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Post by richard on Nov 18, 2023 13:34:40 GMT
No doubt there are quite a few Beatles fans who are dismissive of ABBA - and vice versa, of course. Fair enough, if either group simply doesn't float one's boat, and that's all there is to it. But I count myself lucky that I like and admire both groups.
And The Beatles were lucky to have George Martin, including his string arrangements, as with Eleanor Rigby.
I agree with Johnny about these videos compared with ABBA's lyric videos.
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Post by chron on Nov 19, 2023 0:23:15 GMT
You're a great contributor, chron - you're concise, too. I'm the long-winded rambler who needs reining in! Thanks for the kind words, Homey (you flatterer!). I've no problem admitting to being a droner; the 'samey' bit is the bigger drag. I haven't got a lot to bring to the ABBAchat table these days. I drop by regularly, but the Voyage album hasn't grabbed me, the Voyage show isn't my sort of thing, and I'm not a collector - I'm down to crumbs, of the stale variety. (Some of you proper fans will laugh at this, but the most invigorating ABBA-related experience I've had recently has come from finally getting around to giving Frida's solo Shine and Agnetha's solo I Stand Alone a listen—that's right; those two have come new to me after Voyage! Terrific, heartening listens, both.) Btw, I've never thought of your replies as coming across as long-winded, but they do always seem to have an easy-going, natural warmth. |
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Post by Michal on Nov 19, 2023 8:47:22 GMT
I haven't got a lot to bring to the ABBAchat table these days.... ...the most invigorating ABBA-related experience I've had recently has come from finally getting around to giving Frida's solo Shine and Agnetha's solo I Stand Alone a listen—that's right; those two have come new to me after Voyage! Terrific, heartening listens, both. Now, that would be something I'd like to hear about. I've long since forgotten the thrill of hearing an ABBA (or solo) record for the first time. For some reason Voyage didn't do it for me, even though I like it a lot. Maybe the surreal feeling of hearing a new ABBA album after having been told for decades it would never happen again prevailed. In any case I do understand your reservations about posting here, as I've had the feeling of having not much to say for some time too. But as you can see your post made me react, so keep doing it 🙂 |
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Post by richard on Nov 19, 2023 14:59:12 GMT
Trouble is, there just aren't enough people posting so that we can feed off each other's opinions and comments. But perhaps that, in itself, is indicative of a forum devoted to an old successful pop group. Their songs and recordings - the main aspect - have been discussed over the years on various forums, and so there's bound to be quite a bit of repetition regarding such discussions now. And yet repetition doesn't really explain it, either, otherwise radio phone-ins on issues and cookery programmes would fade away.
I wonder if a forum devoted to one older successful popular novelist would have, or has, more contributors than one focussed on a well-known pop/rock group. More to discuss - or more readily - about a novel than a pop song, perhaps? (Unless someone went into the music-theoretical features of a song - which would likely be a turn-off for most.)
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Post by foreverfan on Nov 19, 2023 15:50:34 GMT
In a slight fear of turning this thread into " why bother " I'm afraid I agree with Richard and Michael, both of them are avid posters close to a 1000 and myself along with Richard over 1000, but recently I've felt I've little if anything to say, I actually pop in everyday in the hope of something new, there has been a bit of back biting recently Which I do t involve myself with, but it does for me anyhow put a damper on conversations.
Totally except we all don't have to agree, how awful that would be..
Personally I'm nearly spent in trying a " new topic" try finding one we haven't in some degree already had... but hey that's just me at the moment, just hoping for that last hurrah next year.. a few months of talking about it then possibly we will all fade away.... God that sounds depressing ...sorry...
As for the topic......lol
The latest Beatles , personally , marketing was brilliant, ( they did have an advantage being The Beatles of course) but the track its self is easily forgettable , Apart from ardent Beatle fans who will remember it in a years time ? Can the same be said about ISHFIY and DSMD , outside of us.. probably the same answer... no....
Im actually more impressed by The Rolling Stones... pretty much the same formula all their career, Living In A Ghost Town was really good, ( released a while back now ) Angry was surprisingly good and catchy.. and Number 1 album with good marketing.. still riding high in the charts..
Running out of steam...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2023 16:24:04 GMT
Speaking as someone who's dipped in and out of ABBAChat (and its predecessors) over the years, I've often wondered why many (most?) new members appear to post just a few times, then completely vanish again. No-one's views/opinions/experiences are quite the same as another's, so (for a forum like this) new blood is indeed lifeblood and can give the place a real fillip. Yet for some reason ABBAChat doesn't appear to have great 'stick-around-ability'. Not sure what can be done to change that. Maybe people have simply got better things to do and/or are just ABBAed out. Or maybe forums as a breed are just too passé. Shame but perhaps that's just the way it is.
