Ranking the ABBA albums!
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Grab a banana and settle in (this is a long one) as I rank all 9 ABBA studio LPs (and mispronounce Claudine Longet). Aside from all the great singles this is a catalog that is very new to me, so these are basically early impressions of a body of work that I will likely only grow to love even more over time.
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Thank you for taking the time and actually "listening" to the songs. I think that all of us ABBA fans change our minds constantly regarding our favorite album. I think it depends on your mood at the time of listening. Benny and Bjorn have such a knack of mixing things up and keeping things interesting. 'Ring Ring' was going to be the follow up to Benny & Bjorn's first album, so that's why so many songs are sung by Bjorn.
Love your rankings and I think it is natural people will have differences of opinions with this sort of thing. While your least favorite is Super Trouper, mine is actually Arrival despite the huge hits on it (which are some of my favorite). Agreed with Little Things as a stand alone rather than an album track. Still their vocals on Voyage are incredible. Not sure if you remember, but ABBA albums always were crucified in the reviews every single time they released an album, so nothing new this time around, yet they were still able to sell millions and even broke some records with their newest release. There's something special about an ABBA album really, from Ring Ring all the way through until now, you hit on it in the beginning when you described their unique sound. Thanks so much for your video!!
Ooh! Your bottom pick is even more controversial than mine! Ha! Now I don't feel so bad. ;-)
So happy you did this video! Love Abba in all their phases. My favorite album has always been a tie between Abba the album and the visitors.
Thanks!
I have to admit, I really enjoy watching you contort yourself when you try to explain your subjective reactions. I’m in the same camp as you in that I know all the singles ABBA released in the 70s and liked them, but never took the extra step to actually buy an album. I think I may have to get a couple of these. Thanks!
Ha! Hilarious. I think I'm much more articulate in my head. My adjectives often desert me when the red light goes on. Only piece of advice is that if you start with Arrival don't let the opening track scare you off.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast So I spent a goodly chunk of time last night listening to ABBA, and I have a few reactions. (I listened to ABBA, Arrival, and The Album.) First, the true dog of these albums isn’t When I Kissed the Teacher (though that isn’t what you’d call a high point)-the true dog is Tropical Loveland. Jesus, I despise pop groups’ reggae songs. (I love 10cc, but Dreadlock Holiday makes me want to put my head through the wall.) Secondly, even when the lyrics are iffy, the sound is excellent. Dancing Queen is a good example. I couldn’t tell you what half of those words are, but it sounds goooooood. For some of these songs, knowing what the words are doesn’t really add much to my experience. (Enough of the lyrics get cheesy that I’m okay with the mondegreens in my head.) Finally, Ola Brunkert and Rutger Gunnarsson can lay down one HELL of a groove. When I heard all of these songs the first time, they were coming through cheap speakers, and that’s how they embedded in my memories. Truly listening to them last night with decent headphones was dramatically different. Gunnarsson in particular is an amazing bassist. Even dog songs are listenable if the groove is good.
Except for Tropical Loveland. Bury that thing in the back yard and salt the earth. Jesus.
@@PapaNicksMusic Agreed on all points. When I kissed the Teacher is far from the worst song in the catalog but neither the Arrival LP nor that song benefit in any way from its placement as the opening track. And yes, Tropical Loveland is probably second only to King Kong Song on the dog list. I didn’t go very far into my distaste for that song in the video, but like you I can’t stand pseudo reggae tracks. I don’t like actual reggae to begin with…but wannabe reggae? Go jump in the lake! As far as lyrics are concerned, look to the later albums - Super Trouper, Visitors and Voyage - for the lyrics to truly impact the experience. At that point Bjorn begins writing in such a way to where you can see the scenes of the movie in your head. Good storytelling with a lot of little details.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast When I think back to listening to ABBA when they first released their albums I don't think I ever thought about what genre/style the songs were, it was ABBA, and that was enough. So 'Tropical Loveland' was a slow song rather than pseudo Reggae to me, so I don't mind it. Don't know about anyone else, but I do sometimes think that Frida was undervalued and maybe deserved better tracks to sing, if that makes sense.
I just stumbled upon your channel and I really enjoyed this very thorough analysis! You've definitely had the typical experience with ABBA where your preferences will fluctuate over time. My personal favorite album is "Voulez-Vous", so it's nice to see that the album is growing on you (even though I have to disagree with you about "Kisses of Fire"). I'm definitely going to check out more of your videos!
Thanks, Thomas! No doubt it will be an ever-changing thing.
The biggest pop band in the 70’s. Top 3 pop band in the history.
Great format. In depth, gives me some high points to discover. Looks
Like everyone enjoyed this!
Thank you! Hope you like the stuff you haven't heard yet.
Voulez Vous is the best ABBA album with Kisses of Fire and that wall of sound being the best...If It Wasn't For The Nights is also a fav....
Yes, that's my favorite album and Kisses of fire is definitely my favorite.
Definitely finding that Voulez Vous is at the top of many people's lists.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast For me it's also such a fab lush production of an album.And also AGAIN a totally different follower from its previous.Every ABBA album is a different surprise ,they never bored me.i.e.ARRIVAL's earcandy sound was followed by American-ish West coast vibed of the prog-oriented THE ALBUM.VV was funky sparking Disco-ish.'Super Trouper' mature 'n mellow ,'The Visitors' Dark and hauntingly bittersweet...
