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Post by madonnabba on Apr 10, 2024 23:42:15 GMT
Remember Queen Greatest Hits existed when vinyl was selling before cds existed. It sold about a million or more in vinyl. This will be included in this figure of over 7million. No doubt a lot of people then replaced the vinyl with cd over time. ABBA Gold did not have this advantage as it did not exist until 1992 when cd had reolaced vinyl ...QGH existed in 1981.
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Post by madonnabba on Jul 18, 2023 18:43:58 GMT
Definitely an Abba fan in production team of Eastenders. Always popping up in episodes. Tonight ....I do x5, Waterloo and DQ.
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Post by madonnabba on Jan 29, 2023 8:05:08 GMT
I am glad they did the album. I think that it could have done with two more uptempo numbers and little things left off for a Christmas release. Think it's difficult to write age appropriate songs to reflect their ages and experiences. Would sound strange them writing an Angeleyes type song given their ages. What I think is missing is the fairy dust sparkle that Michael as producer referred to on previous albums just to lift the songs to those glory days. But I am glad we have it. Will Ed or Adele be having similar success in their 70s? Adele's popularity appears to be on the decline already from her previous album sales 21 and 25.
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Post by madonnabba on Nov 12, 2022 19:43:30 GMT
Listening to the Abba album I wonder if it would have had the same success as GH1 in the UK if GH1 had not been released and Fernando was added to the tracklist of Abba and given the same promotion as GH1. If so it would have been their biggest studio album in the UK. Just a thought in an alternative universe.
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Post by madonnabba on Nov 8, 2022 9:01:46 GMT
Well Johnny at least Glasgow got a mention. The boys were asked about this reference and said it was used for rhyming purposes only. I suppose it could have been Chicago, Toronto , Moscow or any place ending with an O sound. Glasgow has many theatres, pubs, clubs , gig venues and restaurants. Not to mention many fine free museums to visit and is the gateway to the Highlands and Southern Uplands.Tourism is big business in Glasgow with new hotels being built each year to keep up with demand. Like any city or glamorised destination it has its problems too.
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Post by madonnabba on Oct 19, 2022 19:24:33 GMT
No doubt about it played in Eastenders tonight.
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Post by madonnabba on Oct 7, 2022 21:54:17 GMT
Re Mamma Mia number one for 2 weeks in UK. I am sure Queen was number one over the Christmas New Year period when charts were not compiled...Abba were number one for two weeks later in January 1976 when sales for those weeks counted towards chart positions in the UK....outwith the festive period.
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Post by madonnabba on Oct 7, 2022 21:46:29 GMT
Never understood I wonder being on GH2. Think better titles for the Compilations would have been Best of Abba 1 and 2 and 3 allowing for album tracks to be included.
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Post by madonnabba on Sept 28, 2022 22:54:57 GMT
Hi Alan, I will dig out my old magazines. I have the complete set of magazines from one all the way through to the final one. I will work my way through them especially the ones in 1978. I will check old fan club newsletters too. Might have read it there. Will let you know my findings.
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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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Post by madonnabba on Sept 2, 2022 21:54:37 GMT
I cannot imagine the Abba sound without either Frida or Agnetha. And I think Bjorn and Benny made the right choices with lead vocals. When it comes to the solo albums I favour Agnetha's more but my favourite solo song is IKTSGO. It may be that Agnetha's albums sounded closer to the Abba sound as Frida was more experimental with her albums. But then my least favourite solo album was I Stand Alone but favourite A. I think Barry Gibb would have been a better choice of producer for Agnetha. Found the song choices poor and boring on I Stand Alone. Always wish Frida had done an album of covers like We're All Alone, No more the fool and Lilac Wine.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 27, 2022 19:37:52 GMT
The fairest way for the chart to mean anything would be one stream one device...would stop all the nonsense of a few thousand fans distorting charts with listening to the same track or tracks and counting towards sales . It would return the singles chart to the way it was ...songs would have a chart life of up to 20 weeks max and no long stays at number one. The charts have became very boring. They need to shake it up.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 24, 2022 20:59:19 GMT
Over the last month as follows 1. Ode to freedom 2. No doubt about it 3. Dan 4. Bumblebee 5. Faith 6. DSMD 7. JAN 8. ICBTW 9. WYDWM 10. LT Put it down to overdosing on the singles when they first came out.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 23, 2022 7:15:19 GMT
I think have listened to Voyage more than I did The Visitors after it's release. I don't remember listening to it every day or even every other day like a do some of the tracks on Voyage but that might be down to technology and being able to listen on the move. Voyage got me re visiting past Abba albums too..right back to the beginning. What a musical journey....from the early days where the boys were more prominent to the switch..where the girls took over around the Abba album. Glad we got it.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 21, 2022 16:24:53 GMT
Yeah. The original albums. I took into consideration the popularity of songs not necessarily with me. IHAD and TYFTM.The latter had it been released in 1978 would have been Top 5. Like all the other singles on VV but I preferred AGAN and IIWTN and Kisses of Fire. And then there are songs like I let the Music Speak and Im a marionette which are not commercial enough for single release but masterpieces.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 21, 2022 16:04:32 GMT
Oh forgot Voulez Vous, 8 songs.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 21, 2022 16:00:36 GMT
