ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2021 Sept - Dec

Elvis Presley started Rock n roll for white, CHuck Berry for black Americans, Beach boys = surf,
Beatles = Beat, Shakin Stevens = Rock n roll revival. Abba = Disco in Europe, Bee Gees in the USA.
Sooner or later, everyone started to change their style. It has never been very well received. The Beatles were perhaps the only exception when, after a series of 1966-67 experiments, they found their face in 1969-70.
Abba Visitors was the least commercially successful album at the time, followed by The Album 1977.
This does not change the fact that Abba is exceptional in her work.
Agnetha has a great voice color and I don't get bored even if she sings 50 LPs, as they are used to making albums in the USA.

Just listened to bumblebee, when you danced with me and ode to freedom (6th listen on this one and i finally get it)! with headphones, what can I say?! The depth (think that's the right word)!of the vocals and instrumentation is wonderful, stunning!

Sad to hear about any squabbles on facebook, we all have our likes and dislikes, the key is to be respectful, to ABBA as artists, who have given us this great gift, and to each other. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some people joined the Facebook page just to stir up trouble anyway, I wouldn't join if you paid me!

Very curious of how does this fit here, as you have given rational reasons of disliking Voyage? (For every rave, there is a dud...)

The question of who started what genre is a hefty one and makes a good discussion, but I fear it might get too directionless;

let's cut to the chase to your second part, darling:

I disagree; this seems to be a bit more complex than this.

Changing their style seems to be motivated by trends, the artists, and the fans' demands for more (the basics...), and certainly ABBA does not want to follow trends; given the current circumstances within the music industry and their underlying decisions ('lagom' comes to mind), it is reasonable.
One artist (John Grant) in a Christian Science Monitor article stated that he was afraid that ABBA were going to be using Auto-Tune; but instead it had the natural sound, which he was grateful for; this is how he sees it.

If it has never been well received, then it may take time to be critically re-evaluated, but not guaranteed. Miles Davis got a flack out of his electric years and the jazz purists weren't having it; but he seems to be getting a re-evaluation as a pioneer toward modern jazz. This does not guarantee, as one case does not aggregate many cases... I repeat.

If your point is that "they started a musical style ('disco'), and therefore they should stick with it", I would refer you to the earlier albums which is a bit more schlager-flavor fun and glam rock.

From what I've heard, disco was already there by the time ABBA hopped on a trend by '75 (Ulvaeus once uttered that they had to get the sound The Bee Gees had, as recent as October this year), and made it the way they want it.
They did not start/invent disco (cf. Gamble and Huff, etc etc), for one thing, but ABBA made their own take on it.

Each artist has different approach on dealing with the present time and therefore different raves and duds:
ABBA's response was to recall their other music styles they explored, give them a sonical pat on the shoulder to the fans let them know they're still there, while remaining fresh.
Others might be more generous, aloof, unpredictable, or whatever is on their mind.

Ultimately, the verdict is decided upon the artist. Whether you like it or not that's their decision, and it's better than nothing.
 

The fact that "ABBA is exceptional in (t)he(i)r work" is an opinion dependent on the perception of others; most would agree here that, of course they are exceptional. LOL.

With the massive number of pre-orders, this sounds plausible to me!! I am sure it will be a high opening week, then a drop and a consistent performance once Xmas gifting gets underway.

I would have thought When You Danced With Me would do well in Ireland.

Have already listened to the whole thing another four times this morning. So I’m just about ready to rate the songs – and add a coda to my Megarate effort of two years ago. Then I’ll be done! Scores will inevitably wax and wane with the passage of time.

‘I Still Have Faith in You’: 9 out of 10. Sounds like three songs impeccably, seamlessly melded into one. A lifetime of experiences woven into the lyrics. A song for them and a song for us. Still leaves me with W.E.S. (Watery Eye Syndrome) every single time.

‘When You Danced with Me’: 7 out of 10. Would be an 8 if it weren’t for the verses. I’m a big folk music fan and have generally enjoyed ABBA’s brushes with the genre over the years. But the verse is just a bit too ‘diddly diddly’ for my taste. Everything else here is great.

‘Little Things’: 5 out of 10: Was probably a 2 when I first heard it yesterday, so that’s a positive! Some of the lines still make me wince and a timeless Christmas classic it ain’t. There are some nice touches, though. But the iron rule of thumb is: leave this sort of stuff to Cliff...

‘Don’t Shut Me Down’: 9 out of 10. Best track on the album. Masterful. A genuine ABBA classic. Definitely in my all-time ABBA Top 20, though I’m not sure where exactly yet. This is the track to play to someone if you want to demonstrate that ABBA have still ‘got it’. A sophisticated song masquerading as a simple one – so trademark ABBA!

