ABBA 50 Years Retrospective Album - Tracklist?

Inspired by johnny 's tracklist, I've had a go at one of my own. Mine is a twin approach: a single disc for more casual fans; and a two-disc set for a deeper dive and/or the more committed fan. I notice that other acts take a similar approach - the most current example is Madonna's "Finally Enough Love" compilation. I have given this the fanciful title ABBA - A Half Century - A Celebration in Music. And, yes, I've also taken a couple of fanciful liberties with mixes B&B wouldn't permit - I Dox5, TACOM, IHAD etc.

Single disc:

1. Waterloo
2. SOS
3. Mamma Mia
4. Fernando
5. Dancing queen
6. Knowing me, knowing you
7. The name of the game
8. Take a chance on me
9. Summer night city
10. Does your mother know?
11. Voulez-vous
12. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
13. The winner takes it all
14. Super trouper
15. Lay all your love on me
16. The visitors
17. When all is said and done
18. The day before you came
19. I still have faith in you
20. Don’t shut me down


Double disc:
Disc 1
1. People Need Love*
2. Ring, ring
3. Waterloo
4. Honey, honey
5. So long
6. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do – extra verse
7. SOS
8. Mamma mia
9. Fernando
10. Dancing queen
11. Money, money, money
12. Knowing me, knowing you
13. The name of the game
14. Take a chance on me – acapella ending
15. Eagle – edit
16. Thank you for the music
17. Summer night city – full length
18. Chiquitita
19. Does your mother know – rock version

Disc 2
1. Voulez-vous
2. Angeleyes
3. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
4. I have a dream – new live mix
5. The winner takes it all
6. Super trouper
7. On and on and on – full length
8. Lay all your love on me
9. When all is said and done – Voyage version
10. One of us
11. Head over heels
12. The visitors
13. The day before you came
14. Under attack
15. I still have faith in you
16. Don’t shut me down
17. Just a notion
18. No doubt about it

There might even be scope to make a 4 disc box set edition. The third disc could have stuff like The Chiquitita Story; From a Twinking Star...; ABBA Undeleted (maybe pruned a bit); all of the live performances from Dick Cavett. The fourth disc could be a DVD with all the official videos, the Dick Cavett performances, TV performances of tracks on this set, even the godawful lyric videos.

Yeah, to borrow Bjorn's comment about the Voyage setlist, "some darlings had to be killed" for the single disc version. As it happens, that incomplete list is too long for CD - even using the shorter versions of VV and TV. According to the iTunes playlist I made of it, it's 84 minutes, so not viable. I was aiming for something would be more immediately familiar to anyone attending the shows. I wanted it to include all the UK number ones and the lead Voyage singles without replicating Gold too much. I should figure out the timings for the fuller set. As for vinyl versions, sheesh... The single CD list would be a crammed vinyl double album. I suppose a single vinyl disc could have all 9 UK number ones and the Voyage singles? Would the punters want it? And the full set would probably occupy four (even five?) LPs. It would have to very attractively presented to warrant the extraction of lots of cash from fans. Blondie's recent box set would be a wonderful reference point.

Those 4K remastered videos should be prioritised over the lyric videos in my opinion. Especially if there's a compilation in the pipeline. The new, crisp visuals really elevated the clips.

^ Not sure if the 9 UK number ones and two Voyage singles is a good idea. Are they in the same league? Maybe they are. It was already said that to have No.9 and No.14 singles these days is an amazing achievement for a band like ABBA. Still I think that the media would be quick to comment on it and make comparisons...

As for the 4K videos, I 100% agree - they should complete the remastering and put them out on BluRay. It would be a real shame if the next DVD release was a compilation of the awful lyric videos.

Hometime, the single CD version you have would be too similar to Gold. . I love The Name of the Game, it's in my Top 5 ABBA songs but it's not so popular now going by streaming and before that downloads. I don't think you could have it at the expense of Chiquitita.


You could have a Voyage show CD instead. Though that too would be similar to Gold.
You say it runs to 84 minutes - then chop off one song.

The 2 CD version is more realistic and hopefully with a bonus disc or two. Yes, People Need Love would have to be there. I am glad you haven't chosen Love isn't Easy or He is My Brother - both appeared on The Definitive and Essential Collections.

I think a few of us are just assuming there will be a career spanning double CD. There may not be. But no harm in speculating!

