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Post by BAAB on Sept 16, 2022 3:16:13 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. First of all, that JAN and LT do not fit on the album is your personal taste. I like LT and like it out of the Christmas Season. Secondly, how do you know it is just an excuse, do you know the songs? It's all about guessing, we do not have any proof at this time point. Finally, I know that Fernando wasn't pre-released on the Greatest Hits Album, however they did this trick on the Greatest Hits 2 Album with Gimme Gimme Gimme and on the The Singles Album. And with Fernando and Summer Night City not being released on the original Albums it is quite a collection of songs not released on their original albums. If those two songs every see the light of day, releasing them as singles with todays streaming would likely not be successfull. Actually, Benny has done today's Deluxe Edition release Strategy with his Piano Album, releasing a 2 songs plus Deluxe version after one year of it's original release. Will they release a Voyage concert live recording? Because of the original voice recordings I doubt if it makes sense, however there are changes here abd there from the original recordings which I would love to hear on a live Album. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 16, 2022 14:17:36 GMT
Looks like Frida attended the Voyage show again last night. A couple of nice pictures are doing the rounds   |
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Post by Bart on Sept 16, 2022 15:11:07 GMT
Agnetha would never do it like this.
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 16, 2022 15:18:56 GMT
I don't understand...?
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Post by Alan on Sept 16, 2022 18:33:00 GMT
Agnetha would never do it like this. Can you explain what you mean? Frida wasn’t there to promote it but because she wanted to be and had every right to be. She lives in Switzerland with an English peer so presumably he comes to the UK quite regularly. Plus she lived in London for a few years herself. It’s therefore far more likely for Frida to attend the venue than Agnetha. |
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Post by Alan on Sept 16, 2022 18:37:45 GMT
  Some actual photos of the Australian green and yellow vinyl. Not quite as earlier illustrations indicated (these are off the web, and not mine). |
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 16, 2022 19:53:45 GMT
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Post by Bart on Sept 17, 2022 6:01:08 GMT
Yes indeed and she loves the attention much more. At the end of the show it was announced she was there. Not like B and B for example who were there at the first night without anyone noticing. Agnetha would never pose like that
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Post by undertheappletree on Sept 17, 2022 7:16:17 GMT
Loving Pics of Frida, she looks radiant and full of joy, Maybe she is going to pay respects to Our Queen With the Swedish Royalty also. One of my Sister's and Nieces set of on a 250 mile drive to London last night to do the same.
With Reference to Agnetha, she seemed to be the most openly emotional one at the Voyage' Première, we know she likes to keep a low profile, but she is a lovely soul equal to Frida. Long live the Abba Kings and Queens in my reality.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2022 12:35:11 GMT
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Post by bennybjorn on Sept 21, 2022 23:35:13 GMT
A shame the Voyage CD sales were behind Adkins' but still a good performance. Anyone much looking forward to the new album by Boo? It's been 30 years since Boo's last album - not an Abba-length gap, but still a long old time. Radio 2 have been playing her new stuff but, like Voyage, I expect pretty much no-one else has. |
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Post by Alan on Sept 22, 2022 17:29:53 GMT
Anyone much looking forward to the new album by Boo? It's been 30 years since Boo's last album - not an Abba-length gap, but still a long old time. Radio 2 have been playing her new stuff but, like Voyage, I expect pretty much no-one else has. I’m assuming you mean Betty Boo (as in “Doin’ The Do”)? Is no pop star allowed a first name in your world? Why not go a step further and refer to her as “Clarkson” (her real surname) thereby completely confusing us? The joke was that Alison Clarkson’s stage name comes from the cartoon character, Betty Boop, so using “Boo” alone doesn’t make too much sense. |
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Post by BAAB on Sept 23, 2022 4:45:31 GMT
It was the 2nd best seller on CD behind Adele.[/quote]
And 3rd best in combined sales after Adele and Ed Sheeran, meaning VOYAGE was the most successful album of a GROUP in 2021.
Very impressive!
