Yeah, hi there, this will be happening VERY SHORTLY.

 

I don't have anything interesting to say at this point beyond the fact that obviously the bulk of the list is ABBA material, but there's about 20 solo tracks dotted throughout the list too.

 

Lets have a fetching image to celebrate this glorious event:

 

http://priskillingly.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/abba4.jpg

Should be good, I'm not particularly educated in their solo material, save for Agnetha's 2004 singles, so I'll be having a listen to them as they pop up.

I only really know their singles but S.O.S. to win etc. One of my favourite songs of all time.

Edited March 12, 201214 yr by JakeWild

Ooooooooooooooh this will be interesting. I recently invested in the boxset of all their albums so I'm looking forward to seeing this list. Especially the solo material.

Lovely.

 

I have a couple of songs in mind which I really hope get up high (and I'm sure they will). I'll need to introduce myself to the ones I don't know, I know nothing of the solo careers, and I only have Gold and the original Greatest Hits, so I know I'm missing a few essentials.

As a nice little interlude before we begin the list proper, Hovas Vittne has always been a favourite of mine despite not being a single proper. it was released as a 200 copy limited single at a 50th birthday party for their manager Stig, where they also performed it as a present for him. It's super duper catchy, as you'd probably guess:

 

This shall be interesting - I only have Abba Gold and More Abba Gold (I think that's what the second one is called?) so I look forward to being introduced to more, I will keep an eye on this intently!

They have 100 songs?

#100 - ABBA - What About Livingstone

 

http://www.musicmaza.com/album_pics/Abba%20Waterloo%201974.jpg

 

So kicking us off is a rather unusual track from the Waterloo album. It's safe to say the album is their least good, it's a much more diverse affair than predecessor Ring Ring, but the experimentation doesn't work for the most part. It swings between every popular genre of the day without great effect. Obviously there's a few fantastic tracks to be found, not least the title track. This track is one of the few numbers where their tinkering with the sound worked quite well. It features all female vocals, which is something a lot of the first album and indeed this one don't do on all that many songs.

 

Lyrically it's really much ado about nothing, as with most of their early work the words were created after the melody and just slotted in to fit the music. I can imagine for most people this probably sounds a little basic, or even rubbish. Certainly in comparison with their latter work that's probably true, but as a nice change of pace from some of the BIG hits and indeed increasingly gloomy works from the end of their career, it's a nice little ray of joyfuly sunshine.

 

#99 - ABBA - Crazy World

 

http://s.cdon.com/media-dynamic/images/product/002/018/2018778.jpg

 

Of the 2 boys in the band, only really Bjorn had anything of a singing voice. Benny tried, bless him, on the likes of Man In The Middle but quickly realised he was better of tinkling the keys of his piano with his mouth firmly shut. Bjorn limited his vox to roughly one track per album for the rest of ABBA's run once they hit the big time, a decent ratio and I like all of said tracks to some degree.

 

Despite the male vocal, Bjorn puts in a lovely vocal on this. It's quite soft, unlike the much harsher Rock Me featured on the same album. It's a song about a girl who repeatedly cheats on her man, treating him like crap and indeed goes off with his brother. I'm not sure if its just his dulcet tones or what, but it feels like Bjorn actually embues this with some real emotion.

 

#98 - Agnetha Faltskog - Click Track

 

http://www.abba-world.net/images/albums/986_878-4.jpg

 

Now onto the first solo track in the list. There's really not much to say, it's really rather ludicrous and totally 80's. To say the quality of solo work for the most part was CRAP is an understatement. I've gone with what I believe to be the best, not just based on quality though. This is objectively a rubbish song, but it's just one of those infectious songs I get stuck in my head for hours after playing. I'd liken it to a (rather good) novelty Eurovision entry.

 

I like to imagine 'What About Livingstone' is about Ken, because then two of my top three acts have songs about him. (Kate Bush being the other, of course.)

 

I'll be following with interest, as with other posters I'm not familiar with their solo material. 'Crazy World' is a minor favourite of mine, some lovely piano there.

What About Livingstone is a favourite of mine from the Waterloo album, not that that's hard, but it is a very underrated track.

Don't forget about this John :D

Oh shush, you know fine well I was in London.

 

I'll do a nice big catch up over the next few days though!

For the last two and a half weeks? :o

Yes :angry:

Ooh, great idea, love ABBA. Did you go to the ABBAWorld exhibition last year at Olympia? It was :wub:

#97 - ABBA - Hey, Hey, Helen

 

http://s.cdon.com/media-dynamic/images/product/002/018/2018778.jpg

 

Once again we say hello to the ABBA album, except this time with a Frida led track. For the longest time I always found this track rather annoying, it's got a decent enough melody, but Frida isn't quite as good as I would have hoped vocally. That has since passed now and whilst it's clearly far from my favourites, it's another very nice song.

 

It's basically about a woman (Helen) leaving her husband, for whatever, reason and becoming an INDEPENDANT WOMAN, which is quite an interesting concept for 1975 I guess, but seems a little been there done that listening in 2012.

 

#96 - ABBA - I Am Just A Girl

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Abba_Ring_Ring_Cover.jpg

 

Time for the first of a surprisingly large number of tracks from ABBA's very first album (they weren't even called ABBA back then). Whilst the album itself is a very patchy affair, with much too much focus on the boys with the girls just used as vocalists (albeit very good ones), when they get it right, they get it very right.

 

Melodically and lyrically it's very simple and lightweight, but the gorgeous 'LA LA LA LA' middle 8 is just so lovely and Agnetha's vocals throughout are the definite winner.