ABBA

RidesOnTheBreeze

RidesOnTheBreeze

48 years ago today, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”

23 years ago today, Mamma Mia opened on the West End at The Prince Edward Theatre.

Also 23 years ago today, The Winner Takes It All: The ABBA Story was broadcast on ITV in the UK. The first time all 4 members had appeared on a program together since 1983.

23 years ago yesterday, Gold was reissued in 2 formats, both remastered, one in a “signature edition” (hands up, who bought it). It went to #1 again the following Sunday.
 
Hudvar

Hudvar

Having listened to them from a very young age, I often misunderstood/misheard their lyrics. Here's what I used to think I was hearing:

DQ:
Children dance, children die
Having the time of your life
Oooh see that girl, watch her scream
Kickin' the dancing queen

Summer Night City:
It's a dream it's out of reach, scattered grapefruit on the beach

Chiquitita:
Take your teeth out tell me what's wrong

One of Us:
That's how I started to show, on the bus had to go

I Am the City:
Dancing with the crazy magic
They're grabbing pizzas from the bad cafe

Nina Pretty Ballerina:
Doesn't talk very often, kinda shy and uncertain
Everybody seems to think she's a whore
 
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Disco Blister

Disco Blister

Hudweiser said:
Having listened to them from a very young age, I often misunderstood/misheard their lyrics. Here's what I used to think I was hearing:

DQ:
Children dance, children die
Having the time of your life
Oooh see that girl, watch her scream
Kickin' the dancing queen

Nina Pretty Ballerina:
Doesn't talk very often, kinda shy and uncertain
Everybody seems to think she's a whore
Click to expand...

Love them all, but these two are PERFECTION. I actually prefer them to the original lyrics!

giphy.gif
 
Alan

Alan

RidesOnTheBreeze said:
You mean like this.....

Disc 1: Ring Ring

1. Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal)
2. Another Town, Another Train
3. Disillusion
4. People Need Love
5. I Saw It In The Mirror
6. Nina, Pretty Ballerina
7. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
8. Me and Bobby and Bobby’s Brother
9. He Is Your Brother
10. Ring Ring (English Version)
11. I Am Just A Girl
12. Rock n Roll Band
13.She’s My Kind of Girl
14. Merry Go Round
15. Santa Rosa
17. Wer im Wartesaal der Liebe steht
18. Ring Ring (German Version)
19. Ah, Vilka Tida
20. Hej Gamle Man

Disc 2: Waterloo

1. Waterloo (Swedish version)
2. Sitting In The Palm tree
3. King Kong Song
4. Hasta Manana
5. My Mama Said
6. Dance (While the music still goes on)
7. Honey, Honey
8. Watch Out
9. What About Livingstone?
10. Gonna Sing You My Love Song
11. Suzy-Hang-Around
12. Waterloo (English Version)
13. Ring Ring (US 1974 remix)
14. Honey, Honey (Swedish Version)
15. Waterloo (French Version)
16. Ring Ring (1974 UK single remix)
17. Waterloo (alternate mix)

Disc 3: ABBA

1. Mamma Mia
2. Hey Hey Helen
3. Tropical Loveland
4. SOS
5. Man In The Middle
6. Bang A Boomerang
7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
8. Rock Me
9. Intermezzo No. 1
10. I’ve Been Waiting For You
11. So Long
12. Crazy World
13. Medley
14. Ricky Rock N Roller
15. Baby (early version of Rock Me)
16. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do (extended version)
17. Rock Me (live, Australia 1977)

Disc 4: Arrival

1. When I Kissed The Teacher
2. Dancing Queen
3. My Love, My Life
4. Dum Dum Diddle
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. Money, Money, Money
7. That’s Me
8. When Did It Have To Be Me?
9. Tiger
10. Arrival
11. Fernando
12. Funky Feet
13. Happy Hawaii
14. Dancing Queen (demo version)

Disc 5: The Album

1. Eagle
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. One Man, One Woman
4. The Name of the Game
5. Move On
6. Hole In Your Soul
7. Thank You For The Music
8. I Wonder (Departure)
9. I’m A Marionette
10. Thank You For The Music (Doris Day Version)
11. Eagle (single edit)
12. Take A Chance On Me (live)
13. Get On The Carousel (live)

Disc 6: Voulez-Vous
1. As Good As New
2. Voulez-Vous
3. I Have A Dream
4. Angeleyes
5. The King Has Lost His Crown
6. Does Your Mother Know
7. If It Wasn’t For The Nights
8. Chiquitita
9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
10. Kisses of Fire
11. Summer Night City (full length version)
12. Lovelight
13. Gimme Gimme Gimme
14. Dream World
15. Voulez-Vous (extended promo)
16. In The Arms of Rosalita
17. Lovelight (alternate mix)
18. Does Your Mother Know (early version)
19. If It Wasn’t For The Nights (early version)
20. Been and Gone and Done It

Disc 7: Super Trouper

1. Super Trouper
2. The Winner Takes It All
3. On & On & On
4. Andante, Andante
5. Me and I
6. Happy New Year
7. Our Last Summer
8. The Piper
9. Lay All Your Love On Me
10. The Way Old Friends Do
11. Elaine
12. Put On Your White Sombrero
13.On & On & On (full length version)
14. Burning My Bridges

