ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2023-24

I think there was a lot of publicity in terms of news reports on 2nd Sep for the first new songs and announcement of the Voyage show. The show was actually the main focus - as it has been all along. It's possible that many people knew there was a concert coming out and maybe a couple of new songs for the show but not necessarily a new album.

But for the album released in November it was restricted to a few commercials, an off-peak segment on the BBC's Breakfast Show and newspaper reviews (which people don't read much).

It's hard to imagine people didn't catch at least something about the new album but the priority and attention was for the concert. I thought when Voyage got to #1 there may have been a brief mention on the News Channels (not necesssrily BBC1 or ITV) - but no mention at all. A #1 album of new songs, 40 years on would have been worthy of even a 20 second "And finally" piece imo.

There really wasn't the publicity for the Voyage album in November as there was for news of the ABBAtars and 2 new songs in September.

Two years on, Voyage has settled down as a 3.5 star album, for me. I like the overall feel, ISHFIY and DSMD are still top-drawer titans, LT and ICBTW I can live without, while the other half-dozen songs all fall somewhere within the 'very decent to very good' range. I'd rank the album seventh out of the nine, one star ahead of Ring Ring and two full stars ahead of Waterloo. Definitely a worthwhile addition to the catalogue on its own terms, even before you marvel at the sheer effrontery of unleashing such a comeback after four full decades.

I'm OK with BB, for some reason. My main 'structural' issue with the album is that I don't need both BB and LT on it. One dose of treacle is absolutely fine - two's too much. Of the two songs, I've a substantial preference for BB - I think Frida does a great job with it and just about holds it back from plunging over the precipice into the yawning chasm of cutesy doom.

My ratings and rankings

1. I Still Have Faith in You ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Don't Shut Me Down
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. No Doubt About It
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4. Ode to Freedom
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

5. When You Danced With Me
⭐️⭐️⭐️

6. Keep an Eye on Dan
⭐️⭐️⭐️

7. Just a Notion
⭐️⭐️⭐️

8. I Can Be That Woman
⭐️⭐️1/2

9. Bumblebee
⭐️⭐️

10. Little Things
⭐️

Maybe ⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall

Not listened for a few months but from memory, scores would be:
I Still Have Faith in You 6/10
When You Danced With Me 6.5/10
Little Things 3/10
Don't Shut Me Down 9/10
Just a Notion 8/10
I Can Be That Woman 4/10
Keep an Eye on Dan 7/10
Bumblebee 7/10
No Doubt About It 9/10
Ode to Freedom 9/10

I am a random sort of fan. I often listened to ABBA Gold and ABBA Voyage. I still think the songs on " Voyage " are of superior quality compared to the dross churned out in today's charts.
These are my " scores on the doors ".

I Still Have Faith In You 10/10
When You Danced With Me 9/10
Little Things 5/10
Don't Shut Me Down 10/10
Just A Notion 8/10
I Can Be That Woman 10/10
Keep An Eye On Dan 7/10
Bumblebee 8/10
No Doubt About It 7/10
Ode To Freedom 9/10

There’s still the hope that we might at least get the two Voyage outtakes/previously incomplete tracks next year, though until there’s an official announcement (unlikely to be until April at the earliest) I’m not putting money on it.

For me the novelty feeling of Voyage hasn't worn off yet and I play it quite often (not as often as after its release but it still remains my most often played ABBA album).

I like most of the songs; the least favourite are Little Things, Bumblebee and Ode To Freedom, but I never skip them and enjoy them in a way. The most favourite tracks are I Still Have Faith In You, Don't Shut Me Down and Keep An Eye On Dan - even if they would probably not make it to my personal Top 10, they are very valuable addition to ABBA's catalogue for me. The rest is somewhere in between but very enjoyable.

I have just replayed the Voyage Album again after a few weeks rest, and I must say I enjoyed the LP from start to finish. I don't think there are any weak songs. Now I am so looking forward to what's coming this year. I must say Abba are the best band in the would. Giving us a New LP after 40 years what other band has done that for there fans.