Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2019 14:21:18 GMT
The world was a much happier place during ABBA's glory days. " I can still recall " the excitement in anticipation of hearing ABBA songs for the first time. During a summer holiday in Poland 1975, on a car trip I heard a song which I was convinced was not ABBA but another group called "Upper". The song was, "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" and when we returned to England, well I could have easily wet myself when I realised it was ABBA. That song has a special bond with me. After hearing "SOS" and "Fernando" I was simply blown away. ABBA were here to stay ! "Bang-A-Boomerang", "Mamma Mia" and "I've Been Waiting For You" from the album "ABBA" I succumbed to immediately. Then, later in 1976, "Dancing Queen" was released. Euphoria tinged with melancholy. That song with its strong melody and soaring vocals was an instant favourite of mine and will always be. "Arrival" included some wonderful numbers "When I Kissed The Teacher" (joyous),"My Love My Life" (mesmerising),"That's Me (uplifting) and "Tiger" (bombastic). After the first few lines of Frida's beautiful delivery within "Knowing Me Knowing You" the song left me hooked left, right and centre. A classic pop powerhouse which I adore. With the subsequent release of "The Album", a year later, my sister purchased a copy and we listened to the majestic anthem that is "Eagle". The pure alchemy from Agnetha and Frida's voices within the jubilant yet reflective epic "The Name Of The Game".Simply outstanding. The emotional pull of "One Man One Woman". "Move On" is, also a firm favourite of mine and who can't resist the catchiness and fun of pure pop with "Take A Chance On Me". Glitter balls were all the rage in 1979 and ABBA re-invented themselves with sweeping disco anthems within "Voulez-Vous". "If It Wasn't For The Nights" was a heavenly gem ( Hometime, it is indeed an all-time favourite of mine. ). I remember watching ABBA perform the song on "The Mike Yarwood Show" and I could have easily picked my lower jaw from the floor when I noticed how gorgeous the girls looked. "As Good As New" (bouncy and zestful), "Angeleyes" (very Motownesque) and "The King Has Lost His Crown" ( sultry and raunchy). Another belter within the album is "Kisses Of Fire". Love it ! "Chiquitita" has a special place in my heart as I can picture snowy winter evenings when I first discovered this Latin flavoured moving ballad whilst listening intently to the Top 40. "Gimme Gimme Gimme" (A Man After Midnight) is a veritable disco blockbuster with its rousing chorus and swirling orchestration. During the summer of 1980, I was fortunate to find temporary employment within the Civil Service, actually, The Inland Revenue of all places. Shoot me if you want to ! What a traitor ! Well, one particular day I came home as my Mum ( fabulous cook that she is, another Mary Berry in the making ) was busily preparing a special family dinner and the radio happened to be merrily playing along. "Diddy" David Hamilton announced a brand new release from ABBA. Mum called me into the kitchen "Edmund, a new single from ABBA !". Well, I was literally glued to the chair after hearing "The Winner Takes It All" for the first time. The wonderful tumbling of piano keys from Benny followed by a heart-wrenching performance from Agnetha. Her beautifully crisp and clear vocals took my breath away. That break in her voice within the final verse is tearjerkingly raw and painful. A classic pop masterpiece and indeed a personal favourite of mine for always. The song emotionally moved Mum too. During the late autumn after the launch of the album "Super Trouper", I could not wait any longer and marched down the street to the shops to immediately, purchase a copy. My excitement getting the better of me. When I came home, I raced to the record player quicker than Usain Bolt ( the famous runner ) and gave the disc a spin. What a delight to hear so many gems within this record as well as "The Winner Takes It All", it was magical to acquaint myself with "Andante Andante" (exquisite),"Happy New Year" ( a delightful festive favourite),"Our Last Summer" (wistfully nostalgic),"The Piper" (mystically hypnotising), "Lay All Your Love On Me" (so ahead of its time) and "The Way Old Friends Do" (a fitting finale). An accomplished collection of diverse songs. This remains my favourite studio album from ABBA to this day. A year later and no longer working I still had enough pocket money saved to buy "The Visitors". Again I was prompted to part with my coins after hearing "One Of Us" on a record review radio programme. I was gob-smacked to say the least ! What a beautiful and poignant song. When I brought the record home to play, I definitely was not disappointed as this was another spellbinding array albeit more bleak and sombre than its predecessors. Who can't resist the charms of "When All Is Said And Done", "Soldiers","I Let The Music Speak" and "Slipping Through My Fingers" in particular. The latter leaves a lump in my throat every time I listen to it. The mischievous frivolity of "Head Over Heels" also, appeals. My younger brother was born in 1981 and that was a special time for us all. Before I finish I would like to mention ABBA's swansong "The Day Before You Came". Truly, a haunting melodramatic pop classic. Admittedly, the song fell out of favour with me for a while but my passion for it was re-ignited when I viewed the promo clip on You Tube. "Cassandra", also, touches me with its dynamic vocals and story-telling. I hope you enjoyed perusing my memories and experiences after hearing these timeless songs from ABBA. A tour-de-force to be reckoned with. I wait in anticipation for the new songs. I'll leave you with a quote inspired from ABBA's endearing showstopper "Thank You For The Music", "Without a song and a dance where would we be indeed" ? Who doesn't love a slice of Nordic melancholy !