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Post by richard on Nov 19, 2023 17:34:32 GMT
I think you've hit the nail on the head, Gary. I'm sure many join a forum - any forum - all enthusiastic, and then, after a short while, realise that they haven't anything to add to their few posts - or to anyone else's posts for that matter. And let's not forget - as if we would - what's better than talking about ABBA's music, or anyone else's, is listening to it and enjoying it; and probably only a comparative few of us, anyway, no matter how much of a fan we are, will want to join a forum such as this. Graham, near to 800 posts for me, but I might reach a 1000.  I agree revisiting older threads is a good idea. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 19, 2023 19:42:55 GMT
[...] Or maybe forums as a breed are just too passé. Shame but perhaps that's just the way it is. I think that social media all but killed forums. The instant dopamine hit of immediate interaction and likes and whathaveyou replaced the slower burning, more discursive style that seems typical of a forum. I've been a member of other ABBA forums over the years, as well as those for other artists. I now only visit two. The other one is even more sparsely populated than this one and I visit far less often. It seems that the former members of all the other forums are blathering away on Facebook. I can't say whether many are still on Twitter/X, having deleted my account there last year. Social media seems to have changed the way some of those former members behave. And not always for the better. I think it can sometimes affect how we behave here too. People's communication styles, generally, have been changed by social media norms. What I do like about this forum is that people are free to have dissenting opinions about their idols, to criticise the music. Liking all the same stuff in the same way would be beyond tedious. I've really liked the recent topics devoted to lesser-celebrated gems. It lifts the discussions away from the parent albums - those chats get a bit general and indistinct. It's great that older topics get revived too. For most of us, our tastes continue to evolve and there may be songs or albums that we once adored that have fallen by the wayside in the intervening years. Sometimes it can be interesting to see what was said several years ago and for it to be out of kilter with current feelings. It's nice to revisit something you haven't played in a while and come away with a new appreciation for it. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 19, 2023 19:46:40 GMT
[...] the most invigorating ABBA-related experience I've had recently has come from finally getting around to giving Frida's solo Shine and Agnetha's solo I Stand Alone a listen—that's right; those two have come new to me after Voyage! Terrific, heartening listens, both.) [...] We have new/revived topics! I could blather about Shine until the cows come home. Love that album. And I quite like ISA too. Get thee hence to the solo sections and revive/create topics. I'll be right behind you. |
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Post by johnny on Nov 24, 2023 22:19:05 GMT
Chart News: Veteran Acts Madness get their first #1 studio album this week. Their first two albums peaked at #2 and they had two #1 compilations. I haven't heard this. I liked them at the begining but they went downhill fast. Rolling Stones rebounding up the charts. 5th week in Top 10. Whether you like their music or not surely you respect them at least. They do what fo they. No gimmicks. No collaborations with younger acts, yes you Elton. Dolly - new at #5. Who can't love Dolly? She's a character. "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" 😀. Personally there's literally (and I hate that word!), a handful of songs of hers I like. This Rockstar album is turkey (released in time for Thanksgiving Day) with covers and collaborations with the likes of Debbie Harry and Paul McCartney.She sounds like she's struggling with her dentures. Not the greatest fan of Voyage (though I love the first 2 singles) but boy do I appreciate ABBA not trying to be modern or collaborating with artists young or old. The Beatles Red and Blue albums have dropped down the chart. Ringo during the week was upset to in rumours that the "new" song was called AI. Well, if you get a rusty vocal song, recorded on cassette and bring in two living members and two dead members and make it sound "new" peoole will thonk that. D'oh! www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/ |
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Post by Alan on Nov 25, 2023 17:16:08 GMT
Nice for Madness, though I’m not sure I’d put money on that album still being in the chart next week…
Madness were part of an early 90s resurgence of forgotten acts. Their compilation album Divine Madness was a big seller in early 1992, and the Carpenters had similarly had a revival with a new compilation in 1990. And of course, ABBA Gold quickly eclipsed both of them.
Madness did re-unite in 1992 after a six-year break (though some of them briefly got back together as “The Madness” in 1988). They finally released a new album in 1999. Two singles from it were later added to a reissue of Divine Madness (unlike ABBA Gold, there was space to do so).
A reunion album after a long break is a novelty but to carry on and on (as Madness and Blondie have done) gets a bit boring. Impressive though that six of the original seven Madness members appear on this new album. The seventh member, Chas Smash, left in 2014.
