Abba Gold: Greatest Hits

Description

Anyone 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 ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits! Original 1992 Polydor Release! TRACKS: 1. Dancing Queen; 2. Knowing Me, Knowing You; 3. Take a Chance on Me; 4. Mamma Mia; 5. Lay All Your Love on Me; 6. Super Trouper; 7. I Have a Dream; 8. Winner Takes It All; 9. Money, Money, Money; 10. S.O.S.; 11. Chiquitita; 12. Fernando; 13. Voulez-Vous; 14. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight); 15. Does Your Mother Know; 16. One of Us; 17. Name of the Game; 18. Thank You for the Music; & 19. Waterloo. Review: A newer master but I like it! - Great CD, a classic, a favorite in our family. My old one from 1992 got scratched irreversibly (I am glad I saved it as FLAC files before!) so I decided to reorder this album. When it arrived, the case and the CD and the insert looked different (in a nice way actually), and the CD sounded different, so I started reading and found that this is a different master! The original master from 1992 was by Michael B. Tretow - it sounded lively and energetic but was fairly bright, with Waterloo being almost too bright to my taste. This new CD is a 2010 edition, mastered by Henrik Jonsson in 2008. It sounds more full and has some more bass, and after listening and comparing them to each other, I must say I now generally prefer the new master. It's just an easier listen. By the way, my ears are telling me that the version on Spotify is this 2008 master (the new one). A fascinating journey down mastering history! Compare for yourself if you have access to both versions, but you can't go wrong with buying just this one. Review: Good ABVA compilation - Good ABBA tunes.