|
|
|
|
Post by josef on Aug 16, 2019 22:08:49 GMT
Great post. I'm not sure I remember anything clearly due to my advanced age. However, I do recall listening to Chiquitita under the covers in the middle of the night, on a little transistor radio. It was crackly, and aired on Radio Luxembourg or something like that and I do recall thinking it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. It really was like hearing an angel sing. I was young, dunno how old, not quite a teenager, but it made a huge impression on me. That innocence! I even remember licking the connection points on the battery and it gave me a weird shock on my tongue! 😆 God knows why, I think it was the rage at the time.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 16, 2019 23:12:27 GMT
Similar to Josef, I also remember hearing a new ABBA single on Radio Luxembourg. It was Gimme Gimme Gimme and Steve Wright had a show on there at that time, before he moved to Radio 1.
In those days, you’d record songs off the radio before the single became available to buy. Hence, Steve Wright speaking on the intro of the song is still etched on my mind - “Luxembourg 208 - woo!”
Prior to that, the first ABBA single I remember being out was The Name of the Game. I was in hospital for scoliosis treatment in November/December 1977, and can vividly remember that song coming on hospital radio and me singing along to it (at age 6, I wouldn’t have had a clue what the song was really about, but I loved it all the same). I must have irritated the nurses by singing along to it!
|
|
|
|
Post by madonnabba on Aug 16, 2019 23:37:07 GMT
I remember hearing Abba new singles on Radio Luxembourg. They Had a slot on the hour every hour for the selected new single for that week. It was called a ‘Powerplay’. Depending on the weather the reception was very crackly. Remember hearing Chiquitita for the first time . It was on tv - the UNICEF concert. I was taping it with the old tape recorder and mike held to the tv. Everything was going well until my brother walked in and proceeded to talk to be met with my frantic shh. And you heard the door closing too and then later another family member sneezed. All captured on tape. So couldn’t wait to get the single to hear it without all the extra noises in the background. Radio Luxembourg also did a ‘battle of the giants’ where they would put two bands’ hits head to head over an hour. You had to phone in your vote if I remember right.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 17, 2019 8:47:35 GMT
Yes, taping stuff off the TV onto audio cassette was another thing to do. My brother recorded ABBA In Switzerland and ABBA Words and Music that way. He missed If It Wasn’t For The Nights on Mike Yarwood as (with it being Christmas Day) we were round at my grandparents and he didn’t have his tape recorder with him. We got home in time for Thank You For The Music but obviously that wasn’t a new song (and it was just the studio version).
