Product Details

• Actors: Abba, Benny Andersson
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Polydor / Umgd
• DVD Release Date: June 8, 2004
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001WPQJ2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,057 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #13 in Music > World Music > Europe > Scandinavia > Sweden
  • #16 in Music > Pop > Euro Pop > Swedish Pop

Editorial Reviews

ABBA:IN CONCERT - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

146 of 151 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take it for what it is and enjoy it!, July 23, 2004

By 

David S. Jenkins (On the Road) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Abba - In Concert 1979 (DVD)

Hey, fellow ABBA fans, let's relax a little bit! You're being WAY too hard on this DVD. Remember it's a 25 year old DOCUMENTARY, not a concert, and it was shot by a network that didn't religiously archive the footage because nobody at the time expected people 25 years later to care! There's plenty of full length numbers, and they rip! Having been lucky enough to have seen ABBA at the Music Hall in Boston during this tour (as did most of Aerosmith, the Cars and the J. Giels Band down in the front rows), I'm delighted now to own this DVD because it proves a point I've long tried to make to my sceptical friends. ABBA WERE UNDENIABLY A GREAT, GREAT LIVE ACT.

I've been professionally involved in the concert business for three decades, I've seen everyone pretty much, and though my personal tastes run more towards The Beatles, The Cramps and Garbage, I rank ABBA as one of the best live bands I've EVER seen on a stage. The vocals were spot on, the band rocked and were very tight, the energy level was through the roof. The group, especially Frida and Agnetha, were very lively, generous and vivacious with the audience, and the songs were just great. Frankly, it was an incredible, indescribable rush to see them live, especially if you'd waited five years for it.

For ages ABBA have been a guilty pleasure for those of us supposedly hip rockers, but unless you're a frigid snob you'll have to admit upon viewing this show that ABBA weren't a corny plastic disco machine - they absolutely delivered the goods. A totally legitimate act with nothing to apologize for. What's also great is that ABBA were based not just on unforgettable hook-laden songs and astounding voices, but there was a genuinely warm and mature sexuality exuding from that stage. Agnetha and Frida were women, not little girls. There bodies may not have been perfect (J-LO fans, you'll see a startling similarity between she and Agnetha in a certain way) but their talent and their sensuality knocks Britney's lip synced teasing schoolgirl trip right off the stage. ABBA actually sang every note live, mistakes and all - what a concept.

As to the extras, "Thank You For The Music" is probably my least favorite ABBA song, but on this disc Agnetha is just incredible, she nails it. Frida was the darker, more european side of things, handling more mature themes, and my fave, but if God ever put a more attractive woman on a stage than Agnetha in this film, I've never seen her. As to the sound complaints, if you run the disc through a good amplifier and speaker system there's no problem, if not some of the bottom is admittedly missing. But on the plus side the clarity of the vocals is astonishing, and within the instrumentation lots of little surprises I'd never heard.

Visually it's incredible - you can count eyelashes and pores, and the color is rich and true. So c'mon - lighten up everyone - a very well directed documentary, a very well edited piece of history at a pretty low price. It's a great disc of a truly brilliant band. Let's be happy for a very nice little gift to us all.

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for the Abba! Wonderful!, March 26, 2005

By 

Art (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abba - In Concert 1979 (DVD)

Wow! I purchased this dvd as an impulse buy before reading any reviews. Before opening it I browsed here and after reading the reviews I almost returned it. I'm glad I didn't! This DVD is a spectacular, enjoyable time capsule that captures one of pop music's greatest groups at their pinnacle of success. Those reviewers who pan the sound quality don't realize that this is the raw sound captured live at a concert. Too many of today's artists either can't sing or overdub their soundtracks after the fact to enhance the sound quality of their recordings. Abba, in releasing this disk, has rightfully chosen not to.
What is this DVD? It is a re-release of a documentary film done about the group's 1979 tour of the US and UK. When reviewing it, you must take it for what it is. It was done before even vcr's. The documentary producers didn't film every minute of the concerts from five different cameras. They captured what they wanted to make a compelling documentary. And they succeeded wonderfully. It is important, though, to remember that 1979 music video style was very different than today. The filmmakers could never have dreamed of 5.1 audio...they produced for 2" mono speaker in the average 1980 tv set.
The first third or so shows the group traveling, hanging out, eating meals, and warming up before a show. Abba songs are the soundtrack, but they are not shown as full concert pieces. The behind the scenes part is great watching of the late 70's lifestyle. The rest of the disk is concert footage, and although it would have been nice to have two hours of a full concert, history has left us with about 7 or 8 songs. Extras include additional songs captured on film but not included in the original documentary.
The video quality on this disk is spectacular. It was obviously done with film as the quality is comparable to a film of the same vintage. It is notably better than many newer concert dvds I own, including Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance." The camera angles are often not what a more modern concert video would show, but they make for an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
Audio I'd rate as good. When evaluating it, again it is important to consider the source. Abba preferred to make music in the studio and make it perfect. When old music is remastered for modern re-release, the engineers have access to the original studio tape. This was a live concert. There are no redubs or overdubs. Concerts also, in my opinion, are NOT in general enhanced by surround sound. When you watch a concert live, the speakers are at the stage in FRONT of you, not behind you. I've found that 9 out of ten concert videos are much better in stereo mode than in surround. This one is no exception. The surround tracks are presented in dolby and dts but I agree that the mix on these is distracting, with loud crowd ambience detracting from the music. Played in dolby 2.0 mode, the sound is superb. This makes sense, because it is probably how the original movie was recorded and meant to be heard. When considering the audio, it is important to put it in context...this is a 25 year old documentary audio soundtrack master. There is only so much restoration can do. That being said, the audio 2.0 track is as good as any other live recording of a similar age. There is no hiss, noise, or other distractions. Comparing it to modern 5.1 soundtracks is an unreasonable expectation.
To summarize, this is a terrific production. The group gives a great show and they seem to be having a great time entertaining enthusiastic crowds. Video is superb and audio is excellent in the 2.0 mix (I'd recommend not using the 5.1 mixes). This dvd is a thoroughly enjoyable trip back to ABBA's heyday.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Concert Dragged Down By A Decent Rockumentary, September 21, 2005

By 

Anthony Nasti "Tony" (Staten Island, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abba - In Concert 1979 (DVD)

I love ABBA. I have all their dvds available. I brought "ABBA In Concert" last Christmas but haven't found the time to review it until this morning. What can I tell you about this 25 year old tape? Well, let me just say that the perfromances are nothing short of excellent. The remastering job is superb, both visually as well as audio. You feel, for the mos part, like you're at the concert. However, there's one porblem: too much documentary, not enough concert. I was hoping we'd get a full concert rather than a few complete performances and a ton of documentary footage. So while I do recommend this dvd, keep in mind it isn't a complete concert dvd.