This is by far the most serious review of Abbas' album production out there. I don't share your numbering order.. but it was really interesting and fun to hear your analysis, and your positive attitude! Thanks! Looking forward to your opinions in a few years soon.. (Regarding Tiger song. I think the two bridges are fantastic as well, with a very haunting piano thing. They are small works of art in themselves.)
Super Trouper is not only one to listen over and over again, it is also like listening to a musical. Every song is practically a different genre!! And the album to have THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL and THE PIPER, is already ahead of the game!! Let alone SUPER TROUPER, ME AND I, ANDANTE ANDANTE & LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME!! Then there's HAPPY NEW YEAR & OUR LAST SUMMER!! This has be on the top of lists! And that finale THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO!! WOW!! A musical journey!! And in the extended versions they added the energetic ELAINE!!
The Visitors is a super grower. You will eventually get it at number one.
Glad your crystal ball is in full working order! Mine is on the fritz...
The Visitors WOW!!
Abba is such a hidden rock band. They do all sorts of different styles, but their heart is always rock.
Well I wouldn’t describe them as a hidden 😃 rock band. I think they are mainly pop but with a shorter disco period.
You're Good! So glad you highlighted some of their lesser known tracks. Lovers, The Visitors, Dissilution, My Mama Said & Tiger are all on my ABBA top 20 .
Good video. Nice discussion. Here's my ranking. The top three can be shuffled to be in any order depending on how I feel.
1. The Album
2. The Visitors
3. Arrival
4. Abba
5. Voulez Vous
6. Super Trouper
7. Waterloo
8. Voyage
9. Ring Ring
Fantastic ranking video! Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts and insights. Hugely interesting and engaging. Needless to say, my ranking is very different, but ABBA are one of those bands that can be looked at and appreciated in so many different ways. So my list goes:
1. The Visitors
2. Super Trouper
3. The Album
4. ABBA
5. Voulez-Vous
6. Voyage
7. Arrival
8. Ring Ring
9. Waterloo
Thank you! And I appreciate your enthusiastic review even though our lists are so different. As it should be! ;-)
Hi, there! I am a musician formatted on the music of ABBA! By mistake, though! At the age of 9 I heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" during a visit to a friend of mine and later asked my mum to buy me a single of a song that says "Mamma Mia" and so I got a single of ABBA. The rest is a history. I still have all the albums of ABBA and listen to their music while driving to work and back. Despite some kitchy moments in some tunes, it is so full of music and tasteful arrangements, beautifully treated tracks and well played instrumentations that presents in fact a very solid basis for development of every individual that is keen for music. I spent many hours playinf their music by ear, later researching sound colours and harmonic sollutions and in the end it seemed obvious that music shared a lot in common with classical music and this conclusion is bringing us to undoubtful validation of its authors' supremacy.
great video! my personal ranking is:
9. Abba
8. Ring Ring
7. Waterloo
6. The Album
5. Voyage
4. The Visitors
3. Arrival
2. Super Trouper
1. Voulez-Vous
..."Grab a banana and settle in (this is a long one)"...ha!ha!laughed a lot while reading this!Is it the"Arrival" vynil LP the French release with the alternate cover right behind you?I also love the DYMK 7 Inch ,isn't it?
Behind me is the inner sleeve of the US Arrival which I think has the same photo as the alternate cover, also the inner sleeve for The Album. And yes, I have the DYMK single sleeve as well as Knowing Me, Knowing You in the background. :-)
@@AsItShouldBePodcastoh ok! thanks for the info.
I enjoyed your ranking and review. Speaking of the ARRIVAL LP, the Australian release actually has the song Fernando included. The song turned out to be one of the longest running no. 1 singles in their music chart history.
How wonderful to be hearing some of the ABBA catalogue for the first time in 2022 and very impressed that it was mostly on Vinyl. Enjoyed your thoughts & analysis, even though some were 'controversial' Super Trouper last will have some fans in uproar. Since you lover Tiger so much check out Tiger live on ABBA The Movie, the energy and anticipation with this opener is fantastic. I particularly love the way you see and hear Benny hit the piano for the first time!
I absolutely loved "When I Kissed the Teacher" when I first heard it, but I was 11 years old at the time. It was the perfect vibe for a giggly pre-teen. I listened to a friend's copy of Ring Ring years ago and didn't like it, I'll have to get a hold of it and have another listen
I also have to say how much I love 'Ode To Freedom' , its such a gorgeous creation by elderly ABBA. It's age appropriate and the sentiment is so moving when one thinks of all the war and oppression going on on the world. The amazing layering of vocals, they sound like a full choir. I truly wish they would create a whole album of this type of new age meets classical music choir sound. Very relaxing, I just turned sixty, the slower stuff is more appealing than it used to be in my youth, but I still dance to the fast ones till out of breath 😊
OTF being the last track on the album always makes me feel complete but still sad in the end.It's like a definite 'Goodbeye" by them that i can't bear.A farewell closer.It's as if i had found them again after 4 decades but then lost them again forever making me thinking/feeling 'Noo Wait!...Oh ma God...now what?...."