Kids today (and indeed for the last 35 years or so) will never have known that. Before most people even had VCRs. To catch something on the TV you had to be there to watch it and record it on cassette, telling everyone in the house to keep quiet while it was on as they’d end up on tape!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2019 10:11:33 GMT
I'm glad you like my post and thank you for your kind comments. However, I may be inclined to amend my anecdote a little as my choice of words could have been better. So you can read my updated and revised version at your leisure. Isn't it funny how you remember certain times of your life with the subsequent release of ABBA singles. They evoke special memories either good or not so good.
|
|
|
|
Post by madonnabba on Aug 17, 2019 10:21:41 GMT
Yeah. The days of only 3 channels at one point and not 24 hours a day and God save the Queen played on the BBC channels on closing down at just after midnight. In some ways it was good as whatever was on the night before was the topic at school the next day as with so few channels everyone was usually watching the same thing. But of its time. Who then would have thought you would be able to watch , what you want when you want? Remember too looking forward to the Christmas TV guides. Only two then Radio times and Tv times. I would search them for anything Abba and what the big Christmas Day movie would be ....The Poseidon Adventure, Sound of Music etc. The young today would be horrified to have so little choice. Remember tapes getting chewed up in the cassette players and using a pencil to wind them in when the tape became loose. That was such a pain. That and trying not to scratch your vinyl albums when trying to skip tracks on the albums. Remember seeing Abba on some tv shows at that time Tommy Cooper, Starparade, Basil Brush, Blue Peter , Mike Yarwood, Olivia, Music for UNICEF, Abba in Switzerland, Film 78 and of course Top of the Pops.
|
|
|
|
Post by richard on Aug 17, 2019 13:25:55 GMT
When ABBA were active and at the height of their popularity I wasn't as interested in them as I became later. I remember liking the lead voice on Super Trouper at the time, for examp!e, but I couldn't have told you whether it was Frida or Agnetha. Shows how much I knew.
But when I did get really interested in them - and I don't quite know how that came about - I bought a box set of their albums and my fandom took off from there. More than the songs, great though I think many of them are, it was the girls' singing that, separately and especially together, so impressed and captivated me.
With regard to a specific track, when I first heard The Visitors - that compelling synth riff from Benny; the four-bar build-up to the first chorus, and the chorus itself - I was so excited by it, I had to turn up the volume and hear it over and over.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 17, 2019 13:56:49 GMT
Which albums set was that, richard, just out of interest? I don’t think any were released until 2004 (the Japanese one) and then 2005 (Complete Studio Recordings) and 2008 (The Albums - a cheaper one - still available now). Or was it a vinyl one? |
|
|
|
Post by richard on Aug 17, 2019 14:57:48 GMT
It was the 2008 set, Alan, which I bought in 2009
|
|
|
|
Post by foreverfan on Aug 17, 2019 17:32:27 GMT
Very vivid memory.. 1976, May, 14 years old, sitting on my mum’s kitchen table ( no reason ) it was my 14th birthday and ABBA we’re number 1.. and hearing this fabulous moving song on my parents gigantic 100 station , dials galore , on top on the dresser , radio.. it was of course.. Fernando.. 43 years later.. still in love with them... Im sure I’d heard all the previous tracks, and I vaguely do remember, but being spotty12, 13 , 14 year old not really into music...but Fernando was the one that changed that forever...hence my tag name... Also remember playing new albums to death, continuously on my box record player, it must have sounded dreadful compared to today, but at the time, heaven.. even remember taping them and playing them again continuously in the back of my dad’s car on my battery operated tape player, equally dreadful sound quality, until he got sick to death of hearing and telling me to turn that crap!!!!! Off philistine that he was..lol. He was a Typical 50s teenager and nothing was better than Elvis! Another vivid memory.. September of 76, Butlins, Minehead, ( those who don’t know , Holiday camp ) .. sitting fed up watching parents having a good time, stuck with my little sister, whole mood changed when Dancing Queen came on... 1980, working , rushing to the radio to hear new track The Winner Takes It All... totally moved those are the 3 clearest memories, all feel like yesterday until I look in the mirror ...lol..  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2019 22:44:53 GMT
Absolutely brilliant. The songs do revive old memories.
|
|
|
|
Post by josef on Aug 17, 2019 23:47:17 GMT
No offense but I really don't think the world was a much happier place back then. There's always been war and conflict and people starving, etc. It may certainly have seemed happier, and they were simpler times for sure (in some ways, depending on where you live and personal circumstances) but I do think rose-tinted spectacles are at play here. I'm as guilty of it as the next person. Of course it's all subjective and everyone's experience is different. And there's no denying these are trying times we're living in now, globally. Scary stuff. Without wanting to get too deep, life is hard and very unfair for a great many people across the globe and that's just reality. Thank goodness we have music and art and things to take our minds off just how truly awful life is (or can be).
