Customer Reviews

Super Trouper

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If Voulez Vous was their disco album, the followup, Super Trouper, a slang term for the giant spotlights used in their live shows and stadia, maintained a sound consistent with winning albums like their self-titled effort and Arrival, but with the energy of Voulez Vous. The result is one of their best albums.

And it did give them two more UK #1 singles, making a total nine. One is the title track, sung by Frida, about a singer who's going to be blinded by the giant spotlights on the stage of her concert, but won't mind, because somewhere out there, among the thousands of people, is her loved one. "Feeling like a number one?" Chartwise, definitely. Its B-side is the galloping "Elaine." This was a B-side? Should've been an A-side, as its frantic energy recalls other barnburners like "So Long" and "Tiger."

The other #1 is the bittersweet "The Winner Takes it All," a song inspired by Bjorn and Agnetha's divorce, but more about the pain of such a split-up. The song veers from the couple's split to an analogy to the judges decision in some competition. There's a biting sense of predestination, of one not being in control of one's destiny: "The gods may throw a dice/their minds as cold as ice/and someone way down there/loses someone dear."

The Top Ten single "On And On And On" with a mighty insistent stomping drums and synth rhythm, blaring synths, and an energy rivalling their previous albums.

"Andante Andante" is indeed an andante song. In music, it means moderate tempo, faster than adagio, but slower than allegretto. It makes a leisure slow-dance song, highlighted by the usual harmonies by the ladies.

With a fanfare like keyboard synth opening that continues throughout the song, "Me and I" explores the dual nature many people have, Jekyll/Hyde, and how normal it can be is encapsulated in the snappy chorus, "We're like sun and rainy weather, sometimes we're a hit together/me and I/gloomy moods and inspiration, we're a funny combination/me and I." And not to worry: "I don't think I'm different or in any way unique/think about yourself for a minute/and you'll find the answer to it/everyone's a freak." One of the best songs here, and it's definitely allegretto allegretto.

Another andante andante song is "Happy New Year" and the group is definitely one for New Year's Resolutions and new starts, where the vision of "a world where every neighbour is a friend." The fact that it had just turned 1980, and how ABBA was a group of the 70's, makes Agnetha wonder "what lies waiting down the line, in the end of 89." Oh, if only they knew!

Frida sings in the wistful "Our Last Summer," a personal song by Bjorn, the fond remembrance of a teenage summer in Paris during the Summer of Love, and how the feelings haven't changed years later.

I first heard "Lay All Your Love On Me" when the Information Society covered it on their first album. After hearing the original, I detect a hint towards 80's techno in this song of how an initial meeting with someone yields possessiveness and jealousy on the part of the affected party. The choir-like harmonies in the chorus give this song a kind of hallowed atmosphere. One of my favourites here. Definitely allegretto allegretto.

And now for an adagio adagio song, the Auld-Lang Syne atmosphere of "The Way Old Friends Do," recorded live at Wembley Stadium, with the harmonies, orchestra, and synths reaching a heavenly pitch. The farewell-type aura of this song seems to herald their imminent dissolution.

"Put On Your White Sombrero," sung by Frida, was only put on the Thank You For The Music box set and finally here when Bjorn finally decided that it was actually a good song. There are cowboy motifs in this goodbye song of someone who thinks life is a movie and rides off into the sunset for some meeker senorita.

However, ABBA's penultimate album shows them still in top form, with stronger sounds, well-constructed songs and melodies, with little indication that their next album would be their last. And it's official: instead of Arrival, I deem this my favourite album by them. It's super, troupers!

Ever since I bought a turntable, a whole new realm of cheap music that I would never have dared paid a rediculous CD price for (or thought of buying in the first place) opened up to me.

Looking through some used album bins, I found some ABBA stuff, and hey, for a dollar a piece there's no reason not to buy them! So I picked them up, laughed at myself, and brought them home and listened.

I bought The Album and Arrival, besides one or two good album cuts they were just all about the hits. "Eh, just what I expected, a singles band with mediocre albums" I thought to myself. Then for some unexplained reason, I bought Super Trouper. There was just something about the oh-so-glamourous cover I guess.