For any 2 CD album the non-Gold songs would HAVE To have the following, IMO:

People Need Love - 1st single

Ring Ring -1st Eurovision attempt and big hit some places

Summer Night City - actually big hit and great song

I Do ×5 - big global hit

Honey Honey - hit in some countries and Mamma Mia song

The Day Before You Came - fan favourite and big hit in some countries

I Still Have Faith in You
Don't Shut Me Down - both these as comeback songs

When All is Said and Done - From Mamma Mia, the Voyage show and US hit

19 Gold + 9 "essential" other songs brings us to 28. Room for another 10. Personally I favour well-known tracks from Mamma Mia or the Voyage show rather than minor hit singles.

I love No Doubt About It, one of my faves from Voyage but the radio-only single didn't increase its popularity. Still least streamed song from Voyage.

Yes that unreleased track. I remember reading in fan forums people going bananas over it. Then I heard it. Ok, pleasant but no Dancing Queen or Knowing Me Knowing You is it?

Cassandra from that time would be a better candidate for inclusion that the song that can't be mentioned!

Interesting approach. It makes space for songs that rarely get included on compilations. With Hole In Your Soul, The Visitors from the show; and Andante, Why Did It Have To Be Me, Our Last Summer, Angeleyes, etc. - all of which were boosted by the Mamma Mia movies - it could freshen things up. I wonder if there are any surprises in the forthcoming setlist shake-ups?

I have to disagree here. At least partly. Yes, they had their down moments and especially Agnetha sometimes suffered from vocal problems BUT in Australia they were in top form. You can argue that the officially released live recordings were heavilly overdubbed in the studio. However I've heard many unofficial fan recordings from the Australian tour and the vocals are fantastic. I think ABBA is unfairly underestimated as a live act, even by themselves.

Although I'm not particularly interested in another compilation, even it was to mark ABBA's 50th anniversary, I've just had an idea for one, nevertheless: ABBA CHOOSE THEIR FAVOURITE TRACKS FROM THE ALBUMS. Some guesses for Frida and Agnetha:

Frida: I Let The Music Speak; The King Has Lost His Crown.
Agnetha: I've Been Waiting For You; That's Me. Probably also Our Last Summer.

Björn? Benny? I Wonder, possibly, would be one.

Trouble is, I think the ÀBBA members' respective selections might sometimes diverge quite a bit from what a lot of fans might want to hear!

I take it that's a no, then? 

That's the charm of the live recordings, at least for me. They're not the same. If I want perfection, I listen to the studio recordings. Live recordings are like alternate versions. I like artists, who improvise on stage. ABBA were not that kind of group, I know, but still there are great moments in their live performances. And let's not forget the otherwise unreleased songs performed only live.

ABBA live songs? The only one, to me, that is as good as the original is Summer Night City. It sounds brilliant and is so different from the studio version which I also love.

I haven't heard the songs from the Abbatars concert but if The Visitors or When All is Said and Done are great live - as some have suggested, include them. I think any live song included in a retrospective album would have to be a less familiar one.


I can't believe it! I had a good idea. The double CD would be the 19 Gold Hits and tracks from Mamma Mia movies and the Voyage concert.

50 Years of Hits, Musicals and Out of this World Concert (I assume) sum of ABBA's 50 years - original career, revival and current incarnation. The new double CD would be different from those previous double ones. I need to rest. I can't believe I have had a good idea! 😀

There's at least one more - He Is Your Brother. But I see the song is not exactly your favourite so ignore both versions Otherwise I'd say there are at least a few that are as good as their studio counterparts - I've Been Waiting For You, I Do x 5, I'm A Marionette (oh, yes... you can tell I love the Australian tour recordings...) and some 1975 live renditions have their charm but the recordings are of such a bad quality, that it's often hard to tell. Such a pity none of the 1975 concerts was properly recorded.

I think nobody here really wants a new compilation with nothing new on it. It's just we suppose it will happen anyway The only reason I can think of that can sort of justify it is that the Voyage songs are not yet perceived as an integral part of the ABBA catalogue. A compilation that will combine the old recordings with the new ones can change that. Still it's not a reason for me to buy such a release.

The charity concert is a nice idea, especially the ABBA part, but unlikely to happen, I guess.

I will repeat myself, but I would like a nice box set with some unreleased stuff added, a live album a BluRay with 4K remastered videos and a tenth, final studio ABBA album of course

Also a DVD with some TV performances would be nice - COMPLETE Dick Cavett Special, Studio 2 or Olivia! but I think the latter is probably not possible because it's not just ABBA.