|
|
Post by Zeebee on May 25, 2019 20:43:19 GMT
Here is a video of Benny talking about why Just Like That hasn't been released.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 12:37:11 GMT
Hi, If Benny and Bjorn had decided to release Just Like That in 1982 it would have undoubtedly become a massive hit for ABBA. A pop masterpiece in the same league as The Winner Takes It All, One Of Us and The Day Before You Came. Why did Benny and Bjorn dislike it so much? Agnetha and Frida, I understand liked the song a lot. It is such a shame that it was shelved. Thank you for uploading the video.
|
|
|
|
Post by foreverfan on May 26, 2019 16:05:17 GMT
In words of another track...." When All Is Said And Done" they didn't really like the ABBA version.. did they really like the Gemini version ?
JLT has reached a sort of cult status, because of it never being released and is a complete track....so it's taken on a Holy Grail, mythical status.. as for it being a massive hit.. ( as much as I would like it to have been) if released in 1982/3 it probably would have flopped making somewhere between 20 and 40 ,like all their stuff at that time, here in the UK, If it was released earlier 78/79 yes a big top 10.
Its a great " bouncy track" sax version is good.. but truthfully guys would it really be among your top 10, if it didn't have " this status"
Its like being a child, many fans wanting what they can't have...
Alas I don't think we will ever see the full release by ABBA, they have had many opportunities to do so... we may have to wait for that day when none of them are around, and by then many like myself won't be either🙄
But we should never ever say never... look what's potentially happening this year..who hand on heart really would've thought....
|
|
|
|
Post by gary on May 27, 2019 13:51:59 GMT
All the 1982 songs sound like album tracks or B-sides to me. That is to say, they all sound good but none of them sounds like a huge hit or a classic. Just to be contrary, my favourites among them are I Am The City and Cassandra! I can’t understand the huge love for The Day Before You Came or Just Like That, but each to their own!
|
|
|
|
Post by Michal on May 27, 2019 18:47:07 GMT
I like all of the 1982 recordings except for You Owe Me One and it still puzzles me why that one was considered good enough to be released while Just Like That wasn't. But I guess they didn't have anything else to put on the B-side of Under Attack at the time (JLT and IATC both probably intended to be released later on ABBA's next studio album). But gary is right, that none of them sounds like a hit single. I love The Day Before You Came but I understand why it wasn't a hit. Maybe I Am The City would stand a better chance, as it sounded more like ABBA of the 70s (shared lead vocals, unisono singing in the choruses, multilayered production…). But there's probably a big truth in what foreverfan said, i.e. whatever ABBA had released in 1982 would have flopped probably… |
|
|
|
Post by Michal on May 27, 2019 18:50:50 GMT
As for the Gemini version of JLT... it is a completely different song to me. I listen to it sometimes, but ABBA's version sounds so much better. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened, had Just Like That made it into the Mamma Mia musical, as originally intended...
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on May 28, 2019 20:34:57 GMT
Benny mentions in the video that the melody of the verse of Just Like That was used in When The Waves Roll Out To Sea, which I didn't know. I had heard of WTWROTS, but I can't find any mention of it in any of the books I have, including The Complete Recording Sessions and Bright Lights Dark Shadows.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on May 28, 2019 20:40:06 GMT
As for the Gemini version of JLT... it is a completely different song to me. I listen to it sometimes, but ABBA's version sounds so much better. In the thread about Gemini, I quoted this from Bright Lights Dark Shadows, comparing the ABBA and Gemini versions of Just Like That:
"ABBA's fully arranged, multi-layered recording bounces along energetically, while the Gemini version is slow and flat, marked by unnecessarily histrionic vocals".
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 16:22:41 GMT
Zeebee, I could not agree with you more. ABBA's version is of superior quality.
|
|
|
|
Post by HOMETIME on May 29, 2019 19:16:15 GMT
I love the chorus in ABBA's version. The Andrews Sisters-style harmonies are terrific, and the tempo and instrumentation are spot on. That said, I agree with Benny that the verse does not naturally lead to that chorus (the lyrics seem a tad stilted, too, if you ask me) and that sax playing wrecks my head. It is too busy and too repetitive and - in my personal, subjective opinion - should have been kept for an instrumental break and/or the outro. I prefer the lyrics and melody of the verse in the Gemini work much better (for me). But there are problems. First, the tempo is too slow and plodding. Secondly, that elongated passage after "I led him on" derails the chorus - the original version is much snappier. Personally, I'd use those lines as a middle eight and stick to the original chorus and tempo. As for Karin's vocals.... I agree that she over sings it. As much as I like the song, I tend to agree with the theory that we wouldn't hold it in such high esteem if it had actually been released at the time. Part of me wonders if Benny and Bjorn are enjoying tormenting the fans with it!  |
|
|
|
Post by madonnabba on Jun 6, 2019 7:17:01 GMT
Like the song . But was not part of it used in Under Attack? This would make it unlikely to have been included in any further studio album.
|
|
|
|
Post by richard on Jun 8, 2019 18:25:33 GMT
I also agree with Benny about Just Like That.
