ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2021 Sept - Dec

I still think we may get a lovely surprise next year to mark the 50th year since their first single (I'm not a fan of marking 1974, it would be like being married for 50 years, but only celebrating 48 of them)! So, maybe watch this space! Could we get those 2 other singles, plus a fantastic, bright, bubbly and joyous reworking of JLT, plus one other with the magical third voice all the way through!?

Of course, if they don't, that's fine, Voyage has surpassed all my expectations anyway, it's just wishful thinking!

You're not imagining things. The vocal mix sounds slightly different too (to my ears, anyway). I guess Benny was involved in preparing the track for the video?

What 2 other singles? You mean 2 songs considered substandard they were left off the album?
They must be bad if LT was included and they weren't.

Just love the pessimism Johnny...lol...

It could be the complete opposite, deliberately left off to add to the deluxe version ... who knows how the marketing works...

I was in an HMV earlier and they actually have the Little Things CD in the main ABBA Voyage display at the front on the store. A whole pile of them (well, five anyway, but they may have sold some already). As the album wasn’t available when the first three singles were released, I don’t think HMV ever sold them.

I agree..For me, it's all about the treatment: sped up a bit and arranged with some insouciance, and with non-Christmas lyrics... But, certainly, as a Christmas song, it doesn't garner much enthusiasm.

Again have to agree with Joseph... are we thinking the same ?
I to binged on the first two, even more so on DSMD, however disagree, (thankfully we are all different ..lol ) about JAN , just love it, one of the best...
Would have been interesting to have seen Christmas lyrics in that one as someone mentioned...would definitely fall into the uptempo category...

I also listen to the whole album in one go but not often.. mainly during my 2 hour car trips, no interference.. and picking up bits all the time.. as said a while back now the whole album is a grower.....

I'm intrigued into whats going to happen the closer we get to the launch of the ABBAtars .. what marketing are they going to do.. will there be another single or two, showing the ABBAtars, a re-release of DSMD perhaps with a video as its going to be in the show ? ...
Will any of the old material be released with ABBAtars... which would be interesting ,
Or as I suspect, still all a bit hush hush and secretive, where hardly anything will be revealed.. which means if you wish to know , you will have to go to the show....

I do genuinely believe though that LT is not going to be the last single release....

So interesting times ahead...

PS for this moment in time !!! LT has risen to 56 in the UK I tunes chart... give it 10 minutes and it will be 98 !! lol ....or more optimistically top 40 ? 

As quite a few others have done some rankings of the songs on Voyage, I thought I'd share mine as well. These ratings are purely based on my personal feelings and enjoyment of the songs.


I Still Have Faith In You ⭐⭐⭐

I do really appreciate what they were going for, but it just isn't my cup of tea. It's just all a bit...much. Trying a bit too hard for my taste - very Eurovision, love and friendship etc. Not one that I really choose to listen to much. I was a little worried when I first I first heard Frida's vocals on here, but she quickly put those fears to rest. Maybe it will be like The Way Old Friends Do and work even better when performed at the end of the concert.


When You Danced With Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Fun, light, with a catchy chorus. That slightly melancholy underneath of remembering good times gone by. It just feels too short and a little unfinished. It really needs a decent middle 8 to really give it a lift and a final chorus to complete it. I can almost hear Benny going 'Yeah, that'll do, next'


Little Things ⭐⭐


Shouldn't have been on the album. It's not terrible, just not a track I particularly like or choose to listen to. ABBA are my favourite artist of all time, but there are songs of theirs I just never listen to. I think this one will join them. I'll see whether being in the festive period makes it any better. A bit jarring to have a Christmas song in the middle of a regular album.


Don't Shut Me Down ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Easily the best track on the album. The first of the new tracks I heard was ISHFIY and I was underwhelmed. When I heard DSMD for the first time I got very emotional. It really got me. It was the first time it went into the chorus and you hear those two voices and the harmonies on that melody. I just kept saying to myself 'It's them! It's them! That's ABBA!'. I absolutely love it, from the glissando, the synth violins, and the key change in the second chorus. I just wish there was a bridge and then a third chorus to complete it. As mentioned elsewhere, I feel they dropped the ball on the promotion of the single. It was crying out for it's own proper video and to be pushed forward more as the lead single. I felt that ISHFIW got higher billing, but it isn't nearly as single-friendly as DSMD, as seen by the fact that DSMD placed higher in many countries. A proper campaign and a widespread physical CD release could have resulted in even better placings.