I remember listening to Fernando and being affected by that intro and Frida's voice which was like a soft caress, full of longing and so wistful. I didn't understand what the song was about (I do now, of course) but even without lyrics I'd still be moved by the music.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 18, 2019 7:48:16 GMT
A single I remember getting was I Have A Dream. The UK edition of this was nicely presented, a gatefold sleeve with artwork far superior to the international one. And only the second UK ABBA single to be released with a picture sleeve. Anyway, I got home from school one day to find my mum had bought it for my brother and me as an early Christmas present.
I was slightly disappointed that the version of I Have A Dream on it was just the album version. I’d seen the live video on TV so was expecting it to be that on the record. The live version of Take A Chance On Me on the b-side didn’t quite make up for that disappointment somehow!
(A picture sleeve was still a big deal at this point. Although Angeleyes/Voulez-Vous had been released in one earlier that year, Gimme Gimme Gimme reverted to Epic’s orange company sleeve - as it turned out, the last, as Epic was changing to a blue label. I Have A Dream was given the gatefold treatment, and after that, all UK ABBA singles came in picture sleeves).
|
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Aug 18, 2019 8:02:14 GMT
Not wanting to take this off-topic or into political territory, but what josef and @edmfio76 are saying about the world seeming to be a better place then (or not). I agree, there’s always been horrible things going on but the current times seem especially scary. While things like Brexit and Trump can be overcome (the way it’s going, I can’t see Brexit happening at all, and Trump can only be president for five and a half more years), climate change is the biggie. We were oblivious to all of that in the 1970s and 80s. Probably the most stable period in recent years (in the UK at least) was 1997 to 2007. We then had the financial crisis followed up by huge cuts to public spending, and then the Brexit referendum and all the uncertainty that’s created since. Anyway, as an eight-year old as the 70s ended, anything bad that happened that decade went completely over my head. As long as ABBA were releasing records, all was well. |
|
|
|
Post by josef on Aug 18, 2019 13:44:32 GMT
As I was a kid when ABBA's singles were released, then a teenager, I am thinking it seemed a lot more innocent because I actually was. You don't really know the ways of the world as a child and even though my childhood was extremely difficult, I had no real concept of how the world really was. In that respect, ABBA's music was a ray of light, a beacon of hope. I lost myself in the beauty of their compositions. In some ways, they were my first love, if that makes any sense. Music can actually 'save' someone, give them hope. With each new release I felt a joy that was lacking in almost every other area of my life. I wouldn't be surprised if this was true for many people.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2019 15:51:46 GMT
Josef, I am sorry to hear that you endured an extremely tough childhood. I was a victim of harrowing and intense bullying at school and didn't always confide in Mum and Dad about it as maybe I should have. Instead I bottled my feelings up and still am very angry with those hooligans even to this day. You are right of course, there were terrible things happening like wars, famines and disasters but may be not as frequent as now. I am quite naive at times and try to cover up the unpleasant experiences I encountered at school. To find solace I used to play ABBA at full blast to drown my sorrows and drove my family to despair at times. Because I didn't free myself of all the hurt and anger at the time, this has taken its toll on my health mentally, leaving me scarred and thus bringing on anxiety and depression. And of course, the teachers were deaf, dumb and blind when I desperately needed help. I have amended my previous post if that is of any help.
|
|
|
|
Post by josef on Aug 18, 2019 17:26:52 GMT
Thanks, Edmund. It sounds like you didn't have the best start in life, either and I can relate to a lot of what you say.
For me, ABBA was escapism. Still is. Plus, they seemed so exotic and glamourous and that accent is to die for. Not forgetting how uplifting the songs sounded despite their very often melancholic leaning. I only grew to understand the complexity and meaning behind the songs as I grew older.... "I have questions and they know everything".
|
|
|
|
Post by HOMETIME on Aug 18, 2019 19:18:50 GMT
This thread is terrific.
