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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Box Sets I Ever Bought!, February 28, 2009
OK, admit it. You love ABBA. I do too. I didn't realize how brilliant ABBA was until well into adulthood, but this Swedish quartet put out some of the most exciting, catchy, and brilliant music of all time.
Until I bought this box set, I was only familiar with ABBA through their greatest hits collections: ABBA Gold and More ABBA Gold. All of the songs of these collections are brilliant, but there is so much more to ABBA than just their hits. ABBA was not just disco. Their discography of music is surprisingly eclectic, and they could rock hard just as easily as they could light up the dance floor at Studio 54.
Every one of ABBA's albums, from their 1973 debut to their final album in 1981, The Visitors, is a masterpiece. Every song ABBA created could have been a hit. As many others have said, ABBA truly never released a song or album that wasn't good.
And it is through this box set that I discovered how much incredible music from ABBA is unknown. Wall of Sound? It's more like a Cube of Sound with ABBA. Every song is meticulously composed, arranged, and sung. And it's because of this perfection that ABBA's music, even the songs on their debut album, sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. Here's a brief rundown of each album in this set:
Ring Ring (1973) - What a debut! Powerful, peppy, Europop. The title song is probably the best known song from this album, but every song is terrific. Another Town, Another Train and Rock & Roll Band are two fantastic songs that could have been hits but weren't. I also love Nina, Pretty Ballerina, a fun, slightly silly song about a woman who's all business by day, but performs for the masses on Friday nights, and People Need Love, the first song Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha, and Anni-Frid recorded together. And again, thanks to that brilliant ABBA craftsmanship, most of these songs don't sound nearly as dated as others of the time period.
Waterloo (1974) - Wanna know what ABBA's best album was? This was it, despite a lack of true hits. This is ABBA's most eclectic album. Waterloo, the title track, is again pure power Europop, with great sax and piano work. ABBA rocks hard with Watch Out (probably their heaviest song) and the super silly, but brilliantly composed King Kong Song. My Mama Said is a song that proves ABBA may have helped to invent disco. But the song is much funkier that the typical disco song, with a great bass line, and therefore it doesn't sound dated at all. Honey Honey is a lovely little romantic ditty with synth work that ABBA created with a synthesizer than they got from the future. The album closes with Suzy Hang Around, a beautiful folksy song about a girl who just want to hang out with the boys but gets rejected, and it's wonderfully sung by Benny. Every time I play this album, my jaw drops when I think about the fact that most of these songs were recorded in 1973! They don't sound dated at all. This is not the music you think of when you think of ABBA. And that's why I love this album the most.
ABBA (1975) - Now the hits start coming. This album starts off with one of ABBA's best known songs, Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia is followed by one of ABBA's heavier rockers, Hey Hey Helen. The fantastic love song S.O.S. is also on this album. The highlight among highlights on this album is the beyond astonishing Intermezzo No. 1. Twenty years before Trans-Siberian Orchestra started to bring a fusion of hard rock and classical music to the masses, ABBA did it with this nearly four minute magnum opus. Words cannot describe how brilliant this composition is. And it was recorded in 1975?!? I can't believe it, and neither will you. I would say that this album is tied with its successor as ABBA's second best.
Arrival (1976) - Yes, ABBA truly did arrive with this album, and it's another masterpiece. This album features more hits, including what is probably ABBA's best know song, Dancing Queen. This album also features the best breakup song of all time, Knowing Me, Knowing You. The album starts off with the super peppy When I Kissed the Teacher, a song about a girl who shocks her class when she does exactly what the title says she does. The terrific Money, Money, Money is also on this album. While not a big hit when it was originally released, it has morphed into a pop staple over the years.
The Album (1977) - While a hair less brilliant than the three albums that preceded it, The Album still shows ABBA as masters of their craft. This album starts off with the majestic Eagle, which is followed by another one of ABBA's best known songs, Take a Chance on Me. One Man, One Woman is a great romantic ballad. Hole in Your Soul is the best "Should Have Been a Hit, But Wasn't" song on this album. A super uptempo rocker with tremendous energy, it will have you singing along every time you hear it. The albums ends with a trio of Broadwayesque "mini-musical" songs, Thank You for the Music, I Wonder (Departure), and I'm a Marionette.