So I drop the needle, and "Super Trouper" starts, which I already knew but never cared much for. For some weird reason, it sounded really good! Then "Winner Takes It All," which I've never heard before, completely nailed me with that incredible, emotive vocal performance. By the time I got around to the chorus of "On And On And On" and found myself dancing furiously as only a white guy can furiously dance I knew I was in the presence of one incredibly stupid-fun album.

By the time I got through the joyously pompous synth-brass blasts of "Me And I," the reflective ballad "Happy New Year," the quasi-Gentle Giant recorder breaks of the absurd track "The Piper" up through the over-the-top closing piece "The Way Old Friends Do" I came to the conclusion that I had just experienced one of the most rediculously entertaining albums I've heard for a while.

There isn't a single song on this album that I don't enjoy immensely, with the exception of "Our Last Summer" which I think kind of kills the otherwise perfect flow of the album. The other ABBA albums I have (Arrival, The Album, and Voulez Vous) are nowhere close as far as having the tremendous hooks, variety, and entertainment value that Super Trouper offers.

I never thought I'd see the day, but my Yes, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson albums sit comfortably and proudly next to ABBA albums, Super Trouper in particular. Get it today!

Abba is a group who never truly had a bad album, but they crossed all boundaries with their 1980 release Super Trouper. Toning down the disco-pop from Voulez-Vous and replacing it with a more sophisticated adult new wave pop beat. Abba saved themselves from the disco backlash (although their best disco song, LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME, is featured in this collection)with these set of songs. The Winner Takes It All was the first single released. A tear-jerking ballad about divorce, became Abba's fourth and final US top 10 single (yep, it seems like they had more...), the song is so highly emotional that anyone who has heard it must admit it's power. SuperTrouper is the first song and second US single, a pleasant record although not a great. Our Last Summer is an incredible ballad. Happy New Year is also beautiful. Me & I is an irresistably fun new wave record about cloning (or multiple personalities, however you look at it). The Piper is very Irish sounding and cute. Andante Andante is also a gorgeous soft song. This album is the definitive Abba album.

One of ABBA's best loved orginal albums, SUPER TROUPER entered the UK album charts at #1 and spawned three major hit singles.

There's not much I can say about this album that ABBA fans don't already know. All the songs offered are exquisite supertunes sung masterfully by Agnetha and Frida and the melodies are intoxicating- not one bad song in the bunch. Bjorn's lyrics have matured and some of these songs are lyrically quite poetic and beautiful. The lovely Frida impresses with "Our Last Summer", "Andante Andante" and the title track and Agnetha shows the world that she is more than just eyecandy. Her vocals are superb on "Happy New Year", "Lay All Your Love on Me" and of course, "The Winner Takes It All." Their voices are strong, unique and dramatic and the vocal harmonies are perfect. Just listen to the chorus of "Super Trouper", "Our Last Summer", and "The Piper" and you will see what I mean. Other album highlight are the much cherished "The Way Old Friend's Do" which was recorded live at Wembley, the lovely latin-esque "Put on your White Sombrero" and the very interesting "Elaine".

SUPER TROUPER (the album) was an international best seller. As mentioned previously, the album debuted at number 1 in the UK, it also became ABBA's sixth consecutive Top Ten album in Canada where it peaked at #4 and it reached the US Top 20. The biggest single to emerge from the album was "The Winner Takes It All" which became the group's 8th #1 in the UK. In North America, the single reached the top ten in Canada and the US. The single also became ABBA's second US #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts ("Fernando" was their first). Another UK #1 was "Super Trouper" which was a minor US hit (#45) but it should be noted that that single along with "On and On and On" (US #90) became ABBA's 17th and 18th single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 in 7 years.

