Abba - Abba

...great benchmark at seeing how Abba were evolving musically from the folk pop of their past to great observers of life and relationships.

There are also none of the so-called "depressing" tracks here - when this album was recorded Agnetha and Bjorn were happily married and Benny and Frida were engaged so the relationship issues which came through so very clearly later on in Bjorn's lyrics are not evident here.

==The ...
...Loveland" is one of those Abba songs I suspect was composed and performed in the studio in Sweden in deepest midwinter as an antidote to the dark and the snow. The feel of this track is mock Caribbean - it puts me in mind of "Barbados" by Typically Tropical, another attempt by Europeans to capture the feel of the place musically. "Tropical Loveland" isn't as patronising as "Barbados" however and is probably also ... more

Introduction

"Abba" was the band's third album, but only their second release outside Sweden. It was released in the spring of 1975 and I recall getting it as a Christmas gift that year when I was 11.

I had bypassed their first album - back then I only really got albums at birthdays and Christmas and I think my brief love affair with the Rubettes overtook my desire to hear more of Abba, despite the fact I loved "Waterloo" from the minute I heard them sing it at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974.

That changed in the summer of 1975 when I heard "I Do I Do I Do I Do" and "SOS".

It was these singles that drew me towards this album and to this day I can still recall the beautifully photographed sleeve and bright yellow label. My vinyl copy has long since gone but I still have the album on CD, in the remastered edition which I am reviewing today.

I still view this as Abba's first "proper" album - the songwriting and performing is far slicker than what had gone before and in its original release this comprised of just eleven songs. The album is also a great benchmark at seeing how Abba were evolving musically from the folk pop of their past to great observers of life and relationships.

There are also none of the so-called "depressing" tracks here - when this album was recorded Agnetha and Bjorn were happily married and Benny and Frida were engaged so the relationship issues which came through so very clearly later on in Bjorn's lyrics are not evident here.

The Album and My Thoughts

The album opens with "Mamma Mia", one of the band's biggest hits. In retrospect it's hard to believe this wasn't the first single to be released from the album. The introduction is instantly recognisable from Benny's keyboard playing. Agnetha and Frida share the vocals on the entire song and the harmonies on this song are glorious, showing how two very good female singers could produce something very special when they sang together.

Second and third tracks "Hey Hey Helen" and "Tropical Loveland" hark back to earlier Abba. "Hey Hey Helen" has a strong guitar based backing track with shared vocals from Agnetha and Frida. The production on this song is strong however, and the backing vocals also done by the girls add to the interest but this is firmly an album track.

"Tropical Loveland" is one of those Abba songs I suspect was composed and performed in the studio in Sweden in deepest midwinter as an antidote to the dark and the snow. The feel of this track is mock Caribbean - it puts me in mind of "Barbados" by Typically Tropical, another attempt by Europeans to capture the feel of the place musically. "Tropical Loveland" isn't as patronising as "Barbados" however and is probably also saved by the fact it's a far better sung song too, with Frida taking lead vocals here.

"SOS" was the single release that brought Abba to another level musically. It was their second top ten UK single and made people sit up and listen and realise they couldn't be dismissed as one hit wonders. Once again, the song starts with Benny on keyboards and it is his piano playing, along with Agnetha's beautiful voice, which capture your attention every time. The chorus has a rockier feel which once again displays the close harmonies sung by all four members. Vocally, this song belongs to Agnetha, but for me the star is Benny - the keyboards on this track are outstanding.

"Man in the Middle" finds Bjorn taking lead vocals. I was never much of a fan of songs Bjorn sang as a child and to this day I still think his voice is bland, but one thing this song does show is his increasing talent at writing good lyrics in English.

People often mock some of Abba's lyrics, but overall Bjorn was very good at the job and his background in folk music probably helped him understand how to tell a short story in the songs he sang. "Man in the Middle" is musically not particularly interesting but for me it is an important Abba track for showing Bjorn's growing confidence in writing English lyrics.

"Bang a Boomerang" and "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" are both soaring pop songs which are both instantly recognisable as Abba songs with the distinctive sound of Agnetha and Frida's shared vocals. The former has pretty awful lyrics - the song began life in Swedish and it shows. In contrast, the latter is far better lyrically - the words move smoothly and make sense and the whole feel of the song is one of happiness with particularly good use made of the horn section on this track, and percussion. The key change towards the end builds the song to a strong and interesting crescendo.

"Rock Me" is a brilliant Abba song - I can even stomach Bjorn's vocals on this song. He sounds as if he was influenced by Noddy Holder on this track, he gives his voice a far coarser tone, which works really well. The chorus with the girls singing along in harmony is simple but effective and this is an album track which I feel has stood the test of time.

"Intermezzo No 1" is an instrumental. Benny's keyboard skills come to the fore here with this piece of music which is a mixture of classical, rock and folk and is very much of the time - it has a pseudo feel of Emerson Lake and Palmer for instance. Unlike "Arrival", there are no vocals on this piece at all. I also have to mention Bjorn's guitar playing here, which is excellent. I remember enjoying this as a child and while it hasn't quite stood the test of time for me there is no denying the sheer musicality of the piece and the talent of the man playing the keyboards on it.

We go from an instrumental to the joy of Agnetha singing "I've Been Waiting For You", which is one of the most beautiful love songs Abba ever recorded. So many times Agnetha sang the heartbreaking Abba songs, her voice capturing sadness like few other singers could, so to hear her sing this is real treat. On the chorus, when Frida's voice kicks in and adds to the harmonies the song becomes one of those classic Abba tracks that other bands would never have been able to leave as a mere album track.

And so the original release of the album ends with "So Long", which is a nod back to the sound of "Waterloo" and is nicely placed for the band to show they were moving on from that sound and into something more substantial. To me it still sounds great but I am aware others will find it dated but it marks the fact Abba were about to move onto bigger and better things.

The remastered CD has some extra tracks tacked on which I personally think don't merge well with this at all. "Nina Pretty Ballerina" is very much an early Abba song with basic production values and is a pleasant enough little diversion if nothing else. Worse is "Crazy World", originally a B-side. This was sung by Bjorn, sadly not in the style he used in "Rock Me". Nor are his lyrics as good on this track - to give him his due he does try to tell a story but it's all a bit of a mess overall. Frankly it has no place on this album and is easily one of the worst songs Abba ever recorded. It should have remained a forgotten B-side really.

The CD ends with a medley of "Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special" which is an improvement on "Crazy World", and while it lacks the sophistication of the production on the original album tracks, the performance makes up for that. There are tight vocals sung by all band members, but in particular Frida shines on this little oddity.

Overall

"Abba" is marvellous at revealing the talents of the four band members when inside a studio. Benny and Bjorn's production deserves a nod here too - it was on this album that their ability to use technical advances to improve the band's sound became evident.

This is one of the best Abba albums in my opinion and captures the band just at the point they were about to become international superstars. It also shows just how musically gifted all four members were and for me is an essential purchase for any Abba fan.

**This review has previously been published on dooyoo under the same user name** 

...less