I’ve got Divine Madness (the 2000 version) but not sure they’re a band to be explored any further. Some great singles though.
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Post by richard on Nov 25, 2023 22:19:40 GMT
I like all periods of The Rolling Stones, but l prefer the early Stones - the Brian Jones era. Great guitar work from Brian Jones and Keith Richards - and Bill Wyman's bass - this is one of my favourite Rolling Stones tracks. It really drives along. Well it is Route 66.  |
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Post by johnny on Nov 26, 2023 9:54:34 GMT
I think Madness will still be in the charts,a Top 100, next week but with a massive drop. That they could exit the chart after 1 week at #1 tells us a lot about the charts.
I agree that like Blondie they have gone on too long. I am not familiar with Madness output since the early 80s and just not interested enough to find out.
The Blondie comeback in 1999 after 17 years and hitting #1 with Maria was welcome but the album it came from and almost all others have been a bit meh. That said, the last album Pollinator had good tracks on it - perhaps because they had new writers which gave something new.
I think there's ABBA fans from back in the day or who have Gold, seen the Mamma Mia films, maybe even the Voyage show but just aren't interested in or even know about the Voyage album.
My favourite Rolling Stones song - Paint it Black
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Post by jj on Nov 26, 2023 18:01:13 GMT
To be fair, apparently the members of Blondie were left bankrupt and in debt at the end of their first career, in 1983, as a result of bad deals/contracts they'd signed and dishonest management, or dodgy financial advisors, or all of the above.
Incredible situation when you take into account how successful they'd been up until 1981, and Chris Stein fell ill and the band was put on ice for a few years, and Deborah Harry left the business completely to care for him.
They should have retired extremely rich, in fact, but no, all of their consistent sales success and stellar chart performance ended up amounting to less than nothing - left owing people/banks a fortune. I'm not sure if they're out of the woods even today, financially speaking. Harry and Stein, you'd think, would at least be rich now just through royalties for the songs they'd written which continue to be popular and enjoy regular airplay to this day. But it isn't the case. They must have signed some very dodgy contracts at some point.
There are very likely some Blondie fans here, or reading this, who know a lot more than I do and I'd be glad if they could add info and/or correct me if I'm wrong about some things. I was absolutely shocked to learn of Blondie's financial situation through a documentary about them on youtube. I feel terrible for Blondie that they ended up with so little after working so hard and creating so much great stuff, and sorry that their situation made it impossible for them to retire sooner, and gracefully, as they so thoroughly deserved.
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Post by Alan on Nov 26, 2023 18:47:50 GMT
jj, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein did sell their rights to Blondie’s back catalogue a few years ago to an investment fund, for an “undisclosed sum”. I assumed that this meant they got a windfall. Or was it to help pay off the debts you mention? Blondie duo's song rights sold in 'Atomic' deal www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53664362
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Post by johnny on Nov 28, 2023 11:50:59 GMT
Whilst Debbie and Chris wrote many of Blondie's big hits including the biggest Heart of Glass (also wrote Dreaming and Rapture) they didn't write most of them.
Chris on his owm wrote Sunday Girl and both along with bassist Jimmy Destiri wrote Picture This.
Debbie was co-writer with Georgio Moroder on Call M3
Debbie and Jimny wrote Atomic.
Jimmy was sole writer of Maria - one of their Top 5 most Streamed songs.
Debbie and Nigel Harrison wrote the classic One Way or Another and also Union City Blue.
Early band member Tony Valentine wrote the brilliant I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear
Denis, Hanging on the Telephone and A Tide is High were covers.
Debbie/Chris - 3 hits
Chris - 1
Debbie/Chris/Jimmy- 1
Debbie/Chris/Nigel 2
Debbie/Georgio Moroder 1
Tony Valentine -1
Jimmy - 1
Covers 3
Of their 12 biggest hits Debbie and Chris only wrote exclusively 4.