Kind regards
Congratulations for your great review and history of ABBA
I was interested in the ranking of the albums
ABBA is, along with The Beatles, my favorite and at the same time most influential group in rock and pop music
BEATLES were the leaders of the 60s and ABBA of the 70s
We all have different tastes, for albums and songs My order for ABBA albums is:
#8 Waterloo (6pts)
the Masterpiece that won Eurovision stands out clearly from the rest
I like them too
Honey honey, Hasta mañana & Dance (while the music still goes on)
#7 Ring Ring (6 pts)
when they were not yet ABBA
it's a very even album My favorites are:
Ring Ring, He is your brother, People need love, Disilussion, Love isn't easy, Nina pretty ballerina & Another town Another train
#6 Voulez Vous (7pts)
ABBA's difficult to record mad album due to separation of Agnetha & Björn
dominacla disco music with
As good as new & If it wasn't for the nights
as the best exponents
But the best song is the masterpiece
Chiquitita (ABBA's greatest success in Latin America)
#5 The Visitors (7 pts)
an album in difficult context due to the separation of Benny and Frida
with no biggest hits, my favorite is the most emotional
Slipping through my fingers
followed by
Head over heels, One of us & When all is said and done
#4 ABBA (7/8pts)
perhaps the most underrated album
has the best and most important song,
the masterpiece: S.O.S.
the dynamite single: Mamma Mia
the best sweet ballad of love : I've been waiting for you
and other brilliant ones:
Bang a boomerang, I do I do I do I do I do & So long
#3 Super Trouper (7/8pts)
two singles stand out
the masterpiece heartbroken
The winner takes it all
and the musical beauty
Super Trouper
other wonders
Happy new year & The way all friends do
and the surprise
The Piper
#2 Arrival (8pts)
ABBA's Pop Music Masterpiece
has the biggest hits
Dancing queen (the ABBA insignia)
My Love my life & Knowing me knowing You (the heartbreaker ballads)
Tiger and That's me (two powerful numbers)
When I kissed the teacher & Money money money (two great starts aside)
#1 The Album (8pts)
the Masterpiece of ABBA versatility
impossible to choose only one, each song is different and brilliant, it is even at the highest level
The name of the game : is the boldest single
Eagle & Move on : the most exotic and complex
Hole in your soul : it's bizarre and powerful
Take a chance on me : the most happiest
Thank you for the music : is the hymn
Special comment of "Voyage"
It's new to put in the right order, I"m still listening and discover new things
until now I put "Voyage" in the middle
better than The Visitors or Voulez Vous
almost so good as Super Trouper or ABBA
favourite song: "Don't shut me down"
only a level bellow:
I still have faith in you
Just a Notion
Ode to Freedom
When you danced with me
In facts, until now:
#1 The Album
#2 Arrival
#3 Super Trouper
#4 ABBA
#5 Voyage
#6 The Visitors
#7 Voulez Vous
#8 Ring Ring
#9 Waterloo
Thanks a lot for your video and review
My best regards from
Buenos Aires, Argentins
Really enjoyed your review, always like hearing other peoples views. I have been listening to all of these albums for 40+ years on a near daily basis and, on the whole they still sound fresh to me. I will pick up on your comments about The King Has Lost his Crown, not one of my favourites but it is held in high regard by Bjorn, he thinks it could have been a single. My personal top two would be The Album followed by The Visitors. I do like the darker more Synthy tracks. The Visitors and The Day before you came being my top two tracks. Looking forward to seeing what your top 20 is like
I agree with Little Things! Stand alone .. song. Don’t Shut Me Down ❤️..And there voices are pretty amazing for woman in there 70’s. And I Can Be That Woman is Amazeballs!
When I Kissed The Teacher. Awww. That song is really sweet.
Very enjoyable video and good to see `Ring Ring` not right at the bottom! My favourite album is `Waterloo` just ahead of the self titled lp. I love the spontaneity of the early stuff and the run of songs on this album from `Hasta Manana` through to `Suzy Hang Around` (just a slight dip perhaps with `What About Livingstone`)is for me exceptional. Also the production still has a slightly raw edge to it. I know how brilliant some of the later material is but I felt that Benny`s keyboards dominate a little too much later on. On Waterloo you can really hear the guitars and bass and drums. Best wishes.
I like the fact that you are not absolutetly strict on your choices.You leave some space to your self to "take a breath" so that may revisit them in time and propably reconsider.That's a characteristic of open minded people.So positive.
Thanks, Alexio :-)
I really like The Visitors. When recently listening to the title track, I though I was listening to a Madonna/William Orbit collab from decades later.
Great Video, but you were right to say it is controversial thats my favourite one, with the Album and Visitors. Like how could it be worse than Voyage and Waterloo... I am a
If I have to make a ranking myself:
1. Super Trouper (I am not objective, I discover the group with this one when I was 10 and I was so fucking impressed by what I heard. Me and I and Happy New Year were a favourite of mine at first.). Unpopular opinion, but glad you agree it is majestic - The Way Old Friends Do is an absolute masterpiece, just those voices and this accordeon, woaw, this is so powerful. And the more I listen to The Winner Takes It All, the more I love it. It took me time to get into it, but now, I love it very much. So elegant. This is how I can qualify their music, elegant. Something very sophisticated in the sound, serious. I was baffled to learn they had the reputation of being cheesy. And I love The Piper.
