The Winner's Gonna Take It All: The final...

Especially when I initially thought it was going to be an ABBA megamix! Imagine my disappointment...
That medley, is just a bit, well
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No words.
 
Loving this thread and all the work that's gone into it @Remorque

But it's triggered an existential crisis and think I may have been way too generous with these early albums. Basically virtually all of the songs on the first three albums got between 4 and 6/10. But I agree with most of the scathing criticisms and am now forced to consider: is 4/10 half as a good as a song that's an 8/10? Because in that case, I need to revise to between 1 and 3.

For me, the gap between an 8 and a 9 is far greater than the gap between a 3 (a passable, but not shit song) and a 6 (reasonably pleasant but always skippable), but I don't know how anyone else feels about that...I'm sure it's been discussed at length elsewhere, but it's the first time I've ever bothered to participate in a rate...

As you were...
 
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Deleted member 312

I went to the ABBA Museum in Stockholm yesterday and had my photo taken inside the Arrival helicopter. Year made

Ooh I did that last July! As you can see, my current avatar was also taken inside said museum.

It was a toss-up between the Arrival helicopter picture and this one for the avatar actually. This one pipped it just because it was hilarious trying to mimic Agnetha's pose...
 
he/him
As far as the medley, Pick A Bale Of Cotton is a total bop, but the rest ranges from unremarkable (Midnight Special) to tragic (On Top Of Old Smokey).
 
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Deleted member 312

I have long suspected that our Queen of criminal taste @bichard stans for the Medley. Which is probably why I hate it.

Sadly I'll have to disappoint here. I gave it quite a low score. Somewhere between 3 and 5. It's ruined by Old Smokey.

I didn't hate the medley....in fact, it reminded me of something from my childhood.

Poddington Peas per chance...?
 
He/Him
90. - a tie

'Went to buy me a paper at the local news stand and then I heard them laugh and say "Look, they're gonna go flying up to the moon now!"...'
- Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in What About Livingstone? -

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At least Agnetha found the right camera to look in, eh?

Average: 4.5761
Highest score: 1 * 10.00 - @Sprockrooster
Lowest score: 1 * 0.00 - @WhatKindOfKylie?
My score: 6.50

Our next song to fall is another deep album cut from Waterloo, recorded in 1973 and released in 1974 as the ninth song on the album. Both girls take the lead on this one as they harmonize their way through this enjoyable, yet forgettable and unremarkable little ditty.

To those of you thinking "What even is a Livingstone?", I'll let our sole ten giver tell the following tale. Take it away, Sprockrooster!
"Dr. David Livingstone is one of my heroes. He explored the world and I envy he got to places that he literally had no knowledge of. In Malawi, there is a Scottish settlement called Livingstonia and it was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. It has Scottish architecture and lifestyle from the 18th century. Obviously also exploiting it for the tourists, but still it was weird to go back two centuries in a Western country I never visited before in the middle of Africa. Concerning the lyrics of this song, I can say it was worth it, Dr. David Livingstone. It was."
To give your imagination a little push, this is what the good sis looked like:
davidlivingstone1.png

(P'nutbutter, you're welcome, sis!)

Let's start with the people who actually had something kinda nice to say about this. tylerc904 is with me again as he thinks it's "A cute, if forgettable ditty.". Quite correct. Early ABBA supporter constantino took a while to connect with it, saying "It took a few listens to resonate but this is really nice; chilled, bouncy, fun and light - a great way to maintain the momentum of the album’s later section.". A what point does Waterloo reach any kind of momentum, sis?
Hudweiser in being-positive-about-something-on-an-early-album-shock, chimes in with "Doing-doing-doing. I so *heart* this song it's crazy. Breaking it down it's just about someone yelling at a bunch of moany old men in the street though?"... I actually think it's ABBA trying to make the youth be more interested in science and geography, but do you. Filippa gives it a five, yet is complimentary to it, saying "Catchy song, like the vocals..." and TrueBeliever gives it 3 "PL-"'s, mentioning the words "Pleasant, plucky and plodding." and is ultimately underwhelmed... "Gets really boring at the end." I kinda get what you mean as it goes on a bit, whilst actually being one of the shortest songs in their discography, but I wouldn't call this boring.

SecretsOfFatima acts like he's never heard a bop that has darker undertones, whilst being quite cheerful in sound, saying "The cheery tune versus the depressing lyrics is…intriguing." Is it theaux?

WhatKindOfKylie? realizes that "The first two ABBA albums, do feel almost like a work in progress, which I get. But it's boring duds like this that really make for hard listening." That's exactly what they were. The sound of two people (well, three if you include their manager Stig Anderson) developing their songwriting abilities and trying to grow as songwriters.

Waterloo, as an album, is kind of an unremarkable affair really and some of you were on the same page. bichard expresses himself quite clearly ("Another painfully simple tune. It has a certain charm, but not enough to make me want to return to it. The "ooh-ooh-oohs" in the chorus are the highlight of the song.") and Mumty is puzzled ("What perplexes me is how they could get it so right with Waterloo while simultaneously recording and releasing whatever this is supposed to be...a song?").

Ring Ring was brought up again... "I’m getting flashbacks to the debut album so let’s leave it there shall we?". Yes. Let's leave the Ring Ring talk for after the Waterloo cull, eh? As Mina would say "Does not compute."...

Let's end with CasperFan, who asks "Who cares about Livingstone?". Well, clearly the lot of you.



In 1973 a German version was recorded by Swedish singer Siw Inger that was released in Germany that same year.


ABBA tribute band Arrival also covered it for their album First Flight.
 
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To those of you thinking "What even is a Livingstone?", I'll let our sole ten giver tell the following tale. Take it away, Sprockrooster!
"Dr. David Livingstone is one of my heroes. He explored the world and I envy he got to places that he literally had no knowledge of. In Malawi, there is a Scottish settlement called Livingstonia and it was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. It has Scottish architecture and lifestyle from the 18th century. Obviously also exploiting it for the tourists, but still it was weird to go back two centuries in a Western country I never visited before in the middle of Africa. Concerning the lyrics of this song, I can say it was worth it, Dr. David Livingstone. It was."
To give your imagination a little push, this is what the good sis looked like:
davidlivingstone1.png

When will your faves perform songs about your favorite obscure historical figures?

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