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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 19, 2022 21:48:13 GMT
Sorry to see Edmund leave us again. He had been doing so brilliantly since his return. It was brave of him to take on the megarate because it carried the risk of some of his favourite songs being critcised. I don't agree with him that people have been cruel. But perception is everything: if he feels it, he feels it. I hope he's at least reading this and knows that we wish him strength and wellness and happiness. I'm glad that Voyage brought him such joy. He might be right that forums are not for him, so he did the wise thing in stepping away when things felt wrong.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 19, 2022 21:39:47 GMT
This is an entirely personal opinion, but I don't think this is a matter of one voice having remained stronger than the other. Where there is an apparent "dominance" by one singer, I think that is down to choices made at the mixing stage. There are examples in the back catalogue where one singer has the lead and the other singer seems stronger in the chorus. And it's that spread of attention that makes these tracks so very ABBA. Agnetha delivers that gorgeous lead in I've Been Waiting For You but the chorus power seems to come from Frida's tone. The opposite happens in The King Has Lost His Crown. In other cases, the key of the song seems to determine whose voice is heard more easily. Take Hey, Hey Helen for instance. It's a joint vocal but it took me a long time to realise that it wasn't a Frida lead. Frida's lead on No Doubt About It is utterly fantastic but the high tones of the chorus have Agnetha's stamp on them. I think that's why it's so "unmistakably ABBA" as Michael Ball said on BBC Radio 2. Angeleyes and Ode To Freedom are weirdly similar in that both voices can be picked out separately.
The way the new songs have been written is interesting here too. The Frida leads work really well, because they seem to be the kinds of songs she has recorded in her solo career. ISHFIY is in the same stylistic ballpark as The Sun Will Shine Again (both difficult songs to sing, too). Bumblebee is like a frilly sibling of Lugna Vatten and NDAI sound like they saved Elaine and rewrote it for her Shine album. The Agnetha songs work differently: KAEOD sounds like it could have partnered Nobody's Side on Chess. I think that's why Frida's voice doesn't seem to dominate in quite the same way. The chorus is more "stage musical" (and I don't mean that as a criticism) and doesn't utilise harmony in the same way that classic ABBA songs do. DSMD does, however. It gives Agnetha's voice the stage for telling the story and setting the scene. Then, like SOS or IBWFY or GGG, Frida's tone latches on and "brings the ABBA." Also, the songs on Voyage are in lower keys, so they might be more naturally suited to Frida's range and tone? I think if there were any concerns in the studio with the strength of either voice, the solo passages would be much shorter, as would the notes. Also, the fact that the vocals on JAN don't stick out like a sore thumb is a testament to how strong these women's voices have remained. The only moment where I really think things feel a little shaky is Little Things. Let's put the lyrics aside for the moment. The melody is pretty and airy. It sounds to me like something suited to one voice but they have put both on. And I have to say that neither singer sounds especially strong and I suspect that each one is having to accommodate the other's strengths and weaknesses in ways that don't suit such a bare arrangement. The Matt Pop remix sets the vocals far more deftly into the mix.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 15:36:43 GMT
I love that she left the Phil Collins CD in the player! Poor Phil - abandoned by his first client. I definitely would have been gutted if I had been there and she hadn't been able to attend after all.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 14:42:39 GMT
When I made my bid, I went to bed really not expecting to win. They posted the sale prices afterwards and it was quite erratic. There were four or five of each signed item and some went way higher than others. I guess I was just extra lucky. The prices asked for more recent auctions have been eye-watering by comparison.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 14:34:36 GMT
What a photo! I can actually recognise a few of the outfits on offer too. What top and belt did you get? Are they in any photos we'd have seen? I love that she put all of those old things to such good use.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 12:57:04 GMT
I bought that blue vinyl box set when I was visiting London shortly after its release. I loved it and - foolishly - I played it. The "hinge" section on the flip lid got a bit frayed as a result. Silly me. I think the only thing that lets the set down is not so much that they invented sleeves for some singles: it's that they used photos from the wrong era. But it's still a very desirable set.
