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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 3, 2022 11:16:58 GMT
I can see why people suggest Barry Gibb as a producer for Agnetha. The Guilty album he produced for Barbra Streisand is fantastic and the only album of hers I can stomach from start to finish. But Gibb's lyrics are very opaque and might not have sat well with Agnetha. Before they fully cemented the formula that made all their acts sound the same, Stock/Aitken/Waterman were cool and could have done some interesting work with Agnetha. I wonder how the Eyes Of A Woman album - especially IWYG - might have sounded with them at the helm?
I'd love to have heard a collaboration between Frida and the Pet Shop Boys. The stuff they did with Liza and Dusty would have been right in her wheelhouse. And some of the left-field stuff that Sandy Shaw was doing at that time produced by Alan Winstanley was quite Fridaesque too. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken, Frederick and Nothing Less Than Brilliant all sound like lost Frida singles to me. Maybe Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) might have been a good fit too - he produced some lovely stuff for Alison Moyet and Kiki Dee? Another Frida covers album might be nice, but given that both Frida and Ensam are both covers sets, I think she's ticked that box.
Trevor Horn could have been an amazing producer for either of them, really. The material he produced for Dollar, ABC, Grace Jones, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Pet Shop Boys and, later, TaTu, Seal, Lisa Stansfield etc., was utterly brilliant.
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Post by gamleman on Sept 3, 2022 11:34:36 GMT
Oh yes, I hadn't thought of a collaboration between Frida and the Pet Shop Boys - that would have been a heavenly combination. The trouble is, at the time in the late 80s when the Pet Shop Boys emerged and were enjoying enormous success, I think Frida had given up on her solo career plus the ABBA name wasn't exactly trendy, so she probably wasn't an obvious candidate (or perhaps even thought of) as a collaborator. But with hindsight, such a track would have been a jewel in the Pet Shop Boys' catalogue.
I am quite happy with the producers that both Frida and Agnetha chose for their 80s solo albums. I think some of the song choices could have been better on their early/mid-80s albums though. For example, what possessed Frida to record "I Got Something" and Agnetha to record "Click Track"? Well, I think I know the answer to the first - it was written by Tomas Ledin and at the time, Polar were pushing his international career.
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Post by lamont on Sept 3, 2022 11:41:54 GMT
There was a rumour of Frida working with Morten Harket of a-ha, I thought that would have been a good collaboration
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 3, 2022 12:05:43 GMT
Oh yes, I hadn't thought of a collaboration between Frida and the Pet Shop Boys - that would have been a heavenly combination. The trouble is, at the time in the late 80s when the Pet Shop Boys emerged and were enjoying enormous success, I think Frida had given up on her solo career plus the ABBA name wasn't exactly trendy, so she probably wasn't an obvious candidate (or perhaps even thought of) as a collaborator. But with hindsight, such a track would have been a jewel in the Pet Shop Boys' catalogue. I am quite happy with the producers that both Frida and Agnetha chose for their 80s solo albums. I think some of the song choices could have been better on their early/mid-80s albums though. For example, what possessed Frida to record "I Got Something" and Agnetha to record "Click Track"? Well, I think I know the answer to the first - it was written by Tomas Ledin and at the time, Polar were pushing his international career. To be fair, neither Dusty nor Liza would have been go-to collaborators for any trend-fixated act in the mid-80s. That PSB pulled them into focus was quite unexpected. You're right that Frida's decision to "shut up shop" was a huge obstacle to any such collaboration. As for I Got Something, I understand that it's not a fan favourite but Frida sings the bejaysus out of it. I love how she moves from that velvet growl in the verses to the full-throated attack in the chorus. And the brass arrangement is fantastic. With him getting Take Good Care Of Your Children placed on Agnetha's album - and the Never Again duet - it's clear that both Phil Collins and Mike Chapman were presented with Tomas Ledin material that would have to be recorded whether they liked it or not. The only other Ledin song I know from outside his Swedish output was a cover of Red Lips by Johnny Logan in the late 80s. And that flopped too. I hadn't heard that rumour, lamont. It'd be a very interesting combo for sure. Was this in the 90s or something more recent? |
