Thought I'd make a topic as I've been listening to a lot of 'em recently.

 

f*** me, they're good though, aren't they.

 

Now I imagine that on this forum there are going to be a fair number of fans, and equally plenty of people who can see the merits of the group even if they personally don't like them. I think that the general perception of ABBA, though, undervalues them - they're seen as naff, or simply a load of old crap, by many people. I'm 20 and there are many people I know, around my age, who will happily bum so-so rock music from the 70s but are disdainful towards ABBA. But why?

 

I know the image doesn't help (hen parties, people's aunties/mums/grans, the costumes, Mamma Mia etc etc etc), nor the most popular, overplayed hits. Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Waterloo are certainly not anywhere near as good as many other ABBA tracks. Although Dancing Queen is an astonishingly well-produced piece of pop music.

 

Going through from early 76 when they really took off:

 

Arrival

Not a bad album and their biggest (studio album.) Not their best though. The problem with a lot of earlier ABBA is poor lyrics. I don't mean that their English was bad - it's always brilliant - and even the early lyrics are ofen quite clever. But 'Dum Dum Diddle'. Seriously? I read somewhere that it was a case of making the lyrics fit the tune a lot of the time, but that's no excuse!!! The triteness of the lyrics spoils that particular song, which musically and vocally is very good. Of course on the same album you have the sublime 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' which is easily one of the best UK number ones ever, not simply ABBA songs. 'Tiger' is good musically if rather sinister lyrically, Agnetha's vocals are amongst her best on the album. Not bad, but it got better.

 

The Album

In my opinion the first side stands up to any one side of any 70s album if not any album. The Name of the Game, that other classic ABBA UK #1, so well-produced. Eagle, the weakest track on the side, but imagine it with a male vocal on a soft-rock album from America and it'd be a well-regarded staple even now. It's underrated because it's ABBA. One Man, One Woman - great lyric, great guitar. Take A Chance On Me, truly great bubblegum pop. Second side not as strong - not at all - but good. They're getting better...

 

Voulez-Vous

And they're still getting better. What a good album this is! The only problem (a problem which hinders their albums 'til the final one) is putting the dud tracks in the middle of sides. As in, 'I Have A Dream' here - it doesn't fit with the rest of side 1, and is the worst track on the album (it's still a well-crafted song though.) Also, though it's good, Chiquitita is out of place haflway through side 2. But apart from them - whoa! There were four UK singles off this album (five with the double A) and they were the worst four tracks, to be honest (Angeleyes aside.) They missed a trick with 'If It Wasn't For The Nights', the track is practically perfect and is the single best Abba song not to be a single.

 

Super Trouper

Highs and lows here - they have a third great #1, TWTIA, and there's Lay All Your Love On Me, the underrated Me And I, and the brash On and On and On which would have fitted in on Voulez-Vous. But then you have Happy New Year right in the middle of the album. Yeah, it's OK, but y'know. I like The Piper, but it's very twee and again, not great in the middle of side 2. And the closing track is actually quite good, but doesn't suit the overall nature of the album (if anything, more suited to The Visitors.) Good, but not great.

 

The Visitors

But boy, is this one great. It's so dark, so deep, so haunting, very well produced, no duffers in the middle (Two For The Price Of One is as close as it gets, and that's really very good), and whilst not really an album filled with pop hits excepting One of Us - and the massively underrated Head over Heels, every track is a standout, especially on side 1.

 

And late ABBA produced so many fine tracks that flopped - TDBYC, Under Attack - and brilliant B-sides.

 

So, yeah.

 

Opinions?

anybody with any knowlege of pop music cannot deny the songwriting skills of benny/bjorn, like them or not, they produced some classic pop music arguably second only to lennon/ mccartney.

Surely in those days, the middle of each side of an album was where most people put the "weaker" tracks - have the strongest ones lead off each side and the second strongest ones at the end of each side.

 

--

Richard

ABBA are fabulous. There, I said it.

 

OK, I really, really hate the 'big' hits - Dancing Queen and Waterloo in particular.... but The Day before You Came, The Visitors, SOS, Name of the Game, Lay All Your Love On Me, Summer Night City, Winner Takes It All, My Mama Said, Knowing Me Knowing You, As Good Aas New.... I could go on (and on and on - see what I did there?)....