The most I've ever paid for any ABBA item was in a a fanclub charity auction. I got an ABBA-The Album poster signed by all four for €170. I was surprised to win it at such a low bid, but there you go. The auction organisers included all buyers in a raffle for a letter of thanks handwritten by Frida and co-signed by Dan Daniell. I was ASTONISHED to win it! It's under glass at the back of the framed poster and I think (hope!) I can rely on a decent price if I ever need to buy a kidney.
I watched and waited for years to get the UK Voulez-Vous picture disc and then I stumbled upon it on ebay for £28. Not sure if that's cheap or expensive but I was so pleased to get it. I think I paid a similar price for the Japanese STMF pic disc. It's nice but doesn't feel quite as special as some other items.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 12:41:00 GMT
Yikes. It's easy to forget how expensive collecting can be. I saw you mention the white-labelled KMKY before. My (now discarded) copy had the standard orange label with matching orange die-cut sleeve. I suppose it's entirely possible that there are copies in charity- and secondhand shops here and there around Ireland. If ever I stumble upon one, I'll know who to alert!
I know that I'm looking at things from an aesthetic perspective rather than with a collector's eye, but I always found the printing on the Irish pressings to be ugly. For some reason, though, the vinyl tends to be thicker.
I often wish that ABBA had given their single sleeves the same kind of love and attention that, say, Pet Shop Boys lavished on theirs. It's a surprisingly satisfying extra layer of enjoyment on an already fabulous release. A feast for the ears AND the eyes.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 13, 2022 11:15:30 GMT
The Radio 2 playlist is off and running. Michael Ball has just played NDAI on his show and back-announced it as "the unmistakable, unmistakable ABBA." Sounds terrific among his hits selection.
Scrolling back through the schedule, it seems that Griff Rhys Jones played it early this morning and, on Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs a little over an hour ago, ISHFIY was played. So a good start to the week for ABBA on Radio 2!
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 12, 2022 18:11:50 GMT
I'm not sure that my vinyl collection is all that, Edmund. I have the original releases on vinyl because of my age - I got them upon release back in the late 1900s! There aren't too many additions since then. I waited a long time to find the picture disc of the Voulez-Vous album, and I got the Slipping Through My Fingers pic disc when I saw it at a reasonable price a few years ago. From what I can see, the vinyl reissues have not been as well handled as you'd hope. The reproduction of the sleeves is very hit-and-miss. I hope you find things that you really enjoy. Sometimes, the anticipation is better than what you actually receive. Like you say, there's a lot to choose from with Voyage.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 12, 2022 16:29:56 GMT
That looks very nice laid out like that. I checked my IHAD and HOH: the IHAD has a blue label and, going by the font, I'd say it's a UK pressing. HOH has a blue paper label with the clunky font that Epic used on their Irish pressings with manfd. in Ireland printed on the bottom. GHV2 is on the orange label; ST is an Irish pressing but is on the blue label. The ST single, though, is an injection mould blue label. I picked up the Spanish release of Under Attack on holiday in 1983. It has TDBYC on the flip and is on the Epic label - not Carnaby. The label is dark blue with a rainbow-hued Epic logo.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 12, 2022 12:51:01 GMT
If they really are going to work it into the show, it means they probably have already done work on the performance - lip synching and so on. Maybe there's some compelling reason not to do it, but I can't help thinking it could be a great promo for both the album and the show to take (at least some of) that footage and make a video with it. I think the single, the album and the tickets would all sell more. We're close enough to the opening for it not to be a major spoiler and it would be great to have some fresh new footage to put out there around the time of the Grammys.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 12, 2022 11:09:39 GMT