‘Just a Notion’: 7 out of 10. Never, ever a single but slots in very nicely here after DSMD. Coming straight after that track, the Wombly intro doesn’t bother me anymore (maybe because I’m in such a good mood with DSMD still ringing in my ears!). File under F for ‘Feelgood’.

‘I Can Be That Woman’: 4 out of 10. Sorry! I know this is proving popular but I just can’t get anywhere near it at the moment. The tune’s OK – a bit Chess-lite but that’s no bad thing in itself. But the verse lyrics lack lyricism and just feel SO awkward. Probably a bit too dirge-y overall. Uncomfortably close to being a ‘skip’ track at the moment.

‘Keep an Eye on Dan’: 8 out of 10. Back on track. Was a bit ‘meh’ at first but this is the epitome of a grower – the classic deep-cut that most people will never know, but that WE’ll know is an absolute ripper. Catchy as a mother dog, but with light and shade effortlessly interwoven – again, trademark ABBA!

'Bumblebee': 6 out of 10. Probably a track best listened to in a summery garden awash with blooms and buzzing insects. Again, would have scored much lower when I first heard it yesterday and I’m a little uncomfortable with some of the tweeness, but that probably wouldn’t have been an issue if ‘Voyage’ didn’t already have ‘Little Things’ on it. Not sure we need both on the one album TBH.

‘No Doubt About It’: 8 out of 10. As I said yesterday, right in my wheelhouse. Great melody, great arrangement – sounds like it could have been a ‘lost classic’ from the 1982 sessions, though greatly superior to ‘I Am the City’ etc. Nails ‘the ABBA sound’ as well as anything on ‘Voyage’.

‘Ode to Freedom’: 8 out of 10. Was a bit worried about this one. Judging from the title alone, I thought there might be a trite trope or thirty littered around the song, with the cheeseboard always within easy reach. In fact, it’s all delicately and subtly handled, working really well from start to finish. The message comes across, but not in a lectern-banging way. Nice that such an ‘unusual’ (for ABBA) track closes out the album. A great full stop! Or is it a dot dot dot...?

Over and out!

Thank you for your reviews thisboycries, nicely put and I very much agree, repeat listens are crucial. When I first heard WYDWM, I thought " why put this as second song"?!, but second listen, loved it!   Really strange!

I  think Voyage takes the crown for mixing styles!  Theatrical, folk, classical, pop, country even!

Whilst i absolutely respect people not liking the album of course, I think that some that don't, have maybe, a) only listened once and decided "no, don't like it, not listening again" and b) are forgetting ABBA saying I'm not the same this time around and to have an open mind!

I have three questions:

1. If Voyage reached no. 1 in the UK will that be the longest interval between an artist going back to no. 1 in the album charts, i.e 40 years or has some else had a longer interval?

2. Has Abba ever recorded someone else's song? I can't think of any.

3. Has Abba ever recorded with another artist? I don't think so.

I think they are a standalone group who has never collaborated with another artist or covered another artist's music.

Just listening to NDAI, rapidly becoming one of my favourites, how on earth does Frida belt it out like that when she is nearly 76! Amazing vocals!!

1. Yes. Longest span with new material.
2. The Medley B Side of Summer Night City and recorded earlier in 1975 was cover versions of Midnight Special, Pick a Bale of Cotton and On Top of Old Smokey.
3. I don't think so. Not 100% on this but think it's a No

Depends what you include. Gold was number 1 as recently as 2008.

Abba have now recorded 2 tracks with 2 different choirs.

Here’s how I’d rate Voyage right now.

I Still Have Faith In You - 10/10
When You Danced With Me - 9.5/10
Little Things - 7/10
Don’t Shut Me Down - 8.5/10
Just A Notion - 8/10
I Can Be That Woman - 7/10
Keep An Eye On Dan - 9/10
Bumblebee - 9/10
No Doubt About It - 9/10
Ode To Freedom - 4/10

Excluding the singles for now, this is my current ranking for the album:

No Doubt About It
Ode To Freedom
When You Danced With Me
I Can Be That Woman
Bumblebee
Little Things
Keep An Eye On Dan

It'll take some effort to incorporate the singles fairly into that ranking.

In reference to the recent review Kitty Empire of The Guardian has put out, with 3 stars out of 5 stars, she calls it "Emotionally literate pop"; now that's something I'd want to describe what ABBA is like to new potential fans. The crafting of the lyrics is quite more apparent as I listen to Voyage a few more times...