There are a lot of factors going on re success compared to previous albums....streaming being the major one but a lot of Abba's fans will have sadly died in the passing 40 years. We have been spoilt by the quality of the songs over the years. I think the mistake was the choice of JAN and LT as singles. In the Uk Super Trouper had 8 songs which could have been released as singles, Arrival 6 , The Album 7 The Visitors 5 and that's excluding HOH. Point being much better tracks than these two songs were not given single release. And on Voyage there are 5 tracks which I consider worthy of single status but could only achieve the same level of success if we were not living in the streaming era. Early 90s and early 2000 and 2008 would probably have returned Abba to number one in the Singles chart had they released new material then.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 21, 2022 11:54:38 GMT
I think the subject choices for the songs are age appropriate. And I love Bumbkebee and its meaning. I love the flutes too but then I love Fernando and El condor pasa. Think the album was to be a nod to the past , hence the name, choice of instruments etc. I don't think an album made to sound like younger artists in their twenties would have seemed right. Maybe not my favourite Abba album but I am glad I've got it and I am still listening to it everyday ..usually 4 songs sometimes more. I think Michael's input might have brought the vocals more to the fore and maybe more layering of vocals. I always considered him as the unseen Abba member.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 20, 2022 4:54:04 GMT
I do like Little Things but not the choir and not on a studio album. I thought all along Just a Notion with Christmas lyrics Would have fared well as a Christmas song. Surprised they did not try to in time for Christmas 1978 -the year of its origin. A title of Happy Christmas or Festive Greetings ....instead of Just a notion , that's all ...Happy Christmas to all. And then adapt the lyrics to Christmas thereafter and throw in a few sleigh bells etc. Was imagining where the songs on Voyage would fit best on other albums.....Just a Notion...Abba or Arrival, Don't shut Me down...Voulez Vous. Dan , Bumblebee , WYDWM ...Super Trouper. Little Things ..no album. ICBTWN...The Album. NDAI Ode and Faith ....The Visitors.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 18, 2022 23:00:01 GMT
I play Voyage every day still but selected tracks ...usually the last 4 tracks. Was wondering why Michael Tretow was not involved in the production. I think the album differs in that the songs don't seem to be layered vocally as much.
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Post by madonnabba on Aug 17, 2022 13:18:49 GMT
About a year ago in the UK Gold was hovering between the low teens and low twenties. If you go into the UK album chart site and scroll down to see Gold press the + to the right and it will show all the positions over the years. Click on one it should give you a drop down of the chart date. If you press it it should show you the whole chart for that date. You can do that with all their albums and singles going right back to the seventies.
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Post by madonnabba on Jul 1, 2022 6:07:40 GMT
Think the difference between Adele and Ed is he has more diversity in his music and appeals to the young and older listeners. Adele is maybe perceived as an older artist appealing to an older market. Give me Bad Habits and Shivers over Easy on me or Omg anytime. Adele's future may lie in talk show host...she has the personality for it.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 26, 2022 8:09:29 GMT
Not been to the concert yet. Do they even advertise the album at the concert prior to the concert? It might encourage people to buy from elsewhere if they did as they are not actually selling the product at the show . Cannot imagine any other act not taking advantage of a perfect opportunity to promote their product.21000 people a week...over a million in first 12 months...what's there to think about? That's more than double the people who have already bought the album in the UK.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 10, 2022 20:29:16 GMT
I would have liked Angel Eyes on the set list. Strange some of the biggest hits omitted but not as puzzling as Sitting in the Palmtree making the 1977 concert set list. There were are a few which could have replaced it then..Hey Hey Helen, Dance while the music still goes on or Honey Honey.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 10, 2022 20:17:39 GMT
I seem to be one of the few to like Bumblebee and it's message. It is in my top 4 from the album. One of my least favourite is When you danced with me. For some reason it reminds me of The Piper but nowhere near as good. Along with Little Things the song I listen to least from The Album.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 3, 2022 6:29:48 GMT
The promotional push was in the USA.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 3, 2022 6:28:38 GMT
TNOTG. TACOM. Hole in Your Soul. At the time TFTM was a favourite...not now for me but I remember on radio show request phone ins in 1978-79 that it was requested more than most other Abba songs. So it probably would have charted high. Love Eagle but not the edit. And how fresh and Summer like does Move on feel?Love it. Think the spoken part was aimed at the USA market -hence the accent. There was a big promotional push of The Album and Abba at the time.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 3, 2022 6:14:26 GMT
I too was puzzled at the omission of two of their biggest hits..Super Trouper is 2nd only to DQ in the UK. I love it. Remember at the time of release it had a Festive appeal. Another guest track from Voyage would be good...NDAI or JAN to keep up the momentum. Or KAEOD.
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Post by madonnabba on Jun 3, 2022 5:56:17 GMT
Can't believe they are not selling the album at the venue. People on hearing the new songs may have an impulse buy which may pass once they have left the venue. But would the sales count towards chart positions? Heard No doubt about it and Dancing Queen on Eastenders last night...the episode with Camilla and Prince Charles.
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Post by madonnabba on May 6, 2022 10:10:26 GMT
Just my opinion. Not keen on those lyrics...meandering rivers and throwing dust in my eyes. Tune good though. Not keen on the lyrics for DDD but that was years before. Don't think YOMO would have made it to album track had there been another album around that time.
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