2. The Album. Such a strong one: Like for the previous one, I grew up with this, and this so sophisticated. Such a beautiful and elegant sound. Even the filer are bangers.
3. Visitors. I really dislike the last track. But if you added their last singles like The Day before you came it would be higher.
Those 3 albums are easily among the best ever made. Soldiers, Head Over Heels and Slipping Through my fingers are so good.
4. Voulez-Vous - really mastered disco ingredients, but I have a Dream is easily their worst single.
5. Abba - I like the experimental aspect in it. Sos really stands out.
6. Arrival - filers are mostly meh and I dont like the title song. I am not thaaat much a fan of Dancing Queen, either. Knowing Me Knowing You is easily the best track, and I think Dum Dum Diddle is underrated
7. Ring-Ring, it is not that bad, it has a genuine charm in it with all the folk tracks.
8. Voyage. Their aging voice gives it much charm. It is a cheesy album but it is revendicated.
9. Waterloo. They were experimentating but this is their weakest. Waterloo stands out again.
I like voyage. Not their best album, but within the context of a group of 70 year olds getting back together, it's an impressive effort.
I love your rankings and hearing you comments, Just to let you know that here in Australia Fernando was a album track on Arrival all because we had a Best of ABBA instead of a Greatest Hits Vol 1. where Fernando was put in the rest of the world.Also may I suggest having a look at the Deluxe version of the albums and you will hear some more songs and some different version of some of the bigger songs
Thank you! Oh yes, I've noticed the addition of Fernando in Australia. But I wish it was the closer in place of the title track rather than being placed randomly in the middle of the side. But whatever, that's what playlists are for!
Benny & Bjorn didn't want to put stand-alone singles on the original albums which is why Fernando, Summer Night City and Gimme Gimme Gimme (which were all inter-album songs to keep the public interest) only appear as bonus tracks on reissues
The Visitors is by far my favourite ABBA album, Arrival second, the Album, Voulez Vous, Super Trouper, ABBA, Voyage, Waterloo, Ring Ring
The Visitors really is great. A very strong one to go out on.
"I saw it in the mirroR" is one of the 2,3 songs that i'm not keen on Abba's discography.But i do like it in the 1970 original version sung by Billy G Son.Kinda rock n blues.Also "DIsillusion" was re-recorded by Agnetha in '75 for her Swedish solo lp.This version has a far better instrumentation.Strings added and doubled vocals.Titled MINA OGON.Worth listening.
Amazingly, just yesterday I found a copy of that Agnetha album at one of my local used record stores. It's really good!
@@AsItShouldBePodcast Glad you did.At the same time Frida had her solo album ENSAM(1975) Huge hit lp in Sweden including Fernado in Swedish(without Agnetha;s vocals) and even doing a David Bowei cover..Aggy also did the same with the Swedish version of SOS.Still sounded heavenly no matter if i couldn;t understand a word.I know you are such a rocker but who wouldn't like to have those 2 precious girls in their band. Both were the hottest babes in the busines.lol!Read that Richie Blackmore was crazy on working with Agnetha sometime but didn't happen..
P.S.I SAW IT IN THE MIRROR also sounds so "Black" by bILLY G son.Kinda Bob Dylan/Hendrix singing blues stuff.Totally different.Couldn't believe B)B wrote this.Shouldn't have used it for Abba thouhg imo .
I adore 'The Piper' , it's dark and atmospheric, I love to imagine that it's about Hitler (it very well may be). Also love that it's not about love, we need their pop songs about other subjects because it sometimes seems love is the only thing about which we hear good songs. Love the vocals, the synths, the lyrics, the amazing harmony within the gloomy minor key chord structure, and love the recording. It was the first song written for the album, and I think should have been lead single in America because it's so very impressive. It hurt when you so readily dismissed it. Go ahead and listen to it again and picture WWII images of goose-stepping nazis and Hitler cajoling the Germans to do his bidding. A sinister song that is relevant in today's world of Hamas and Russians commiting horrible atrocities. A video of color nazi footage fits this song amazingly well. I got to see ABBA live in Milwaukee in '79, have always thought they were something special. Thanks for the opinions on their catalog, they were very interesting. I agree with a lot of your conclusions, but 'The Piper' is really a cool track 😊
Someone made a video years ago to support this theory
I ordered a Waterloo anniversary picture disc 45 for my birthday from the Swedish A8BA site it took 3 months!
I asked them if they were making someone swim with it while holding it in one hand to the USA! This was way before the pandemic shipping issues. They were quite nice about the delay. And since then everything is delivered rather quickly.
Ha! Right? My copy of Ring Ring arrived just 3 or 4 days after I uploaded this video. Came far sooner than I would've expected.
