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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 6:00:29 GMT
ABBA in US charts
They are clearly ahead on sales and will top the Sales Chart.
However, the main Billboard Top 200 incoporates Streaming and ABBA will lose out - even though actual sales are higher.
Srill, a #2 album is quite an achievement and ABBA's first Top 10 album in the US.
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Post by agan on Nov 7, 2021 6:08:37 GMT
It seems to be a smash in France, were they printed "only" 150 000 cd's  |
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Post by madonnabba on Nov 7, 2021 6:57:55 GMT
Great news from around the 🌎. Who knows it might persuade them to do a further song here and there if not a full album. Just grateful to have this album. They are still putting smiles on faces and songs in our hearts.
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Post by Alan on Nov 7, 2021 8:54:32 GMT
Björn’s descriptions of the songs from Apple Music (someone posted it on PopJustice). Apologies if it’s already been posted in here:
“I don’t know of anybody who’s done it,” ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus tells Apple Music. “Is there anybody?” He could be talking about the improbability of a Swedish pop group comprising two formerly married couples selling nearly 400 million albums worldwide and counting. He could also mean their impending residency at a purpose-built arena in London in which all four members will perform as ABBAtars—painstakingly motion-captured renderings of their circa-1978 selves—with a live band, potentially until, or beyond, the collapse of civilization. But he’s actually referring to the fact that ABBA is releasing their first album of new music in 40 years, an event that bears little historical precedent. “I constantly have those moments when I think, ‘How the hell did this all happen? Why is it that suddenly on TikTok two million people are following what we are doing?’ It's weird. It's all weird.”
This unlikely occurrence started becoming more likely around 2018 when Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson wrote two songs, the cheekily self-referential “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down,” for possible inclusion in the show, and approached their former partners, singers Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. “We asked the ladies and they were absolutely enthusiastic about going into the studio and trying their voices again,” Ulvaeus says. “And then after a while we thought, why not record a couple more? And there was absolutely nobody breathing down our necks.” The result is Voyage—nine new songs and one resurrected from their original incarnation, fitting for a project that renders the very notion of the passage of time meaningless. While ABBA's legacy is long since assured, their ABBAtars could revolutionize the prospects for artists looking to secure career options beyond this mortal coil. “The reason why it works is that we are still alive,” Ulvaeus says. “The cranium does not change over time. The rest of your body falls apart, but the cranium, they could take exact measurements, which they cannot with a video of Elvis. I bet you there are a lot of singers who will have these in a couple years. Everyone should have an ABBAtar.” Take a chance on these stories behind the songs on Voyage from Ulvaeus himself.
"I Still Have Faith in You"
“When Benny played it to me, I thought, ‘This is really epic.’ It's about us and the bonds we have, about the loyalty we have to each other, and celebrating the fantastic career that we've gone through. Or haven't gone through—there's a lot left of it, as it seems—but there are more layers than that today in that lyric, but that I want the listener to find out by himself.”
"When You Danced With Me"
“It's a bit Nordic, but maybe more Scottish and Irish. I lived in England for six years, between '84 and ’90, and I used to see these fairs that they had in the villages for the children. And that's what I saw before me when I heard the melody: a village fair, but somewhere in Ireland. It's about leavers and remainers. I grew up in a small town and I left it when I was 20. But somehow I'd come back to that little town and feel I have roots there.”
"Little Things"
“Benny tells me he didn't think of it as a Christmas song, but I, the minute I heard it, I said it cannot be anything else. It is early, early Christmas morning. The stockings are hanging right there and then this couple wakes up. This could be played for Christmases to come. And that would be great, because we want to own Christmas and New Year's Eve, like with [1980’s] 'Happy New Year.'”