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Post by Alan on Sept 3, 2022 12:25:42 GMT
For example, what possessed Frida to record "I Got Something" and Agnetha to record "Click Track"? Well, I think I know the answer to the first - it was written by Tomas Ledin and at the time, Polar were pushing his international career. Plus he was married to Stig Anderson’s daughter wasn’t he? He wrote Agnetha’s Take Good Care of Your Children but not Click Track. That was by Jan Ince and Phil Palmer, apparently. He wrote one song for each of the first two solo albums. They’d presumably given up by the time of Frida’s Shine, as he has no writing credit on that or Eyes of a Woman. I really couldn’t stand how they were trying to promote him internationally. He provided backing vocals on ABBA’s 1979 tour and even had his own solo spot. They even released that song (Not Bad At All, though I suspect that’s an optimistic title and doesn’t describe the song!) in the UK. I would imagine CBS-Epic had little choice as it was probably written in to their licensing contract. We then got the awful Never Again, which Agnetha appears on clearly to help it sell. Once I’d heard that song, I had no desire to listen to anything else by him. Ever. And then the two songs on the solo albums. Phil Collins and Mike Chapman must have rolled their eyes when told they had to record them. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 3, 2022 12:35:29 GMT
I think his luck ran out after TGCOYC, Alan , there's no Ledin songwriting credit on the EOAW album. Although, the very start of We Should Be Together sounds a bit Ledinesque. |
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Post by gamleman on Sept 3, 2022 14:16:30 GMT
You make good points HOMETIME about the PSB not choosing en vogue singers for collaborations and about a Tomas Ledin track probably being 'compulsory' for Agnetha's and Frida's first international albums. Although I'm not terribly fond of "I Got Something", Frida's version is far superior to his own on his "The Human Touch" album. I re-listened to that album a few years ago and wasn't impressed. It's also rather 'cheap' that the front-cover features a woman behind him suggestive of Agnetha, but it quite probably isn't her, or is it? Alan , he didn't have a track on Agnetha's "Eyes Of A Woman" album but I share your irritation of them trying to promote him internationally when he was nothing special. I must confess that I do have a soft spot for "Never Again", although it was a rather weak single. P.S. I've been having trouble logging in this afternoon. It turned out that logging in via Chrome was causing an error but via MS Edge it was OK. Anybody else having log-in difficulties? |
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Post by joseph on Sept 3, 2022 17:32:28 GMT
Something's definitely gone pear-shaped, re: logging in. A notification regarding possible hacking or some such.
Anyway, just wanted to join in with the hatred of Never Again. What a dirge. Utterly boring. Only good thing I can say is Agnetha looked extremely pretty on the cover.
I actually like I Got Something. Admittedly, I haven't played it in a million years but I'd rather listen to that than the Tomas Ledin stinker any day of the week.
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Post by joseph on Sept 3, 2022 18:13:14 GMT
I'm not the biggest fan of many of these so called "reactors" but there are a few who have my respect. I highly recommend both of these. The first one is amazing. If you want to hear backing vocals buried in the mix of I Still Have Faith In You, I urge you to watch this:
And Bobby's Brother is always worth a view. What a lovely bloke he is! An absolute sweetheart.