Seeing "I still have faith in you" at #7 in the annual Vinyl Singles charts, makes me wonder, if "Don't Shut Me Down" would have scored even better in the singles charts had it been issued on vinyl, however with a more "ABBA personalized" cover, e.g. released as 4 different picture discs, each with another ABBAtar on it.
I definitely would have bought all four 😆
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2022 14:10:35 GMT
Ed Sheeran's album was second "best seller" of 2021 if we include Streams. In pure sales - physical and download combined, ABBA were 2nd with Voyage. www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-albums-of-2021__34858/I Still Have Faith in You only sold about 2,500 in vinyl. The singles vinyl market is tiny. Had there been a vinyl version of Don't Shut Me Down it wouldn't have added much to sales. *Maybe* only a chart placing of 7 or 8 and not 9 - if most bought week 1. Where it could have made a difference is the Singles Sales Chart. It's probable Don't Shut Me Down would have been #1 not I Still Have Faith in You. ABBA needed to release an album as singles sales are a fraction of what they were. Had the two singles been released without knowledge of a new album, would they have done better? I guess not really, but we'll never know. |
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Post by chron on Sept 23, 2022 17:04:14 GMT
A shame the Voyage CD sales were behind Adkins' but still a good performance. I'm sure at this stage of the game Ulvaeus and Andersson can accept being 'pipped' with good grace. And it must be a fair shout that both Lyngstad and Fältskog would at least be broad fans of her modus operandi (it would be harder to claim the same on behalf of more left-field artists such as Bush and Mitchell). |
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Post by Alan on Sept 23, 2022 17:08:33 GMT
And it must be a fair shout that both Lyngstad and Fältskog would at least be broad fans of her modus operandi (it would be harder to claim the same on behalf of more left-field artists such as Bush and Mitchell). Not you as well! Translated, this must be Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell you’re referring to? Your avatar - there’s a story that Kate (sorry, “Bush”) asked the Queen for her autograph when she got her CBE isn’t there? I think Kate confirmed it - she pretty much would have done anything for her son, including making a complete fool of herself. The Queen would probably have seen the funny side though. |
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Post by chron on Sept 23, 2022 17:15:54 GMT
Not you as well! Translated, this must be Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell you’re referring to Decent guess. Actually I was referring to Bush Tetras and Kim Mitchell. |
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Post by Henry on Sept 23, 2022 20:37:21 GMT
I still have faith was a good album track but not a lead off single. Don't shut me down should have been released as the first only single with a good video.
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Post by BAAB on Sept 24, 2022 13:03:34 GMT
Maybe I Still Have Faith In You was not a good choice in Charts terms but I think that this was not so important to ABBA.
It is much more the song which bridges the 40 years gap in the history of this group and that seemed to be more important.
I remember that when ISHFIY was plaid during the live stream, I received messages of friends who even were not big Fans but were shedding tears while the song was playing.
It's not all about Charts, especially not nowadays with streaming.
If they would be calculating chart places, Frida and Agnetha would have done a duet with Ed Sheeran LOL..
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Post by chron on Sept 24, 2022 18:00:15 GMT
I agree with BAAB - they really had to launch this second coming with I Still Have Faith. 'Shut Me Down is too offhand and quirky for a lead-off in comparison. I Still Have Faith is an invitation to reacquaint, a sort of processional, the indication of something coming into bloom again. 'Smoke 'em if you got 'em', and ABBA had 'em in ISHFIY.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2022 12:47:04 GMT
I am not sure of the wisdom of the first two Voyage songs being released at the same time. A double A side perhaps? They still could have charted separately because of dowmloads/streaming.
Yes, I Still Have Faith in You is about a reunion but then so is Don't Shut Me Down. It probably is more album tracky but then any ABBA song in the 2020s is going to be more album than like todays singles chart song.
I think DSMD as a single, could have been edited. The first 30 seconds about sitting on the park bench could have been dropped. The single edit, could have started with that glissendo (correct music term?) with the lyrics starting about you look bewildered. It takes too long to get going. Fine for a musical or album track but not single.
I guess ABBA weren't too fussed about the commercial performance of the singles. They were a taster for an album - which they probably did care how it was received by the public.
