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Post by gary on Jan 21, 2018 14:09:38 GMT
The Winner Takes It All, in turn, owes something to Don MacLean’s And I Love You So.
Hum ‘I don’t want to talk’ over ‘And I love you so’!
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Post by gary on Jan 20, 2018 4:38:47 GMT
I’m sure you must have heard this one, as it’s been around for ages. Anyway, I like it.
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Post by gary on Jan 5, 2018 12:16:55 GMT
^ Seconded!
I am glad that the whole Mamma Mia industry exists!
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Post by gary on Jan 2, 2018 23:37:06 GMT
The chart trajectory in the UK of several of ABBA's earlier hits was pretty strange. Mamma Mia was certainly one of the strangest. And Fernando and Knowing Me Knowing You lingered at number two before getting to number one. Money Money Money went up and down within the top five. But the one that I never understood was Dancing Queen, which went 23-16-1. Nothing strange about an entry at 23, but 16 seemed oddly low for the second week, particularly considering the following week. Perhaps there was a shortage in the shops?
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Post by gary on Jan 2, 2018 23:23:13 GMT
Humdrum? I thought Benny's and Bjorn's tastes were pretty good. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, Tchaikovsky etc. But perhaps my tastes are humdrum? 😀
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Post by gary on Dec 24, 2017 11:45:12 GMT
Apparently this week Eminem joined ABBA and Led Zeppelin as the only acts to have eight consecutive number one albums in the UK.
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Post by gary on Dec 20, 2017 21:24:42 GMT
Blimey, I have been to that cinema several times. I had no idea that ABBA had played there!
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Post by gary on Dec 19, 2017 21:52:38 GMT
I must admit I watched it. Don't waste your time!
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Post by gary on Dec 13, 2017 22:43:52 GMT
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Post by gary on Dec 2, 2017 23:19:19 GMT
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Post by gary on Nov 13, 2017 23:27:13 GMT
^
I think three singles were released from The Visitors album in the US. They were, in order, When All Is Said And Done, The Visitors and (somewhat later) One Of Us. The respective chart positions were 27, 63 and 107.
In the UK, as in most other places, the singles were One Of Us and Head Over Heels.
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Post by gary on Nov 12, 2017 23:25:44 GMT
This is the Wikipedia entry about cover versions: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_versionNote the first sentence. As Benny and Bjorn were the composers of Fernando and Bang-A-Boomerang, the ABBA versions can’t be considered cover versions.
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Post by gary on Nov 11, 2017 9:29:59 GMT
I had never looked at the Vinyl chart before, but the above post prompted me to do so.
I must admit seeing new entries by ABBA at numbers two, three and four gave me a small frisson of excitement! Happy memories of many years ago! It’s also nice to see Eagle ‘released’ as a single forty years after it should have been. I never understood why there wasn’t a third single from The Album in the UK. Any of the first seven tracks were worthy (IMHO).
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Post by gary on Nov 11, 2017 9:17:40 GMT
I love Remember You’re A Womble! Oh, did I actually just admit that in public?
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Post by gary on Oct 16, 2017 9:32:52 GMT
I'm no great fan of the musical, but its pluses outweigh its minuses. Without it, ABBA would be nowhere near as prominent in the public's perception. And I find myself fascinated by the song list for the second film, particularly if it includes more obscure songs.
Another thought occurs to me: why is Mamma Mia 2 starting off as a film rather than in the theatre?
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Post by gary on Oct 16, 2017 9:26:37 GMT
Yes, I remember at the time thinking that it was the obvious choice for the third single off Super Trouper. (Mind you, I also thought that Our Last Summer would have made a great single.) I wondered later if it wasn't released as a single because of the derivative nature of part of the chorus (from the Beach Boys' Do It Again).
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Post by gary on Sept 30, 2017 13:10:21 GMT
Colin, it's good to hear that your opinion of I Wonder has improved after giving it a fresh listen. This has happened to me with other ABBA songs in the past, such as I'm A Marionette and Lovers Live A Little Longer. There's so much going on in most ABBA songs that there is almost always something to enjoy. In fact, after having been a fan for over 40 years, there are now only two songs I really don't like (I Am Just A Girl and Two For The Price Of One). Perhaps I'm just brainwashed! :-)
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Post by gary on Sept 28, 2017 19:42:12 GMT
I Wonder a 'very weak ABBA song'? No, no, no!
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Post by gary on Sept 28, 2017 19:38:21 GMT
I like the idea of Summer Night City being the first track on the album, particularly if it was the full-length version with that sublime intro and then the 'Bam'! But As Good As New serves well as an opener too. And I always thought that Voulez-Vous itself would work as the opening track. The first few lines of the lyrics sound right as an opener, to my mind. Even Does Your Mother Know could start the album. Spoilt for choice really.