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Post by lamont on Sept 3, 2022 20:29:41 GMT
Oh yes, I hadn't thought of a collaboration between Frida and the Pet Shop Boys - that would have been a heavenly combination. The trouble is, at the time in the late 80s when the Pet Shop Boys emerged and were enjoying enormous success, I think Frida had given up on her solo career plus the ABBA name wasn't exactly trendy, so she probably wasn't an obvious candidate (or perhaps even thought of) as a collaborator. But with hindsight, such a track would have been a jewel in the Pet Shop Boys' catalogue. I am quite happy with the producers that both Frida and Agnetha chose for their 80s solo albums. I think some of the song choices could have been better on their early/mid-80s albums though. For example, what possessed Frida to record "I Got Something" and Agnetha to record "Click Track"? Well, I think I know the answer to the first - it was written by Tomas Ledin and at the time, Polar were pushing his international career. To be fair, neither Dusty nor Liza would have been go-to collaborators for any trend-fixated act in the mid-80s. That PSB pulled them into focus was quite unexpected. You're right that Frida's decision to "shut up shop" was a huge obstacle to any such collaboration. As for I Got Something, I understand that it's not a fan favourite but Frida sings the bejaysus out of it. I love how she moves from that velvet growl in the verses to the full-throated attack in the chorus. And the brass arrangement is fantastic. With him getting Take Good Care Of Your Children placed on Agnetha's album - and the Never Again duet - it's clear that both Phil Collins and Mike Chapman were presented with Tomas Ledin material that would have to be recorded whether they liked it or not. The only other Ledin song I know from outside his Swedish output was a cover of Red Lips by Johnny Logan in the late 80s. And that flopped too. I hadn't heard that rumour, lamont. It'd be a very interesting combo for sure. Was this in the 90s or something more recent? Just googled it. It was 2013 and was rumoured to be a Christmas song, but it was found out to be false pretty quickly. I quite like a-ha and thought their voices would have blended well. |
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2022 7:32:04 GMT
By Frida being the more versatile singer, I mean vocally in terms of range (low to high notes), power and texture. She could make her voice sound quite different on different songs, much more so than Agnetha. I got the feeling that when singing in unison, it was Frida who usually changed her voice to match Agnetha's. However, for me Agnetha has the more attractive voice and when it came to emotion, Agnetha conveyed it much more effectively. I think it was Michael Tretow, who said that Agnetha and Frida were "vocal chameleons", able to make their voices sound different on different songs, even imitating other singers and if I remember it correctly, he said that especially Agnetha used this approach when singing backing vocals. The one song that shows Agnetha's versatility very well is Thank You For The Music. Take the album version and the Doris Day version - my wife just couldn't believe that it was sung by the same singer, when she heard it for the first time. She thought the latter was a cover version. So I guess both Agnetha and Frida were able to do that, however, I agree that Frida was probably technically better and more steady, if that's the right word, especially when singing live - I can't remember a weak moment in her performances, while Agnetha had her bad days now and then. When it comes to the emotional side, Frida herself said that Agnetha was a fantastic story teller so I think she perceives that quality in her voice too  |
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2022 7:36:54 GMT
I'm not the biggest fan of many of these so called "reactors" but there are a few who have my respect. I highly recommend both of these. The first one is amazing. If you want to hear backing vocals buried in the mix of I Still Have Faith In You... I wonder why those backing vocals are so buried in the mix. They are not audible even when isolated. This could not have happened if Michael Tretow had been behind the mixing desk, I think. Maybe Benny and Björn thought they would detract from the main vocal line. But it's a pity. Imagine if these backing vocals were treated the same way as the backing vocals in Chiquitita! If only they decided to remix some of the songs for once. What about releasing Voyage Revisited? |
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 4, 2022 10:45:28 GMT
I'm not the biggest fan of many of these so called "reactors" but there are a few who have my respect. I highly recommend both of these. The first one is amazing. If you want to hear backing vocals buried in the mix of I Still Have Faith In You... I wonder why those backing vocals are so buried in the mix. They are not audible even when isolated. This could not have happened if Michael Tretow had been behind the mixing desk, I think. Maybe Benny and Björn thought they would detract from the main vocal line. But it's a pity. Imagine if these backing vocals were treated the same way as the backing vocals in Chiquitita! If only they decided to remix some of the songs for once. What about releasing Voyage Revisited?I think one of the biggest differences on Voyage and the older albums is that between the work of Tretow and Lohr. The BVs on KAEOD are also buried and the vocal mixes on LT and the chorus of NDAI are not as precise as we would have had in, say, 1980. Maybe if the mastering of the album was a bit more crisp, we might be hearing things a little better? Am I the only one who finds it slightly woolly? I think a "live" album of the show could be a good way of addressing some of these issues - although we'd only get ISHFIY and DSMD from Voyage. |
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Post by lamont on Sept 4, 2022 16:57:50 GMT
I think Benny is less of a studio perfectionist also, I think that was a criticism of the Gemini albums, that they were too perfect. Benny’s work with his band in the noughties have gave their sound a ‘live’ feel and I think some of ABBA’s new stuff is the same.