As an ABBA fan since I was a kid in the '70's, I have to say your taste is similar to mine. I too prefer the glam rock era of ABBA, while still appreciating how they evolved. Your album ranking is similar to mine, except i have 'The Album' at the top. I agree "Dum Dum Diddle" and "Bang-A-Boomerang" have such joy and beautiful instrumentation, both very underrated melodies. I also think "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong" and "I've Been Waiting For You" are fantastic, ballads. I've heard their hits so often I now prefer listening to tracks like "My Mama Said", "The Day Before Your Came", "Hole In Your Soul", "That's Me" and the lush "Move On", which I rank as their 3rd best song after 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' and 'SOS'. You're right that there's too much '80's synth on 'Super Trouper" - the sleeper track being "Our Last Summer".- and that 'The Visitors' is far more cool and sophisticated. You're also right about the order of the songs - I think 'Waterloo' and other albums would flow better if the songs were placed in a different sequence. Thank you so much for doing this....you certainly have a good ear for what works in a song!
Very kind comment, thank you so much! :-)
I think Happy Hawaii would have fitted better on Arrival than Why Did It Have to be Me. They did a nice cheap cartoon promo for it.
I love Dum Dum Diddle, it's not even stupid like some say. The songwriters are writing from the point of view of their singers (who are their muses/instruments, and who they are in a relationship with). Makes sense within ABBA.
The title track is basically a folk instrumental. Benny always liked Swedish folk.
I'm discovering that a lot of people seem to prefer Happy Hawaii to Why Did It Have to be Me. Not yet sure where I stand on that.
Why did it have to be me is brilliant but I like hapoy hawaii
I love Happy Hawaii, especially the Hawaiian and sea sound at the beginning. I always felt the Abba sound was lost when Bjorn took lead vocal but that's my opinion.
Although I don’t agree with a lot - you are very knowledgeable and the K-tel commercial you saw was for The Magic Of A8BA.
I was going to say in the video that it was the Magic of ABBA commercial but then I looked it up on UA-cam and watched it again for the first time in decades and there was no Name of the Game clip in it. Maybe there are a couple of versions of the commercial?
We all make mistakes in life. Sometimes you sit down and have a few beers thinking: Hey, wouldn't be cool to write a song called the "King Kong Song"? The next morning it's not so cool. But thank you Paul for being respectful to all the ABBA fans coming to your channel. Even if you didn't like all the tracks, you had some good things to say about them. It was interesting listening to your take on them. You also clearly did a lot of research before posting this. My hats off to you, sir!
Thank you! Yes, I did work particularly hard on this video. But it paid off because I am now an ABBA fan too!
ABBA The Album, with Janne Schaffer on guitarr in The Eagle is incredible. Also the Super trouper album is great, probably the best in my opinion. One of their best songs never got released though unfortunately and it’s Just like that, the sax version. Please check that one out.
Interesting thoughts and good that you've gone by the original LP's and their track lists. The stand-alone singles could alter ranking places if the later CD's, which added them as bonus tracks to certain albums, were judged. 'The Visitors' later had the 1982 songs added to re-issues with the 2012 Deluxe CD of the album 'Pop Noir' at its best
My favorite band of all time. I have never left the 70s. Get their greatest hits on dvd and you can see all those great videos and hear the songs at the same time.
Btw, ABBA is so much more than just a pop band.
I don't need to give you 'A break', I agreed with 90% of what you thought [except for 'Kisses of fire'!]. I remember reading a review when 'ABBA -The Album' came out, the reviewer said the same as you, that side 1 was by far the star of the show. I do think that album has the best sound quality, and agree your 2nd favourite choice is worthy of high ranking. As for the' King Kong song', well I have to admit, I'd choose that over 'The way old friends do' any day, that track is the only one that I would never listen too. After that admission I'd better ask to be given 'A break' too! Really enjoyed your thoughts, thanks for sharing.
Haha! So what is it about The Way Old Friends Do that you don’t like? It’s not necessarily one of my top faves but if you dislike it to the point of preferring King Kong Song (!) that’s pretty notable.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast I just find it too syrupy for my taste, like a coffee with ten spoons of sugar! Maybe if the lyrics had more of the usual ABBA Scandinavian melancholy I'm used to I would like it better. I don't doubt that it turned out just as Benny & Bjorn wanted it too, but to my ears it's overly cloying and the sentimental lyrics too manufactured. When I listen to the King Kong song I imagine them enjoying doing the recording [even though they regret it now], and that seems more real/authentic. I am a firm believer in not regretting anything you did in the past that you thought AT THE TIME was right, only regret it if you had doubts then. Not sure if any of that made sense, at least I know what I mean!
@@geordieboy8945 Ha! I know what you mean ;-)
Enjoyed your commentary and rankings. Favorite comment is that People Need Love could be on a Brady Bunch album(!). If you don't care for King Kong Song, fine. I've always loved it, since buying the Waterloo LP in the cutout rack for $1.99 in 1976. I don't care how many fans put down KKS, plus Bjorn -- that doesn't make it a "crap" song. I've found a lot of people downgrade the great New Orleans R&B classics like Huey Piano Smith's Don't You Just Know It for having silly lyrics (gooba gooba gooba gooba). It's called FUN people! Anyway, you haven't made your case on King Kong being crap. I see it being in line with Little Richard, Smiley Lewis, Fats Domino, Huey, Dave Bartholomew. I would agree Abba didn't yet know what they were doing on something like Sitting In the Palmtree, but I still like both it and Tropical Loveland. Happy Hawaii -- there's one I can do without. Much prefer it as Why Did It Have To Be Me. I do like a lot of your rankings and ratings, but show a little respect for that King Kong Song -- hell, it could have been done by The Sweet! in their Chinnchap days. A bit of a precursor to My Sharona.