 

They've been tarnished with the 'naff and camp' tag for too long - I'd be surprised if any 'fan' of trash like Mama Mia would even know what anything off The Visitors even sounded like.... and there's been far, far too many pointless cash-in Greatest Hits albums, something, I feel, that always cheapens a band's reputation.... but to deny they're on par, not second, to Lennon and McCartney for sheer pop brilliance is wrong, I think.

 

And they're one of thosebands where the album tracks are nearly always far superior to the single tracks. I agree, I Have a Dream is absolutely nausea-inducing - but for every horror, there's 5 gems.

 

Worth checking is the solo album by Frida from the 90s - it was in Swedish.... but it's absolutely beautiful... howver, not being well versed in Swedish, I'm unable to remember the title :huh: And, despite the presence of the ghastly old ape Phil Collins on production duties, her 'Something's Going On' album from 1982 is pretty excellent, too.

I was never a fan of Abba but I could admire their ability to write a song. I did love Knowing Me Knowing You, The Name Of The Game, Lay All Your Love On Me, The Day Before You Came and the song that was at number one 30 years ago this week, The Winner Takes It All.

It's hard to think Winner Takes It All is 30 years old - I remember David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes knocking it off number one (or was it the other way around?) - can't think of many greater singles in succession at number one than these two.

I like most of the stuff they've done ... but I detest with a passion Dancing Queen. I hated it when it was released and I hate it now.

 

I think my favourite single though is The Name of the Game.

 

Norma

It's hard to think Winner Takes It All is 30 years old - I remember David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes knocking it off number one (or was it the other way around?) - can't think of many greater singles in succession at number one than these two.

It was Abba, Bowie and then The Jam (Start). And then Kelly Marie arrived... oh dear!

 

It was Abba, Bowie and then The Jam (Start). And then Kelly Marie arrived... oh dear!

 

If ever there were a time to use the term 'from the sublime to the ridiculous' .... !!!!!

 

Norma

:lol: nowt wrong with a bit of Kelly - I remember her dancing to that in her jumpsuit, her pendulous knockers swaying in time to the 'boom boom boom boom' bit of the song. In fact, I even bought that single... AND the album. I was only a kid, though, so don't be too harsh :P

ABBA are (were) brilliant although I have a bit same love/hate relationship with them as I do have with The Beatles.

 

I own only the Gold - GH which everyone has. Their sound hasn't aged very well but can't deny their songwriting abilities.

Their solo work on the other hand...

 

The Winner Takes It All: I couldn't stand it until Steps released After the Love Has Gone which is basically same song. :P

 

My favourite is probably S.O.S. or Lay All Your Love on Me

I own only the Gold - GH which everyone has. Their sound hasn't aged very well but can't deny their songwriting abilities.

Their solo work on the other hand...

 

The Winner Takes It All: I couldn't stand it until Steps released After the Love Has Gone which is basically same song. :P

 

I'd say 'The Visitors' is a pretty essential ABBA purchase, SKOB - it's brilliant. And solo - like I mentioned earlier, Frida's solo stuff, bar Shine, is pretty good.

 

Steps made a careeer out of doing this - their 'Deeper Shade of Blue' is the same song as Bananarama's 'Every Shade of Blue' some years before - check them out back to back ;)

I don't own any solo albums, heard only the hits. I think I listen to Visitors

 

Steps were utterly rubbish but still hilarious. They cloned practically everything. I have their Gold - GH too

Edited August 14, 201014 yr by SKOB

:lol: nowt wrong with a bit of Kelly - I remember her dancing to that in her jumpsuit, her pendulous knockers swaying in time to the 'boom boom boom boom' bit of the song. In fact, I even bought that single... AND the album. I was only a kid, though, so don't be too harsh :P

 

Ah Kelly Marie! ''Feels Like I'm In Love'' is a personal guilty pleasure (of many 80s guilty pleasurezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz).

 

But onto ABBA, I secrectly wished I liked them because I like retro camp pop (but not the acceptable kind, hello SAW!), but frankly, ABBA annoy the absolute f*** out of me! My loss completely, I know... :wacko:

Edited August 19, 201014 yr by ScottyEm

Steps made a careeer out of doing this - their 'Deeper Shade of Blue' is the same song as Bananarama's 'Every Shade of Blue' some years before - check them out back to back ;)

 

I agree that part of the synth instrumental in the background is very very similar, but other than that, the verses and chorus don't sound the same. Both songs were written around the same time though, as Steps' version is a cover. Topham and Twigg wrote it back in 95/96 and it was recorded by Tina Cousins first.