I properly like the artwork now. It's solid and dignified. I (over)indulged in formats: a cardboard sleeve CD and a boxed CD; two different coloured vinyl editions; one picture disc. Of the things I have, the orange vinyl is my favourite. I really wanted the ABBAtar picture disc but it's really underwhelming in reality. Far too dark. I like the yellow vinyl in the ABBAtar sleeve but it feels a bit gimmicky compared to the official design. My brother-in-law has the black vinyl and I really think it's by the far the most elegant of all the formats. The black is a beautifully crisp foil for the amber/brown artwork. The label punches out of the black disc beautifully. I discovered recently that both the white and the green variants are thicker than the blue, yellow or orange. We’re not talking heavyweight, but noticeably thicker. The picture discs are always thick anyway, and I imagine the black is (I don’t have it) but as the official store didn’t offer the most attractive colours, it’s kind of made up for. The white especially was impressive (though perhaps partly more noticeable because it was my latest acquisition). If you’ve over-indulged on five then not sure where that leaves my nine! The other day there was an Australian gold/green one (pre-release) on eBay that I could have got for £180. I was slightly tempted but my better judgment kicked in! Plus if there is a deluxe, I imagine there will be one or two more special editions. (For anyone riled by my temerity in quoting everything, I'm doing so because my recent attempts at partial quotes have led to the quoted piece disappearing and taking all context with it. So.) LOL Alan, that was me judging me! I whittled down my collection over the years and just kept the stuff I like looking at. I got rid of the Irish 7" with no picture sleeves for instance (outrageous to some, I know!). They were VERY well played (and DYMK even had a crack from label to edge) and were worth feck all. I kept those with picture sleeves and picture discs. With Voyage, there was a more obviously deliberate effort to mine the fans for money so, as tempting as some things were, I've managed to hold off. Part of me would still like a set of A/B/B/A CDs but it's a lot of different variations on one release for my budget. Apart from the original releases, the rest of my "collection" is slim enough but I really enjoy them - especially: the French gatefold of Arrival alongside the standard; the UK and European editions of The Album; the beloved UK pic disc of Voulez-Vous; the box set edition of The Singles - The First Ten Years; the Polar white vinyl 12" of Shine and the French 7" of TITD. I got the solo reissues on coloured vinyl but skipped the box of coloured ABBA vinyl because of the reviews. The CD digipack reissues are some of the most gorgeous things Universal have given us, IMO. So to have five (so far!) editions of one release seems like I have found a lot of nice things. I'm guessing you must have a fairly extensive collection rarities and nice things, Alan. And having that kind of collection makes other treats even more attractive. Go for it, I say. It'd be far worse to find yourself looking at megabucks demands on ebay when the stuff is no longer in wide circulation. I really like coloured vinyl and I think white vinyl looks especially good. It always feels expensive for some reason (it often is, too!). When I was doing research for my own project, I discovered that black vinyl gives the best sound and translucent colours are next best. Opaque colours (I'm told) are almost as bad as picture discs for sound. I have no idea why. Not that I really play vinyl - my turntable is rubbish. But still. As for the deluxe edition of Voyage, we really seem to have trained ourselves to expect it. I hope we're not disappointed if it doesn't happen...
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 11, 2022 20:41:22 GMT
Good to see the A-listing. That's one big chunk of respect for ABBA and their album which has already spawned four A-sides. The album's chart position is no tragedy after its excellent performance so far. It could be so much worse: the album that was at No.1 last week has dropped completely out of the Top 100.
I'm resigning myself to NDAI not getting a physical release like the other four singles - ditto on the video front. I have a feeling that if ISHFIY somehow wins a Grammy, it might light a brand new fire under the entire album campaign. Especially in the USA.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 9, 2022 14:38:06 GMT
I hope the official social media profiles will play their part in promotion. I love how the five singles from this album follow the classic ABBA tradition of being nothing like each other!
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 9, 2022 8:17:35 GMT
As tedious and (arguably) meaningless as these shows can be, it's still kinda surreal that ABBA are nominated in two of the biggest after all this time.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 9, 2022 8:11:26 GMT
I'm really looking forward to this book. The little snippets/teasers he's provided since announcing the book have been really well written and seem to offer things we haven't heard before. And the primary focus seems to be on the music and not her private life: quite refreshing for books by a fan.
