ABBA: Classic Or Dud?

Did "Summer Night City" ever get wide release as a 12 inch? Which sounds better, the 7 inch or its appearance on Greatest Hits Vol. 2?

The "previously unreleased full-length version" debuted on the box set.

Yeah, with the string intro or whatever. I'm thinking of record fidelity. The greatest hits vol. 2 is one of those records with a lot of tracks on each side, and I think "Summer Night City" is on one of the inner bands (and I'm superstitious of inner bands because I always think of them as lower fidelity because they're smaller than outer bands - I think a lot of singles lead off on the outer bands). I have a source for the GH, but not the 7 inch. Sometimes 7 inches sound like ass, anyway. I thought a nice fat-grooved 45 rpm 12 inch of this song would be cool.

That is way too much information.

A side note: Waterloo the album kicks ass.

how is this thread so short?

Abba are great, what's left to discuss?

i think it's cause we did so many other threads about them over the years. but yeah there's no debate is there.

Summer Night City on Greatest Hits Vol 2 vinyl sounds great. That's the format that I have mostly experienced it in. Comparitively speaking, I can only compare it to some illegaly downloaded mp3 and I have to say it is superior.

Best Band Ever right?

yeah - i'm listening to them now

Looks like I was referenced early on here. Just saying... No... They aren't the best band ever. But they are still classic.

However, their best album was one that was among their least selling. Probably because they were seen as sort of old-fashioned and their brilliant take on the synthpop sound went unnoticed by those (well... like me...at the time, even) who should have been supposed to like it.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't think about the chorus of "Angeleyes"

also lol@

I FUCKING HATE ABBA.

― kate the saint, Wednesday, April 18, 2001 7:00 PM (10 years ago)

This kind of response to music is so alien to me. I don't understand it at all.

I love "Angeleyes" too. I thought ABBA were new wave or something.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a relative had a copy of 'ABBA Gold', and decided to borrow it because I hadn't heard it for quite some time (I don't own a copy of it, myself) - I'd always liked stuff like 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' and 'The Name Of The Game', but I'd never bothered to actually go and check out to see what their studio albums were like. So I did.

I found myself quite surprised with some of their stuff, but some of it was a little bit TOO sugary for me (and I'm a guy that considers himself to have quite the musical sweet tooth).

Nevertheless, of all of their albums I'd probably say that 1975's self-titled album impressed me the most - love the playing, singing, songwriting and production on that. The one that least impressed me was probably the "Voulez-Vous" album.

Oh, and "I'm A Marionette" kicks all sorts of ass.

The live version of I'm A Marionette from ABBA The Movie is superb.

Yeah, I was just watching that on youtube! Far more energetic than the studio cut, and just as bizarre!

yeah Abba The Movie is amazing innit. shame that 'Get On The Carousel' from the film was never put on wax.

Narrator dude on the live version is great: "She feels like... A MARIONETTE!!!"

"I've Been Waiting For You" is so underrated as well - gorgeous ballad.

Where on earth has 'Summer Night City' been all my life? Such a tune.

I've never really been too keen on that one. Apparently even ABBA themselves considered it to be a bit of a weak song. 'I'm A Marionette' is still kicking my ass.

Summer Night City was inspired by The Bee Gees too according to the liner notes on the re-issue of the Voulez Vous album. "It never turned out as good as it could have been, there's something missing" says Bjorn and they deliberately left it off the album in the end. i like it. still baffles me why If It Wasn't For The Nights wasn't a single off that album.

Well, to me it's more of a 'track' than a song, perfect dancefloor/mixing material, with a really driving atmosphere, therefore to me it's their most disco.

Great song, Bjorn's wrong. #5 in the British charts, not exactly obscure either!

"WALKING in the moonlight"

Then Play Long finally reaches Abba: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/abba-greatest-hits.html

Sunday morning reminder.

The ABBA Session Band: http://felpin80.tripod.com/ata/id41.html

The soundtrack of the movie, except it's more of a soundtrack of their own minds: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/abba-album.html.

Not so much a greatest hits review, more an explanation of what Then Play Long has been all about: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/abba-singles-first-ten-years.html

the *fantastic* BBC doc is only up for a few more days so please do watch it at all speed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03lyzpp/The_Joy_of_ABBA/

Yes, the BBC documentary is really great.

On another note, this map is interesting:

http://i.imgur.com/xLfdUoP.png?1

The website mentioned on the map only has information about Polish chart placings from 1982 onwards- were their records not available in Poland before that point,(or information about sales not recorded)?

The Radio Trojka archives only go back as far as 1982. The records would have been available but i don't think there was a formally compiled chart before then.

That BBC doc was thrash, sorry, again its doing the whole "isn't stuff that was popular at the time really great".

I wish the guy who said oh Joy Divisions/Stooges didn't sell as many records but had more cultural influence posted on ilx just so he could be abused.

fantastic documentary, saw it on bbc4 over christmas. fantastic, fantastic group, my favourite group at moment. must recommend the compilation the essential abba!

Docu is on YT if u look

That map is great but 'sup Denmark, lettin' the Northern Europeans down, do you think this is the Austro-Hungarian Empire or sumthin'?

informal Beach Boys (& opera) jam with OLJ and Andy Gibb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gt3grMaHZI

due to over exposure in the 70s via my parents love of radio 2, i have always avoided buying any ABBA product, but on a whim i picked up the boxset today (twas bargain of course!), and so far i have listened to their first 2 albums, 'ring ring', and 'waterloo' and have already come to realise the errors of my ways.

of course, in recent times i have fallen hard for lounge/easy listening, so i guess i'm in a better place (i.e. i am old.) to listen to ABBA these days.

The albums get better and better too.

bloody hell, opening track of 'the vistors'.

could be an offcut from a lost goldfrapp album.

brilliant.

best £15 i ever spent.

... also best bonus trax on an album evah

no bonus tracks on the boxset editions ..

are the tracks on the extra cd that comes with the boxset !!?

(please please please .. )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Albums#CD_9_-_Bonus_Tracks

Yes, 13-19

... uh, 17

hurray !

ta for being my knight in shining glitter tom d ..

much appreciated sir.

i need this groove this dark dark weekend

You Owe Me One and Under Attack are great. Like they were trying to take on some new wave influences. You Owe Me One reminds me of Oh No It's Devo.

re you owe me one : ok, i get the devo vibe. just.

would never have picked up on that if you had not said, i would have basically connected it with annie styled scanda pop, but i cannot deny the all too brief guitar break at 2.27-2.42 = devo-esque.