Genre: pop
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: ABBA Live
Company: Atlantic
Catalog: SD-81675
Year: 1978
Country/State: Sweden
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: contains original inner sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4
Price: $6.00
Cost: $1.00
While we'll
probably get flamed for expressing this sentiment, ABBA's one of the bands
we wish we'd had an opportunity to see live. Given the quartet reported
turned down one billion dollars for a reunion tour, their 1986 live set is
probably the closest we'll ever get. Interestingly, given most folks view
them as little more than s studio entity, "ABBA
Live" is a surprisingly impressive release. According to
the liner notes, the 11 tracks were recorded over a five year span,
reflecting performances during their1977 Australian tour, a 1979 Wembley
Stadium concert and a 1981 Dick Cavett television appearance. First the bad
news - the album features curiously distant and echoey sound (close your
eyes and you can picture yourself listening to them from the parking lot).
Also, if you were expecting to hear something drastically different from
their top-40 catalog, be forewarned their performances stick pretty close to
the original studio offerings (okay, "I Have a Dream" featured a
hokey childrens' chorus and "Two For the Price of One" (Bjorn
handling lead vocals) and "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After
Midnight)" were relative obscurities). Those criticisms aside, the fact
they were capable of live performances this strong was quite impressive and
even after all these years you simply have to smile hearing top-40 dribble
such as "Chiquitita" and "Fernando". Congrats to
Atlantic for coming up with one of the year's lamest album covers ... cat
barf on a carpet would have been just as attractive!
"ABBA Live" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) Dancing Queen
(Benny Andersson - Stig Anderson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 3:32
2.) Take A Chance On Me (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 4:12
3.) I Have a Dream (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 4:14
4.) Does Your Mother Know (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 3:54
5.) Chiquitita (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 5:10
6.) Thank You For the Music (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 3:28
(side
1)
7.) Two For the
Price of One (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 3:18
8.) Fernando (Benny Andersson - Stig Anderson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 5:11
9.) Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) (Benny Andersson - Bjorn
Ulvaeus) - 3:15
10.) Super Trooper (Benny Andersson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 4:12
11.) Waterloo (Benny Andersson - Stig Anderson - Bjorn Ulvaeus) - 3:18