ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2022 Sept - Dec

'Voyage' is a special for me as an ABBA fan as its the first album to be released during my lifetime I was born in 1990 and as a 32 year old I love ABBA's music so much its a huge part of my life and has been since I first discovered them in 2003 at the age of 13.

The feelings I had when I listened to 'Don't Shut Me Down' & 'I Still Have Faith In You' was like I had discovered ABBA again the very first time such a wonderful experience then came the 'Voyage' album and that was just surreal, 'When You Danced With Me' & 'I Can Be That Woman' are the songs I wanted to hear more than the rest I love every song on the album 'Little Things' is beautiful, I absolutely adore 'Just A Notion', 'Keep An Eye On Dan' & 'Bumblebee'.

I owe so much to ABBA as their music saved me from a very dark place as a teenager due to being bullied at high school I had enough of it all but then I found a copy of ABBA Gold and it completely changed my life and I found music as a place to escape.

I have Aspergers Syndrome and Anxiety and music gets me through the tough times in life it was my saviour during the 3 UK lockdowns all the different artists I listened to but always had ABBA at the centre of it living life with autism is hard but as long as I have music I can get through anything, music helps me to calm down when my Anxiety levels rise.

'Dream World' is my favourite ABBA song and my favourite ABBA album is 'Ring Ring'.

I love this post. Just love it.

As I previously alluded, the beauty of "Don't Shut Me Down" is not lost on me - I still consider it to be a brilliant track. The 1960's-style string arrangement is incredibly moving and this, combined with the ladies' harmonies, gives me an absolute sugar rush. In fact, I wish we had a stripped-down version which only consisted of the vocals and orchestral backing. I remember hearing a snippet of someone's take on the Dolby Atmos version that featured isolated strings and it stopped me in my tracks. Truly wonderful.

I should also mention that my earlier references to "One Of Us", "The Day Before You Came" and "You Owe Me One" were intended as a compliment. I think they're great songs (yes even "YOMO") and "TDBYC" is my equal favourite ABBA song, alongside "When All Is Said And Done". 

However, pop-gorgeousness aside, "DSMD" cannot capture the well of emotion "I Still Have Faith In You" conjures. It is indeed "stately and melodic and dignified" - everything this incarnation of ABBA represents to me. I simply adore all four members, warts and all. To have maintained such strong bonds for more than 50 years is to be admired. I am so impressed with them as people, which I think somehow informed my love of 'Voyage' as an album. The maturity, melancholy, forgiveness and acceptance present throughout speaks to me on a deep level. What can I say? I simply love them.

With the point being that, for me, "ISHFIY" encapsulates all of these emotions - both within the band and across the fan base, speaking very much to a sense of loyalty and ultimately, love.

Yes Tony, Frida's final delivery is incredibly raw and full of integrity, even offering a redemptive quality - sufficient to elicit tears from this evil individual. Frida's vocal performance is definitely up there with her greatest, just breathtaking. Plus, I really dig that her accent is quite pronounced on this recording - it indicates intuitive phrasing and genuine feeling.

I agree that "ISHFIY" was a bold choice for lead single, at any time of their career, not least now. I applaud them for this, but sense they also understood how it may resonate with the general public given the difficult times people had faced during the previous couple of years. That said, it was still courageous and reminds me that this is also a song of courage - for all. How beautiful is that?

The latest knitting video

I can't see LT entering the charts again or being played on the radio. Magic plays nothing but Christmas songs this time of year. But no LT. Generally they play a fair amount of ABBA but the old hits and nothing from Voyage.

About half of the Top 100 are Christmas songs and I have to say all are very much better than Little Things.

At Christmas, artist loyalty is swept aside in listening to Christmas songs. The Christmas songs I prefer are by artists I never listen to - except at Christmas.

^^^^I think the “love” is to strong a word , fond or ok is more like it... it’s biggest issue in my opinion for a lot of people is that it was a DISAPPOINTMENT and didn’t live up-to the uptempo most wanted, it's just a little sugary sweet and the children don’t help... alas....

It’ll end up being the debate that keeps on giving at this time of year, year in year out.... it could’ve been so much more.....it’s not bad but it’s not good either.... shame...

The best thing about the glissando in Don't Shut Me Down?
It made me find out what the word 'glissando' means!

In the unlikely case of Benny reading this..lol Happy Birthday to you both...

Johnny hope you had a good day the very best of wishes...

Sorry for posting here, but it seems to be the go to page again, which is ok with myself...

For those that are interested, I’ve been very lucky to receive the following books over the past few years, 1980, 1981, 1982 and today 1983, book on those years charts, full of facts and figures and each of those years feature ABBA and sales facts etc....

The book is The Music Chronicle 1983 by Sean Gregory, ISBN 978-1-9162139-4-4.

Very good reading if it’s your thing.....

I listened to Voyage tonight for the first time since May, and the first time this year with Little Things included. Something struck me that hadn’t done before.

Is the running order right?