Just A Notion ⭐⭐⭐

Passable album filler. There's not much else to say. It's ok, but would never have been a single under any other circumstances. I can understand why it was left out during the Voulez Vous sessions. Not a fan of the synth trumpets and the boogie woogie piano. I was a little disappointed when I saw it on the tracklisting, but I guess the other new songs that they recorded and ditched were pretty bad so they needed something else to make the album up to 10 tracks. It was also strange when it was being promoted as a single and they kept going on about it being a 'fan favourite' and finally getting a release. I don't know anyone who ever really wanted it? It was probably one of the better snippets on Undeleted, but that isn't saying much. I guess they just did it for the hype. The only unreleased track that really gets any attention from fans is Just Like That - did someone at the record company get them confused as they are three world titles started with 'Just'?


I Can Be That Woman ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

It's certainly grown on me since my first listen. A great vocal performance and harmonies. Let down by some clunky lyrics. I really wish sometimes they would work with an native-English lyricist who could help smooth out those odd parts and help build ideas and metaphors which would work better. Don't get me wrong - I am amazed at how well Bjorn has done over the years writing lyrics in a foreign language! It's just that, even now, there are bits and pieces in a lot of the songs that sound a bit strange and sound funny, even when they aren't supposed to be.


Keep An Eye On Dan⭐⭐⭐

Musically, I like it and find it interesting. It's really let down by the lyrics. It's a very mysterious and dark-sounding song, but then the lyrics are about picking her son up on Sunday and that her ex is a nice man. I can't really connect with it, at least not yet. It feels like they were going for something like Elaine in terms of the music, but that song works (for me) because the lyrics fit in with the dark and mysterious tone. A missed opportunity.



Bumblebee ⭐⭐⭐

Probably the track I've listened to the least. It's sweet, with some great harmonies and I really like the overall message. Just not a song I'd really choose to revisit very much, compared to the rest of ABBA's catalogue.



No Doubt About It ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Fantastic to hear Frida with such an upbeat song. It's an awful lot of fun. Again, it just feels a little rushed and unfinished, but I can't quite put my finger on why.


Ode To Freedom ⭐⭐⭐

I think I need a bit more time with this one for it to really 'click'. Trying hard to do something profound but it doesn't quite work for me, yet. Needs to be longer to really establish the premise and build on it. I find that as soon as the song feels like it's getting going, it's over.



Overall, I think the album is ok. One truly stand out track - DSMD - that I listen to regularly (and should be added to Gold now it's been a hit). Two or three other tracks I will listen to occasionally, and the rest I will only listen to rarely if I decide to go through the whole album (which isn't something I do often, even with the classic albums).

If I were to rank the albums, I'd put Voyage ahead of Ring Ring (though I would put most albums ahead of Ring Ring) and ahead of Waterloo - but that's all.

I'm absolutely delighted and over the moon that they did reunite after so many years. It's been terrific to see people talking about ABBA so much, a number one album, hit singles etc.

In terms of the future, I'd be very surprised if there isn't some kind of deluxe album or another single planned for next year to try and boost the ABBAtar concerts. After the launch event, the album, and now the singles, I don't know what else they could do to really promote it. You aren't going to get the same kind of media hype without some new content and/or an appearance by all four of them together in person.

Don't know if this has been reported but LT has got onto the Radio 2 playlist as of yesterday.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2qNJsnjYFvbLrK9CZ0CfYfM/radio-2-new-music-playlist
Currently on the b-list but couple potentially jump up.
Be interesting to know what the average radio listener thinks of it - they may not agree with fan and journalist consensus i.e. that it is a bit rubbish.

Voyage is an album that takes a few listens.

Good job ABBA weren't like that in Eurovision in 1974 - they never would have won!

I notice it is the very early reviews that gave it bad marks. After a few days it was getting much better reviews.

I have to say, richard , that once I got past my original disappointment with the fact that old vocals were used, I started to really enjoy JAN. I "get" its premise on the album: it's a clear example of how old vocals and new instrumentation will be employed in the Voyage show. I love the piano at both ends of the track and its drive and bounce always get my foot tapping. I don't have a particular problem with the lyrics - apart from something that a friend once said that has stuck with me. She thought the line "you wonder if I'm occupied" sounded odd. She felt that "occupied" was more appropriate to a toilet stall than a person! I find it hard to shake the memory of that observation when I listen.

I agree with johnny that the album benefits from spending time with it. I was the same with both The Album and The Visitors. The Visitors went on to become my favourite ABBA album - and a contender for being my favourite album by any artist. The Album never fully captured me but the songs I found harder to connect with at first are those that I love most now: One Man, One Woman; I Wonder; and above all I'm A Marionette.

Whether this is good or bad ?

Little Things enters the UK mid week charts, ( last Friday and Saturdays sales ) at 47..
Normally not very good , but this time of year as the midweeks charts have over 35 Christmas singles in the top 100, it may hold its own ? time will tell...

Voyage in the mid weeks Album charts is at 4 on about 11,500 sales.. so should be top 5 again his week, not much competition....

Well that's me listening to Little Things on Spotify at every opportunity to help the Abba cause. Hopefully people will get behind it and the good cause it supports.