But I don't think that the verses and choruses of LAYLOM transition 'organically', either. To my ears, the chorus has a very different character to the verse. I like the song, however,, and somehow, magically, it works for me - unlike JLT.
But I'm curious that Benny and Bjorn couldn't or wouldn't write a different verse-melody for JLTthat matched that great chorus
But of course that's planned for their new and last great album.
If only...
|
|
|
|
Post by Michal on Jun 10, 2019 12:31:01 GMT
Many people seem to dislike the verse of Just Like That. I like the song as a whole. I only have a problem with the sax overdub. It somehow doesn't sound right to me. As for the alleged incompatibility of the verses and the chorus... oh come on. Just listen to Should I Laugh Or Cry - that's two different songs screwed together and still it was released as late as 1981!
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on Jun 10, 2019 21:10:27 GMT
Like the song . But was not part of it used in Under Attack? This would make it unlikely to have been included in any further studio album. Yes, there is a riff right before each verse that became the melody of parts of the verses of Under Attack. The riff can't be heard in the sax version (if it is even there), but it is easily heard in the other mixes. |
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on Jul 11, 2019 20:58:20 GMT
It has been said that videos of ABBA' s Just Like That are blocked on YouTube, but they're not
|
|
|
|
Post by jj on Apr 11, 2020 18:39:50 GMT
Around ten or fifteen years ago, I remember there were quite a few fans who couldn't stop praising this song, who even went to the trouble of organising regular, signed petitions to send to B&B in a quasi-sacred quest to get it officially released. They would regularly go on about how fantastic it was and how it absolutely needed to be released. It was extremely important to them that it be heard by the world and made officially available on cd. They just knew it would be a massive hit, a worldwide number one. Their love of JLT verged on obsession.
Over the last 10 or 15 years, many of these erstwhile JLT super-fans have surely had time to hear those leaked versions of JLT a zillion times (and, who knows, some may even have long since grown tired of hearing it), and I often wonder if these fans might now, with the benefit of time and having heard it so often, have realised that they don't like it nearly as much as they once did, and no longer think of it as ABBA's biggest lost chance for a massive hit. I wonder if these same fans would now agree that it's not the amazing, awesome song they thought it was back then, and certainly not in the same league as such jewels as Knowing Me, Knowing You and Dancing Queen.
I liked JLT very much when I first heard it. Nowadays, not so much. It's nowhere near as good as at least a dozen or so of their very best songs.
Has your opinion of JLT changed over time? I don't think I've listened to it in the last 10 years, maybe longer.
|
|
|
|
Post by josef on Apr 11, 2020 20:23:33 GMT
No, it hasn't changed. I still think it's a nice song with lovely verses, sweetly sung. BUT it isn't the masterpiece some think it is - not because it couldn't have been, but because it's cobbled together and parts of it have been used in other songs and it's even had different lyrics with a different singer. Now, if Under Attack hadn't been written and WTWROTTS.. if Just Like That had been given undivided attention.....we might have a different story.
I rarely listen to it but when it comes on randomly I pray it's the na na version. I can't stomach the sax version- it absolutely drowns the song.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Apr 11, 2020 20:28:34 GMT
I’ve always wondered how Just Like That would sound if the song would start out with the slow version, by the second half the Na Na Nas could drop in similarly to Move On as well as the saxophone but slowed or muted down to fit in with the song.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Apr 11, 2020 22:02:35 GMT
No, my opinion of it hasn’t changed either.
Like many people, I heard JLT for the first time as part of ABBA Undeleted in 1994. It seemed quite fresh sounding. That and I Am The City sounded much more upbeat that any of the other four 1982 songs.
However, when I later heard the entire track, I was quite disappointed with the verses. Someone on a forum once said that it sounded like Agnetha was dialling her vocals in. A rehearsal take but not up to her usual standard. Perhaps a bit unfair as, with those dull lines, there was little she could do to liven them up. Also I recall criticism of the use of the term “pre-destinated course”. It would have been better English to say “pre-destined” but that wouldn’t have fit.
The subject matter is almost identical to that of The Day Before You Came: he came, he changed her life, but now he’s gone again. Not as dark as the later song, but it’s as though Björn liked the storyline so much that, having abandoned JLT, transferred it to their final recording.