 

Anyhoo, ABBA wrote some ridiculously beautiful songs. I too hate some of the big hits like Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen. My all time favourites will always be Lay All Your Love On Me (so dark and just stunning), Angeleyes, Knowing Me, Knowing You and The Winner Takes It All.

 

EDIT: I almost forgot Summer Night City. What a great song. I'm watching their Wembley gig from 1979 on Youtube at the moment. Bloody hell. They really were a fantastic live band. Those voices are sublime.

Edited August 20, 201014 yr by PaulM1983

ABBA were truly superb live - a fact not often mentioned, mainly due to them having a Kate Bush-like attitude to touring thanks to Agnetha's fear of flying.... one of my best mates was at one of the London shows when he was a kid and he still says it's the best gig he's ever been to. There's only 3 acts I can think of that cause a hush when you mention you've seen them live - ABBA are absolutely one of them (Kate and The Beatles being the other 2 I'd say....).

 

I've just been checking Amazon for the deluxe ABBA releases from this year - the albums reissued, remastered, with bonus DVDs of all the TV appearances around the time of the album - brilliant, especailly the Voulez Vous one which includes the ABBA In Switzerland TV special and the Mike Yarwood TV spots....

It was Abba, Bowie and then The Jam (Start). And then Kelly Marie arrived... oh dear!

 

 

Feels Like I'm In Love is one of my top 10 favourite songs of all time. Great track.

ABBA are MARVELLOUS. I consider them the greatest group to have ever existed.

 

The Visitors is a work of towering genius. It is SO depressing and dark, with the exception of the misguided Two For The Price Of One, which is alright, it is all killer. Head Over Heels, whilst being one of the few uptempos on the album is still tinged with melancholy, especially with Agnetha's delivery. Definitely a masterpiece and I think unfairly underrated.

 

Voulez Vous, whilst being the polar opposite musically and thematically is also a marvellous album, almost all killer, with the exception of the stinking turd that is 'I Have A Dream', which annoyingly seems to be some kind of signature song these days.

 

The Day Before You Came though I think is their crowing achievement, it is absolute perfection. Who cares that it doesn't have a chorus. Agnetha's vocals are SO depressing it is just a joy to listen to (if that make sense) and whilst the lyrics aren't about something particularly harrowing, it's the mundane/tedious nature of them that makes them so powerful. The production and Frida's operatic backing vocals and the EPIC outro are just sublime. I cannot praise it highly enough, it makes me cry everytime I listen to it.

 

That said, Lay All Your Love me is probably my favourite of all their songs.

i asked a mate of mine if he could remember what music i liked back in 1980, and he said Abba,

but alas in those days i had no record collection, or started collecting anything until late 1982, beginning with..... Abba

just as they were splitting up .

ABBA are MARVELLOUS. I consider them the greatest group to have ever existed.

 

The Visitors is a work of towering genius. It is SO depressing and dark, with the exception of the misguided Two For The Price Of One, which is alright, it is all killer. Head Over Heels, whilst being one of the few uptempos on the album is still tinged with melancholy, especially with Agnetha's delivery. Definitely a masterpiece and I think unfairly underrated.

 

Voulez Vous, whilst being the polar opposite musically and thematically is also a marvellous album, almost all killer, with the exception of the stinking turd that is 'I Have A Dream', which annoyingly seems to be some kind of signature song these days.

 

The Day Before You Came though I think is their crowing achievement, it is absolute perfection. Who cares that it doesn't have a chorus. Agnetha's vocals are SO depressing it is just a joy to listen to (if that make sense) and whilst the lyrics aren't about something particularly harrowing, it's the mundane/tedious nature of them that makes them so powerful. The production and Frida's operatic backing vocals and the EPIC outro are just sublime. I cannot praise it highly enough, it makes me cry everytime I listen to it.

 

That said, Lay All Your Love me is probably my favourite of all their songs.

 

I so, so agree... especially about the vile I Have a Dream.... and the dreadful Two For The Price Of One. And also the complete genius of The Day Before You Came which, if you mention to 90% of the 'new' ABBA fans, you'll be met with a puzzled look. Thankfully. It's one of the best songs ever written.... their masterpiece.