3:51........(2)
19 Waterloo 2:42......................(10)


More ABBA Gold:

1 Summer Night City 3:35...............(4)
2 Angeleyes 4:21.......................(1)
3 The Day Before You Came 5:51.........(4)
4 Eagle 4:27...........................(5)
5 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 3:17....(2)
6 So Long 3:06
7 Honey Honey 2:53.....................(1)
8 The Visitors 5:46
9 Our Last Summer 4:19
10 On & on & On 3:42...................(2)
11 Ring Ring 3:05
12 I Wonder (Departure) 4:32
13 Lovelight 3:47
14 Head Over Heals 3:48................(1)
15 When I Kissed the Teacher 3:01......(1)
16 I Am the City 4:01
17 Cassandra 4:54
18 Under Attack 3:46...................(2)
19 When All Is Said and Done 3:17
20 The Way Old Friends Do 2:57

* recommendations
(?) cheesier songs, if you like these two, you might enjoy early ABBA a little more than the casual fan.


Surprisingly the album "ABBA" received the most album votes with "Arrival" a close second. And "Super Trouper third. "Abba" is not as even as "Arrival" but has some strong songs. Especially a little more rock oriented.

So, check out the top songs on "ABBA" and next, do the "cheese test". Try to listen to "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)" and "Another Town, Another Train". If you don't like these two might leave the first two albums unlistened to. Then see what you like the two last songs on "Visitors". A somewhat overlooked album. "Eagle" is a strong and underrated song as well.

Last, debate! What's your ABBA poison! This poll results? My recommendations? *

Re: ABBA

In short, listen to this instead of compilations! More
rock and more album feeling:

01 Waterloo
02 Watch Out
03 Bang-A-Boomerang
04 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
05 Rock Me
06 So Long
07 Pick Bale Of Cotton-Top Old Smokey-Midnite Special
08 SOS
09 My Love, My Life
10 Dum Dum Diddle
11 Knowing Me, Knowing You
12 Eagle
13 Take a Chance on Me
14 The Name of The Game
15 As Good As New
16 On and On and On
17 The Piper
18 Lay All Your Love on Me
19 Head over Heels
20 Slipping Through My Fingers

75:16

Re: ABBA

But no winner to take it all?

Re: ABBA

No:

Dancing Queen
Winner Takes It All
Mamma Mia
Money, Money, Money
Summer Night City
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

and definitely not:

Does Your Mother Know?
Voulez-Vous

I'm trying to change the perception of Abba to the better! :)

It is bad already having to include "On And On And On" and "Take A Chance On Me". I tried to keep them at a minimum, the infantile parts. "Thank You For The Music" is not infantile, though, but doesn't stand repeated listening in my book.

Re: ABBA

I like Winner Takes It All. Melodramatic pop at its best.

Re: ABBA

Their 75-77 stretch of three albums is essential and pure gold. Everything before that and after is hit or miss.

Re: ABBA

I like Winner Takes It All. Melodramatic pop at its best.

Agreed - great song. And The Visitors is a fantastic album, front to back. Talk about your melodramatic, and occasionally surprisingly atmospheric, pop.

Re: ABBA

i love super trouper.

long-forgotten fairytale, from the 2nd disc of 69 love songs, has almost the exact same melody on the chorus (i think). merritt's a big abba fan.

Re: ABBA

What do you guys like the rockier songs 1-7?