"Don't Shut Me Down"
“At that time we were kind of getting the hang of what the ABBAtars would be. This is about a woman who has broken up and regrets breaking up. And she is going to come back and see if the guy will take her back. So she sits on a bench in a park and it gets dark. And finally she gets the courage up to go and knock on the door. That's it at face value, but I see it as us, as ABBAtars, knocking on the doors of the fans: Please take us as we are now and don't shut us down. It's a little flirt with the disco of the '70s, but other than that, I don't think that any of the old songs have had any impact on the new songs.”
"Just a Notion"
“It's from '78 and it's never been released in its entirety before. There's been snippets on YouTube, but we thought it's a great song and it has very good vocals on it. Benny did a new backing track, so the band is new but the voices are old. And it illustrates in a way what we are doing in the ABBAtar concert in London, because we will have a live band but the original vocals.”
"I Can Be That Woman"
“It's a country song, in essence. And a little gesture to the queen of country, as far as I'm concerned: Tammy Wynette. The good dog is called Tammy. There's a lot of stuff going into that song, but it's basically about someone who has come down from an addiction and finally come down into real life and is sorry about all the wasted years. But there's hope at the end of the tunnel: I can be that woman now. Only we know what is fact and what is fiction about our life experiences together. It's a kind of freedom that you get. With 70, you get that freedom.”
"Keep an Eye on Dan"
“Dan is the little child; his two parents are divorced and he is being left with one parent. All of us who have been divorced know what it's like to leave that little kid and seeing how absorbed that little kid is with the other parent. And he waves, or she, and you stand there and you feel, 'Argh.' I find it interesting to explore things that happen in relationships that haven't been explored before. I don't think that this has.”
"Bumblebee"
“I've always found bumblebees or squids as powerful symbols for what we might lose with climate change. It's a symbol of the loneliness we will feel when these creatures perhaps vanish because they cannot adapt.”
"No Doubt About It"
“I've known a few people who kind of flare up and can't help it, but then very quickly sort of get calm again and say, 'Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have said that.' So it is this woman, in that situation she is incensed with her husband, who is very calm. He knows, he just waits for it. And in the end it comes.”
"Ode to Freedom"
“The concept of freedom is so intriguing and it's so different for different kinds of people. This song is so majestic. I could never say what my freedom is, because that would be received as, 'Oh, you can say that you are rich, you're famous. Da, da.' This is not my ode to freedom; it's about how if I ever wrote one, it would be simple. I don't know what it would be about, but I wish someone would write one.”
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 9:39:32 GMT
^Bit of back-handed compliment to Tammy Wynette. She is transformed into a dog in I Can Be That Woman 🤣
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johnb
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Post by johnb on Nov 7, 2021 10:38:35 GMT
^Bit of back-handed compliment to Tammy Wynette. She is transformed into a dog in I Can Be That Woman 🤣 I thought so too. The song is pretty obviously actually about Tammy Wynette(she was addicted to pain killers - one of her husbands was an alcoholic) rather than just a nod to her style. I guess there needed to be a way of telling us that without spelling it out. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 7, 2021 11:11:18 GMT
^Bit of back-handed compliment to Tammy Wynette. She is transformed into a dog in I Can Be That Woman 🤣 I thought so too. The song is pretty obviously actually about Tammy Wynette(she was addicted to pain killers - one of her husbands was an alcoholic) rather than just a nod to her style. I guess there needed to be a way of telling us that without spelling it out. There was also a battle with alcohol in more recent years inside ABBA. To me, it makes the song seem a little braver, more honest. |
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Post by Alan on Nov 7, 2021 11:35:15 GMT
I Can Be That Woman is definitely emerging from the background for me and becoming a stand-out. It’s the first one of the seven that’s manifested itself in my head. I said in a previous post that it sounds like a track from A, but I’d probably revise that now. It can only be a track from ABBA. Tammy Wynette must be the most famous Tammy there’s ever been and it’s certainly fitting that it can relate to her story.
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 7, 2021 11:44:58 GMT
Longwinded Hometime is back with an album review...
I STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU would never have been an ABBA single – let alone a lead single – in any other era. What other ABBA single makes you wait two minutes for the chorus to arrive? But it is the perfect opener for this important comeback. Lyrically and sonically, it sets out the new ABBA stall: rooted in the present, looking back, enjoying the moment. Frida’s vocal hits such beautiful low notes that we’re assured that maturity and age will be a gorgeous new feature of the album. It’s incredibly emotional and that last section is one the finest things Frida has ever delivered. But it’s a song that demands your time and attention. Mamma Mia it ain’t.
WHEN YOU DANCED WITH ME. Like Fernando’s Mexico, ABBA take a place/setting and imbue the lyrics with the imagined atmosphere of that place. The feel recalls Sombrero and The Piper. The voices are so strong that if you told me this song was a newly discovered 1980 recording, I’d believe you. ABBA commit themselves so completely to the Kilkenny setting that, in my head, Frida is sporting one of her famous lava-red perms and tossing her curls tempestuously, fist on her hip as she strides towards her visiting ex. Bjorn, styled as a Tom Cruise Oirish character from central casting, will probably say something like “yer a corker, Frida,” while Agnetha sweeps gorgeously from the opposite side, saying “I’m more than a sexy bottom, so I am.” Shirt characteristically ripped to the navel, Benny is a beefier, furrier and infinitely more likeable Michael Flatley stand-in, who grins directly to camera. (And yes, Universal, feel free to pass my contacts to Baillie Walsh so that we can get cracking on that video). I was ready to mark this one as a skipper but it quickly became addictive. It’s so energetically sure of itself, so irresistibly catchy, that I could only succumb.
LITTLE THINGS had me nervous before I heard a note. As delicate as it is, I think it could have had a little more power if the glockenspiel and flutes were jettisoned. A single voice might have been a good idea too, as (to my ears) there seems to be a slightly ragged blend between Agnetha and Frida at moments. The little background harmonies are glorious, though. As for the coda, I’m torn: I think it was genius to use Benny’s old Red Christmas tune here but do the kids wreck it? I don’t think so. Yes, maybe the tune could have made a good instrumental section like the end of Chiquitita, but the kids’ delivery is natural sounding, and the little barb in the last line that basically calls us all a bunch of grannies is fun. The lyrics may be heavy on tinsel but they’re not completely sentimental. The parents’ urge to hide from the kids’ hysteria, and the Dad’s horny opportunism (the price of breakfast) mightn’t have been a feature had they released this song in the 70s.
DON’T SHUT ME DOWN is perfectly located, capitalising on those kids. Agnetha is in gorgeous form, delivering a quirky lyric that could only be in an ABBA song. The joy and energy of the track marches you straight past the slightly bonkers behaviour of the protagonist. And that chorus! Swoon. Frida’s depth blends beautifully with Agnetha’s higher tones to make that sound. At first, I felt that the piano glissando and the double-octave chords in the second verse were a tad cynical, but I've completely given up the ghost and adore the uniquely ABBAesque glory of this fabulous single.
JUST A NOTION fits in far better than I expected (although it sounds slightly louder than other tracks? Is that just me?). The joyous bounce and energy make up for the disappointing (to me) decision to use old vocals on such an important comeback album – but I understand the premise. And Womble schwomble: I love the piano. That walking bass is great too (a synth bass, at that – amazed that an actual bassist is credited for only one track). The only track with a fade ending on the album is another throwback to the old days, where such techniques were de rigeur. Important, too, for that fade to cool things down ahead of the brace of heartbreak scenes ahead. Its boogie swing is ever-so-slightly rooted in country, which clears the path for the next song.
I CAN BE THAT WOMAN walks a lyrical tightrope. Bjorn’s scene-setting leaves no room for misinterpretation: it’s this story and no other. The minutiae of the scene – every move of the dog and her owners is detailed – place the pain of the moment front and centre. Writing about alcoholism in the first person was a nice decision. Setting that storyline and Agnetha’s aching delivery in a country-flavoured arrangement skates close to cliché, but the overall honesty of the song keeps things on the rails. The way the richer “third voice” weaves in and out of the chorus evokes the warmth it brought to Slipping Through My Fingers. It’s a lovely grower.
