Ring Ring [Extra tracks][Original recording remastered]

ABBA

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: July 17, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Polydor / Umgd
• ASIN: B00005CDND
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,429 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Pop > Euro Pop > Swedish Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Not issued in the U.S. until an early-'90s rerelease program, Abba's first album points toward the world-dominating pop of their later years. While the title cut has some vroom, others call for fine-tuning. The New Seekers-style anthem "People Need Love" offers the bizarre insistence that "People need love to make a good living"--at what?--and "Nina Pretty Ballerina" could be a pop song for toddlers. Not a bad thing, but not quite "Dancing Queen." And no, "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" isn't a Springsteenian saga of felonious misadventure, but a jingling remembrance of playground days. The 24-bit remastered sound of this edition (which includes a Swedish version of "Ring Ring" among its three bonus tracks) does suggest the care Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus were already taking with production. Their discs, however, would soon achieve the truly Abba-esque. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

24-bit digital remaster with new liner notes, complete lyrics and bonus tracks: 'Merry Go Round', 'Santa Rosa' and 'Ring Ring' (Swedish Version).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Debut album has some great songs, February 23, 2003

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Nobody could claim that this is the best Abba album, but it is much better than some would have you believe. Indeed I prefer it to a couple of their later albums.

The title track was a hit in several European countries but not the UK, so this album never got a British release on vinyl. That is a pity, because the songs here are of a remarkably high quality. Five of them appeared on the first Greatest hits album - Ring ring, Another town another train, People need love, Nina pretty ballerina and He is your brother - every one of them superb. It might all have been different if Ring ring had been Sweden's entry in the 1973 Eurovision song contest. It came third in the qualifying contest. The Swedish public thought it should have been their entry. Voting rules were changed and Abba won for Sweden a year later with Waterloo.

Benny and Bjorn both started in Swedish folk groups, while Agnetha and Frida were Swedish pop stars, although Frida was actually born in Norway. At the time of its original release in Sweden, the name Abba had not been invented. This album provides a fascinating insight into the early development of the band. She's my kind of girl just features Benny and Bjorn. People need love features Benny and Bjorn with Svenska Flicka, but Svenska Flicka are actually Agnetha and Frida, so this (it would seem) was the first recording featuring all the Abba members, before the name existed.

This is a great album for Abba fans to have, but anybody not already familiar with their music should try some of their later albums first - I particularly recommend Arrival, The Album and Super trouper - before worrying about this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABBA: RING RING, November 5, 2004

A Kid's Review

I am upset with all of the people who don't like this DEBUT! album. Most of the songs on here are highly listenable. Except for "I Saw It In the Mirror" and "I Am Just a Girl" all of the songs are perfect. While this isn't my favorite album of ABBA's, it never fails to bring a bit of sunshine to my day. This album has a lot more Bjorn and Benny vocals than their later ones, so enjoy the male half of ABBA as much as you can now. Please buy this outstanding CD!
ABBA'S FIRST ALBUM
BEST SONG: ROCK 'N' ROLL BAND
WORST SONG: I SAW IT IN THE MIRROR

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why Don't You Give Me a Call?, March 5, 2009

By	D. Reed "The Movie Critic" (Elkton, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The first album released by the supergroup is really a mixed bag for me. "Ring, Ring" has a nice pop feel to it and "Disillusion" is a meloncholy song alot which they would be known for in future releases but then there is the "rock" song. "Rock n Roll Band" is ok but rock is not what this group was.