I think that we look back on the "more innocent times" like that because we, ourselves, were innocent. All the same bad things happened in the world, but we were too young to properly process what was happening. Now that we're older, I think we see the dark side that little bit sooner. But that's just one old fogey's view! I think it is a testament to the magic of the group - the songs, the exotic glamour, the likeablity and unattainability - that they have provided such a salve for so many of our troubles. Thanks, Edmund and Josef, for sharing.
I was aware of ABBA from the radio. Terry Wogan soundtracked our mornings and he could be relied upon to play ABBA songs (or at least that's how it seemed in my innocence - I understood the playlist system much later). I fell properly in love with ABBA at my friend's 13th birthday party. His aunt gave him Arrival as a present and we just kept flipping it over every time the needle reached the end of a side. I was completely captivated by "When I Kissed The Teacher" and from then on, I was smitten by them (as was my friend).
The first ABBA single I bought without first hearing it was "Summer Night City." I studied the label on the bus journey home (there was no pic sleeve), trying to imagine what the song would be like and wondering what the dickens this medley was about. I think I ended up playing both sides the same amount.
I always bought lead singles but, once an album came out, I'd only buy the follow-up singles when they were in the bargain bin. Pocket money only went so far. My self-discipline was challenged when Epic finally started issuing picture sleeves. I really wanted the glossy goodness of Angeleyes/Voulez-Vous but, as I had the parent album, I knew I would be throwing good money away. So I wrote to the record company's HQ in Dublin, explaining my predicament, and they sent me a sleeve by return post! A couple of months later, my mother read me the riot act for buying "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme" (no pic sleeve, familiar B-side) and then "wasting money" on GHV2, as I already had all the songs anyway. The glorious sleeve and the live B-side made "I Have A Dream" an essential purchase.
A friend came to my house with a cassette containing the second half of "The Winner Takes It All." He'd just heard it on the radio and got a bit over-excited. It hit the shops a few days later and it felt like such a treat: glossy sleeve, on which they all looked fab (at the time, I didn't spot the clash of sunny smiles on front of a tear-sodden masterpiece). I loved "Elaine" and ended up playing it more than the A-side. In fact, I was so taken with it, that I was inspired to write songs soon after (the first of which was called "Christine" and may or may not be entirely derivative....)
I remember battling heavy snow to buy the "Head Over Heels" single. I was appalled when I saw what was on the flipside and the cover was only slightly less ugly than the one for "One Of Us." I remember thinking that it wouldn't be a hit, as it felt as though ABBA were dialling it in. I was on holiday in America when "The Day Before You Came" was released and, before I'd heard a note, an ABBA-fan friend had warned me it was dire. I bought it anyway. To be honest, I didn't get the song at all until I saw the video. Then it clicked. That said, I did wonder why the more immediate-sounding "Cassandra" wasn't the A-side. How times change: now, I rarely listen to "Cassandra" and "The Day Before You Came" is my second-favourite ABBA song. I was intrigued by the punchy title of "Under Attack" when I was poring over the album sleeve on the way home with "The Singles - The First Ten Years" (by now, I was earning, so my mother felt I could squander my money as I saw fit). I was willing it to be a song that would reverse the dimming chart performances so far that year. But it never really clicked with me. I bought the single for the B-side (which I really liked) and the sleeve.
When "Thank You For The Music" was announced as the lead single for a compilation of the same name, I new the jig was up. I felt the whole release was mis-managed. A classy gem of a song was squandered on the B-side, the sleeves of both the single and the album looked like they were issued by K-Tel and the tracklist did not make sense of the "collection of love songs" promised by the album's sub-title.