KEEP AN EYE ON DAN had everyone on edge before a note was heard. But instead of a tedious attempt at comedy, we have a dark tale of parental disharmony. Both lyrically and musically, the verses remind me a little of the work B&B did on Gemini’s second album and Josefin Nilsson’s Shapes. It also feels like something from Chess – a neurotic sibling for Nobody’s Side, maybe. I know that this is widely touted as a highlight, but I’m struggling to connect with it. I think the lyrics are over-wrought and the chorus feels clunky and shouty. The synth solo that replicates the chorus melody is too thin and nasal. I’ll need more time with it.
BUMBLEBEE arrives on a fluttering of Fernando flutes and I reckon that section alone will divide opinion. Personally, I’d love to scrub those pesky flutes from every corner of this album. The melody of the song is rather lovely, though, and Frida’s voice is just sublime. She sounds as strong and fluid as she does on Cassandra. How does that happen?! Like Little Things, this song could have benefitted from a more naked arrangement. A solid album track and a nice nod to concern for the environment.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT is not what I was expecting from this album at all. Its fantastic energy drags us back to the 1980s and, let me tell you, I am ready to go shopping for shoulder pads and leg warmers right now! My husband mentioned Elaine as soon as he heard it. Frida’s lead lines are astonishing: if you told me that this was a second B&B song recorded for Shine, I could easily believe you. Pop a fiery spiky mullet and some neon fingerless gloves on the Fridatar and make a promo video for this song NOW! And if you want a prime example of how brilliantly bonkers ABBA can be with sequencing their albums, check out the sedate beauties this zesty banger is sandwiched between.
ODE TO FREEDOM‘s instrumental sections are so beautiful that I wouldn’t have been upset if this had been the instrumental track that I half-expected when the tracklist first emerged. But the vocal sections are sublime. The choral feel is anchored by Frida’s warmth and power, while Agnetha’s high tones give a lovely airiness. The lyric is nicely judged. It’s incredibly addictive and it’s a very early favourite for me.
VOYAGE is a very eclectic set. Some of the production has surprised me. For an album recorded in a state-of-the-art studio with so much technology at their disposal, some of the mixing seems a little woolly. Especially when it comes to the vocals. The BVs by Bjorn and Benny on both ISHFIY and KAEOD are a case in point: in Tretow’s hands, they would be crisply audible (but still clearly backing vocals). You struggle to hear them on this album. The vocal levels on OTF is also curiously low and I can’t imagine why. Maybe a conscious decision to sound like a live recording of a choir with a classical orchestra? The strangest thing for me is that the once precise matching of Agnetha’s and Frida’s voices seems to be slightly off in ISHFIY, Little Things and the bridge of KAEOD. In the 70s and 80s, any lines they sang together would have been so minutely matched that it’d be impossible to tell who was singing what. These parts sound like live performances, where their lines are close but without the laser precision of a studio recording. Maybe the ladies looked Benny straight in the eye and told him to forget any notions of the 8-hour vocal sessions that were a feature of the previous album sessions?
For me the album is a triumph overall. It’s already delivering new joys with each repeated play, so I expect it to find a high spot in my album rankings in the years ahead.