What amazes me about many of ABBA's albums is how they managed to create so many great songs. I guess there is a reason why the group is still popular 23 years after their break-up and why they continue to sell several million records every year- their total record tally for 1999 was 350 million sold, it must be far more than that now. This album is a testament to their talents as recording artists. In my opinion, they are the greatest pop group that ever existed. Frida and Agnetha's voice will never be duplicated and these songs can never be topped. As far as pop music is concerned, this is perfection and it will never get better than this.

Abba is a very underrated music group. Not to say that they weren't hugely succesful and that they didn't have major hits. They certainly did. But the hits were so huge they often overpowered the brilliance of each album they released. When listening to a greatest hits collection you miss out on the total true artistry of this musical group. Thet were famous when dance music was in its prime and that is what many of their hits were. But they were also superb at pop-rock and their albums had no filler and were all definite cohesive works with underlying messages.

Abba was a swedish group and consisted of two married couples. Their were problems in the interpersonal relationships at the time of SUPER TROUPER and rather than make for a lackluster release it raised the bar with music about love, relartionships, loss and friendship. There is a purity and beauty to their music. SUPER TROUPER was their second to last release and considered their best release by many including me. The biggest single here THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL is a beautiful, heart-wrenching ballad and sets the tone for the whole set. Whether optimistic, thought provoking or melancholy these songs are all superb. The title track, ON AND ON AND ON and ME AND I are all excellent. The slower tracks do rule here and are timeless - HAPPY NEW YEAR, OUR LAST SUMMER and THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO show a more mature thoughtful Abba. The trend on this release is much more in the pop-rock category. Only LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME is a traditional Abba dance track and it fits in perfectly.

Abba is a group where greatest hits collections are great but each individual album should in no way be ignored. Much of their best work will be missed and this group had a bigger message and purpose than hits colections show. Pure raw talent and musicianship reign here. This cd is poignant and resonates perfectly, standing the true test of time being in no way dated. The digital remastering is superb and sound clarility impeccable. Packaging is also very inventive and a large booklet of liner notes and pictures is enclosed. There are also two superb bonus tracks. I highly recommend this cd. You will be doing yourself such a treat to delve deeper into the musical history of Abba. And your music collection will thank you.

Getting "Mamma Mia!" standards and favorites out of the way first:
Super Trouper- A great song that just feels magical.
The Winner Takes It All- the greatest of the relationship songs is one that anyone (including me) can relate to.
Our Last Summer- Another personal one from Bjorn detailing a young romance in Paris is another song a person can relate.
Lay All Your Love On Me- An upbeat dance song that gives a hint to the techno sound music would have in the eighties.
As for the others, "Me and I" was an excellent song about the dual nature of people and the others were excellent. I can understand why this is the number one ABBA album for most fans but this is my third.

Here's another great alumb that is on cd. What can i say except abba was without an doudt an group you just had to love one way or another.

Rondall

Super Trouper is considered by many to be ABBA's best album. By 1980, ABBA's lyrics had become highly personal as evidenced by their number 1 hit The Winner Takes It All. I like The Piper, a relatively unknown song. It shows the power of music over an audience. Is Napoleon the piper? Is the piper the spirit of music which ABBA is following? That the piper seduced everybody suggests that he may not be so nice. Sweden stayed out of World War II. Norway, Frida's home land, was overrun by the Germans. In which case, we might think of the piper as Adolf Hitler. The fire in his eyes! We have all seen tapes of Hitler's harangues at Nazi rallies. Weapons of fear were Communism, the Jews and the specter of depression haunting the world in the 1930s. Such horrors were something baby boomers found hard to fathom. The Piper is a classic piece.

This is a great album, because it has songs on it that aren't available on the Best of Abba album, like "Happy New Year" and "Our Last Summer" and "Andante, Andante." I'd highly recommend it.

I just recieved this album today and it is my favorite of all of ABBA's albums. I am a HUGE ABBA fan. I have all their albums. My favorite song on this album is "Andante Andante" because it has a soothing sound. Buy this album!
Best song-Andante Andante
Worst-THERE IS NO BAD ABBA Song! They are all good! But my least favorite song on this album is "On & On & On."