Don’t forget the medieval madrigals. It’s been of all times.
My daughter created a playlist recently of music which is popular in her bubble. That’s where my information comes from and this release of Abba gives me the opportunity to provide an alternative. It’s on the news, people around us listen to it and this works hopefully.
I think I’d be more concerned for your daughter than music in general 
The plural of anecdote is not evidence.
To paraphrase “never have so many words been expended on the defence of something so mediocre”. Just my view obviously but the consensus thus far seems to be that whilst it’s genuinely nice to have something from another era back it’s really more of a case of “oh dear”.
I did forget to comment on @JonathanG comment about not building on where they were creatively when they ended it first time round. I think it’s again an accurate observation although we may disagree on the consequences.
For me that’s the fatal flaw of these things. They become a facsimile because you can never pick up creatively where you were decades ago. Lots of reasons for that including of course the fact that that specific creative point may have actually fuelled the split in the first place - the Specials being a magnificent example of that.
Album musical quality aside (will listen to it later), they do have a very nice pair of TAD CR1 speakers in their Stockholm studio…
There are two separate points being made. Which is the one you’re amen’ing to?
Had there been personal abuse I’m sure it would have been dealt with.
The cynicism directed at the album in many quarters I suspect stems from the fact they’ve not released anything for 30 years or so.
There are countless bands who’ve continued to release albums and tour/perform well past their sell by date, but the appeal is still there for loyal fans.
This release is an oddity, and from the interview on the beeb the lads suggested they had nothing to prove, and if they’re doing it for fun as a (?) final offering why not?
Listened to it in the background earlier and though there were quite a few strong tracks, several could have been fillers in some of their 70’s albums. It dawned on me that when I was a young lad and loved ABBA that most of their early albums were rather disappointing with only a few standout tracks on each. Suspect we could say this for a number of bands.
They had so many good singles though that album content hardly mattered.
I don’t think I bought another ABBA album after ‘ABBA The Album’ until a couple of years ago when I saw some re-released on vinyl. Changing tastes perhaps but some of the disco type singles that didn’t really inspire on release as they were so different are now firm favourites.
Anyway, what’s not to like? Old codgers release a record we may or may not like but at least they’ve done so.
I also wonder in the strongest ‘Eurovision’ tradition if some of the songs we don’t relish in the UK may work better in a cultural sense for the Swedes?
Judging from some comments here, some people seem to find refuge from a post covid world in a new ABBA album…or as some kind of positive emotional therapy.
Others see this music as dull and tired…and most importantly, uninspiring…in a post Covid world.
The album will probably sell well, but I suspect once bought, played very infrequently.
I expect it’s going to sell like hot cakes actually - just had a message from Amazon (for the first time in my probably 22 year history with them) that due to stock/supply issues my vinyl copy has been delayed.
Maybe it’s lorry driver shortages or maybe they’ve been caught unawares by the level of demand - either way it’s interesting.
Jonathan
Both good points/posts I think. I find myself booked to go see Crowded House next Summer. It has been delayed since 2020 and may yet not go ahead. It is patently not Crowded House as I first saw them albeit that it will be the only Crowded House to see and a passable facsimile. The family and I will enjoy it for what it is. The first four CH albums are excellent. Then there was a gap, ended by a Greatest Hits with 3 new songs. Can anyone, without using the internet, name those three songs? Can you hum them? Sing the lyrics? Believe for a second that they will play any of them next Summer 30 years after I first saw them?
I’m guessing not.
Now, I really enjoy those first four albums. The hits album would have been flawless but for those three songs. Having heard but never bought every post comeback single/album it’s nice to know they’re still going but no-one in their right mind would make any great claims for any of it. It’s always melodic but it’s but a tenth of what they originally produced and life is too short for mediocrity. I make no great claims for originality, influence or… well anything really. They were great. It’ll be nice to see them again. This is how heritage music works. You like what you like. You don’t make silly claims for it.
On another thread we have claims that Kraftwerk have remained innovative on the basis that their engineers can pull a fader depending on the venue and that they remain influential despite having influenced nothing since the 1990s. They remain a great night out. No more no less. Claims that Tour De France and it’s endless half life of remixes are life changing, innovative and just incredible rather than the well orchestrated toilet break speak for themselves I think. They’re no more Kraftwerk than Crowded House are Crowded House.
