Amazon.com essential recordingAnyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
REVIEW
ABBA GOLD GREATEST HITS LOVE THIS CD. WE PLAY IT ALL THE TIME. THE PRICE WAS GREAT FOR ALL THE ENTERTAINMENT THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN.
Amazon.comFor those who love Abba (and if you're reading this, chances are you do, even if you don't know it yet), ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits represents a happy, joyous compilation of 19 of the Swedish supergroup's numerous videos (it omits 13 that were on Abba: The Definitive Collection but adds "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "I Have a Dream"). Granted, they all seem to have been filmed on the same soundstage (even the firelit "Fernando"), but they retain their appeal and infectious charm. Fans can thrill to these vintage clips, which provide an opportunity to rediscover who was the most natural in front of the camera (Agnetha), who was the best dancer (Anna-Frid, a.k.a. Frida), who was the most demure (Benny), and who was the worst lip-syncher (Bjorn--always Bjorn). Lassé Hallstrom, later an Oscar®-nominated filmmaker, directed most of the early videos, and it shows in their natural, no-fuss style; it wasn't until Abba tried to make the jump to '80s-style electronica that they faltered in both style and content. In addition to old standbys like "Waterloo" and "Take a Chance on Me," there's a 25-minute historical documentary and a 1992 version of the "Dancing Queen" video. To this we say: Thank you for the music--and the videos! --Mark Englehart
REVIEW
Good overview of Abba for the price I just wanted to take a trip down memory lane. And for that Abba Gold is a lot of fun! It also has an interesting documentary of Abba's history as told by Bjorn and Michael Tretow their recording engineer. The DVD also adds a 1992 version of Dancing Queen. Though frankly I didn't see how the 1992 Dancing Queen was much different from the original one.
The video quality isn't that great, but it reminds me of how I saw it when I was a kid dancing in front of the tv. The costumes, tons of blue eyeshadow, the 70's hairstyles, the bad lip synching, the disco all bring me back. It's all before MTV and the production values by today's standards are very amateurish. I find it charming. And hey, my 3 year old daughter loves this DVD!
Okay, so maybe the Definitive Collection is a better DVD of Abba's videos, but it's twice the price and doesn't have a documentary. If you're a die-hard Abba fan and will buy multiple DVDs, then this isn't the DVD for you. But if you just want to buy one ABBA DVD, then this gives you a lot for your money.
Amazon.comFor those who love Abba (and if you're reading this, chances are you do, even if you don't know it yet), ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits represents a happy, joyous compilation of 19 of the Swedish supergroup's numerous videos (it omits 13 that were on Abba: The Definitive Collection but adds "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "I Have a Dream"). Granted, they all seem to have been filmed on the same soundstage (even the firelit "Fernando"), but they retain their appeal and infectious charm. Fans can thrill to these vintage clips, which provide an opportunity to rediscover who was the most natural in front of the camera (Agnetha), who was the best dancer (Anna-Frid, a.k.a. Frida), who was the most demure (Benny), and who was the worst lip-syncher (Bjorn--always Bjorn). Lassé Hallstrom, later an Oscar®-nominated filmmaker, directed most of the early videos, and it shows in their natural, no-fuss style; it wasn't until Abba tried to make the jump to '80s-style electronica that they faltered in both style and content. In addition to old standbys like "Waterloo" and "Take a Chance on Me," there's a 25-minute historical documentary and a 1992 version of the "Dancing Queen" video. To this we say: Thank you for the music--and the videos! --Mark Englehart
REVIEW
Good overview of Abba for the price I just wanted to take a trip down memory lane. And for that Abba Gold is a lot of fun! It also has an interesting documentary of Abba's history as told by Bjorn and Michael Tretow their recording engineer. The DVD also adds a 1992 version of Dancing Queen. Though frankly I didn't see how the 1992 Dancing Queen was much different from the original one.