I listened to the part from "He is your brother" and yes, it does remind me of SOS's echoeing "when your gone". Really interesting to see how ABBA recycles some of their material.
But I mean they did so much great and varied stuff that they more than get a pass for that sort of thing. ;-)
@@AsItShouldBePodcast Also, I would really suggest you listen to the extended version of the Visitors album. A song on there called "The Day Before You Came" is strong and perhaps the saddest song ABBA ever wrote. Plus, it is the last recorded in the studio.
Mine are
9. Voyage
8. Ring Ring
7. Waterloo
6. The Album
5. Voulez Vous
4. The Visitors
3. Super Trouper
2. Abba
1. Arrival
But nos. 1-8 are all enjoyable. "Voyage", well......I gave it a good go. Best track, for me, is the opener. I don't mind "Just a Notion", but I prefer the arrangement in the 1978 snippet of it.
Love this breakdown whether I agree with it or not. It’s cool to hear these reviews from someone with a strong musical ear. Have to admit the mispronunciation of Agnetha (should be pronounced more as “Ag-NYET-ta”) was a little grating. Interesting to hear someone agree with me on much of Super Trouper. We’re definitely in the minority on that! 😂
I really think that if you do this same video in a year, listening to the their music from time to time, studying their craft and how those songs grow on you in a more profound way you just can't never anticipate, the ranking will definitely be different. Very different.
Naturally
Great video, Paul. You should do individual reaction videos per song, your subscription numbers would explode. Keep up the great work.
I'm pretty sure that you did this video much to early . You're a very likable guy, but your arguments on almost every track were very weak. The rankings are always a matter of taste, but when it comes to arguments,why a song maybe not so good or opposite do not explain anything . To say: " i'm not so into it " on so many tracks, is , like you use to say very " bland ".
Take your time with ABBA, and i am pretty sure these rankings change in the future.
The Visitors for me is one of the best pop albums ever. It has a unique, dark atmosphere . The lyrics are sad , mature and really outstanding. And the production was way ahead of it's time ! The voices of Agnetha and Frida have never been that fragile .
There are many reasons, that the hardcore fans love this album so much . The songs on this album are totally bond to their private storys. It is an almost shockingly honest work that made it clear, that it was over .
For my taste, i think you do compare too much . But you are truly a 70s guy and i like your video, but i still think you did this too early !
If it is true that you started to like ABBA in the last few months, you have to give them more time to understand the whole story .
I hope you don't mind my opinion ! 😉
Anyway, i'm always happy to see new "fans" comming to the family !
Sorry, my english may not be the best , i'm just a german ABBA fanboy ! 😍
But thank you for spending more than an hour of your video-time on one of the most interesting music catalogues in pop music history ! ❤
I'm pretty sure that you're taking this way too seriously.
I agree that with their first two albums Abba hadn't quite got there. They have their own charm.
Well, the first time I've heard Abba compared to Claudine Longet! An interesting review...I enjoyed it!
Voulez-Vous... hands down. 6 killer cuts that all sound like hits and very diverse.... pounding exotic euro disco... Voulez-Vous... dreamy euro ballad... I Have a Dream... abba bubble gum pop... Does Your Mother Know... over the top schlager... Chiquitita... their take on NYC Disco... If it wasn't for the Nights... and lastly but not leastly... Angel eyes. Incredibly catchy euro pop.😂
This was awesome, thank you. Wow I agree with you about Ring Ring. I listen to Arrival and The Album most, because there are many Frida lead vocals on them. I really like her and she looked ace 1976/77
Your first experience with Arrival is identical to mine.
I think there's a connection between the chorus in I've been waiting for you and sped up a little for the chorus of Voulez Vous.
For me The Album is the best of them all, followed by.... Arrival oder Voulez Vous, followed by Super Trouper, followed by Voyage, followed by ABBA, followed by The Visitors, followed by Waterloo and Ring Ring. I think their early efforts are cute but do not live up to the later records in terms of production, lyrics and overall quality. On The Album the scond side for me is almost as equally good, maybe not that commercially appealing, but Thank You For The Music is a signature song. I adore I Wonder and Frida's vocals and I'm A Marionette is one of the most underrated songs of their catalogue. It's terrific dark haunting almost experimental.. incredible. Move On or Hole In Your Soul could have easiyl ended up on side 1 without lowering the quality. Both - along with One Man One Woman could have been single releases. Hole In Your Soul almost was and there was a reason why the did a promo video for One Man One Woman... Voulez Vous is a tricky one, imo because of too many similiar sounding songs, of which I think all are splendid, but the variety is not big enough between As Good As New, Voulez Vous, Angeleyes, If It Wasn't For The Nights and Kisses Of Fire.. on top their all a bit Agnetha sounding.. high pitched vocals, wheres Frida had the lead on The King and Lovers and I Have A Dream.. I personally agree on The King Has Lost His Crown, maybe not my favorite but a splendid album tracks. The arrangement is one of a kind and Frida's vocals in the verses are sublime and irristable. I think Voulez Vous had many potential singles on it, and indeed in Europe 4 (5) were released. But i didn't agree on the singles choice.