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Post by Henry on Sept 26, 2022 12:01:54 GMT
They did care but they are out of touch what works these days. DSMD should have been the only single with a video with real appearances. Not some footage with no make up and glasses on from the studio that were filmed with a phone. So unprofessional.
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 26, 2022 15:27:30 GMT
I am not sure of the wisdom of the first two Voyage songs being released at the same time. A double A side perhaps? They still could have charted separately because of dowmloads/streaming. Yes, I Still Have Faith in You is about a reunion but then so is Don't Shut Me Down. It probably is more album tracky but then any ABBA song in the 2020s is going to be more album than like todays singles chart song. I think DSMD as a single, could have been edited. The first 30 seconds about sitting on the park bench could have been dropped. The single edit, could have started with that glissendo (correct music term?) with the lyrics starting about you look bewildered. It takes too long to get going. Fine for a musical or album track but not single. I guess ABBA weren't too fussed about the commercial performance of the singles. They were a taster for an album - which they probably did care how it was received by the public. Absolutely johnny . I think they missed a trick by not releasing the songs separately. We all have our personal preferences and, as much as I love, DSMD, I think that ISHFIY was the perfect comeback single. It told a great story, was chockful of heart and emotion and it didn't really hark back to any obvious ABBAisms in the ways that DSMD did. If they had released it first and kept people on tenterhooks for a few weeks and then released DSMD (with a video and on vinyl/CD too), I think they could have had much more impact - possibly even a slightly higher preorder number? I think we'd still have gotten JAN as the third single, because it's in much the same "classic ABBA" genre as DSMD and the label probably pushed for that. I can see your point about the length of DSMD. But, in its favour, I think it does the same thing as ISHFIY by giving you a familiar voice within seconds. For me, the glissando felt slightly cynical but that's just personal. The chorus is the money shot for me - especially the second chorus, which comes in on that glorious surge of energy supplied by a key change. By today's standards, both songs really do keep the listener waiting for the chorus. It takes two minutes for the chorus on ISHFIY to come in. Looking at the chart performances of recent releases by heritage acts - I'm thinking Madonna and Steps as easy examples off the top of my head - the albums splashed high in the charts in the first week before plummeting. Neither scored a singles-chart entry. I know that neither had the newsworthy novelty of a comeback after 40 years, but it all speaks about how difficult it is for older acts to catch a break. ABBA's return to the singles charts - even the lower placings by JAN, NDAI and LT - are pretty remarkable in that context. |
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Post by Henry on Sept 26, 2022 16:09:27 GMT
Tony this was the original plan: to release ISHFIY first as a single. Universal got cold feet about releasing this one and decided to release both songs at once. They were right. ISHFIY went down very well with the fans but not with the general audience. They want upbeat Abba. ISHFIY is good but it simply isn't catchy enough. As a important newspaper in the netherlands wrote: If this is Abba no thank you. (about ISHFIY) and this is real Abba (DSMD).
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 26, 2022 18:08:21 GMT
For sure. Opinions differ. *shrug*
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 27, 2022 9:22:30 GMT
Yeah, I wasn't at my most most articulate there. Sorry about that. What I meant is that JAN sounds more like a "traditional ABBA" track - I don't think the song is a classic. I should also downgrade my accusation of cynicism in DSMD. It's just that, for me, that glissando just felt a bit too much like an obvious nod to DQ. I'm still not in love with that glissando/sax-synth section, to be honest: it doesn't feel like a smooth transition. The vocal magic that happens on the choruses is so fantastic that no other ABBA trademark flourish was needed. That chorus is gorgeous. And the bass is lovely too. The track feels (to me, anyway) like a sibling of JLT.
And I agree 100% - both singles should have been afforded the same love and attention: video and vinyl at a minimum. I think this oversight might reflect Henry's assertion that the label got cold feet about releasing just one song at the time. If they'd both been given a video, I don't think I'd have minded if they were on the same vinyl disc as a double A-side.
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Post by bennybjorn on Sept 27, 2022 14:07:18 GMT
Just stumbled upon this review of Don't Shut Me Down from the Guardian. Nice one!