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Post by gamleman on Nov 7, 2021 11:54:26 GMT
I Can Be That Woman is definitely emerging from the background for me and becoming a stand-out. It’s the first one of the seven that’s manifested itself in my head. I said in a previous post that it sounds like a track from A, but I’d probably revise that now. It can only be a track from ABBA. Tammy Wynette must be the most famous Tammy there’s ever been and it’s certainly fitting that it can relate to her story. I think ICBTW is one of the album's best tracks and sits alongside TWTIA and TDBYC in terms of heartfelt performances from Agnetha. While I have no experience of the subject matter of the song, I do find the lyrics difficult to listen to - they make me feel ill at ease. On another note, I've seen some comments floating around that Frida has done well in terms of songs she leads on this album, but I think it's pretty much balanced. This is what I'm hearing: Frida: ISTFIY, BB, NDAI Agnetha: DSMD, ICBTW, KAEOD Agnetha & Frida: WYDWM, LT, JAN All four: OTF However, I think Agnetha has probably got the better songs - at least the ones that demand more emotion. She is good at sounding vulnerable, while Frida is better at songs with a bit of bitterness (like "Money Money Money" and "Should I Laugh Or Cry") and drama (like "Me and I" and "I Let The Music Speak"). |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 12:13:16 GMT
I am more and more growing in the album. Still flabbergasted that this happenend after 40 years! I like it!!!
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Post by justabba on Nov 7, 2021 13:49:25 GMT
To me Frida is more prominent in LT and Agnetha in JAN. it's a fabulous album though. At least 3 more tracks could have been singles.
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 7, 2021 14:01:53 GMT
The Irish iTunes singles chart has rearranged itself:
13 - Don't Shut Me Down
29 - When You Danced With Me
31 - Just A Notion
39 - Does Your Mother Know? (!!)
41 - I Still Have Faith In You
56 - Bumblebee
Voyage holds the No.1 spot on the iTunes album chart.
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Post by richard on Nov 7, 2021 14:06:09 GMT
If there was one thing I was both hopeful and doubtful about regarding the new songs it was the quality of the women's voices after all these years, but happily this album has confirmed that Agnetha and Frida have still got it.
The power and energy of Frida's voice in No Doubt About It has astonished me. And Agnetha's singing in I Can Be That Woman is great, too. (I notice, by the way, that this song has been compared with TWTIA, but I don't find the melody of ICBTW as good, though I much prefer its lyrics: I'd rather have Tammy, the dog, than card games, in the context of the respective meanings of these two songs.)
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Post by agan on Nov 7, 2021 14:25:56 GMT
"Voyage" #1 and "Gold" #3 in the worldwide itunes album charts.
Quite sure its the first time an artist occupies those spots with a 40 years gap between 2 albums (if we consider Gold contains over 40 years old materials)
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Post by steverw on Nov 7, 2021 14:31:44 GMT
One of the oddest things I've seen on the Amazon reviews is one bloke saying "If they weren't who they are then this album wouldn't get to the top of the charts". Surely that applies to literally every single artist/group? Adele wouldn't be number 1 in the singles chart now with that depressing dirge Go Easy On Me if she wasn't Adele! Sometimes I despair with so called ABBA fans. What were they expecting on an ABBA album? Voulez-Vous is the only album that produced 5 singles and extra singles from the same era that didn't make the album too. Super Trouper only had 2 singles until LAYLOM was released as a 12" following popular demand. It seems people have this misconception of an ABBA album being all non-stop hits. One reviewer even says "Nothing on the album warrants a place on his playlist" which suggests to me that the only ABBA he has heard is ABBA Gold.
There has been 9 weeks since this album was announced. I strongly believe that before people heard it, who weren't actual ABBA fans and who probably didn't own every album album, bar perhaps Arrival, they should have listened to all their albums so that they would have realised that each album contains different styles, different themes and that ABBA by and large are more of an album group than a singles group. I realise my view is just that, my view and that others will disagree, but ABBA are the only band I listen to where I never ever skip tracks. Even their mediocre is miles ahead of today's artists' best.
