New compilation: ABBA The Singles - The First 50 Years

Thinking about it, if all the tracks from Gold are having the Dolby Atmos treatment for release at a later date, then I'm guessing this new compilation won't usurp Gold's standing as the 'greatest hits of choice', otherwise they would have given all the tracks on The Singles - The First Fifty Years the Atmos treatment and released it with the accompanying fanfare regarding it being the only compilation album you can hear in full Dolby Atmos - which would at least have offered something new in a way to us hardcore fans.

Benny maybe has invested some few million Dollars for the Atmos treat,but what does it take for us listeners to really hear the difference? A Dolby Surround Speaker Combination? A soundbar?

Amazon Update


CD + VINYL best sellers
#384

I think it's fair to say this won't do well.

Scandalous that they're raising the price. 

I wonder if the antipathy is being felt yet at ABBA Central? Are team members watching the fans' reaction, or will they just wait for the shock of the sales reports? It's a shame that they've run out of road in terms of having time to correct the course, to pull something decent out of the hat and rescue the 50th anniversary.

This might as well go here as anywhere....

Just in case ... Bobbys Brother is back on YouTube with all his latest updates, sometimes he comes up with a gem that " we " don't know of , but most of the time it's old news, usually does a months worth of news at a time...BTW, Bobby isn't interested in "50" at all, says something for a diehard....

There is a contradiction, which is interesting and of course what you choose to believe or interpret..
The section on Bjorn, ( yes we know he can tell some tall stories, but sometimes like us all , did he slip up here? ) . He had two interviews, on the first he said it's not the end, stupid interviewer didnt pick up on it, second interview... all over.....

So again what to believe.... I thought I'd share it with you, and no doubt make up our own minds....
Personally another 3 months to see if any strong rumours otherwise a big thank you and goodbye.....

Sounds like it. I think for casual listeners, the ship has sailed and Gold + Voyage is what to get. It's two tested and established brands and with Gold being midprice and Voyage selling for literally 3-4 bucks these days, it's a much cheaper option and you end up with two well-designed products instead of a dubious mishmash with bad design at collector's price.

Its almost like someone a year ago had told the worst joke about how bad the 50th Anniversary year would be. The horrendous truth is that the reality has been somewhat worse. Literally a 10 inch vinyl of Waterloo has been the sum total, with this awul compilation with (I think) the worst cover they could have "designed". Ive seen at least 5 fan made covers that are vastly superior. I actually dont know what Universal were thinking.

I’m fairly certain “it’s not the end” refers to the Voyage show. There are possibilities with that - other songs added, other venues etc. It’s immortalised ABBA, so in a sense, they will go on and on and it’s definitely not the end.

“All over” refers to any further audio releases.

Right Alan, especially the £25 double CD won't even supply you with TYFTM. This is a dealbreaker for the entrée buyer. It gives a round picture with the lousy design (justabba, when I first saw it, I thought it in fact *was* fanmade, and that badly).

 It is hard to say how 'The First 50 Years' will fare in the International Charts.

   It may do well, in some Countries, but very little - if anything - in others.

I recall 'The Essential Collection' doing very badly, in 2012. I knew a Guy, called 
Dan, at The Official UK Charts, at the time. Halfway through its Release Week, I
asked him where it was, in the Mid Week Top 200. I was shocked, when he told 
me, that it was at No.155! 2 Days later, by Friday's full Week Chart, it had already
fallen off The Top 200. So,it never reached the UK Top 200! A huge 'Flop' for ABBA.

It has only sold about 8,000 to 10,000 UK copies, to this Day. Mainly because it
was too much like 'The Definitive Collection', from 2001. That ABBA Compilation
reached No.17, in the UK, and it had sold over 230,000 there, by 2015. It 'only'
reached No.14, in Germany, but it sold many copies there, and it stayed in their
Top 100, for a massive 116 Weeks...