Voulez-Vous (1979) - Here it is, the "Disco" album. I would say that this is my least favorite ABBA album. It's still brilliant, but not quite as terrific as the albums that preceded it. The heavy disco influence makes the songs on this album sound a little more dated than the other albums. Still, ABBA's disco songs will blow any other group's out of the water, thanks to the brilliant composing and arranging. The highlights of this album are the title track and the fantastically playful Disco/Rock fusion song Does Your Mother Know.
Super Trouper (1980) - As the 70s morphed into the 80s, something happened to ABBA that happens to most of us: they grew up. Super Trouper showcases a more mature, more introspective ABBA. The music toned down the super happy Europop a bit and brought in some more adult contemporary elements. It was like Voulez-Vous was ABBA's giant party, and this album let everyone know that it was time to get serious. The album starts off with the terrific Super Trouper. Other highlights: Me and I, the new waveesque On and On and On, and the terrific medieval sounding The Piper. This album is a bit different from the others, but still great.
The Visitors (1981) - While the final albums of most groups often shown a notable decline in music quality, that's not the case here. The Visitors is a terrific swan song. Like its predecessor, the albums tends to be more serious in tone than ABBA's 70s albums. The album starts off with the sci-fi inspired The Visitors, a great song with the typical hooky ABBA chours. Two for the Price of One is ABBA's "fun" song on this album. The album does have a bit of a somber tone throughout, but the quality of the songs still does not disappoint.
This set also contains a bonus disc with many extra songs from all of ABBA's different eras. Included are Swedish version of Ring Ring and Waterloo and some early songs sung by Bjorn, including Santa Rosa and Merry Go Round. I particularly like the Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton, On Top of Old Smokey, and Midnight Special, recorded around the time of ABBA's self-titled album in 1975.
The packaging of this set is super compact, and all of the CDs are housed in replicas of the original LP album covers. There is also a bonus book containing little tidbits and dates about many of ABBA's songs.
The sound of every one of the CDs is absolutely stellar. Benny and Bjorn must have put their magic touch on these CDs. Every note is crystal clear.
I cannot recommend this collection enough. ABBA's contributions to pop music and, in fact, to music in general, cannot be praised enough. Pick up this set and you will get the opportunity to enjoy some of the best pop, rock, and disco music ever created. Yes, indeed, ABBA, thank you for the music.
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
ABBA Again re-packaged, December 6, 2008
I have every single song recorded by ABBA, including the bootleg recordings of the rareties. I understand the bootlegs will never make it to a compilation like this, but please, if your going to re release the same music at least give the true fans a bit more, like the rarely heard "On the Carousel" from The Album. I have the full version and it is a great song. There are so many rareties that have never been officially released in the U.S or Canada but have been found on imports from China, Turkey and even from Afghanistan. These were official releases in those countries. Universal should consider finding them, or asking the members of ABBA for permission to release them. They might actually sell a few more million copies. Otherwise this is just another greatest hits package.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
But wait!, November 16, 2008
Sure, this is just universal music milking ABBA's catelog for all it's worth, but hey, if you don't have "The Complete Studio Recordings" but wanna check out more of their output, this is a good album. I don't need this since I already have 99% of the tracks, but then again 98% of the tracks contained in this box set are catchy and enjoyable. My only complaint is that it should of been released a few months earlier, since the world economy is so poor that many people who want this album cannot afford it. But any album that contains tracks like "Happy Hawaii", "Hey Hey Helen", "Fernando", "That's Me", "Hole In Your Soul", "Thank You for the Music", "Our Last Summer" and "One Of Us" is worth getting even if the economy is falling apart.
But, I have one complaint. There are DOZENS of unreleased ABBA demos and songs that have never been released, despite often being quite catchy.
Still, if this album introduces another people to the wonderful sounds of songs like "Another Town, Another Train" and "Should I Laugh Or Cry", then I guess it's OK.
Oh, one more thing, take notice of the track called "Disillusion", since it was co-written by the Blonde girl (She wrote the music, Bjorn wrote the lyrics).
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