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Post by JeniLP on Nov 7, 2021 14:55:31 GMT
...which suggests to me that the only ABBA he has heard is ABBA Gold. This is actually the point. But it refers to every artist because such remarks are made not by 'fans' but by average music lovers. There has been 9 weeks since this album was announced. I strongly believe that before people heard it, who weren't actual ABBA fans and who probably didn't own every album album, bar perhaps Arrival, they should have listened to all their albums so that they would have realised that each album contains different styles, different themes and that ABBA by and large are more of an album group than a singles group. Most just do not bother doing such things. They stick to trivial approach: ABBA is MMM, SOS, GGG and other universe hits and if there is no such things on the new album then it is awful (I've already read such reviews, they are usually very short lol). Even their mediocre is miles ahead of today's artists' best. Undoubtedly. But I admit I do not listen to each and every ABBA song. More than that, I would even rather skip DQ on Gold (mercy me). |
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Post by Michel on Nov 7, 2021 15:55:19 GMT
One reviewer even says "Nothing on the album warrants a place on his playlist" which suggests to me that the only ABBA he has heard is ABBA Gold. I guess that's the result of today's consumption of music. Everything has to be instant. It seems most people don't take the time anymore to really sit down and listen to a song or an album. They listen to the first few seconds of a song on Spotify or whatever and decide then and there if the song is any good. Songs aren't given time to breathe or sink in. Here is an example of a Dutch radio DJ skipping through the album in less than three minutes and ending his 'review' with "and now back to the real good music", which I find quite tasteless and disrespectful: cms-assets.nporadio.nl/npo3fm/media-uploads/c33f66a2-ffd7-43d5-aaeb-de7135580f20.mp4?v=1636102315It is my impression that Voyage will mainly appeal to older fans. Younger fans, who know ABBA only through Mamma Mia! or Gold will likely be disappointed, because they expect an album full of (in their eyes) bubblegum-hits like in the seventies/eighties. Voyage is not that. The album was discussed on a Dutch TV program last Friday and the person in question (who was an older ABBA fan even) expressed slight disappointment, saying that the album was technically well-made but while listening to the album he was hoping to hear the next Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia or Voulez-Vous and that didn't happen. It baffles me that some people seem to expect to hear ABBA Gold Volume 2 on the new album. How could that be, this is ABBA 40+ years later. |
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Post by agan on Nov 7, 2021 16:33:08 GMT
Carl Magnus Palm just posted a review of "Voyage" from its former editor he concludes his review like this : "As good as Gold? Not quite but at least four tracks would have made it on to that CD, and most of the rest on to More Gold."justbackdated.blogspot.com/2021/11/abba-voyage.html |
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Post by Alan on Nov 7, 2021 16:47:33 GMT
I was in HMV in Burton-on-Trent today and they only had the plastic case edition of the CD and the deluxe box. No sign of the vinyl or the alternative artwork CD (or the standard artwork soft pack). Presumably sold out and waiting for more (I checked the ABBA vinyl and CD sections as well as the main display). Thankfully I got what I wanted in Chester on Friday.
They did, however, have the Gold vinyl on display but surely it’s Voyage that people would be after?
I downloaded the album into my iTunes and onto my phone from the download code that the official store sent, seems to be quite good quality. I went with the alternate artwork as I’m bored of the standard already!
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2021 17:09:08 GMT
Pardon me for speaking my mind and I hope people don't think Im being to forward but, im horrified to hear people say they would order a vinyl album, then listen to the album online before they received the vinyl. I finD this completely and totally horrifying. for me anything other than vinyl is sacrilegious and philistine. Calm down! It’s up to the individual how they want to listen to it. Guessing you’d have me hung, drawn and quartered then, as I’m getting four different vinyl versions and won’t play any of them! Will be CD or download for me. However, there’s nothing stopping me getting a record player and speakers in future and playing them. We will be hung side by side then :-) I don't have a record player too and I have ordered all coloured variations of the vinyl... Haven't received any of them yet though, even if I got a dispatch confirmation for the yellow and white ones and the picture discs too. Hopefully they will arrive this week. |
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2021 17:15:57 GMT
The album gets better with each listen, it seems. I Can Be That Woman is a newly discovered highlight. Beautifully sung, but I think it would benefit from more of the joint vocals in the choruses. I'm more forgiving towards Little Things too. The melody is actually quite charming and the singing is beautiful but the overall feel is... well, saccharine. For me it still is the weakest song on the album and I agree it would work better as a single b-side.
