Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Different From "ABBA Gold," But Still great, May 9, 2004
I loved this follow up to "ABBA Gold," yet this album delivers a very different set of ABBA hits. If you are a casual ABBA fan and want to listen to the songs that were most prominent on the radio like "SOS" and "Dancing Queen," you may want to opt for the original ABBA Gold.What makes "More Gold" stand apart from the original is revealed best in the lyrics. The first "Gold" has songs of love, sensual desire, and inspiration, all that express the core passions in a nutshell. The songs in "More Gold" tend to tell more detailed stories behind these emotions, be it a slice-of-life narrative like "The Day Before You Came" (a woman recounting the last time her weekday routine felt comfortable but mundane, which was the day before she meets her lover for the first time)or a classic myth in "Cassandra." The story telling nature of the tunes on "More Gold" sound more like something we would hear in a stage musical rather than on the radio or a rock concert. Perhaps Benny & Bjorn were getting the "theater bug" while penning these songs, as both went on to collaberate on musicals like "Chess" and "Kristina Fran Duvemala." The most recognizable hit on this CD is "I Do, I Do, I do," but virtually every song is a pleasure. The only tracks that left me flat were "I Wonder" (I love whimsical songs, but this was a little too over-the-top melodramatic for me) and "When I Kissed the Teacher." Neither of these tunes take anything away from "More Gold" being a great buy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Those Were the Days, June 24, 2002
It was so very long ago that I heard Abba for the first time. Before disco, before New Wave, Abba was fresh, usually fun, pop music. The fact that the two female lead singers were beautiful and the two male singers were attractive likely helped the group's popularity.For about 8 years, 1974 to 1982, if Abba sang and released a song, it was almost instantly a hit. It would be difficult to explain to someone today the popularity of the group, given that the music is very light and relatively simple by today's standards. However, the fact remains that their music was catchy, and you could easily find yourself singing along. This CD was a follow on to "Abba Gold", and I believe it is the better CD of the two. "Abba Gold" was primarily filled with music that made it into the top 40, and most of that into the top 10, in either Great Britain, The United States, or Australia. Often the music made it into the top in all three countries. "More Abba Gold" includes the rest of Abba's released hit singles, and a number of other gems that were considered good examples of Abba's music. Read the other reviewers for their picks. Among my favorites are "Eagle", "The Visitors", "Our Last Summer", "I Wonder (Departure)", "Lovelight", "I Am the City", "Cassandra", "Under Attack", and "When All Is Said and Done". After having listened to these songs you'll realize that most of these songs were not monster released hits, but are artistically and musically more satisfying than songs like "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo". The other songs on this CD are generally okay as well. Certainly I have no objections to the selections on this CD. I play it much more than "Abba Gold" because of the aforementioned selections, which tend to be more serious and more representative of what Abba was capable of performing. If you like the pure pop sound of Abba, stick with "Abba Gold". If you want a sampler of Abba that expands beyond the pop hits, then start with "More Abba Gold". You may find that the music Abba was capable of producing entices you to buy their albums. I am not prepared to comment on the sound quality of the reproduction. The original vinyl albums had technical recording flaws, and I was sometimes disappointed with their quality. Based on my now-vague recollection of the quality of the vinyl, this CD is better. However, my memory could be flawed as well. If you see a reviewer comparing the original vinyl recordings and the CD version, and seems to be objective, listen to that reviewer. In the meantime, as long as you are not an audiophile and will pick apart every little detail, the quality of this CD was good enough for me. You should have enough information to decide whether you want to buy this CD at this point. I think if you like the sound of Abba, you'll like this CD.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Companion to Abba Gold includes rare I am the city, March 9, 2003
It would appear that this album, when released, was something of an afterthought. Abba gold sold millions of copies, so this compilation was assembled for those who wanted a second Abba collection. Inevitably, it is not as strong as Abba gold, as the most obvious songs were all there, but it still easily justifies five stars.
Abba had more hits than can be accommodated on a single CD, so there are a few hits here, although they didn't chart in all the major record-buying countries. These include Summer night city and Angel eyes (both British top five), Eagle (a big hit in several European countries, but not released as a UK single), I do I do I do I do I do (an early Abba hit in Britain, America and many other countries), Honey honey, When all is said and done (both American hits), Ring ring (their 1973 song which wasn't selected for Eurovision), Head over heels and Under attack, one of their last hits.
The day before you came was the last newly recorded Abba single. It was a minor British hit but it is one of my favorite Abba songs, which would have been a much bigger hit had it been recorded and released a few years earlier.
I am the city was recorded for a new album that never materialised. It is a typically upbeat Abba song, but is one of their rarest tracks. All the other tracks either appeared on original albums, or have been added as bonus tracks to re-mastered versions of original albums - for example, Summer night city is a bonus track on Voulez-vous. Furthermore, I am the city has not appeared on any other compilation (at the time of this writing) except Forever gold, a re-issue of this album and Abba gold as a double-CD. So Abba fans need this CD just for I am the city.
For the more casual music fan, this is a great companion to Abba gold. If you don't have either and you want two CD's of their best music, you might consider some of the more recent double-CD's such as Definitive collection - most of the tracks will be the same, but a double-CD might be better value for money.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
is one of ABBA's 
