Abba: Where to start?

I don't own any Abba, but would like to get some. I know I like the hits, so Im thinking of going with the 'Definitive Collection', since it includes all of 'Gold' and more.

One song that I know I like that isn't on there is 'Rock Me', which is annoying.

Probably the easiest way to collect it all is to go for the recent 'Complete Studio Recordings' box. That is way out of my budget at the moment though, although Im thinking I could possibly pick one up on ebay at some point. Id be reluctant to spend lots on a box like that, not knowing if I like the stuff beyond the hits.

So does a comp like 'Gold'/'Definitive Collection' cover your main Abba needs, or are their studio albums indispensable?

 

I'd start with their best studio album, Arrival.

 

My introduction was The "Thankyou for the Music" boxset. It has some great album tracks that aren't on the typical compilations. Favorites are Love Isn't Easy (But it Sure is Hard Enough), That's Me, and Kissed the Teacher. The later period stuff is really great too. The only album of theirs that I feel is weak is, The Album from '78. I only like a couple songs on that one. I figure if you like the hits, you'll probably like it all. Great writing and productions. Great butchering of the English language too.

How can you not like two Sweedish hotties singing lines like, "I can see it in your ice," in unison?

 

The self titled album is excellent... Rock Me, Hey Hey Helen, SOS...

 

For comps, I like Abba Gold and More Abba Gold. The Definitive Collection has a fine selection of songs but the sound is a bit harsh, if that's a concern.

Just beware - no matter what comp you buy, you'll end up wanting the individual albums eventually. Arrival is my favorite album - it makes me go Dum Dum Diddle...

 

arrival

 

Definitive was done by Jon Astley. IIRC, he digitally fixed dropouts in some of the songs like Dancing Queen, and I believe it suffers from NR....

I second the box set. Great sound and nice song selection....

 

Waterloo is my favorite. Couple of big hits and the album tracks are terrific too.

Gold and More Gold are good comps.

 

I agree with everything said here. If you really want to start with a comp, buy Gold or better yet, try to find those old GH CD's on atlantic. You will even get Rock Me on GH 2 if you can find it. The "Definitive" Collection suffers from severe NR and harsh EQ choices. Personally, I'm thinking of buying the Complete Studio box just to get everything in decent quality. It may be the only way to get B sides and singles such as Under Attack on CD with decent sound.
Bob.

 

Let me know if you come accross the box at a bargain price, Bob!

 

Doesn't matter what you start out with, really, but avoid anything with Astley's name on it...

 

I was once in the same predicament as you.

My first introduction to ABBA was their Greatest Hits (German Release, 1976). I really liked the "hits", but wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the music that did not receive radio attention. I generalize, but in the 70s I noticed LPs would contain a few strong songs and the remainder would be filler. Again, I'm generalizing. But hey, I was just a kid back then :0)

I started buying the LPs individually and realized ABBA's material is generally strong. There are certainly songs that did not garner radio airplay that I like as much as, if not more than, their "hits". ABBA's material is fairly consistent - IMHO. If you enjoy what you've heard, I don't think you'll be disappointed. As for the 'Complete Studio Recordings' box, there are threads reviewing it. Personally, I really appreciate the quality over the Astley remasters.

I agree with fellow forum members to check out Arrival. Perhaps you can pick up a used copy on the cheap (regardless of mastering) and see if you like the material.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks MrMudPuppy and everyone so far.

'Arrival' Is certainly getting a lot of votes!

 

Besides Arrival and the self titled album, I really like the Visitors. My two favorite Abba songs are the Visitors and Head Over Heels. Ring Ring is nice, and Voulez-Vous has one of the great all time album openers in As Good As New.

 

I would suggest the album CDs as released in the 1980s by Polydor. Not always the best sources, but at least no digital noise reduction or compression.

The only compilations that get praised here are the two Atlantic target CDs "Greatest Hits" and "Greatest Hits Volume 2" which are almost impossible to be found. And as far as I understood it, the "Greatest Hits volume 2" CD is not really an improvement when compared to the Polydor album CDs.

 

Erm, he didn't fix the dropouts, he introduced digital skips and didn't bother to use the proper single edit of Eagle, instead just cutting it at a random point complete with awful skip.

Thank You For the Music is the best introduction to Abba -- all the hits, the best b-sides, most of the rarities and decent sound quality to boot. It also contains promo edits versions of Voulez-Vous and the Name of the Game that you can't get anywhere else.

 

Anyone thinking of getting the box should get their skates on... only one run of 25,000 was made and they're starting to get scarce.

 

There's actually a real mixed bag though. Some are brilliant, others are awful. Here's my own personal breakdown on the sound quality of the 1980s Polydors:

Ring, Ring: Actually released in 1992. Not very good.
Waterloo: Released in 1992. Not good.
Abba: Very Good
Arrival: Best CD Version
The Album: an absolute dog. Side 1 has some sort of odd limiting distortion. Of all the CD editions, only the Astley remasters don't have this.
Voulez-Vous: Best CD version
Super Trouper: Annoying dropout in title track but otherwise excellent
The Visitors: Excellent. Huge dynamic range!
Greatest Hits Vol 2: The best sounding Abba CD I have ever heard.
The Singles: The First Ten Years (2 CD): A mixed bag. Early tracks sound muffled but CD2 sounds excellent, particularly the later digital recordings.

 

I recommend Souper-Trouper: Great songs ans soundquality is okay.

 

Eurovision Song Contest, Brighton, England. April 6th, 1974

 

As good a place as any to start.
Actually-Greatest Hits Volume 2 is without doubt the most sonically pleasing. You can see why Led Zep headed to Polar studios for ITTOD

 

Thanks a lot for the overview. So are you saying that Greatest Hits Volume 2 sounds better than the same tracks on the album CDs?

 

Yes, it just seems to come from a particularly good tape, which sounds pleasingly 'analog'.

Some tracks on The Singles also sound better than on the album CDs. It seems that whoever compiled the master for The Singles used some of the original mixdown masters to ensure they got the best transfer to digital tape.

This is why 'The Name of the Game' appears in an edited version on that album; someone chopped out a verse from the mixdown master for a US promo.

 

My German LP of "Greatest Hits (V.2)" has the best sound, "Gold" (the CD) has the best track selection. "The Visitors" is my favorite studio LP. "Thank You For The Music" is a great boxed set. If you really want to hear Benny Andersson's musical skills, you have to hear his post ABBA solo album "Klinga Mina Klocker" (ring my bells), mostly dances for a quintet of Swedish fiddles with Benny on the squeezebox. The title track is more of a larger scale classical work. All in all, a very surprising and engaging outing.

 

I had, err , my Parents had this on Vinyl when I bought our first Hi-FI. The Intro to the first track (Gimme Gimme Gimme) was what I would play to friends to impress them. (and yes I did have Dark Side of the Moon and Wish you were here) That version of Eagle soars too

I heard the same thing said about the cd and would agree with KennyG