1-0 Reviews

Abba

Albums:

Ring Ring

Waterloo

Abba

Arrival

The Album

Voulez-Vous

Super Trouper

The Visitors

Gold: Greatest Hits

More Abba Gold

Links:

Official International Abba Fanclub
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Abba Info Central
Extensive Online Abba resource

ABBA: The Whole Story
Article at Stylusmagazine.com, written by yours truly.

Ring Ring

1973

Ring Ring

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

The beginning! Benny met Bjorn in the summer of 1966. Benny was a member of The Hep Stars and Bjorn was performing with the Hootenanny Singers, both popular bands in Sweden at the time. Bjorn’s band was recording for Stig Anderson’s Polar Music, who was very interested in achieving pop success outside of their native country. Stig felt Benny and Bjorn could collaborate on projects to suit this aim. Concurrently, Benny and Bjorn had begun serious relationships with dance band singers Frida and Agnetha, respectively. By 1970, both couples were engaged, and the same year were working together onstage, and in the studio. Most of the songs for their first album were culled from various singles issued by Benny & Bjorn, and the group, or otherwise written to fill up an LP's worth of music.

Ring Ring was a modest success, climbing into the top 10 in the Scandinavian region, and eventually in Australia as well, providing a glimpse of the popularity Abba would enjoy down under in the future. Similarly, most of the music, while containing the same basic elements of the best Abba work (catchy melodies, immaculate production and fine vocals), only hinted at the incredible pop masterworks they would produce in the coming years. But, they had to begin somewhere, and modest successes were better than none at all.

Representative tracks

Ring Ring: Manager Stig Anderson was already a prolific lyricist in his own right, and with Benny and Bjorn, was invited to contribute a song for the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. This contest would play a major role in the group’s success in the future, though their entry for that year’s contest, “Ring Ring”, was notable mostly for aping Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” production and lyrics provided by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody (as well as its uncanny resemblance to the Beatles’ “Ballad of John and Yoko”). The song placed third in the contest, though along with a version of the song in Swedish, became a massive hit in Sweden.

Nina Pretty Ballerina: Hardly the kind of thing that could ever have been a hit in an era of the serious singer songwriter (or even comparatively gritty American bubblegum pop), though its infectious chorus, with piped in audience applause, was arguably the first sign of Benny and Bjorn’s interest in writing for the stage. It was dreadfully “twee”, but the melody was hard to forget – which is probably the worst one can say of Abba at any point in their history.

Waterloo

1974

Waterloo

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

After Ring Ring and the near miss at the Eurovision Song Contest, Benny and Bjorn continued to write for the group. Almost since the day they had finished third at the contest, Stig and the writing duo had been planning for the 1974 contest. As it happened, there was something of a controversy in Sweden about the nature of the judging at the 1973 contest, and it had been decided by the contest organizers that a new method of determining the winner would be used henceforth. Abba’s entry, “Waterloo,” blew the field away in 1974.

The band used this momentum to quickly record their sophomore LP, named after their hit song. Benny and Bjorn were still feeling the pressure of the lack of preparation time (Abba were just starting their promotional whirlwind, which would not cease before the decade ended), so most of album suffers from similar faults as their debut: unstable “rock” gestures (“King Kong Song”), and odd genre exercises (horribly white reggae on “Sitting in the Palmtree”, even whiter funk on “My Mama Said”).

The 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and “Waterloo” had certainly put Abba on the map, though it is not without some warrant that they were viewed as something of a one-hit wonder. Their big break was catchy enough, but what little precedent there was (if any) for Swedish light pop may have been overshadowed by the group’s flair for the superfluous.

Representative tracks

Waterloo: This was a tune that seemingly out of nowhere exposed the band’s strengths, as if the modest fame they had glimpsed during the previous year had inspired them to produce the very finest of which they were capable. At best, the song’s metaphor of love as a battle, and the “fatal” love affair was highly engaging pop (with an arrangement that saw Benny, Bjorn and co-writer Stig branching out of 70s pop-rock trends, and into a recognizable, more idiosyncratic sound); at its worst, it was merely infectious bubblegum pop. In any case, after the song’s victory, it was a major hit all around the world, breaking Abba in the all-important American radio singles market.

Gonna Sing You My Lovesong: Modest ballad that showed Abba could play it straight when need be.

Abba

1975

Abba

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

Despite their still up-and-coming status, Abba’s LP from 1975 is probably their first real semi-cohesive release. Truthfully, there are some very questionable choices made regarding the songwriting and I have yet to be convinced anyone named Bjorn or Agnetha can ride a funky break. That said, the production, arrangements and any other studio technicality at their growing disposal was markedly improved, and of course, there are some fairly amazing songs sprinkled amongst the filler.