ABBA are undoubtedly ABBA recording wise. I’ve no doubt the gig, absolutely weird as it sounds to many of us, will be a memorable night out. It won’t actually be ABBA though. If your get joy from it then good on you but these songs won’t even be played a year from now let alone thirty.
We went to the opening concert of the world tour earlier this year.
It is Crowded House as you saw them, albeit of course without Paul Hester. It is silly to suggest they are a facsimile of themselves.
They won’t of course sound exactly as they did in the 80s or 90s, but that’s not really a discussion point, nothing is the same as it once was. They are not trying to sound as they did either and the new material is actually good.
I’ll reserve judgement until next year. I will say though that all the stuff I’ve heard badged as CH has sounded more like a diluted version of a Neil solo or Finn brothers album and largely like a collection of B sides.
Listened to it yeaterday found it rather dissapointing after all the hype.
If we go back in time, consider:
Bought all aprt from Arrival.
Ring Ring - I can only remember Ring Ring and Nina Pretty Ballerina. Pre-Eurovision stuff I think.
Waterloo - apart from Waterloo and Ring Ring all quirky and odd - presumably this came after Eurovision
ABBA - They’re big now and the cover reflects this. Mamma Mia, S.O.S - that’s about it. Bang-a-Boomerang for heaven’s sake!
Arrival - 4 cracking singles but I didn’t buy it, probably as dada had the 7" singles. Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Knowing Me Knowing You, Fernando.
The Album - Very different. Loved Eagle. A few great singles: Take a Chance on Me, The Name of the Game, Thank You For The Music from memory. Very varied styles on this with some weird ‘Eurovision’ calibre tracks too.
Anyone else remeber watching Swap Shop or what came after it - they were always playing the latest ABBA videos? Weren’t the 70s and 80s so much fun!
Then:
Voulez-Vous - Really good mixture of pop/disco. Possibly all singles? Voulez-vous, I have a Dream, Angeleyes, Does Your Mother Know, Chiquitia, Summer Night City, Lovelight and Gimme! Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight). Only around 3 fillers. ( I’m sure the Grauniad must have heard from millions of women lately who never once enjoyed this horrendously ‘misogynistic song’. Personally I bet it’s still a well- loved song for many women and probably many men too.)
Super Trouper - Started to lose interest around this time I think., apart from The Winner Takes It All, didn’t really enjoy the title song or most of the other tracks. Never bought it, or this:
The Visitors - Can’t remember any of it though may have seen the odd video or two.
For me Arrival, The Album and Voulez-Vous were probably the best, the other albums had a couple of cracking singles generally apart from The Visitors.
Their style certainly matured, generally became more refined particularly as the relationships broke down it seems, but consistently good albums was possibly the exception. That was also not unique to ABBA as when I was young I largely bought 7" singles, and only really purchased albums when I enjoyed them as a whole not when there were only a couple of standout ‘hits’. Perhaps we are luckier than we realise that so many bands/groups these days have albums with consistent sounding quality tracks, or do we just search them out?
Finally without ABBA would we ever have had such a great opening track on this?
I don’t think anybody is questioning ABBA’s credentials, only this latest set of music.
I have not heard the whole album only a couple of tracks, and I don’t think they will influence anybody down the line because they dwell on nostalgia and are uninspiring. It’s also not really a big issue, in fact, it’s far, far more probable than releasing a new Album that is ground breaking or is some kind of antidote to World problems.
With regards to my Abba emotional therapy, I have accepted it and will simply play the old stuff that I like.
I’ve little interest but I’ve booked tickets for my wife and her sister to see the show next year (birthday present)…I hope they’ll love it!
Well that’s it exactly.
What a miserable cøck.
It is Luke Haines though.
And there is a fair bit of truth in there.
I’ve listened to the new album twice now, it has a melancholy feel to it with some upbeat moments.
I haven’t listened to an album twice in yonks (normally play once and then just selected tracks)…went to bed and woke up with a number of tunes running through my head.
It’s an interesting listen…for me.
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