ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2023-24

^Yes. Actuallly only 13 of the 20 songs are from Gold.

4 from More Gold, Eagle, The Visitors, WAISAD and SNC. I know SNC was a hit but it's been in neither Gold or the Mamma Mia.

2 Voyage songs of course

and a real curveball in Hole in Your Soul.

I am surprised that they chose a setlist with a third of the songs that are not that well known.

The setlist may change but I can't see more 'obscure' tracks at the expense of big hits.

Thanks for that. It seems to to make sense of what Tinneke said and what others have said. My gut feeling is that the older stuff is so ingrained in the public consciousness, that it's natural for the newer, less-well-known songs to get a less ebullient response. I guess some will suggest that it's a reflection on the quality of those songs but, personally, I disagree: I definitely think the affection is based on familiarity.

I love the suggestion of The Girl With The Golden Hair being reproduced by the ABBAtars at some stage. Personally, I love the drama of the album version of I'm A Marionette. But, as with DSMD, the lack of a string arrangement might undercut its impact? Also, if Ludvig had "issues" with the quality of the recordings from the '77 tour, I wonder how they'd rescue Get On The Carousel - they have pristine studio versions of the other songs. 

Given the costs mentioned, I suspect they'd need the show to be running in multiple locations and shovelling in the money before they could embark on additions that expansive.

I recall someone saying ISHFIY was getting a better reception than DSMD, rather than saying both muted compared to older songs.

I would expect the Voyage (and non-Gold) songs to more muted on audience response.

Over the past few days there has been advertising on prime time TV, down south anyhow.
Great little clip about 15-20 seconds, but shows the show off well....

What does it mean if anything, numbers down ? Or just promotion......

Do you think it’s a show that could transfer to screen ? Obviously not for many a year.. but it does look good on TV.....

Also read a few days ago.. Voyage on approx 463.720 sales.... numbers must be minimal now....couple of 100 a week......

I hope that eventually they'll introduce in the show to more casual fans more of the album tracks amidst the hits.

Maybe replace album track with another album track. Surely not replace one of the big hits with an album track. The ratio Big Hits vs "uknown songs" is roughly 2:1. That is quite generous to the lesser known songs. By lesser known I mean not on Gold.


PS Slipping Through My Finger becomes the first album track to get a UK sales award. It went Silver today for 200k digital sales.

That must be because of Mamma Mia! ? Therefore it would make sense to have non-Gold tracks in Voyage if it helps push up sales/streams of those tracks. Are there any figures for Hole In Your Soul?

The Grammy Awards this weekend! Anyone hopeful of an ABBA win? And would it boost sales of Voyage, enough to get back in the charts? Whatever happens, ABBA are certainly overdue an International award of some sort!

I,too, will be surprised if they do win, but 4 category nominations was a surprise so who knows?!

I saw the Voyage concert TV ads this week, looked good!

Just looking at the setlists of the 1977 and 1979/80 tours:

www.setlist.fm/setlist/abba/1977/royal-albert-hall-london-england-43d8af0b.html

www.setlist.fm/setlist/abba/1979/wembley-arena-london-england-4bdfcf92.html

1977 is primarily a showcase for Arrival, with eight of its 10 tracks performed (My Love, My Life and the instrumental title track being the omissions). 1977 offers four completely new songs (the mini-musical) along with I Am An A (if we count that). Altogether, a total of 15 of 24 songs being album tracks or new songs. To be fair, most of their international singles to this point were also included.

1979/80 is similarly a showcase for The Album and Voulez-Vous, with 12 of 19 tracks played. 1979 has two completely new songs (The Way Old Friends Do and I’m Still Alive) along with the newly-released Gimme Gimme Gimme and a Tomas Ledin song. Nine of 24 ABBA songs were album tracks or new songs.

It’s largely thanks to the new songs being created for 1977 and 1979 that the Voyage album happened, as they wanted to similarly have new songs for the show (arguably, it wasn’t necessary).

Alan - I am not being Glass Half Empty - just realistic.

The Voyage show just had to be a Greatest Hits show for the most part to get casual fans to go to it. There's plenty of non-Gold songs, 7 (4 from More Gold, 2 from Voyage and Hole in Your Soul)

I take your point about the 1977 and 1979/80 tours. But ABBA were an active band promoting new albums then. That's not the case. They did no promotion really for the one-off comeback album, Voyage. In addition people are more used to the Hits filled Gold album and first Mamma Mia film. 18 out the 23 songs on Mamma Mia were Gold tracks (no One of Us and Mamma Mia done twice). The sequel had more album tracks as you simply couldn't replicate the same songs again - though some were repeated. In anycase that follow up as much a catch up about the (feeble) story as unfamiliar songs.

The Voyage show just wouldn't be as successful if it were more obscure Fan Favourites rather than Big Hits which are familiar to millions. The show has to be more Gold Greatest Hits than Voyage album - or lesser known songs. The show has to sell out 7 times a week for two years just to break even. A Hits dominated show is inevitable.
It's fine having a Fantasy Set List. But that's what it is 😀


I'd make it MORE like Gold and include Take a Chance On Me at the expense of Hole in Your Soul. I am happy that my favourite Non-Gold songs - Summer Night City, The Visitors and When All is Said and Done are included.

According to the Complete Recording Sessions the overdubs done for The Movie are not complete - they overdubbed just the parts that were in the film and the rest of the song remained in its original form. So the only recordings that could be used are of the songs that appeared in full in The Movie and those are few. However, I don't understand what's shocking about the fan recordings? I've always thought that the ones from Australia sound quite good and show ABBA in top form. The same cannot be said about the 1979 recordings but a few very good ones can be found still (Milwaukee for example).

I've heard Benny vetoed it but does anybody know why? It surely isn't because he doesn't like the song - he even included it on his Piano album. Personally I think it would work well.

I wonder if there will be a surprise nearer the first anniversary of the Voyage concert? Maybe a new single?!