16 illinoisentertainer . com july 2022
Continued from page 14 album ’ s Walter Mitty-esque character ( but with happier fates ). With this premium format , fans can immerse themselves with greater clarity , separation , and detail than ever .
– Jeff Elbel
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ABBA CD Album Box Set ( Polar )
Given the 40-year period of dormancy between 1981 ’ s The Visitors and last year ’ s global hit Voyage , this box set stands to reach a lot of people who have never picked up a classic ABBA album . Timed in conjunction with the Swedish pop monarchs ’ virtual concert residency “ ABBA Voyage ” ( led by the band ’ s digital “ ABBAtars ”) at ABBA Arena in London , this 10-disc box will make you an instant ABBA completist . The set captures every one of the “ golden eight ,” ABBA ’ s albums beginning with 1973 ’ s Ring Ring and concluding with 1981 ’ s The Visitors . All were platinum sellers somewhere in the world , with 1977 ’ s ABBA : The Album notching that status in the USA . 1976 ’ s Arrival , 1979 ’ s Voulez-Vous , and 1980 ’ s Super Trouper went Gold on these shores . The last two discs include Voyage , which was a # 1 album in at least 18 countries (# 2 in the USA ), as well as Tracks , a compilation of essential non-album singles like fan favorites “ Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! ( A Man After Midnight )” and the stirring “ Fernando .” Debut album ** Ring Ring was the group ’ s lone album to miss the # 1 spot in Sweden , but ABBA was crafting charming pop from the beginning . The bulk of the material was composed in-house by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson , with contributions from vocalist Agnetha Fältskog on “ Disillusion ” and Neil Sedaka on the English-language version of the rockand-stroll title cut . Songs including “ Another Town , Another Train ” and “ I Am Just a Girl ” were a bit schmaltzier than the winning pop that the group would soon develop . Other songs including “ Rock ’ n Roll Band ” may have been lightweight escapist pop , but carried musical bite akin to other lushlyarranged pop-rockers like Electric Light Orchestra . “ People Need Love ” paired the band ’ s tight vocal interplay with a Paul McCartney-styled bounce . “ Nina , Pretty Ballerina ” is an effervescent , modern fairytale of a humdrum girl who becomes the star of the stage on the weekends . ABBA became global heavy-hitters upon winning the Eurovision Song Contest with the rollicking 1974 single “ Waterloo .” The song became the title cut of the group ’ s 1975 album . Fältskog ’ s and Anni-Frid Lyngstad ’ s blended vocals describe the protagonist ’ s surrender to love , surrendering to her man ’ s charms in parallel to Napoleon ’ s defeat at the battle of Waterloo . Ulvaeus and Andersson explore breezy island rhythms in the lovelorn “ Sitting in the Palmtree .” Disparaged by its writers , “ King Kong Song ” is a silly but nonetheless fun rocker a la Elton John ’ s “ Saturday Night ’ s All Right for Fighting .” Fältskog sings winsome pop ballad " Hasta Mañana ." The group tried propulsive R & B for “ My Mama Said ,” describing a teen girl ’ s grievances with her overbearing mother . The song features glistening electric piano and deft jazz-funk guitar in addition to its propulsive bass track . With Beach Boysstyled backing vocals , “ Honey , Honey ” isn ’ t that far afield from the Archie ’ s similarlythemed confection “ Sugar , Sugar .” 1975 ’ s self-titled album scored with the hopeless crush illustrated in the percolating “ Mamma Mia ” and lushly sung , Fats Domino-styled piano pop of “ I Do , I Do , I Do , I Do , I Do .” 1976 ’ s ** Arrival was a smash hit on the strength of the sublime disco classic “ Dancing Queen ” and bolstered by additional standouts . Lyngstad sings about the struggles of a working woman who dreams of a sugar daddy in “ Money , Money , Money .” Breakup song “ Knowing Me , Knowing You ” was a predecessor to later melodramatic fare including 1980 ’ s Super Trouper highlight “ The Winner Takes it All .” The teen crush song “ When I Kissed the Teacher ” echoes the sound of Phil Spector ’ s pop symphonies a la the Ronettes ’ “ Be My Baby ” and predates the subject of Van Halen ’ s hot-blooded “ Hot for Teacher ” by nearly a decade . 1977 ’ s ABBA : The Album begins with the space-pop textures of “ Eagle .” The song ’ s flight of fantasy employs some of the same sonic textures used by Pink Floyd on WishYouWereHere tracks including “ Welcome to the Machine .” The album ’ s signature song is the irrepressible “ Take a Chance on Me ,” beginning with an a capella chorus featuring all four vocalists before gliding into a pulsing disco-pop beat . The riff to “ The Name of the Game ” was inspired by Stevie Wonder ’ s hit “ I Wish ” from the previous year . With popping bass , prominent hi-hat , and taut guitar , 1979 Voulez-Vous tracks like “ As Good as New ” found the group indulging in the era ’ s disco craze to the fullest . Although reportedly a
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