As I’ve said many times before, on the songs they sing together it’s no longer Agnetha that dominates, but Frida. Agnetha is unmistakably there, but it’s Frida that can seem louder and clearer.

The album opens with a Frida lead. Agnetha is clear in the chorus, but otherwise it’s very much Frida’s song. When You Danced With Me and Little Things are joint leads but as mentioned above, it can seem like Agnetha is more in the background.

Finally, with Don’t Shut Me Down, an Agnetha lead. Just A Notion has a joint lead but the 1978 vocals mean Agnetha dominates in important parts. We then get the two melodramas (I Can Be That Woman and Keep An Eye On Dan). No sooner is one done and we’re into the other without barely taking a breath. And suddenly, after four straight leads (including the one that isn’t), Agnetha is done.

After those four, Frida’s lead vocals in Bumble Bee can seem a bit harsh, particularly in the verses (and I mean “harsh” in the nicest way possible). And then onto another Frida lead, with a bit of Agnetha in places, then Ode To Freedom, another joint lead but with Frida more dominant.

It just seemed like a fair bit of Frida, a lot of Agnetha, then quite a bit more Frida. Could the running order have been better? I’m not sure how I’d re-arrange it, but I can’t think of any other ABBA albums where the leads aren’t more evenly spaced out.

Probably just me!

I’m wondering if the age of the ladies means we hear Frida more clearly now as Bjorn said their tone has lowered slightly. I remember Gary Barlow saying that Agnetha was the sound of ABBA, initially I was a bit miffed at this as again it looked as if Frida was second fiddle as usual which I hate. In hindsight after Voyage I understand now what he was meaning: in the classic ABBA sound it was the ladies singing as high as they could, Agnetha belting it out and Frida striving to get there too just a semitone lower creating that third voice.

With their age it seems initially that it’s Frida now more comfortable and competent in the range they sing in, so on the surface it sounds as she is dominant, but as Bjorn said, it is the Abba sound, just slightly different.

To me there is very little difference to WYDWM and The Piper so to speak in the vocals, and I really like the running order as it is so dominant to one lady then another, it again is just a different ABBA to the 70’s’ albums.

Frida kicks it off which was a real surprise to me as when the songs were described by B&B before released I convinced myself it was vice versa as I knew Agnetha was so good at the more emotional songs! How wrong I was. Agnetha’s vocal prowess in “we do have it in us!!”
Had me thinking: “yeh Abba are back!”
With a wry smile…

The one I truly loved was NDAI in B&B playing us, as yes Frida taking the lead so majestically but that old ABBA sound gets hammered in and it’s if the Agnetha vs Frida arguments are laid before us, especially at the end: Agnetha hisses: “this isn’t where it ends!!” As Frida responds: “No doubt about it!!!”
As the needle seems to stick in the groove till the abrupt end.
Perhaps technically Agnetha has lost that belting quality she once had, maybe no more strong vibrant leads and long notes, but that vulnerability and storytelling quality is still there, and as she said at Voyage show: “they want more!!”
I do (I could do a pun here and repeat that x5 but…)

Gary Barlow spoke ignorantly: only if, for some ABBA fans, their sound is epitomised by their higher notes ("equals Agnetha with Frida struggling to get up there") would 'Agnetha, the Voice of ABBA' seem remotely accurate. This is not getting at you, lamont, just a criticism of a certain sub-section of ABBA fandom.

What intrigues me is that, even in their heyday of '76 to '81, when they were seemingly singing in unison in the midrange, I often get the no doubt ignorant sense that it's Frida double-tracked.

Needless to say, the ABBA sound, vocally, is the combination of Agnetha and Frida's singing in their various and wonderful deployments.

Both their voices have dropped an octave and that's a lot. I loved those high pitched vocals: Agnetha being a true soprano as Bjorn once said and Frida struggling to get up there. That is not possible anymore. On voyage their voices blend in a much lower register. That is the reason it seems that Frida dominates
This is one of the reasons I don't like this album. I rather play the old albums.

I find it odd to dislike an album simply because the vocals now belong to older artists. So because someone clearly still capable but older shouldn't create art. In music, acting, writing, whatever. Strange attitude. Each to their own I suppose.

I actually like the glissando and the peculiar saxophone in Don't Shut Me Down. The former I see as a wink and a nod to the past. I'm all for it.

Pet Shop Boys saw Voyage. I've always loved their music. How I wish they'd produced an album for Agnetha or Frida! Sadly I feel that ship has sailed but I can actually clearly imagine it! I know I would've loved it. Damn that missed opportunity anyway.

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I think the ship’s sailed on that, unless they‘ve secretly been recording this year (which I doubt).

Increasingly, I see Voyage the album as a home to the two original tracks. They turned out so well that they couldn’t be left to be added to some temporary compilation. They needed and deserved a permanent home. The other eight tracks were recorded to provide that and once achieved, their job was done.

I’ve not completely given up on the two unfinished tracks as I do think 2024 will need to provide something of interest for that anniversary, but further new recordings are doubtful and I’m not sure I would welcome them.