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Post by HOMETIME on Feb 6, 2022 11:17:35 GMT
I properly like the artwork now. It's solid and dignified. I (over)indulged in formats: a cardboard sleeve CD and a boxed CD; two different coloured vinyl editions; one picture disc. Of the things I have, the orange vinyl is my favourite. I really wanted the ABBAtar picture disc but it's really underwhelming in reality. Far too dark. I like the yellow vinyl in the ABBAtar sleeve but it feels a bit gimmicky compared to the official design. My brother-in-law has the black vinyl and I really think it's by the far the most elegant of all the formats. The black is a beautifully crisp foil for the amber/brown artwork. The label punches out of the black disc beautifully. If there is to be a deluxe edition, I'd be much happier if the artwork related to the original artwork. Maybe the four eclipses that appeared on early teasers. Keep the ABBAtars for the live show, separate from the musical output (they'd be perfect for the sleeve of a live recording of the show). I'd be happy if some new ABBAtar images were used on the inside of a deluxe edition and/or on single sleeves. Ideally featuring non-Tron costumes. I'm over those now. And it would be nice if the lighting of the images was given a little attention: everything is so dark! I'm glad that No Doubt About It is getting its moment as a single. The lack of a CD format (so far) makes it feel as though it's a label choice of a buzz track for radio. Outside of this site and my occasional lurker-visits to the PopJustice page, it seems like nobody is aware of its existence. Maybe that'll change after the Brits? Should we feel frustrated that we're denied the chance to spend a fiver on a piece of plastic and extra for P&P? I'd like that extra sleeve to round out the already big Voyage collection Edit/PS: I've just noticed Alan's observation about the gatefold sleeve. When I first saw the ads for the album, I assumed that it would be a standard sleeve. To be honest, I think it might actually work a little better as a standard sleeve. The ABBAtars could have been part of an elegant inner sleeve.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 30, 2022 12:58:28 GMT
Back then, it was very common for British artists to try to sound American, so the "Waderloo" never struck me as strange. In fact, I have never thought about it before now. I don't think the preference to sound American any longer applies. Modern singers seem to want to distinguish themselves by putting on a false voice to sound quirky, which really irritates me. I think we seldom hear people's natural singing voices these days. This!! It drives me insane. From that irritating "Dance Monkey" to the dreary modern "troubadours" who seem to sing from the soft palate, mangling vowel sounds. Give me an honest accent any day of the week. That's why I never understood people wishing that Agnetha and Frida (moreso) didn't have such strong accents when they sing. To me it makes the performances more authentic.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 28, 2022 18:54:06 GMT
I think it was a deliberate stylistic decision to, as you say, Americanise the sound of the word. It's a very pop thing to do and ABBA are far from alone in this. When you think about it, it's not a word that would have jarred in its correct pronunciation, but Benny, Bjorn and Stig would have been very conscious of appealing to a mass pop market. The T goes missing in the same way in other ABBA songs - from Whaddabout Livingstone to No Dowddaboudit I wouldn't be surprised if some of those grammatical decisions were reversed here and there on the Mamma Mia soundtracks - some of the phrasing and diction is very luvvy (one of the many things about MM that makes me grind my teeth).
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 26, 2022 9:14:16 GMT
I'm not sure I agree with the unwillingness to acknowledge that these lyrics are written in a second language. I don't think anyone here has really given Bjorn a pass for his linguistic abilities when we haven't liked/approved of a lyric. True, some of his phrases don't scan in quite the same way as phrases written by a native English speaker. Sometimes, that will add something unexpected and interesting to a lyric. Sometimes it might make a lyric stumble a bit: e.g. Fernando's "since many years" or that Harry reference (I think referencing the name is a device to underline how un-hippy he really is, how ordinary, despite the hippy pretensions of the past). But it could be argued that it lends some charm too? If this logic means anything, it has to extend to his production work too. Because, logically, the blame lies with him for the mis-pronunciation of e.g. champagne, longevity and thyme. He wrote those words, was in the studio when the vocals were recorded and therefore could/should have corrected the pronunciation.