Looking back, the time immediately after Abba begins the band’s “classic” period. 1975 was a very good year for them, though they didn’t really achieve the kind of glossy veneer many people associate with the band (and to be fair, often as a criticism) until the following year. They were successful, and at that point they were also becoming inseparable from their image. People wanted to see the band, and they still yearned to be seen (if not touched); the cover of their album from ’75 optimistically showed them surrounded by fans while riding comfortably in a limo, while their follow-up cover had them untouchable, packed like jewels in a glass case, inside a helicopter. This was the turning point.

Representative tracks

Mamma Mia: Immediately more ambitious and musically striking than anything on their previous two albums. As the xylophone and piano introduce the tune (Benny and Bjorn’s introductions were getting better and better, and on “Intermezzo No. 1”, they actually manage to stretch one out to the length of a complete song), the tried and true faux-Beatles rock guitar softens the pallete in anticipation for the vocals. The main body of the song features quite a thick arrangement, with xylophone, piano, guitar, strings, backing vocals, and spunky drumming all contributing to the mix. This was Abba’s version of a wall of sound -- creamy where Spector’s was grand, flowing where Motown’s was punchy -- and was part of a production method they never really discarded.

S.O.S.: The arrangement was spotless, with Benny’s piano and synth lines lighting up entire sections where in normal circumstances the singer’s voices would be the main attractions. The chorus for this song is at once reminiscent of classic Beach Boys’ soaring vocal lines and overflowing sonic detail, and yet features distinctly 70s conventional escapism wholly detached from the populist American act’s sincerity. The mass of acoustic guitars were richer than a real-life guitar could ever be; the vocals were compressed, as if the operatic power of Frida’s and Agnetha’s was something to be loved from afar. Sure, this could’ve been a purposeful strategy to outline the issue of detachment in the song, or it could’ve been something that merely sounded cool at the time. Depending on your point of view, it could be either a magnificent pop miracle, or a clinical, distant piece of perfection.

Arrival

1976

Arrival

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

By 1976, Benny and Bjorn seemed to have decided that if they were going to try their hand at different genres, then by gosh, it was going to be something marketable. No more reggae – make room for disco. No more peppy rock and roll – LA soft rock was the way of the charts. The only tunes on what would become Arrival (which had an atypically difficult birth, over a year in the making) that referenced their early pop growing pains were “Why Did It Have to Be Me” (rolling trad-pop, somewhat similar to “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do”) and “Dum Dum Diddle”, which sounded like a cross between the Beatles’ fake ska on “Obladi Oblada” and the West Coast professionalism of the Captain and Tennille.

And there were more hits: “Money Money Money” managed to take a concept which by then should have been foreign to them, an understated four-on-the-floor, and yet another wildly catchy chorus to give Abba a #1 in just about every country except the US. Also significant on Arrival was its regally Celtic title track, being the last time Benny and Bjorn ever put an instrumental on an Abba record (and even then, there were wordless backing vocals). However, there were more “firsts” for Abba in 1976 than “lasts,” and the scary thing was they were still moving up.

Representative tracks

Knowing Me, Knowing You: A pristine specimen of the sophisticated American pop with which Benny and Bjorn were quickly becoming obsessed. Mid-tempo, richly detailed arrangement (still emphasizing walls of acoustic guitar and keyboards, though now processed and filtered beyond any kind of natural reverberation), this was a tune that could have been interpreted as being about internal conflicts, though was as likely an attempt to be Fleetwood Mac. In any case, they were flying so high by then that they didn’t even have the chance to release it as a single until early 1977.

Dancing Queen: Beyond the fact it was a massive hit, it was significant for several reasons. It was the first time Abba really made an impression beyond the radio and into the dancefloor, though the song was a bit more laid back than the TK Records sound Benny and Bjorn were going for. Abba’s full-fledged disco record was still a couple of years away, but this song alone puts them in the upper class of dance pop acts in the 70s. Secondly, it gave them an anthem. “See that girl, watch that scene/Dig in the Dancing Queen” goes one of the most recognizable refrains in pop, and is calling card for both the group and their perceived legacy as glamorous, deceptively innocent golden children. Thirdly, it simply made them incredibly famous at the time.

The Album

1977

The Album

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

So, what does the group on the cusp of everything do next? Work their asses off: 1977 was the busiest year of the band’s career to that point, and despite massive success all over the world (with an especially intense Australian following), they continued to press forward with new music, tours and other projects. Benny and Bjorn came up with a short concept about a small-town girl who yearned to be a singer, though who’s ultimate fame cut her off from the rest of the world (“The Girl With the Golden Hair”). Again, what seems superficial and innocuous at first glance in Abba’s music is terribly true to their experiences coming out of Sweden, at once glamorous superstars, commodities and genuine human beings.