I have contradictory thoughts about the Voulez-Vous album. Overall, I don't think the songs are quite as good as those on Arrival or The Album, and I think the running order of the tracks could be improved. But it's still one of ABBA's best, and contains some of my favourite songs (Chiquitita, If It Wasn't For The Nights, Kisses Of Fire, Angeleyes and As Good As New).
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Post by gary on Sept 21, 2017 11:19:03 GMT
God Only Knows is a sublime song, with both a beautiful tune and beautiful lyrics. But I always thought that Pet Sounds was overrated, even though I am quite a fan of the Beach Boys. I only really like the 'famous' songs on it, and the rest sound like filler to me. But I also think that Sgt Pepper - often considered the best album of all time - is overrated. The first side (referring to vinyl here) is great, but the second side has some real clunkers.
And yes, it is a bit sad that most, if not all, of the great pop songwriters seem to peak very young.
And in answer to this thread's original question, I think the answer is 'no', unfortunately. While I personally think at least four ABBA albums are virtually perfect, there are reasons why they never feature in lists of the greatest albums of all time. Although there may be some snobbery involved, I don't think ABBA's music is very influential. It's merely wonderful!
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Post by gary on Sept 8, 2017 10:05:29 GMT
I always thought that one of the most impressive things about ABBA's run of hits in the UK was how (from Mamma Mia to Super Trouper at least) they were all awarded at least a silver disc. Indeed, the majority of that run were awarded gold discs. It's quite amazing consistency, and the run was only broken when they released the 12-inch-only Lay All Your Love On Me.
(I am aware that The Winner Takes It All didn't get any awards, but that was only due to an oversight. In fact, it should have a gold disc.)
I would guess that only the Beatles ever surpassed that degree of consistency.
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Post by gary on Sept 7, 2017 17:38:08 GMT
^
19 actually, as Does Your Mother Know was number 4.
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Post by gary on Sept 4, 2017 7:33:06 GMT
^ What would you cite as prime examples of their originality? OK, that's a good question. The three consecutive singles of Knowing Me Knowing You, The Name Of The Game and Take A Chance On Me sound like nothing I have ever heard elsewhere. But I have a feeling I am about to be shot down... :-)
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Post by gary on Sept 2, 2017 10:25:32 GMT
Thanks for that, Colin. It's always nice to know that ABBA holds a record, even when they actually don't! It's amazing how many mistakes there are in the official listings!
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Post by gary on Aug 30, 2017 12:35:06 GMT
^
Yes! I quite agree.
There are a few (very few) parts of ABBA songs that were, accidentally or otherwise, 'borrowed' from earlier songs. Examples might be that line in Knowing Me Knowing You, or some bits of On And On And On, Ring Ring and Waterloo. But IMHO Benny and Bjorn were almost always astonishingly original and inventive composers.
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Post by gary on Aug 30, 2017 8:39:59 GMT
There is a film out at the moment (though only in 'art house' cinemas in the UK) called Souvenir, starring Isabelle Huppert, the wonderful French actress. She plays a singer who came second to ABBA in Eurovision (it's fiction). There are numerous references to ABBA, including one comment to the effect that 'the Swedes cheated'! www.imdb.com/title/tt2387692/
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Post by gary on Aug 30, 2017 8:31:29 GMT
1. Arrival 2. The Album 3. Voulez-Vous 4. Super Trouper 5. The Visitors 6. ABBA 7. Waterloo 8. Ring Ring
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Post by gary on Aug 27, 2017 18:52:47 GMT
I read something on the internet that said Angeleyes will be in the film. Now I can't find it so I can't post a link. How useless am I? Anyway, it's another great choice for inclusion.
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Post by gary on Aug 25, 2017 8:30:52 GMT
Great to hear that When I Kissed The Teacher will be featured. One of my favourite ABBA songs, incredibly commercial, and deserving of a wider audience.
Disappointing that Knowing Me Knowing You will be sung by Pierce Brosnan, but at least what is possibly the greatest ABBA song of all will be used. I was surprised it wasn't in the first film, but I guess it didn't fit the story.
Looking forward to more revelations about the song list! Hopefully plenty more less famous songs.
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Post by gary on Jul 24, 2017 18:11:21 GMT
Wikipedia, that reliable source, says that a reworked version of Chess will open on Broadway in 2018. Has anyone heard anything more about this? (Or am I just out of touch?) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_(musical)
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