I write lyrics. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's a real slog. I speak a little Irish and a little French and I can tell you now that I wouldn't DREAM of writing a lyric in either language. I wouldn't even attempt it. So when Bjorn gets it right - as he so often does - I think it's boosting the compliment to occasionally add an "AND that's not even his first language!" Especially given how much more articulate he can be than many a native English-speaking lyricist (a subjective observation, I know).
Or maybe it's just me. *shrug*
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 23, 2022 17:58:53 GMT
YOMO might be terrible, but it led to this goofy clip, which is worth a look and a chuckle
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 23, 2022 17:14:53 GMT
I first heard the song in 1985/86 when I engaged in a swap arrangement with another Irish fan. I got the two "holy grail" 1982 songs on a cassette of bootlegs. I thought that whoever had made the cassette had sped things up to make sure everything could fit ion the C90 tape. The vocals on both - and IATC in particular sounded borderline chipmunky. Hearing both on CD in the 90s, they sounded a bit better but I agree there is something a bit overprocessed and forced-sounding about those vocals. I know they tinkered with recording speed over the years but it seemed stronger than ever on those we're-still-doing-pop-honest 1982 tracks.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 22, 2022 19:01:00 GMT
I'm glad I'm not alone in preferring ABBA's darker side. That's not to say that the sheer joy of, say, When I Kissed The Teacher passes me by. It doesn't. In fact, it's probably the song that turned me from casual fan to full-blown anorak, but ABBA's world weariness and gloom are right in my wheel house. And they're very good at not laying it on too thick.
I saw Head Over Heels mentioned above and it reminded me that I had a reasonably recent rapprochement with the track. I got one of those multi-disc Electronic 80s sets. The Visitors opens one of the discs in predictably brilliant form but Head Over Heels is buried further in the tracklist among some of the era's well-known hits. But it surprised me by really jumping out as something fresh compared with the tracks around it. I really came to appreciate it all over again. Plus, hearing the Thompson Twins' "We Are Detective" made me think that they were listening to the ABBA track with admiration. If the timelines had somehow allowed it, I think that The Visitors album could have been a notch better (and darker) if TDBYC and Cassandra had been on the tracklist instead of HOH and TFTPOO. Those two songs could have been the A/B sides of a September single instead.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 22, 2022 13:35:45 GMT
I wonder how many of us loved The Day Before You Came from the get-go? I certainly didn't. When I heard it for the first time, I seriously thought that someone at Polar and/or Epic had lost their mind. To be honest, I didn't "get" it until I saw the video and then - bam! - I was hooked.
It was (is) a mature song. Layered and intriguing, both lyrically and musically. Each of the four members brings something unique to it too. With ABBA songs, we often get hung up on the lead vocalist's performance and possibly a key instrumental figure. They become the focal points. With TDBYC, we get something new - ABBA in a whole new configuration of equals. It's like shifting sets on a stage. Benny's curling synth riff is a standalone piece. It's elegant and moody and scene-setting. Agnetha arrives in a fresh new role. Stripping away all that we know of her vocal talents and bringing humanity to this character. I was trying to figure out if we'd seen her before in other ABBA songs. She's not the devastated, tear-sodden victim that Agnetha's (too) often asked to portray. She's not the resigned and (sometimes) sarcastic survivor that we've seen Frida portray. She seems kinda shellshocked, maybe? Numbed? The only place I might've seen that woman before is in the acapella section of The Name Of The Game. Uncertain, wary, vulnerable. So Bjorn also brought something new to the table and it took some getting used to. And with no lyrics to sing at all (not even as a harmony), you'd think that Frida was somehow sidelined, but she brings the drama that Agnetha's role is forbidden to indulge. The warm throaty "aaaah" pads under the vocal as Agnetha narrates the banality of her day seems to hint at buried feelings. That crystalline operatic solo in the middle is Frida doing Agnetha's crying for her. The classic case of the voice being used as an instrument.