The video quality isn't that great, but it reminds me of how I saw it when I was a kid dancing in front of the tv. The costumes, tons of blue eyeshadow, the 70's hairstyles, the bad lipsynching, the disco all bring me back. It's all before MTV and the production values by today's standards are very amateurish. I find it charming. And hey, my 3 year old daughter loves this DVD!
Okay, so maybe the Definitive Collection is a better DVD of Abba's videos, but it's twice the price and doesn't have a documentary. If you're a die-hard Abba fan and will buy multiple DVDs, then this isn't the DVD for you. But if you just want to buy one ABBA DVD, then this gives you a lot for your money.
Album DescriptionThe ultimate Abba hits collection featuring 'Gold' & the no-longer available 'More Gold' plus the exciting 'Gold' DVD (PAL/Region 0) which features 18 fantastic videos & two bonus tracks, 'Abba - The History' (documentary) & 'Dancing Queen' (1992 version)
Amazon.com essential recordingAnyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution."S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
REVIEW
ABBA GOLD GREATEST HITS LOVE THIS CD. WE PLAY IT ALL THE TIME. THE PRICE WAS GREAT FOR ALL THE ENTERTAINMENT THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN.
Album DescriptionABBA: Bjorn Ulvaeus (vocals, guitar); Benny Andersson (vocals, keyboards); Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog (vocals). Producers: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus. Compilation producer: Chris Griffin. Includes liner notes by John Tobler. Digitally remastered by Michael B. Tretow (Polar Studios). In seemingly random; which is to say, it contains nineteen of the most delectable pop productions of the '70s and early '80s. "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and the other landmarks of upbeat melancholy are complex concoctions--all layered harmonies and brilliant keyboard arrangements. These songs don't easily fit into any pop timeline, which may be why Abba received much of their acclaim long after breaking up. What may have seemed like Euro-pop fluff in its day, has been revealed by time to be truly classic studio pop. The Swedish band's songs had show-tune and '60s-pop roots, skirted around the edge of disco, and were an unspoken influence on new wave. Without them, Madonna's very existence would be highly unlikely. With its Latin beat and gospel harmonies, "Lay Your Love All Over Me," one of the five songs here that didn't chart in the U.S., sounds like the very source of "Like A Prayer." Like Madonna, Abba had a grandiose vision of pop's place in the world--"who could live without it, I ask in all honesty," is how they put it in "Thank You For The Music," their Broadway-like farewell gesture. Hearing these singles, its hard to imagine anyone ever did. Digitally remastered edition of the original collection released in 1982. 'Gold' features nine number one singles & is the definitive Abba album to own. Universal. 2006
Album DescriptionABBA: Bjorn Ulvaeus (vocals, guitar); Benny Andersson (vocals, keyboards); Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog (vocals). Producers: Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus. Compilation producer: Chris Griffin. Includes liner notes by John Tobler. Digitally remastered by Michael B. Tretow (Polar Studios). In seemingly random; which is to say, it contains nineteen of the most delectable pop productions of the '70s and early '80s. "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and the other landmarks of upbeat melancholy are complex concoctions--all layered harmonies and brilliant keyboard arrangements. These songs don't easily fit into any pop timeline, which may be why Abba received much of their acclaim long after breaking up. What may have seemed like Euro-pop fluff in its day, has been revealed by time to be truly classic studio pop. The Swedish band's songs had show-tune and '60s-pop roots, skirted around the edge of disco, and were an unspoken influence on new wave. Without them, Madonna's very existence would be highly unlikely. With its Latin beat and gospel harmonies, "Lay Your Love All Over Me," one of the five songs here that didn't chart in the U.S., sounds like the very source of "Like A Prayer." Like Madonna, Abba had a grandiose vision of pop's place in the world--"who could live without it, I ask in all honesty," is how they put it in "Thank You For The Music," their Broadway-like farewell gesture. Hearing these singles, its hard to imagine anyone ever did. Digitally remastered edition of the original collection released in 1982. 'Gold' features nine number one singles & isthe definitive Abba album to own. Universal. 2006