Prior to beginning the recording of The Album, the two composers paid a visit to the singer-songwriter hotbed of Los Angeles. The main objective of their trip was to check out state of the art recording equipment for yet another one of their projects: their own Stockholm studio. They wouldn’t have their studio as soon as they wanted, but its possible they also wanted to visit L.A. for another reason. By the late 70s, both men had become virtually obsessed with California acts like The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, and were so inspired just by sharing the same city as those acts, they turned some of their finer songs from the period.

In addition to all of their promotional and recording activity that year, Abba were making a movie, most of which was filmed in Abbamania-central, Australia. It was released at the end of the year, as was the The Album in Europe (the rest of the world got it in early ‘78), and at the close of 1977 Abba were bigger than ever.

Representative tracks

The Name of the Game: By most accounts, this is one of Abba’s finest moments, at least insofar as it presents their strengths (brilliantly compact arrangement, radically infectious chorus melody, smooth, yet classically informed vocals) unhindered by genre experimentation (which wasn’t bad in itself, only when the composers weren’t completely sure how to manage their form). Furthermore, for one of the first times on record, their words could be taken at face value and contained real emotional resonance.

Thank You for the Music: Wherein the band approximated the chorus number, with layered group vocals, and dramatic shifts in texture and tempo. After Abba, Bjorn and Benny would further investigate their dramatic interests, but their initial efforts were nothing if not accomplished.

Voulez-Vous

1979

Voulez-Vous

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

In the wake of activity leading up to 1978, Abba should have been collectively short of breath. So many concerts, television appearances, a movie and near-constant writing and recording would have left most acts dry, and predictably the band stumbled ever so slightly out of the gates after The Album. When recording for a follow-up LP began in March (a mere four months after the release of their last album), Bjorn and Benny had very little to bring to the sessions. Furthermore, it seemed that what ideas they did attempt to develop often led to dead-ends, as the resulting album eventually produced more unreleased material than any other in their catalog.

Stylistically, the band were incorporating more and more dramatic elements into their sound, though certainly not ignoring the trends. It could be that the writers chose to emphasize the freer structures of disco and dance music in general for many of the songs on their forthcoming album because they had not yet really capitalized on the style. Or, it could be that they simply didn’t have enough raw materials with which to flesh out their typically baroque pop. Whatever the case, the resulting album, Voulez-Vous, could be considered their “dance” record.

Representative tracks

Voulez-Vous: This may have been Abba’s best pure disco tune, and in fact was recorded in Miami at the same studios the Bee Gees had made their biggest hits, with the American dance-funk outfit Foxy. Everything about the tune, from the handclaps in the chorus, to the extended vamp in the middle, to the macho, desensitized lyrics (“Masters of the scene/We’ve done it all before”) fit perfectly into the wild, carefree underground of club culture in the late 70s. It probably wasn’t the greatest songwriting triumph of their careers, but the two writers were succeeding in their mastery of styles as well as ever.

Does Your Mother Know: The last single Abba ever released without a female lead vocal (Bjorn took this one). The dance beat remained, though a rock touch was injected into the tune as well, giving it a welcome edge (relatively speaking) amongst the other music.

Lovers (Live A Little Longer): The basic groove of the song would seem to be directly lifted from the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive”, though the vocal arrangement retained the group’s sense of classical detail. However, the lyrics were basically repeating the line “Lovers live a little longer, yeah” several times, and basing the claim on the fact that “some physician had made a discovery.” Not one of their best.

Super Trouper

1980

Super Trouper

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

Super Trouper’s title refers to the giant spotlights used for Abba’s concerts, and whose light is depicted on the LP cover. The band chose this title before actually recording the song of the same name, though the song certainly seems to be fairly literal in its translation of the term (“Super Trouper lights are gonna find me”). Abba has never really been credited with writing “personal” songs, and though pure pop music is rarely about making confessional stances, the show-weary sentiment of “Super Trouper” is one of the most straightforwardly personal songs as you’re likely to hear on the radio.

Abba had already peaked in popularity, even as they continued to produce good pop music. By 1980, their songs had shifted from bubbly pop, to something more refined (and probably not as readily commercial). “The Way Old Friends Do” closed Super Trouper, serving as both a musical farewell to the passion of past relationships, and a symbolic farewell to touring, and generally all the hectic exposure of the last half-decade. They group was almost done.