I agree with the Super Trouper ranking. The album, from the cover to some of the songs, has a bit of a snobbish and heavy atmosphere about it. I love Me And I, though.
Yeah, Me and I is definitely a stand-out track
Me and I is synth heaven
I discovered Abba with it and this why I thought it was a serious band for adults
Interesting! I've loved them since the 70s. The eponymous 1975 album was the first one I acquired. But, my favorite is Super Trouper. I've just always considered it their masterpiece. I won't say which one is my least favorite, except that it's NOT Arrival lol
Thank you for doing this🙂 I agree mostly, except for King Kong Song and Tropical Loveland👍As a kid I really loved this 2 songs, and I still do🥰
When they get you as a kid you're hooked for life.
Off course "King Kong Song" and also "Whatch Out" are very strange songs. As a rock song I feel that "Rocking roll band" is better. But Benny admitted that ABBA never was a rock band. I never liked "Tiger" so much but I will listen to it more tomorrow. Maybe it can grow. For me "Visitors" are the best album. Both songs "Visitors" and "Two for the price of One" are very good. "Slipping Through my Fingers" will always be a great song.
What I miss from the latter albums post The Album is Benny's increasing use of synth sounds in place of traditional instruments. I think he became obsessed with every new digital keyboard that came out and he would experiment with sounds rather use traditional instruments that you hear on Arrival.
I do love Super Trouper but i think it's the worst offender with Benny running rampant with his keyboard mix.
I would rate The Album & Arrival at the top with Arrival having the edge.
I haven't listened to all of Voyage except for the single release tracks and snippets of the rest. I'm a bit hesitant and I am a bit let sleeping dogs lie philosophy.
In their youth, they would constantly rework tracks till they were happy. They had time on their side.
At an older age, I think there's a bit that'll do with the tracks, lets move on to the next.
Your in a mind frame of time is limited with life now and you just don't have the luxury to beat around the bush. Patience gets less. I think if they did Voyage 40 years ago, these tracks probably would have went through 3 or 4 or 5 incarnations till they were happy.
Now I think it's a case of one or two reworks and lets move on.
The clue to that is not bothering to do a new vocal for Just a Notion. Let's throw in the old mix and move on. You think how hard could it be to do a new vocal?
In the end the old mix is buried a bit behind the new backing track because the source tape is a bit muddy.
They never would have done that 40 years ago. Again, time was on their side back then to tinker and experiment.
they worked 4 years on that new Album,thats why it is the last I think, maybe a few Singles in the next years but not an Album anymore
@@Urfinchannel i imagine sporadically. I would discount a good portion of that to the pandemic as well.
They only carved out 2 musicals in 40 years. I think they just got of an age where they don't want to hunker down and work and work and work on material which is fair enough. Doesn't mean the tracks are bad, but I think the album would have gone through 2 or 3 more passes if they were of a younger age.
I agree with you regarding Super Trouper. I love Super Trouper, The Winner..., The Piper and Lay All ...but some of the songs are a bit stiff. My favourite albums are The Visitors and Voulez Vous. That's the two albums I have played the most, even they are very different.
Surprised by how many comments I've gotten from people who agree about Super Trouper. Was expecting to get lambasted!
Side A of The Album is unbeatable too. The Name of the Game is a masterpiece.
I have never been a big fan of Winner Takes It All, either. But On & On & On is more akin to Do It Again by the Beach Boys than Lady Gaga.
I share your enthusiasm for the great but underappreciated "Tiger" and "Head Over Heels". (Did you notice a certain similarity between "Tiger" and "Mamma Mia"?) "When I Kissed The Teacher" may grow on you. It may be their greatest ever track. Incredible harmony work by the girls, and that ace drum fill that follows the line "One of these days...". "Rock Me" has a great drum part, too. What do you think about the non album tracks "Summer Night City" and "The Day Before You Came"? The unreleased "I Am The City" has a super catchy chorus, but the verse falls a bit flat. Not so in their 70s writing. Every moment of "Knowing You, Knowing Me" is equally great. Hook upon hook upon hook and the quintessential ABBA tune. This is where VOULEZ-VOUS doesn't measure up to the previous albums. ABBA is not Chic or Toto, so something is lost when they break down songs to pure groove parts.
Yeah, now that you mention it, I can hear the Mamma Mia in Tiger. When I Kissed the Teacher definitely has its great moments. In fact, "One of these days..." is probably my favorite moment in the song. I've checked out all the extra stuff - singles, bonus track, etc - and it's all fine but nothing other than Fernando really grabs me. Everybody seems to love Summer Night City but it just doesn't stand out to me. I don't dislike it at all, but it's one of those racks that just comes off more as a groove than a song. Like they're trying to be Chic!
@@AsItShouldBePodcast Yeah, SNC has the drum beat from "Everybody Dance" released the previous year. Actually, it was the recording (not the song) in the entire ABBA catalog that the band was the most displeased with. ”We tried every way imaginable to get something from the tape that simply wasn’t there,” Michael Tretow recalled.
