I'm still writing, reading, rating and commenting. I am working my way to orange, slowly but surely.
I'm still writing, reading, rating and commenting. I am working my way to orange, slowly but surely.
Member since:18.11.2006
Reviews:55
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Having seen Mama Mia on stage and asking for the DVD for Christmas I also asked my husband to buy me Abba Gold, so I could sing along in the car. However rather than Abba Gold he bought me Abba "The Definitive Collection", he reckoned it had the most tracks and was the best value. Well to be honest I think he was right, this is definitely a definitive collection for the Abba enthusiast.
The collection consists of 2 CDs and a DVD, the DVD alone runs for 2 hours 48 minutes a substantial amount for even the hard core Abba fan. There are 2 CDs, CD1 consists of 20 tracks and CD2 consists of 15 tracks and 2 bonus tracks. I am not going to review every track, but I will give a flavour of the collection.
Each of the CDs and the DVD are contained within their own individual dust cover, a picture of the group on the front of the dust cover and a track listing on the back of the cover. There is also a short leaflet within the pack with some photographs of Abba and a bit of a history of the group and some general information on their music. There are also various credits for the songs and some Abba addresses such as the official fan club address.
For those interested the address of the fan club is: The Official International ABBA Fan Club PO Box 3079 4700 GB Roosendaal The Netherlands
The
official ABBA website is www.abbasite.com
I was born in 1969 and sort of came to Abba later in life, I don't confess to buying the singles the first time around but I was aware of the group in their later years and as I became more interested in music from about the age of 10. I can't claim to have any musical knowledge but I do know that the music of Abba makes me feel mostly happy, there are a few sad ones but the majority are mostly bouncy, happy songs that I can sing along to and even dance to if I am in the mood. Generally I keep this CD in the car and listen to it when I am driving, helps keep the road rage at bay!
The Definitive Collection contains 37 songs in total including all the singles released between 1972 and 1982. There are 2 songs from 1972, 2 from 1973, 4 from 1974, 3 from 1975, 4 from 1976, 4 from 1977, 1 from 1978, 7 from 1979, 4 from 1980, 4 from 1981, and 2 from 1982.
CD 1 covers the period 1972 to 1979 and it contains 20 tracks. I must admit that before I got the CD I was not aware of all the songs but I am getting to know them better. The track list on CD 1 is: 1. People need love 2. He is your brother 3. Ring ring 4. Love isn't easy 5. Waterloo 6. Honey, honey 7. So long 8. I do, I do, I do 9. SOS 10. Mamma Mia 11. Fernando 12. Dancing Queen 13. Money, money, money 14. Knowing me, knowing you 15. The name of the game 16. Take a chance on me 17. Eagle 18. Summer night city 19. Chiquitita 20. Does your Mother know
Track1 on the CD is from 1972 and is titled "People need love", not a song I knew before this album, the style of this track is quite simplistic and very much in the style of early 1970s pop. Track 2, "He is your brother" is another song I had not heard of, track 3 "Ring, ring" I had heard but would not be a favourite and in my opinion doesn't stand out much. For me this CD kicks off from track 5 "Waterloo", the following tracks are all Abba classics and the rest of the CD has lots of recognisable songs. My favourite tracks are 11 Fernando, 13 Money Money Money, 15 The name of the game and 20 Does your Mother know.
CD 2, covers the period 1979 to 1982 and has 17 tracks, including the 2 bonus tracks. The track list on CD 2 is: 1. Voulez-vous 2. Angeleyes 3. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A man after midnight) 4. I have a dream 5. The winner takes it all 6. Super trouper 7. On and on and on 8. Lay all your love on me 9. One of us 10. When all is said and done 11. Head over heels 12. The visitors (Crackin' up) 13. The day before you came 14. Under Attack 15. Thank you for the music 16. Ring ring (1974 remix) 17. Voulez-vous (extended remix, 1979 US promo)
The tracks on CD 2 are very recognisable and would be known to most people, it is amazing just how many singles that ABBA have released over the years. My favourites on this CD are 4 I have a dream, 8 Lay all your love on me and 15 Thank you for the music.
This collection is a compilation of the Abba singles, not all of which reached number 1, it is a true history of the band's success. Some of the songs are less well known but I found the whole collection to be one that I can listen to without skipping through the tracks. There are some sad songs like "The winner takes it all", but even this has a good beat and tempo to it.
The surprise addition of a DVD in the collection adds something special to the set. The DVD listings are slightly different to the CDs. I haven't listed all the DVD tracks only the differences to the CDs. There are 35 songs on the DVD including the addition of Bang-a-Boomerang, That's me, One man One woman, Happy new year, When I kissed the teacher, Estoy Sonando, Felicidad and No hay a quien culpar. The DVD gives an opportunity so the 1970s and early 1980s in all their gaudy glory, it is good to put a story to some of the songs, but I must admit it is a bit too long for me, 2 hours and 48 minutes, I do tend to fast forward through the DVD.
All in all I find that Abba the Definitive Collection is a compilation that is very easy and enjoyable to listen to. It shows all the different sides to Abba, from the jokey light pop music so some quite sad and thought provoking numbers. If you are looking for a comprehensive history of the band with all the classics then this is a great collection. I wholeheartedly recommend it, I am not sure of the price but it is readily available from the likes of Play and Amazon.
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Great Review. I love ABBA. When i was younger I had a cassette tape of their stuff then obviously CD's became fashionable. I never really moved on from CD's and dont own an MP3 player or IPOD or have Itunes so my boyfriend bought me ABBA Gold for xmas. Its my car Cd. C
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