JLT worshippers will say that a ninth ABBA album was definitely planned to happen in 1984 and that this and I Am The City were being saved for it. I doubt that so much. Even if ABBA had got back together, it seems unlikely they’d resurrect two old songs (unless they were desperate and needed filler for an album).
The legendary status it has is mainly because it’s one of the few unreleased ABBA recordings that we’ve heard in full. And not just one version but three. We know ABBA tried out various different styles on their songs before deciding on the one that was most suitable, but with JLT it seems like they were throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it in the hope that it worked.
However, having said all of that, the fact that three different versions are out there (two more than most of the released songs), I can understand the calls to release it officially. What would be the harm in it? If it was a buried recording no one had heard, then yes, keep it under wraps, but as it is, we’ve all heard it. The cat’s out of the bag and you can’t lock the gate after the horse has bolted etc.
Someone on a previous forum allegedly put this song as their number one on their top 100 ABBA songs. That’s the length some will go in the hope that they can convince Björn and Benny to release it.
The best bit of it is in Undeleted, it’s just a pity you have to listen to the dross (fan club greetings etc) to get to it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2020 22:24:57 GMT
Even I have changed my views in respect of JLT. I have listened to various versions of it and yet there is something missing. I cannot fathom what that crucial element is. Yes, Agnetha and Frida's vocals are mesmerising but maybe the song suffers from too many overdubs. However, I still love the track.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michal on Apr 12, 2020 18:57:30 GMT
My opinion hasn't changed. I like the song. I still think they should release it. What does it matter when everybody heard it anyway? And I still believe they were saving it for another ABBA album, which sadly never happened. I have no other explanation for You Owe Me One's existence :-) But the truth is that if they really got back together in 1984 or 1985, they would have probably reworked it like they did with Gemini so the original version would have remained unreleased too...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2020 22:35:01 GMT
Michal, it is a shame the song never saw the light of day and I agree with you that ABBA would have included the song on another studio album which also, never bore fruition in the end. As for YOMO, it is a complete waste of a song far worse than KKS.
|
|
|
|
Post by HOMETIME on Apr 16, 2020 14:50:20 GMT
I still think that ABBA can get this song to fans without compromising their legacy or whatever their concerns are. For instance, they could make it available as a paid-for download exclusively from their official site - with all proceeds going to charity. They can keep it off Spotify, Apple, all other streaming sites if they wish. That way, there is no risk that it would qualify for any charts - and no risk that a low placing anywhere would make ABBA look bad.
I know that, for some, that won't be enough: those who hate/can't do downloads, for instance; or those who continue to insist that it warrants a full release because of their belief that it will somehow become a global hit. There'd be compromise necessary somewhere along the line but at least its availability might end those tedious petitions. There may be other songs that could be released like this: "Just A Notion" maybe, or "The Chiquitita Story" (although I'm convinced that will crop up on an official release before long).
All it takes is for someone at Mono/Polar/Universal to think outside the box.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Apr 17, 2020 10:48:05 GMT
^^ Trouble is, because there are three known versions of that song, whichever one they released like that (most likely the sax one if it’s the final version) wouldn’t please some fans. I think many of them wouldn’t be happy unless all three got that treatment.
Plus it would fuel the appetite for more. Anything we’ve heard (Monsieur, Monsieur without Agnetha talking over it, for instance) would be called for. I think they’d only get away with releasing Just Like That (x 3) if a full album of such songs was made available.
Sadly, many fans are insatiable as they think they are owed it, because they’ve bought 20 different issues of ABBA Gold or whatever.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michal on Apr 17, 2020 13:43:55 GMT
^^ I never imagined they would release any other version than the sax one (even if I can't stand the sax overdub), as it is indeed the only finished version of the song. The others are just demos… But you're probably right that some of the fans would never be satisfied and there would be lots of moaning even if they really decided to release it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on Jun 17, 2020 19:11:45 GMT
I have been trying to remember where I first heard of When The Waves Roll Out To Sea. I can't find any mention of it in any of the books I have, including The Complete Recording Sessions.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Jun 17, 2020 20:03:04 GMT
I think it was one of the bonus tracks for Chess.
|
|
|
|
Post by ABBAinter.net on Jun 17, 2020 22:27:21 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by ABBAinter.net on Jun 17, 2020 22:28:18 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by gazman on Jun 18, 2020 11:57:02 GMT
I kind of agree with Benny - as wonderful as the chorus is, the ABBA verse doesn't appear to me to fit it.
I am glad we got the chorus on the 4cd set in 1994.
I think I am happier to look forward to the new songs now, rather than worry about what 'might have been' in 1982.
|
|