"It has been out two weeks but after 40 years what’s a fortnight between friends? Song of the week and, as this is the final Guide and these reviews will spin through all eternity with the top spot never being reclaimed, song of the year, song of the millennium and song of our lifetime. In short, it’s the greatest band that ever existed returning after the lengthiest absence in pop history, sounding exactly like themselves, on a song of such a high standard it’d fit right in on Abba Gold, the longest-charting album in UK history. The closest we’ll ever get to a true pop miracle; evidence, too, that sometimes goodbye is just bye-for-now. Even if you have to wait four decades."
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Post by evilincarnate on Sept 27, 2022 16:19:10 GMT
Yeah, I wasn't at my most most articulate there. Sorry about that. What I meant is that JAN sounds more like a "traditional ABBA" track - I don't think the song is a classic. I should also downgrade my accusation of cynicism in DSMD. It's just that, for me, that glissando just felt a bit too much like an obvious nod to DQ. I'm still not in love with that glissando/sax-synth section, to be honest: it doesn't feel like a smooth transition. The vocal magic that happens on the choruses is so fantastic that no other ABBA trademark flourish was needed. That chorus is gorgeous. And the bass is lovely too. The track feels (to me, anyway) like a sibling of JLT. And I agree 100% - both singles should have been afforded the same love and attention: video and vinyl at a minimum. I think this oversight might reflect Henry's assertion that the label got cold feet about releasing just one song at the time. If they'd both been given a video, I don't think I'd have minded if they were on the same vinyl disc as a double A-side. I concur with the cynical comment regarding DSMD. It's a great track, no doubt, but from the very first time I heard the glissando moment I sensed a calculated reference to DQ and days of yore (a slight issue repeated through 'Voyage'). For me, the glissando and sax-synth section do (slightly) let down what is otherwise a fabulous moment in ABBA's catalogue. Agnetha's lead vocal and the wondrous chorus harmonies are indeed top-drawer ABBA so it's somewhat frustrating that concessions were made. There was a stripped down version of DSMD on Youtube late last year (for less than 24 hours) that focused on the orchestral sections of the instrumentation and I believe greater emphasis on the strings would have been more favourable. I imagine there were multiple versions of the track considered between the original recording in June 2017 and release date of September 2021. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2022 18:53:26 GMT
Tony this was the original plan: to release ISHFIY first as a single. Universal got cold feet about releasing this one and decided to release both songs at once. They were right. ISHFIY went down very well with the fans but not with the general audience. They want upbeat Abba. ISHFIY is good but it simply isn't catchy enough. As a important newspaper in the netherlands wrote: If this is Abba no thank you. (about ISHFIY) and this is real Abba (DSMD). Yes, the plan was to release ISHFIY as the single for at least a year. It was a last minute decision to release both on the same day by the head of Universal UK. ISHFIY did indeed do less well in the charts than DSMD but had it been released a few months before - and without any mention of a new album, it *probably* would have done better. The focus on the two singles being released in September last year was the album and forthcoming tour. By announcing a new album there was little incentive to buy the two singles. Indeed the focus was streaming them and buy the album two months later. Source www.musicweek.com/labels/read/fantastic-voyage-polydor-on-the-second-coming-of-abba/084823 |
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Post by madonnabba on Sept 28, 2022 21:33:56 GMT
I love the fact they have given us nods to the past in Voyage. And the end of KAEOD with the reference to SOS. Its like an extension of the story...I can hear in my head ...where are those happy days...with those notes placed at the end. I have been listening a lot of Abba recently..random tracks except for listening to The Album in its entirety. Appreciating all over again. Eagle and HIYS should have been singles in all of the big markets. Got me thinking I should revisit all the albums and the solo albums by having Abba time on a Saturday morning and reading through old Abba magazines from the time. I am sure Just a Notion was mentioned in one of the official Abba magazines from 1978. I think there was one mentioned called No Man's land in one of the magazines too. Well that's the plan. Be a nice way to spend a Saturday morning after a week of work.
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