The truth is that, it is very hard for Universal, to Sell, ABBA Compilations, when they,
(mostly), contain the 'SOS', (Same Old Songs). We already have the Tracks, over and
over again. A huge shame, when ABBA have 'Alternative Versions', of many Singles,
and Albums Tracks. But, some Fans, excuse it all with: 'ABBA owe us nothing'. Which
is no excuse - at all - for Benny and Bjorn OK-ing endless 'Hits' Compilations, over the
long, long, Years. I don't blame Agnetha and Frida, as they seem to have Zero say, as
to what comes out in ABBA's Name...

We will see how well, (or poorly), 'The Singles - The First 50 Years' - does, around the Globe...

Johnny -- I tend not to 'follow' UK Chart Rules, these Days. However, it is
my understanding, that a Record Company can 'Nominate' 1 'Hits', Album,
to get a Chart Act's Streams. At present, it is 'ABBA Gold', that Universal
have 'Nominated'. It has been 'ABBA Gold', for many Years. But, they can
alter it to 'The Singles - The First Fifty Years', when that Album comes out.
It may, or may not, help it to 'Sell' better. Even if Universal do 'Nominate'
it, it will only be temporary. It will soon revert back to being 'ABBA Gold',
that they 'Nominate', to represent ABBA.

By my calculations, 'ABBA Gold', earned a 22nd UK Platinum Disk, several Months
ago. It is now on about 6,634,000 UK Sales. Which is 34,000 over, the 6.600.000
that it needed, for a 22nd Platinum Award. The B.P.I. are late in giving it its 22nd
UK Platinum Award...

^ I think you mean German charts are based on Value. An expensive vinyl album may have low volume sales. I am not aware of other countries having this system for Music charts. But it's the system for Movie Charts - Box Office.

I don't think streaming should count for Greatest Hits albums - and only Studio Albums if you listen to it all.

In the UK, a streamed song can be counted 3 times, song, studio album, Hits album. Same in America. It doesn't seem right.

Gold, not appearing on many European charts rg Scandinavian countries, Netherlands, Belgioum is probably explained by those charts not adding streaming stats for Hits albums

Am I reading that right, that the higher the price is, the more “units” it counts as for chart purposes? If that’s the case, whilst it might be more fair on the one hand, surely it encourages price increases on the other?

Still better than the UK system though.

I still think that chart positions and sales no longer matter to the music industry though. If they can make a profit by selling these items at premium prices then they’re laughing. And I’m afraid that means that, in this case, they’re laughing at the hardcore ABBA fans that have to have everything.

Thinking about this again, it’s really being released so as to effectively re-release The Singles 10 on vinyl isn’t it? A compilation of singles in chronological order hasn’t actually been done on vinyl since The Singles 10.

They’ve even, in most cases, tried to match up the original sides. Side 1 of Ten ends with Fernando, as does Side 2 of 50, having expanded it to two sides.

It falls down slightly with Sides 2 and 3 of Ten as there aren’t enough additional singles to expand them to four sides, so they get one and a half each. Side 3 of Fifty still begins with Dancing Queen, and Side 5 still ends with I Have A Dream.

Side 4 of Ten then reverts back to being expanded to two sides, from Side 6 The Winner Takes It All to Side 7 Under Attack.

The side that was saved by Dancing Queen to I Have A Dream only being expanded to three sides not four is then free to devote to Voyage, Side 8.

Makes more sense this way - it’s a vinyl release that’s merely being issued on CD as an afterthought (or, rather, to placate CD buyers that would still be interested in this). Whether there’s actually much of a market for it is another matter.

Perhaps they could also have released it as a two-disc (vinyl) version as well, though I’m not sure which two tracks of Ten I’d remove to accommodate I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down. Removing, say, So Long and Ring Ring would completely mess up The Singles 10 sides. And in any case, The Singles 10 sides are considered too long for modern issues on this format.

I’d still prefer it if they’d done it properly, retaining the original Ten artwork and photo, perhaps adding a more recent, Voyage photo of ABBA to the back cover.