All these years later, I still play ABBA. Despite my occasional chin-stroking about the quality of this song or that album, there seems to be a very steady playlist of songs that never leave me. It's headed by my favourite - "The Visitors" - and is populated by more prime album tracks than hit singles. After stumbling upon John Grant's sublime acoustic cover of "Angeleyes," the ABBA version has shot right up my personal chart and is now my second favourite song on the "Voulez-Vous" album. The current 40th anniversary notwithstanding, I think "Voulez-Vous" and "The Visitors" are the albums that most often get complete plays. The reissues are rare examples of bonus tracks improving classic albums.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2019 22:26:27 GMT
Thank you for a good post, Tony. I must admit I was totally obsessed with ABBA when they were huge all over the world. Although I didn't purchase any of their singles only the studio albums at the time. I totally immersed myself with their music to hide my troubles just like Josef. I was captivated by the sheer beauty of the two girls, their looks mesmerised me. Their voices with that slight hint of an accent were to die for. B&B's wonderful strong melodies and moving lyrics were just nothing short of genius. You are right we were young and innocent in those days and didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the world. Today everything is so over-hyped even the chart music. ABBA were and continue to be in a league of their own. Classic timeless songs which will always be played just like The Bee Gees who I also admire greatly. It was tragic when we lost Maurice and Robin and younger brother Andy. Poor Barry is the only surviving brother. It is so sad. Fame and fortune do not always bring happiness do they. Look at all the issues ABBA had to endure. I hope you enjoyed reading my little anecdote ( excerpt from "War And Peace" ! )
|
|
|
|
Post by madonnabba on Aug 18, 2019 23:32:28 GMT
I remember listening to the albums every day with my headphones on. No Internet then so I would have my pile of Abba magazines and books to flick through. I was totally besotted with everything Abba. Not sure which album I have listened to most but I think it might have been Greatest Hits 1 or possibly Arrival as I had fewer Abba albums to chose from at that time. They were never off my turntable. Don’t have the same need to listen to full albums now. The first Greatest Hits was a pleasant album full of catchy summery songs and great harmonies.
|
|
|
|
Post by josef on Aug 19, 2019 21:21:58 GMT
Here's something I haven't seen mooted but one that to this day still evokes extremely strong memories and emotions: smell. The actual smell of the album cover(s). One that particularly impressed me was ABBA The Album. Unfortunately I haven't got the words to adequately describe what I mean. You either know or you don't. Even songs can be indelibly etched with that impression. Obviously it must be a combination of the ink and the actual vinyl and the pulp used for the cover. Anyway, that smell can immediately transport me back to the age I was then and bring back often very poignant memories but they're fleeting and delicate memories that almost as soon as you experience them they are lost again, disappearing in an instant like a fleeting glimpse of a ghost.
Yes, I know if sounds weird! It's hard to describe. It's not as if I sat sniffing the albums, it's just something that occurred naturally and left an impression that mixed with the music and many other things.
Sense of smell and the memories it evokes is very important and strong. I think of all the senses, it may be the one that's most evocative.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeebee on Aug 19, 2019 21:25:36 GMT
Yes, taping stuff off the TV onto audio cassette was another thing to do. My brother recorded ABBA In Switzerland and ABBA Words and Music that way. He missed If It Wasn’t For The Nights on Mike Yarwood as (with it being Christmas Day) we were round at my grandparents and he didn’t have his tape recorder with him. We got home in time for Thank You For The Music but obviously that wasn’t a new song (and it was just the studio version). Kids today (and indeed for the last 35 years or so) will never have known that. Before most people even had VCRs. To catch something on the TV you had to be there to watch it and record it on cassette, telling everyone in the house to keep quiet while it was on as they’d end up on tape! Alan, your post reminds me of when I first heard Gimme Gimme Gimme, Summer Night City, and The Way Old Friends Do. There was a weekly music show called Soundstage on public television here in the USA. The only time I watched it was in the fall of 1980, when they showed footage of ABBA from their 1979 tour. Soundstage was simulcast on a local FM radio station and the simulcast was repeated a few nights later. When that particular simulcast was repeated, I taped those three songs from the radio. I wasn't a kid at the time-I was 18 years old and had graduated from high school earlier that year. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2019 12:03:55 GMT
Josef, I still love the smell of my ABBA vinyls and always look at them with a sense of admiration. This will result in a new fad among us fans in sniffing the LP's and getting "a high" from it ! Looking at Agnetha and Frida is enough to send you into complete oblivion.
|
|
