A+ / Where Do We Go From Here?

I don't buy the whole "bad fan" idea: we're human and our likes or dislikes are not for pleasing any other person. Equally, fans often put unrealistic pressure on idols to create something that's not always possible with the available material. I get the motivation to look at anyone's latest release and expect that it should be the greatest thing ever created, a jewel so precious that it silences rivals and fans of those rivals. But how often does that happen? Why can't we love an album or single on its own terms, find something in it that resonates with us? It often transpires that the stuff we adore is not always held in much esteem by the artists themselves.

I wasn't A's biggest fan to begin with and A+ just hasn't stayed with me. But I'm glad Agnetha stepped forward and thoroughly explored an idea that she could have dismissed for the work it entailed. There are plenty of people out there who love it. It doesn't make them better fans.

We're fans of ABBA and I can't imagine there's a single one of us who thinks that everything every member ever released - never mind the group itself - is unalloyed perfection. And as any poll on this site can readily tell us, our personal favourites are often detested by others. Of course it'd be great if every release was a resounding success but, no matter how diligently some might lurk in the shadows only to pop out to rebut a negative comment and try to change the narrative, that can't always be the case.

If you love the album, revel in the enjoyment. But if you don't, so what? It's not like you haven't spent time with it and given it a fair hearing.