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2021 17:17:35 GMT
I was in HMV in Burton-on-Trent today and they only had the plastic case edition of the CD and the deluxe box. No sign of the vinyl or the alternative artwork CD (or the standard artwork soft pack). Presumably sold out and waiting for more (I checked the ABBA vinyl and CD sections as well as the main display). Thankfully I got what I wanted in Chester on Friday. Is it possible the supply is deliberately (s)low, now that it is almost certain they will be No.1 this week, to save some sales for the next week??? |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 7, 2021 17:49:50 GMT
I was in HMV in Burton-on-Trent today and they only had the plastic case edition of the CD and the deluxe box. No sign of the vinyl or the alternative artwork CD (or the standard artwork soft pack). Presumably sold out and waiting for more (I checked the ABBA vinyl and CD sections as well as the main display). Thankfully I got what I wanted in Chester on Friday. Is it possible the supply is deliberately (s)low, now that it is almost certain they will be No.1 this week, to save some sales for the next week??? Interesting thought - and it's a cunning strategy that I could kind of admire! Dublin stores only have the three CD editions now - card pack, deluxe box, and jewel case. The only vinyl available since release was the solid blue edition - which now seems to have sold out. I haven't seen the cassette anywhere. It seems odd that the standard black vinyl isn't out there. But if new vinyl stock arrives ASAP and is counted in next week's sales, it will be nice to think that ABBA will be putting up some fight against the Adele juggernaut. |
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Post by lamont on Nov 7, 2021 17:53:18 GMT
VOYAGE is a very eclectic set. Some of the production has surprised me. For an album recorded in a state-of-the-art studio with so much technology at their disposal, some of the mixing seems a little woolly. Especially when it comes to the vocals. The BVs by Bjorn and Benny on both ISHFIY and KAEOD are a case in point: in Tretow’s hands, they would be crisply audible (but still clearly backing vocals). You struggle to hear them on this album. The vocal levels on OTF is also curiously low and I can’t imagine why. Maybe a conscious decision to sound like a live recording of a choir with a classical orchestra? The strangest thing for me is that the once precise matching of Agnetha’s and Frida’s voices seems to be slightly off in ISHFIY, Little Things and the bridge of KAEOD. In the 70s and 80s, any lines they sang together would have been so minutely matched that it’d be impossible to tell who was singing what. These parts sound like live performances, where their lines are close but without the laser precision of a studio recording. Maybe the ladies looked Benny straight in the eye and told him to forget any notions of the 8-hour vocal sessions that were a feature of the previous album sessions? I’ve a feeling Benny is a bit more relaxed in studio now, in not going for precision like ha did with ABBA and especially Gemini. His work with his band is more rooted in organic instruments, with ABBA, he has synths but the vocals are more relaxed. It’s so good though, as it’s not a copy of any previous album, it’s still a new style, new surprises. Each song drifts into my mind every now and then. It’s a triumph. |
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Post by JeniLP on Nov 7, 2021 17:57:16 GMT
I think ICBTW is one of the album's best tracks and sits alongside TWTIA and TDBYC in terms of heartfelt performances from Agnetha. ICBTW is just craving for the third chorus. Too short indeed(( |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 18:43:37 GMT
The more I listen to " Voyage " the more the songs grow on me. Several have become engrained into my head already after only hearing the album four times. I love your reviews of the tracks on ABBA's incredible new studio offering. Here is my song megarate ( least favourite to favourite ) and a general review of the album.
I STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU ( 10/10 )
An absolutely beautiful and incredibly moving song which brings tears to my eyes. Frida delivers a magnificent lead performance and when Agnetha joins in I am covered in goose-pimples from excitement and wonder. The lyrics are so poignant and Benny's Nordic melancholic melody unforgettable. I just love this rousing anthem.
WHEN YOU DANCED WITH ME ( 10/10 )
A grower. Frida and Agnetha's joint vocals so typically ABBA but in a more mature way. A blend of Irish and Scandinavian folk/pop with a very infectious and uplifting chorus. Almost reminiscent of " Arrival ". I am very fond of this song already.
LITTLE THINGS ( 7/10 )
A cute little Christmas ditty. Nothing else to add.
DON'T SHUT ME DOWN ( 10/10 )
This is an ABBA gem ! Agnetha's crystal clear vocals are unmistakably melancholic yet joyful. A banger of a chorus swoops over you and makes you want to lose your inner inhibitions. This song holds an incredible staying power. My favourite track from the album.
JUST A NOTION ( 8/10 )
Another slice of unabashed pop with an " Elvis " vibe to it. Harks back to the heyday ABBA years with a distinctive contrast of joint vocals from both ladies. I wasn't keen on the 1978 original demo studio version.
I COULD BE THAT WOMAN ( 10/10 )
I have fallen in love with Agnetha's heartfelt storytelling. A beautiful ballad with the most gorgeous harmonies. A tearjerker which evokes similarities to " The Winner Takes It All " and " One Of Us ".
KEEP AN EYE ON DAN ( 9/10 )
A " dark horse " from " Voyage ". This song is an earworm after a few spins. It grows and grows on you. Dramatically powerful yet mystical. There are elements of " Gimme Gimme Gimme ( A Man After Midnight ) " and " SOS " of course which metamorphisizes into the classic 1975 hit at the very end. A very clever ploy from Benny and Bjorn.
BUMBLEBEE ( 9/10 )
Frida excels on this quaint tale of the sad plight of our bumblebees. It is exquisitely sad yet atmospheric just like " Fernando " on hearing the lament of the flutes in the background. Leaves a lump in my throat and misty eyes.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT ( 9/10 )
A belter ! Frida's lead is awesome exploding into a mighty maelstrom of a chorus in the same vein to " Tiger ".
ODE TO FREEDOM ( 8/10 )
My initial reaction to the closing track was of slight disappointment as I was expecting a crescendo of mighty proportion. My perception has altered after several spins. It is a very moving and haunting slice of theatrical melodrama akin to " I Let The Music Speak ". What a fine way to bow out ABBA !
An album of many twists and turns and one that I will want to listen to again and again.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 19:53:40 GMT
I'm still astounded at the mix of styles on Voyage! I can't think of any other artist/group that would/could do this! Also, every time I listen, I hear new things, especially with ear phones on! That was always the case with ABBA of course, but they, even now, never fail to surprise me with the layers of beauty in their songs. I'm trying to do my 1 to 10 list, but it keeps changing!
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Post by gamleman on Nov 7, 2021 20:24:18 GMT
They were great reviews eddie and HOMETIME. I'm rather ashamed of mine now, in its note-form.
I was wondering... if "Little Things" isn't to become a Christmas single (and I don't think many of us want it to be), what would be the best choice as next single, if there is to be one? I think it may depend on when it's going to be released. I don't think they could release the rather dark "I Can Be That Woman" or "Keep An Eye On Dan" in the lead-up to Christmas. I guess "When You Danced With Me" could work as a single around Christmas or at any time of the year, but is it single material?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2021 20:41:46 GMT
I am not sure if there will be another single. I know the point would be to promote the album rather than being a hit single itself. But would any do that?
When You Danced With Me
Or No Doubt About It may be the most "commercial". And both songs under 3 minutes - very radio friendly too.
I love Keep an Eye on Dan and Ode to Freedom but not single material, especially the latter.
No, not Little Things and certainly not Bumblebee.
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