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Post by Alexio on Sept 4, 2022 17:41:47 GMT
abbafan456,Thanx a lot for your contribution on that photo that member joseph uploaded.So it was published in the VOYAGE programme.I should have imagined that.Haven't seen the show yet but i will attent as soon as i can and I'll get that book for sure.Have a nice week.
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Post by Alexio on Sept 4, 2022 18:08:16 GMT
joseph,I totally agree with you on your post about 'All kinds of collecting' channel and that last video featuring the in depth research on ISHFIY and all those hidden,'inaudible' vocals.When i listened,i got chills.As for 'Bobby's brother' what can i say?!It has become more of an ABBA fan community than a reaction channel.Such a serious.precious job there.I am subscriber to both of them since a long time ago,btw.
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Post by gamleman on Sept 5, 2022 19:07:20 GMT
I think it was Michael Tretow, who said that Agnetha and Frida were "vocal chameleons", able to make their voices sound different on different songs, even imitating other singers and if I remember it correctly, he said that especially Agnetha used this approach when singing backing vocals. The one song that shows Agnetha's versatility very well is Thank You For The Music. Take the album version and the Doris Day version - my wife just couldn't believe that it was sung by the same singer, when she heard it for the first time. She thought the latter was a cover version. So I guess both Agnetha and Frida were able to do that, however, I agree that Frida was probably technically better and more steady, if that's the right word, especially when singing live - I can't remember a weak moment in her performances, while Agnetha had her bad days now and then. When it comes to the emotional side, Frida herself said that Agnetha was a fantastic story teller so I think she perceives that quality in her voice too I think it is true that when Agnetha lowered her vocal pitch, she sounded like Frida, but she rarely did this. For me, it becomes evident on her song "Stand By My Side" - at around 3:07, I hear Frida singing "Some other way to make you change your mind". Has anyone else noticed this? |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Sept 8, 2022 17:16:02 GMT
Only a few Months ago, I thought that ABBA would add 2 'New'Songs to 'Voyage' and Re-Promote it. However, I no longer think that will happen. ABBA seem to have closed that 'Project' down, with Zero intentions of re-starting it. In the meantime, everything revolves around the 'Voyage' Shows, which only affect 'ABBA Gold', as it is based on the Hits from that Album. 'Gold' should get its 21st UK Platinum Disk in December. Maybe a few Weeks before then. That would be for 6,300,000 UK Sales. It is a great pity that something far more exciting could not have been Released, for the 30th Anniversary of 'ABBA Gold', later this Month. The latest gimmick, is an 'Amazon Exclusive'. It looks like the Cover was designed by a 10 Year Old. I think that it looks awful... Below -- Link To The 'Amazon Exclusive'
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Post by Michal on Sept 9, 2022 6:02:58 GMT
I think it is true that when Agnetha lowered her vocal pitch, she sounded like Frida, but she rarely did this. For me, it becomes evident on her song "Stand By My Side" - at around 3:07, I hear Frida singing "Some other way to make you change your mind". Has anyone else noticed this? Another example of Agnetha singing lower and sounding completely different is Move On. And it sounds fantastic IMO. |
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Post by Michal on Sept 9, 2022 6:05:08 GMT
Only a few Months ago, I thought that ABBA would add 2 'New'Songs to 'Voyage' and Re-Promote it. However, I no longer think that will happen. What made you change your mind? Any evidence it won't happen or is it just a feeling? I still think it's possible. If they decide to do it, I guess they would release it in November or December. |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Sept 9, 2022 13:09:06 GMT
Michal -- I just have a 'feeling' that ABBA will not add a few, (maybe 2), New Songs to 'Voyage'.