TDBYC is in my ABBA Top 3. The three same songs occupy the top spot on a rotating basis. It's possible that a Voyage track might get close to these but it's too soon to say. DSMD, ISHFIY and OTF probably have a greater chance of that kind of ranking than the rest of the album. The other 1982 songs are just not in the same league, IMO. I loved Cassandra at the time, but now it feels cluttered. There are some beautiful performances from all four but it hasn't stayed with me at all. JLT comes and goes in my affection and I still think that DSMD is a correction of all JLT's faults. It's the one Voyage song that feels like it could have come from those sessions. Under Attack is a good pop song that they seemed afraid to "produce" - everything is held back. Those leaked unmixed tapes show that the vocals in the chorus are far more interesting and ear-catching than the official mix suggests. And don't get me started on that horrible synth solo. If I'm honest, for all its flimsiness and daft hokeyness, I sometimes enjoy You Owe Me One more. It's unpretentious and silly and not trying to be anything.
I'm really curious about what kinds of songs were left off Voyage. I definitely want to get my hands on them but I hope ABBA are smart enough to control their release. If they're not singles, don't put them out as singles. Put them out as bonus tracks on something - a compilation, a deluxe Voyage, an anthology. As we've seen, singles are of limited importance these days.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 19, 2022 11:33:42 GMT
My main concern was that a fifth might be pushing it a bit and even Radio 2 might get bored. Are this many singles done for acts these days? Also, do we have total streaming figures for each track on Voyage? We could do with that to determine which tracks are actually the most popular. The download figures from the first week (in the old post from gamleman I quoted a few days ago) suggested No Doubt About It wasn’t actually all that popular at the time. Obviously downloads were only a small part of it, and it was only for the first week, so perhaps it’s become more of a favourite since. Off the top of my head, I can think of Jessie Ware's gorgeous album "What's Your Pleasure" - there were seven singles from that. There were a couple more when the deluxe edition dropped last year. I think people regard singles-from-albums differently now. Back in the 80s, it felt as though artists like Michael Jackson were "milking" it by releasing five or six singles from an album. These days, it seems to be more of an extension to PR duties. With streaming being such a massive feature, it's not as though people are forking out for singles like they did back in the day. If the label goes to the expense of producing physical formats, there will surely be hardcore fans choosing to part with their money, but radio singles and buzz tracks are hugely important to artists and labels. Like I say, what harm could another single do, when the album has already sold shedloads?
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 19, 2022 9:57:07 GMT
Perhaps I was wrong about not wanting a fifth single. I hadn’t realised it had dropped from number 3 to number 10 last week. Quite a drop. I was hoping it would equal Super Trouper’s 11 top 10 weeks but that’s looking unlikely for the moment. With it hovering around the top 3 for so long, we were in a false sense of security over it.[...] Radio 2 have given Voyage an absolute ton of support. They must have had a song on the A list almost continuously from early September through to the end of the year. So, it's to be expected that they stop playing any of the new ones at all now. If I was the record company, I'd just let the album drop down for a couple of months and then bring out No Doubt About It maybe in March or April by which point R2 (and hopefully others) will be happy to give it some heavy rotation. And I expect Abbatars will have a pretty noticeable effect from late May. Of course, we'd all love there to be a completely new song at some point but even without it, I expect Voyage has a good chance of reaching at least a million in the UK eventually. This illustrates what some of us have been banging on about for ages. These days, with acts of ABBA's vintage, the role of a single is not to generate a new smash hit, it is to act as an ambassador for the album. The glory days of the charts as we fondly remember them are gone, unless you are a hip'n'happening young thang with a global army of scary fans (yes, I'm looking at you, Little Mixers and K-pop fanatics). If we fans get the option to collect a new piece of vinyl or a CD, then it's gravy. Radio 2's support of Voyage has been remarkable. When ABBA's own fans were busy trashing Just A Notion, the Radio 2 presenters put it on heavy rotation. They even A-listed the entire album for a week when a single wasn't being pushed. I'm not sure what else anyone could expect them to do. Maybe others won't share my opinion, but I personally doubt that a fifth single from the album will be anything other than a good thing. If it catches the public's ear and revives the album's fortunes, great. And if it doesn't? Well what actual harm would it do? The last two singles haven't troubled the Top 50, but they kept the album afloat. Bring on No Doubt About It, please and thank you.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 15, 2022 21:59:21 GMT