In Australia and NZ Fernando is on Arrival after Why Did It Have To Be Me👍
I love "King Kong Song." Their worst song in my opinion is "Put On Your White Sombrero." Embarrassingly bad. Lol. I agree, "Tiger" is awesome. And watch on UA-cam "I've Been Waiting For You" live version, you will be blown away. :)
Ha! Well, whatta ya know. a King Kong Song fan! Agreed that White Sombrero isn't a very good one.
The yodel in People Need Love.. awesome and non Brady Bunch. And Call Agnetha “an-ye-ta.”
Ah! "An-ye-ta". Thank you.
#1 Arrival #2 The Album #3 The Visitors #4 ABBA #5 Super Trooper #6 Voulez Vous #7 Waterloo #8 Ring Ring #9 Voyage
Solid list!
9. Ring ring. 8. Visitors 7. Waterloo 6. Super trouper 5. Voyage 4. Album 3. Arrival 2. Voulez Vous 1. Abba
Obviously , your idea or concept of an album is rooted in the 70’s which is a good thing as most artists took great care to create cohesive albums.
In that sense, however , “Voyage” is a completely 70s album.
Yes, I would definitely agree with that. They definitely put Voyage together in that same way.
Most Rock Artists or people who listen to harder music for lack of a better word like Ring 💍 because it’s rawer and not to quote the haters of A88A pure “Polished” Gloss.
Yeah, it does have an earthier sound to it. I'm just a sucker for those early '70s vibes.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast man ,Abba is not fast food, give them time to grow ,listen to one song over and over with good headphones
try to find some cover versions from hard rock ,heavy metal bands, also ,,A tribute to ABBA ,,CD is worth to listen with lots of Swedish Artists
@@Urfinchannel Two things: First, I think I make it quite clear in my video that I consider these to be only early impressions and that things will likely change over time. This is not the final word. And second, I'm not a metal guy. I think I make a joking reference in the video to being a "Rock Dude" but you (and Stephen Morris above) may have taken that far too seriously. I'm guessing you haven't seen any of my other videos.
There are a lot of ABBA fans out there that can't admit it.
In Australia, Fernando was on the arrival album squeezed between that's me and why did it have to be me.
Just going to say what? Super Trouper? So low? Wow. A lot of people love Ring, Ring. I’m taking notes, while watching and Super Trouper to me is the weakest song on the Album. Shock TWTIA is Astounding!
One really important factor that I think you're ignoring is that ABBA came on the scene just as videotape (Betamax VCR in 1975) and cable TV (MTV launched August 1, 1981) emerged, and music transitioned from something you listened to to something you WATCHED. To simply LISTEN to Winner Takes it All, as opposed to WATCHING Agnetha with puppy dog eyes staring right at the camera in a tight closeup are two completely different experiences. Same for the nostalgia montage of "I still have Faith in you". There are dozens of reaction videos to these songs where the viewers begin uncontrollably crying their eyes out. Now audiences are rushing to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London to watch cartoons(pardon me, "Abbatars") recreate the magic. I'm still waiting for Abba-robots.
A truly great song stands on its own without the need for a visual to put it across.
That said, WTIA is objectively a great song. I'm just not particularly into it. Like it, don't love it.
I enjoy the king Kong song
I've actually had a few comments from people who like that one. More power to you all.
3.9 thousand views! Is this your most popular video? If not, what is?
The Todd Rundgren video has the most views. Over 5k.
It's second with more views
and Top 20 ABBA songs are sixth
double ABBA in their Top 10 fantastic!
also ABBA track vs track is 17th
"Arrival" vs "The Album"
Bought my first-ever ABBA album today. I'm 53. I HATED ABBA as a kid (too cheesy/corny). I recently somehow came across the video of Super Trouper and was blown away by it. So catchy, great harmonies.
You’re only a year older than I am! Dig in! ABBA has many different types of tracks, there’s bound to be more stuff you’ll get into. Also, now you’ll be free of the baggage of the time when that stuff came out.
@@AsItShouldBePodcast Absolutely. I bought the 39-track "essential collection" to start. I'm actually more of a fan of so-called deep cuts when it comes to albums, as the singles tend to get overplayed, so I'm looking forward to picking up the "Arrival" and "Super Trouper" albums to explore next.
King kong song is a terrible song but I fuckin love it
Ha! Keepin' it real.
Voulez Vous is the Best Song Ever.
hi, were you allowed to tell your friends that you are an ABBA fan or did you hear them secretly actually you listen more to AC/DC etc. let me put it that way. OTHERWISE I would say that ABBA and AC/DC have cult status in the music world but each band in their own way 1. This form of music is very rare these days and they are both cult in Australia. That's how I see it, I've always lived in my world as an ABBA fan when I told others that I like listening to ABBA "how can you only listen to ABBA this girl band" etc. :-)
I love King Kong Song lol.
Ah HA! I knew the King Kong Song lovers were out there somewhere. ;-)
As far as I see ,you don't really like ABBA very much....
As far as I see, you're either a smug gatekeeper or a useless troll. Either way... **SMOOCH**