I feel that the 'moment', to 'Revitalise' the Album is now passed. Of course time could prove me
wrong. Tom Jones has just 'Re-Vamped' his 'Surrounded By Time' Album. It first came out in
April 2021. He's now added 2 New Songs and 4 'Live' Tracks. it looks like it will Re-Chart, as
a result. But, ABBA seem to have now lost interest in the 'Voyage' Album. So, we may not see
a 'Re-Vamp' of that one...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2022 15:50:56 GMT
Onlyabba4maagain - I agree there won't be any tracks added ti a re-vamped Voyage album. (I never thought there would be)
I feel too that the moment has gone and the focus is the show. It always was about the show. The first two songs recorded to add to the show. And an album because you can't just release a couple of songs on their own.
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 9, 2022 17:57:06 GMT
To be fair, guys, the album isn't even a year old yet. Between the album, the show and the Eurovision 50th anniversary (pretty clear the actual 50th anniversary won't be marked), I think there's still scope to get something new - albeit something small like bonus tracks on a compilation or an expanded reissue.
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Post by evilincarnate on Sept 10, 2022 6:25:24 GMT
To be fair, guys, the album isn't even a year old yet. Between the album, the show and the Eurovision 50th anniversary (pretty clear the actual 50th anniversary won't be marked), I think there's still scope to get something new - albeit something small like bonus tracks on a compilation or an expanded reissue. ...or a new album!! I never really thought a deluxe version of 'Voyage' would be issued - it's not really ABBA's style. (That said, I'd be the first in line to acquire it if one materialised.) I firmly believe that if the outtakes from 'Voyage' (whether it's two tracks or ten) ever see the light of day, they will be presented as part of another album. Don't count these guys out just yet - the refusals and denials all make for great press and continued mystique. We know how the girls feel, Bjorn is clearly keen (despite comments in deference to Benny) and Benny is just a grumpy old stud-muffin who needs his ego stroked. Let the stroking begin... |
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Post by Alan on Sept 10, 2022 17:11:42 GMT
I never really thought a deluxe version of 'Voyage' would be issued - it's not really ABBA's style. That’s hardly true though is it? They released deluxe versions of all eight studio albums (plus Gracias Por La Música) and even the post-1997 standard album issues were all expanded. Obviously the five non-album singles but also some b-sides that would never have made it to an album otherwise. In ABBA’s day, deluxe issues didn’t exist. It was therefore no one’s “style”. At present, Voyage is the shortest album. Waterloo and The Album don’t have much to add but even with those there are alternative versions. The two unfinished tracks would put Voyage on more of a par with the other albums. As HOMETIME suggests, they could initially put them on a new compilation, but their ultimate home would be Voyage. |
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Post by evilincarnate on Sept 11, 2022 3:12:24 GMT
I should clarify that, in my opinion, ABBA would not issue a contemporaneous deluxe album edition. I realise that it has been a convention for the last 25 years or so to reissue albums in deluxe/tour edition form within 6-12 months of the original release but I just can't imagine Bjorn and Benny thinking it appropriate. I would suspect their attitude would be that an album needs to gestate for quite some time to warrant a 'deluxe' or commemorative version. For all we know, they may believe that all the different coloured vinyl and various other format editions qualify as being akin to deluxe - wasn't the 'Eco Box' version touted as deluxe by some distributors upon release?
I agree that the running time of 'Voyage' is a little on the mingy side and that the addition of two (or more) tracks recorded during the album sessions would augment it well but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. I just believe that Bjorn and Benny in particular would not entertain the thought of the album being reissued this soon. I'd certainly be more than happy to be proven wrong on this count though as I suspect there is probably another album's worth of material (outtakes, alternate versions) that could be plundered. As others here have previously mentioned, a bonus disc of the ABBA-tar 'live' recordings would be gratefully received but even that idea doesn't seem likely at this stage given that the UK residency has been extended to 2026.