Disc 8: The Visitors

1. The Visitors
2. Head over Heels
3. When All Is Said and Done
4. Soldiers
5. I Let The Music Speak
6. One of Us
7. Two For The Price of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
10. The Day Before You Came
11. Cassandra
12. I Am The City
13. You Owe Me One
14. Should I Laugh of Cry
15. Under Attack
16. From A Twinkling To A Passing Angel

Disc 9: Voyage

1. I Still Have Faith In You
2. When You Danced With Me
3. Little Things
4. Don’t Shut Me Down
5. Just A Notion
6. I Can Be That Woman
7. Keep an Eye on Dan
8. Bumblebee
9. No Doubt About It
10. Ode to Freedom

Disc 10: Gracias Por La Musica

1. Gracias Por La Musica
2. Reina Danzante
3. Al Andar
4. Dame Dame Dame
5. Fernando
6. Estoy Sonando
7. Mamma Mia
8. Hasta Manana
9. Conociéndome, Conociéndote
10. Chiquitia
11. Ring Ring
12. Andante Andante
13. Felicidad
14. No Hay a Quien Culpa
15. Se Me Está Escapando

Disc 11 & 12: Live At Wembley

DVD 1: ABBA In Concert + Dick Cavett Special
DVD 2: ABBA The Movie
DVD 3: The videos
Click to expand...

I’d be tempted to include the Swedish versions of Fernando and SOS too. I know they’re solo versions, but they’re still the original lead singers and same backing track, so three members of ABBA on them.

I’d even go a step further and include Björn and Benny’s earlier versions of Rock ‘N’ Roll Band, Merry-Go-Round and its Swedish version En Karusell (for the same reason as Fernando and SOS).

The only controversial one is Agnetha’s Mina Ögon. Essentially Disillusion but a completely different recording (and therefore no Björn and Benny), plus a very different subject matter. I’ve included it on my version of Ring Ring but doesn’t really belong.
 
RidesOnTheBreeze

RidesOnTheBreeze

Alan said:
I’d be tempted to include the Swedish versions of Fernando and SOS too. I know they’re solo versions, but they’re still the original lead singers and same backing track, so three members of ABBA on them.

I’d even go a step further and include Björn and Benny’s earlier versions of Rock ‘N’ Roll Band, Merry-Go-Round and its Swedish version En Karusell (for the same reason as Fernando and SOS).

The only controversial one is Agnetha’s Mina Ögon. Essentially Disillusion but a completely different recording (and therefore no Björn and Benny), plus a very different subject matter. I’ve included it on my version of Ring Ring but doesn’t really belong.
Click to expand...

yep, throw them all in. Throw everything in!!

I actually completely forgot about En Karusell
 
Disco Blister

Disco Blister

As much as I love Björn & Benny, the way they refuse to understand the greatness of Just Like That is infuriating. We want Just Like That performed by ABBA, not by Gemini, thank you. Sure the Gemini version was recorded and released, apparently that’s a merit in the guys’ eyes, but it’s also way too slow and boring and by no means the definitive version no matter what B & B might think.

Honestly I had pretty much given up hope of ever getting the damned song on record, but then they went and did what? Released freaking Just A Notion on Voyage! In my opinion that’s like showing the middle finger to their fans. Not to mention insanity. And just bad taste. In what Universe could Just A Notion ever be considered better than Just Like That? I know some folks like Just A Notion too, but personally I think it’s like a schlagery 3rd rate version of So Long, or something equally scarring. And yet THAT they are willing to give their fans but not Just Like That?

giphy.gif
 
justsurfin

justsurfin

There's a lot of new fan made edits on youtube which is great. They can satisfy us with the unreleased songs.

Get On The Carousel (Album edit)



I always wished there was a 10th song on The Album and I always like Get On The Carousel!
 
Alan

Alan

Disco Blister said:
Honestly I had pretty much given up hope of ever getting the damned song on record, but then they went and did what? Released freaking Just A Notion on Voyage! In my opinion that’s like showing the middle finger to their fans. Not to mention insanity. And just bad taste. In what Universe could Just A Notion ever be considered better than Just Like That? I know some folks like Just A Notion too, but personally I think it’s like a schlagery 3rd rate version of So Long, or something equally scarring. And yet THAT they are willing to give their fans but not Just Like That?
Click to expand...
There was always unfinished business with Just A Notion though. It was meant to be included in the 1994 box set, then again in the Voulez-Vous deluxe in 2010. Apparently it was deemed unmixable.

I discovered today (looking at the credits on the album artwork) that the new parts of Just A Notion were recorded in 2021, suggesting it was drafted in to make up the numbers (and in order to reach a deadline?). Clearly Benny likes the song (I would have said “and Björn” but it appears to be Benny calling the shots these days). He’s out-of-touch with ABBA fans (or perhaps out-of-touch generally) so if he doesn’t like Just Like That then that’s the end of it. He possibly even enjoys “showing the middle finger” to fans as it then means he’s still in control.
 
little ern

little ern

Abba night on Channel 5 this Saturday night....

7.15pm Abba The Movie
9.20pm Abba:The Missing 40 Years (documentary uncovering what happened to each of the band members since going their separate ways in 1982)
10.45pm Greatest Abba Cover Versions Ever (the stories behind well loved cover versions of Abba's songs featuring contributions from Dannii Minogue,Andy Bell of Erasure & Neil Arthur of Blancmange amongst others)
 
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