[Gary->dee]

I'm basically a life-long fan of ABBA, the Swedish fab four that dominated the international pop charts with such hits as Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and far too many other songs to list here. I began listening to their music during the 70's when their albums were new and I was growing up in Australia. That country grasped onto ABBA with a strong hold. I think it took me a while to figure out that the group wasn't Australian!

After moving to the U.S. in '78 I began to listen to other forms of music and essentially stopped listening to ABBA around 1979 or '80. I re-discovered them again last year after buying the Definitive Collection DVD of their music videos. As a result I thrust myself back into their music buying up all their studio albums. Now as an adult that has listened to many types of music I can appreciate ABBA again because I appreciate the strong production values and creativity in their pop tunes. That's besides the fact that they're firmly anchored with my childhood. My favorite album is Arrival. My favorite 'discovery' is The Visitors, ABBA's last album and one that I'd never heard when it was first released because, well I was in the U.S. and ABBA wasn't nearly as popular here as every where else in the world.

Any more ABBA fans out there?

[Ted Lee]

while i don't admit to being a raging fan, i must admit that i have caught myself boppin to their greatest hits on more than one occasion.

[Gary->dee]

Right on, Ted. For the longest time I was thinking of how to get back to listening to ABBA because I knew I would eventually. Would I go with the insane amount of compilations available or explore each studio album? When I bought the Definitve Collection DVD it pretty much answered my question: I needed to get all 8 of their studio ablums, the compilations simply wouldn't do. And I'm glad I did! The compilations merely scratch the surface of the musical genius that is ABBA.

Amidst all the crappy pop and angst-driven rock or punk music out there today, ABBA is a breath of fresh air. Real music made by real musicians. I like my Pink Floyd, like my hip hop and the other types of music I'm into, but I need my ABBA to round it off.

[KeithH]

If you are an ABBA fan, you absolutely owe it to yourself to track down the rare and out-of-print Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol. 2 CDs on the Atlantic label. Besides their collectible value, they are easily the best-sounding ABBA compilations to date. They sound much better than the current Definitive Collection and also beat ABBA Gold. The two Atlantic discs went out of print in the mid-'80s, but you might find them on eBay. There are both West German and US pressings of these two discs, and they sound the same. Both pressings were sold in the US, but the West German pressings came first. Production shifted to the US later on. Again, the two pressings sound the same, but if you are lucky enough to find the West German discs, more power to you!

[John Torrez]

Gary, get the "Thank You For The Music" box set. You owe it to yourself. It's full of rare tracks and b-sides.

So did you buy the albums that were recently re-released in digipacks on cd? Just a couple of months before they were released I bought the initial remasters which came in jewel cases. I am a big ABBA fan but don't feel like I should purchase them again, the ones I have sound good anyways.

[Jed M]

ABBA is a great band. I wouldn't put them in my top 20, but I definitely wouldn't have a problem if somebody threw them in the CD player, but as I am sure it is the same with you guys, that never happens. Like the BeeGees, the court of public opinion often overlooks their talent because of such a high degree of cheese factor, that however can not be said about David Hasselhoff. Nothing to be ashamed of for liking ABBA, besides they are Nelson Mandela's favorite band according to Rolling Stone. ABBA goes to show that Pop Music can be good if done right.

[JimmyK]

Although I would call myself a rabid fan, I have always enjoyed their music and have purchased several of their albums/CDs. Someone also gave me the box set, "Thank You for the Music", a must have for any ABBA fan.

I also bought the DVD "The Definitive Collection", and thanks to Gary's previous posting and help, I exchanged it for the corrected version which looks MUCH better!

I sometimes wonder what their music would sound like today if they had stayed together. They seemed to be good at changing with the times.

I also got to see the show, Mamma Mia, when it came to town. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes ABBA.

JimmyK

[Gary->dee]

Quote:

Gary, get the "Thank You For The Music" box set. You owe it to yourself. It's full of rare tracks and b-sides.

John I've become familiarized with disc 4 of that boxed set, including some rare tracks not part of that collection such as "I Am The City" and "I Am An A".

Quote:

So did you buy the albums that were recently re-released in digipacks on cd?

I've got the latest incarnation of the studio albums that includes bonus tracks. Although I've heard that Universal might release yet even newer versions of the studio albums with additional tracks. I decided at a point early on that I won't purchase every ABBA release from Universal because it's a mostly redundant collection.

For me part of the process of exploring ABBA included creating a website that features some entertaining content. I invite you all to partake of my ABBA Shangri-La.

Quote:

I also bought the DVD "The Definitive Collection", and thanks to Gary's previous posting and help, I exchanged it for the corrected version which looks MUCH better!

Occasionally the internet can help get things accomplished! :wink: Some of us recently dealt with Universal for the corrected Back to the Future and ABBA DVDs. I'm glad Universal was able to come through in both cases.

[Kristoffer]

Any DVDAs or SACDs from abba? This is some of the best party music