I just dug out the CD (2008 edition) and - oops - you're dead right, Alan, the running time for Eagle is 4:23. It was The Visitors and Lovelight that were replaced by the familiar versions. But the point - if I can manage to make it with my longwinded muddled thinking - is that these compilations are a great opportunity to give collectors/fans something different to what they already own. For more casual shoppers, the original albums will provide definitive versions of material that they (probably) heard for the first time on the compilation. So everybody gets a smidge more value and entertainment for money.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 15, 2022 20:13:23 GMT
Greatest Hits albums are a bit passé these days aren’t they? The likes of ABBA Gold and Queen Greatest Hits still sell but record companies have generally turned against them in the age of streaming. Even Definitive/Essential didn’t do all that well, and that was well before streaming. Personally I’m in favour of no new ABBA compilations - ever - unless they offer something new. Plus I’m not keen on old ABBA being mixed with new ABBA, to me they’re two different entities with at least 39 years (or minimum 35 in terms of recording) between them. I certainly see your point. However, I'd argue that ABBA are in a fairly unique position. Setting aside the fact that they are in distinctly different eras with distinctly different market forces, both "Greatest Hits" and "Gold" were probably all that was known of ABBA by generations at the time. "Greatest Hits" was a bold title to claim in the UK, where their chart presence thus far had been patchy. So many of the tracks were unknown, you could possibly argue that it might as well have been marketed as a studio album. When "Gold" came along in 1992, all of the songs had been hits. ABBA were famous and (grudgingly) admired. The collection has become so enormous, that it has eclipsed virtually everything they've ever done. Have that many people used Gold as a gateway to the album tracks? My guess is not as many as you'd hope. A new compilation won't even make a tiny dent those sales numbers. But stitching together the old tracks with the new is doing what the ABBAtars will do. People who see the show might be keen to have a great-sounding souvenir. Approach the tracklist and the artwork carefully enough, and you have something that pulls together all of the eras. Hen parties might pick up copies alongside the sequinned cowboy hats and whatever other tat is on sale at the merch stand. I suspect that a fair number of these buyers might have nothing beyond Gold. 30 years on, a new compilation might be picking up a whole new generation. Pop it on the stands in the Museum. Reinforce the idea that Voyage is an equal partner in the group's catalogue. Yes, I'd definitely like a compilation to offer something new. Ideally a new song or two. Some alternate versions (bring back the 7" edits of Eagle and The Visitors that were booted off More Gold). Maybe even a couple of Voyage show live versions. Definitely some glamorous packaging featuring new and/or genuinely rare photos (I'm sure there must be more from the Voulez-Vous and The Visitors sleeve sessions). Put out a decent partner DVD with those 4K videos. All in all, I would appreciate something that celebrates the 50th anniversary of a truly iconic group and their stunning output. Creativity will be required to ensure it's not just a tarted-up facsimile of Gold.
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 15, 2022 13:05:07 GMT
You've got me thinking, undertheappletree. What if ABBA were to mark 50 years with a double A-sided single - PNL on one side and, say, NDAI or a brand new song on the other? Naturally, NDAI or the new song would be the featured side, but all promo could trumpet the "golden jubilee" so to speak. Plus, if there isn't a new career-spanning compilation this year, what is even the point?
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 14, 2022 20:03:20 GMT
I think we need to see the amazing positives in this. Voyage has already enjoyed more Top Ten weeks than The Visitors. So far, it has just one less Top Ten week than Super Trouper. I'm not sure how many of us expected that. It's No.4 on the physical chart, so anyone who is buying the album is quite deliberate about it. It's not like some passive, background streaming or a fan-driven campaign. The album has succeeded on its own terms. Which is quite fantastic.
I agree with you that one more single would be a good idea. If they have any budget left to restart the TV ad campaign, that would be great too. If they have enough unaired footage and interview clips that could be cobbled together to make a TV special/documentary, that would be superb. I imagine that anything now would have equal focus on the upcoming shows. I'm happy with that - it's not like the cast of Mamma Mia pulling focus from the real stars, as happened before.
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