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Post by Alan on Dec 1, 2023 20:01:26 GMT
You were right, johnny. Madness only fell to number 26 which, these days, isn’t anywhere near as bad as it could have been. The music industry make more of a deal about number one albums than they once did. It was always more about overall sales, but as they’re practically through the floor now… It seems like any Tom, Dick and Harry can have a number one (Michael Ball, isn’t it about time you did another album with Alfie Boe, including the word “Together” somewhere in the title, so it can have its obligatory week at number one?). The likes of Kate Bush, who’s not had one since 1987, must be a little miffed (that’s if she cared). Her six subsequent releases peaked at number 2 (three albums) and 3, 4 and 5 (one album each). |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2023 20:25:40 GMT
Jimmy was sole writer of Maria - one of their Top 5 most Streamed songs. Jimmy Destri also had a knack for writing key 'deep cuts', e.g. the two side-closers on 'Eat to the Beat' ('Accidents Never Happen' and 'Living in the Real World' - the best two songs on that album, for my money); plus there's some great stuff on 'Plastic Letters', including 'Fan Mail' - my all-time favourite Blondie track and one of my favourite album-openers by anyone, ever. |
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Post by johnny on Dec 22, 2023 18:41:18 GMT
The Rolling Stones return to #1. The good news, 9 weeks in the Top 10 and their first #1 album at Christmas. The bad news, sales of just 16,000 - the lowest ever for a Christmas #1 album.
ABBA Gold climbs 2 to #15 and in Sales Chart jumps from 30 to 17.
It looks like people are buying their older relatives albums....
In the Singles Chart, Wham finally get to #1 AT Christmas - having peaked at #2 in 1984 and #1 just before or just after Christmas in recent years.
Cher, who has had more facelifts than birthdays enters the chart at #20. At 77 the oldest female to do so.
EDIT: 58 Christmas themed songs in Top 100. 33 in the Top 40. No sign of Little Things.
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Post by Alan on Dec 23, 2023 10:14:27 GMT
Wham’s single was actually released physically this year, both in CD and green vinyl. It was also included in a boxed set of Wham singles (again both vinyl and CD) released earlier in the year. They re-created the Epic labels of the time, which will be familiar to UK ABBA fans who go back that far. Last Christmas uses the familiar UK-pressing blue label, whereas some other singles in the box use the (also familiar) attractive Dutch-pressing label. UK singles were often released in several different label variants - even for the same title - depending on pressing plant. This is what some 1990s ABBA reissues (such as the 1999 CD singles boxed set) could have looked like had Polar sold up to CBS-Sony and not PolyGram.   |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Dec 28, 2023 12:25:54 GMT
WHAM!
The UK Charts Company do not count all of 'Last Christmas's Chart Weeks together.
They regard it as 2 different Singles.
From 1984 to 1987 they see it as different, to the 2007 to Now Hit Single.
This is because from 1984 to 1987 it was a Double 'A' Side with 'Everything She Wants'.
From December 2007 to Now, it was a Digital Hit, of just 'Last Christmas'.
So, they don't count its 5 Weeks at No.2, and 10 Top 10 Weeks, from late 1984 to early 1986.
They only count its 2007 to Now Weeks - 7 No.1 Weeks, and 31 Weeks in the Top 10.
I think that both 'Sets' of 'Last Christmas' Weeks should be combined. After all, it is still the same Song.
ROLLING STONES
Of the Rolling Stones 14 UK No.1 Albums, 'Hackney Diamonds' is only the 3rd
to return to No.1 in the same 'Chart Run'. The first of the 3 went to No.1 on
3 occasions.
It is also their 1st Album to do so since 'Sticky Fingers' in 1971.
Their return to No.1 'Chart Runs' are:
A).. 'Rolling Stones No.2' -- (1965) -- 1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1
B).. 'Sticky Fingers' -- (1971) -- 1-1-1-1-2-2-1
C).. 'Hackney Diamonds' -- (2023) -- 1-3-4-8-4-3-5-6-1
Having said all that, 'Hackney Diamonds' looks like it will have a
big fall from No.1 in Friday's New Album Chart, for all of this Week.
ABBA
'ABBA Gold' has made a surprising leap in the UK's Mid Week Chart.
That Chart came out yesterday -- Wednesday 27th December. It was
for Sales from Friday to Tuesday. 'Gold' was at No.17 in last Monday's
Chart Update. (Mid Week Chart). It jumped from No.17 to No.6 in the
Wednesday Chart! We will see if it makes a similar leap in Friday's Full
Week Chart. It was No.15 in last Friday's Full Week Chart.
If 'Gold' is Top 10 on Friday, it will be its 79th Top 10 Week, and its 228th Week
in the Top 20. Which is way ahead of ABBA's 2nd 'Most Successful' UK Album. That
is 'Greatest Hits', (1976), which had 49 Top 10 Weeks, and 83 Top 20 Weeks.
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Dec 30, 2023 8:28:55 GMT
'ABBA Gold' sold 6,470 UK copies to be at No.5. Its highest Weekly UK Sale for 120 Weeks. In fact - It had
exactly the same Weekly Sales as 'Hackney Diamonds' by the Rolling Stones, which was at No.6, down
from No.1. The Official Charts Company decided to put the ABBA and RoLling Stones Albums at No.5
and No.6, instead of showing them as No.5=.