My money is still on another album being produced at some point - perhaps within the next 2-3 years - but as we learned from 'Voyage', everyone concerned is particularly reliable at keeping a lid on things so we won't know until a formal announcement is forthcoming.
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Post by Henry on Sept 14, 2022 7:03:03 GMT
Ludvig favorite abba songs are the winner takes it all and the day before you came. Billie Walsh favourite abba song is the day before you came. Maybe this one will turn up at the show
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 14, 2022 7:49:30 GMT
[...] the UK residency has been extended to 2026. My money is still on another album being produced at some point - perhaps within the next 2-3 years - but as we learned from 'Voyage', everyone concerned is particularly reliable at keeping a lid on things so we won't know until a formal announcement is forthcoming. I'm wondering if the live show will change in 2024. Some revision of the visuals, maybe. Maybe even a new costume. Or even a recreation of the Waterloo costumes for an ABBAtar performance? Like you say, the show offers fantastic scope to promote anything new that comes along. And the 50th anniversary of Waterloo's ESC win seems like a great hook to hang a celebration on. That could be a celebratory resissue package and/or a whole new album (it'd be three years since Voyage - a decent time in which to get new material together #JustSayin). All in all, it seems like a fair interval at which to plump the cushions, dryclean the ABBAtars' cossies, and remove dust bunnies from the stage. I mean, in real life, any self-respecting FridaTar would have had at least four completely different new hairstyles by then. |
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Post by BAAB on Sept 15, 2022 19:12:28 GMT
I never really thought a deluxe version of 'Voyage' would be issued - it's not really ABBA's style. That’s hardly true though is it? They released deluxe versions of all eight studio albums (plus Gracias Por La Música) and even the post-1997 standard album issues were all expanded. Obviously the five non-album singles but also some b-sides that would never have made it to an album otherwise. In ABBA’s day, deluxe issues didn’t exist. It was therefore no one’s “style”. But it was ABBA's Style to include new songs on Compilation Albums. I believe Benny said that the 2 remaining songs "are pretty good stuff" but Björn and Benny said that they do not fit on the Voyage Album. Then why issue a Voyage Deluxe Album with 2 songs which do not fit? On the other hand, ABBA Gold has another anniversary this year. In 2 years, 50 years of Waterloo will be celebrated. Maybe they will come up with a different compilation plus the 2 remaining songs. Otherwise we might hear them sonetime in the future as BAO songs, although I remember they made some noise on "Crush on you" as a song from the ABBA vaults, but it was not a very impressive release... |
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Post by Alan on Sept 15, 2022 22:41:35 GMT
But it was ABBA's Style to include new songs on Compilation Albums. I believe Benny said that the 2 remaining songs "are pretty good stuff" but Björn and Benny said that they do not fit on the Voyage Album. Then why issue a Voyage Deluxe Album with 2 songs which do not fit? Oh, so Just A Notion (written and partially recorded in 1978) and Little Things (a Christmas song that no one wants to hear except in December) do fit then? If they said that about these other two songs then it’s just an excuse. As they were recorded during the sessions for Voyage, then ultimately that album is the only eventual home for them. It wasn’t especially ABBA’s style to include new songs on compilations. Fernando wasn’t originally on Greatest Hits. It was a record company ploy to sell such albums to fans who would otherwise have all the tracks. Most acts that were still recording would have a new song on a compilation. The trouble is, Gold has made any new ABBA compilation redundant (see The Definitive Collection or Number Ones). Streaming has also made them much less important than they once were, and fewer get released these days. Still, if they did put these two tracks on a new compilation then of course I’d buy it. Eventually though, they would belong on Voyage (just as Summer Night City and Gimme do on Voulez-Vous, Fernando on Arrival and The Day Before You Came and Under Attack on The Visitors). |
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