Representative tracks

The Winner Takes it All: Agnetha took the lead vocal, and was accompanied by Benny on grand piano. Again, the theatrical method of contrasting soft and louder sections, and the dramatic build-up to the chorus was used to great effect by the band. Furthermore, Bjorn’s lyrics (admittedly, “colored by the divorce”) injected a fair amount of drama into the song.

Lay All Your Love on Me: An extraordinary disco track, and something of an anomaly placed on a record mostly comprised of soft-rock and theatrical vignettes. Although the song wasn’t a massive hit relative to some of Abba’s other singles, it was easily the most immediately engaging on Super Trouper (which sometimes suffers from blandness, and overly muted production), and if only for a moment, brought back the transient passion of Arrival and their best dance songs.

Elaine: Excellent bonus track included on the 2001 CD reissue of the album. Lines like “You hate, you scream, you swear/And still you never reach him” and “You’re like a goldfish in a bowl…They have your mind, they’ll take your soul” are hardly the kind of radio-friendly prose Abba were known for, and may have been factors in why the tune only ever surfaced as the B-side to “The Winner Takes It All”. The music is something else: joyous, up-tempo pop, with interesting harmonies and an infectious acoustic guitar riff repeated during the choruses.

The Visitors

1981

The Visitors

Personnel:

Bjorn Ulvaeus: vocals, guitar

Benny Andersson: keyboards

Agnetha Falkstog: vocals

Frida Lyngstad: vocals

The Visitors was ABBA’s final record. Inasmuch as the band were probably at their best on singles, this is not a significant detail. However, many fans choose it as their favorite, and there are plenty of reasons to agree with this. Firstly, it suffers from very little of the perfunctory dance trend experiments of previous records. Secondly, it was made under the most difficult circumstances they would ever encounter: the couples would be no more by the time this record was released in the autumn of 1981.

Of course, taken out of context, most of the music on the album fits quite well in the band’s canon (even down to their tradition of including oddly cornball filler like “Slipping Through My Fingers”, easily the worst song here). Taken as a whole, it’s rather the most distinctive album they ever made.

Representative tracks

The Visitors: The tale of red scare inquisition and paranoia of the title track (“The signal’s sounding once again, and someone tries the doorknob/None of my friends would be so stupidly impatient, and they don’t dare to come here”) details what must have been very tangible fears for Europeans at the outset of the 80s. Of course, the music, largely atmospheric disco-rock, couldn't have been more alluring.

When All Is Said and Done: One of several songs on this album dealing with various aspects of separation, this anthemic, up tempo rocker features a confident lead vocal from Frida. Whatever your feeling of ABBA’s lyrics, lines like “It’s so strange when you’re down and lying on the floor/How you rise, shake your head/Get up and ask for more” are nothing if not insightful about the nature of relationships.

Like an Angel Passing Through My Room: Much of Benny and Bjorn's inspiration was coming from the musical theater, and after the demise of the group, they would immediately head for Broadway with Tim Rice. On The Visitors, this interest found its way into all manner of their work, including the hymnal grandeur of this tune. Oddly similar to "Ave Maria".

Gold: Greatest Hits 1993	What you see is what you get: Abba's greatest hits and near misses. Sugary, bubblegum, innocent, tuneful, catchy, formulaic Swedish popsters. This band is one of the few that lives up to its hype. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on your taste. The band were massively popular in the 70s, and this album collects most of the reasons why. If you haven't heard the them, think the BeeGees meeting the 5th Dimension, or Fleetwood Mac without any interpersonal problems. Representative tracks Dancing Queen: Huge hit about (of all things) a girl who loves to dance. Very Saturday Night Fever-ish. Featured in the movie, "Muriel's Wedding". Take A Chance On Me: Good group vocals ("take a ch-ch-ch-chance") and infectious rhythm propel this piece of bubblegum to art-pop. The band always had great arrangements.

Personnel: Frida: Vocals Agnetha Faltskog: Vocals Björn Ulvaeus: Vocals, guitar Benny Andersson: Vocals, keyboards

More Abba Gold 1996	Second installment of the band's greatest hits and near misses. Abba was basically a singles band, so these two greatest hits packages are the best place to start, and for most people, to stop. Many of these songs are far less known than those on the first set, and there is one song that was previously unreleased. Not for diabetics. Representative tracks Summer Night City: Disco extravaganza. As escapist Europop goes, this is top of the line. Bjorn and Benny wrote almost all the tunes, and were ace arrangers. Honey Honey: This jingle-worthy ditty was a huge hit in Europe apparently, as were most of the band's singles. Imagine the Mentos commercial meeting the Partridge family at a church picnic. If you're still reading, buy this immediately.

Personnel: Frida: Vocals Agnetha Faltskog: Vocals Björn Ulvaeus: Vocals, guitar Benny Andersson: Vocals, keyboards