The Official Charts Company must have a policy, of not having 'Equal' Positions in their Charts.
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Post by jj on Jan 13, 2024 5:09:46 GMT
I always felt the melody and lyrics to The Day Before You Came weren't synched in this particular line "Oh yes, I'm sure my life was well within it's usual frame" Those words sounded a bit gobbled up. Too wordy for the tune. Actually, I think the words and syllables in that line correspond exactly with the notes in the melody we have in the previous/equivalent earlier verse of that song:
"And still on top of this I'm pretty sure it must have rained" (I count 14 notes to go with fourteen syllables).
I may be wrong, but I have a hunch there are some ABBA songs where they might have a slight change to the musical notes (eg. holding one note longer to compensate for two notes for a word with an extra syllable) in a later verse or later chorus in the same song. I feel I need to check songs like "Our Last Summer", "Like an Angel...", "The Visitors", or "I Let the Music Speak", because they're the sorts of songs I'd suspect we're most likely find these slight variations.
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Post by jj on Jan 15, 2024 19:11:02 GMT
If somebody can help identify the LPs on the coffee table here, I'd be very grateful.
The picture is described as having been taken in Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog's apartment in Stockholm on March 27, 1974.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2024 19:38:51 GMT
Pretty sure the one on top is Tavares' debut album Check It Out. Vicky Leandros is on the bottom - the album's called Dreams Are Good Friends. Came out the year after her Eurovision win.
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Post by jj on Jan 16, 2024 13:46:31 GMT
Pretty sure the one on top is Tavares' debut album Check It Out. Vicky Leandros is on the bottom - the album's called Dreams Are Good Friends. Came out the year after her Eurovision win. Thank you very much!
I like how eclectic the ABBA members were with the kinds of artists they listened to. I remember in an interview during the Australian tour in March 1977, Frida said she really enjoyed Rufus, an American funk band. Rufus was the group that established Chaka Khan as an artist and helped launch her career in music.
Here are two of Rufus's best-known albums from the time Frida was listening to them:
Rags to Rufus (1974):
Rufusized (1974)
IMO, Chaka Khan made Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" the great song it is. Her vocals take that song into the stratosphere (literally taking it "higher").
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Post by jj on Jan 16, 2024 13:59:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2024 9:47:17 GMT
No worries, jj! That photo gives a great - and quite important - insight into the 'sound world' the band were immersing themselves in as they strove to make the big breakthrough.
Love that Stevie Winwood track and indeed the entire 'Back in the High Life' album. Definitely in my Top Ten albums of the 1980s list and I still give it very regular airings.
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Post by jj on Mar 18, 2024 6:58:18 GMT
I wonder how many times Bjorn asked Benny if they could add an extra note somewhere in a song to accommodate an extra syllable for a word Bjorn had written.
I also wonder if there are any ABBA songs where one line in a song (that corresponds to the same melodic line in the previous verse) has an extra note to accommodate a word which has one more syllable than the corresponding word in the previous verse. I finally remembered one a few moments ago. It's the line "Tired of TV" in "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"
This line, unlike all the other corresponding lines in the song, has an extra note added - four notes instead of three - to accommodate Bjorn's not being able to come up with a three-syllable line to match the other three syllable lines in the other verses.
So we have: "Half past twelve" (3), "Autumn Winds" (3), "Movie Stars" (3), "Tired of TV" (4) extra syllable/extra note. An extra note is added when they sing "V" in "TV". |
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Post by jj on May 28, 2024 11:15:16 GMT
I wonder how many times Bjorn asked Benny if they could add an extra note somewhere in a song to accommodate an extra syllable for a word Bjorn had written. I also wonder if there are any ABBA songs where one line in a song (that corresponds to the same melodic line in the previous verse) has an extra note to accommodate a word which has one more syllable than the corresponding word in the previous verse. I finally remembered one a few moments ago. It's the line "Tired of TV" in "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" This line, unlike all the other corresponding lines in the song, has an extra note added - four notes instead of three - to accommodate Bjorn's not being able to come up with a three-syllable line to match the other three syllable lines in the other verses. So we have: "Half past twelve" (3), "Autumn Winds" (3), "Movie Stars" (3), "Tired of TV" (4) extra syllable/extra note. An extra note is added when they sing "V" in "TV". The adding of an extra note (or notes) to accommodate a word with more syllables in a later verse of a song also occurs in SOS. |
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