Log In
Register
4.20am
8 November 2012
Offline
3.22pm
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline
5.51pm
14 December 2009
Offline
Damn, our stupid new office internet settings make it impossible for me to see what some of y’all are listening to 
(Me: Herbie Hancock, “Cantaloupe Island”)
The following people thank Von Bontee for this post:
parlancePaul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
3.07am
7 August 2014
Offline One of the best pop songs ever, and a massive favourite of John’s! Don’t know what people think of ABBA here, but I genuinely think they are some of the best songwriters ever. Their melodies and arrangements are absolute genius.
The following people thank Sun King for this post:
trcanberra, Oudis3.25am
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline 
^ Though they get a lot of flak around the net I think they were one of the best and most interesting pop groups around. I have a DVD of their music videos and enjoy it a lot. Some of my favourites include “Take A Chance On Me” and “Knowing Me Knowing You” with honourable mention to “Super Trouper” and “The Winner Takes It All“.
The following people thank trcanberra for this post:
Sun King, Oudis==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
3.42am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline There is a conversation on ‘Abba’ in ‘Guilty Pleasures’ starting here. Additionally there is another short conversation on them in ‘Most Overrated Band Ever‘. There will be others, eg in ‘Songs That Make You Cry‘.
I’ve posted before on Abba; in the above linked conversation in ‘Guilty Pleasures’.
I dont believe for a second Benny and Bjorn came anywhere close to being second to Lennon and McCartney. Yes they wrote some great songs (‘The Winner Takes It All’, ‘The Visitors’, ‘The Day Before You Came’) but much of what they wrote lands somewhere between good and utterly atrocious – tho they were improving as they went on and did finish with their best album. Abba’s whole legacy is based on one and a half Greatest Hits albums as almost everyone avoids their original studio albums.
The following people thank meanmistermustard for this post:
trcanberra"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
3.45am
7 August 2014
Offline Thankfully people have begun to realise how good they were, and deservedly so. I’ve read that the two songwriters, Benny and Bjorn, considered the Beatles to be their musical gods.
The following people thank Sun King for this post:
Oudis3.50am
7 August 2014
Offline meanmistermustard said
There is a conversation on ‘Abba’ in ‘Guilty Pleasures’ starting here. Additionally there is another short conversation on them in ‘Most Overrated Band Ever‘. There will be others, eg in ‘Songs That Make You Cry‘.
I’ve posted before on Abba; in the above linked conversation in ‘Guilty Pleasures’.
I dont believe for a second Benny and Bjorn came anywhere close to being second to Lennon and McCartney. Yes they wrote some great songs (‘The Winner Takes It All’, ‘The Visitors’, ‘The Day Before You Came’) but much of what they wrote lands somewhere between good and utterly atrocious – tho they were improving as they went on and did finish with their best album. Abba’s whole legacy is based on one and a half Greatest Hits albums as almost everyone avoids their original studio albums.
I agree that they don’t come close to John or Paul, no one does, but they still wrote some f*****g amazing songs. The Greatest Hits you mentioned is absolutely immense.
I think it wise that we put it in context as well. They were a pop group, albeit a great one, and they were never going to be an LP band like the Beatles were. Doesn’t dispute the fact that they made a lot of great songs.
5.30am
1 December 2009
Offline They made a lot of good-to-great albums as far as I’m concerned, from Arrival on. (Everyone avoids them except the millions who bought ’em!) And yeah, I like the early bubbleglammy singles too. (And even if Bjorn and Benny were only a second-rate Swedish version of John & Paul as writers, Agnetta and Anna-Frid were a still first-rate version of J&P as Swedish female singers.) Think I’m gonna listen to “Ring Ring” right now, in fact!
The following people thank vonbontee for this post:
Oudis, Sun KingGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
7.13am
15 May 2014
Offline Q: Which band did I listen to before discovering The Beatles when I was fifteen?
A: ABBA
The following people thank Oudis for this post:
trcanberra“Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit” (“Perhaps one day it will be a pleasure to look back on even this”; Virgil, The Aeneid, Book 1, line 203, where Aeneas says this to his men after the shipwreck that put them on the shores of Africa)
11.11am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline vonbontee said
They made a lot of good-to-great albums as far as I’m concerned, from Arrival on. (Everyone avoids them except the millions who bought ’em!) And yeah, I like the early bubbleglammy singles too. (And even if Bjorn and Benny were only a second-rate Swedish version of John & Paul as writers, Agnetta and Anna-Frid were a still first-rate version of J&P as Swedish female singers.) Think I’m gonna listen to “Ring Ring” right now, in fact!
At the time. At the time millions bought the latest One Direction album.
The following people thank meanmistermustard for this post:
trcanberra"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.39pm
1 November 2013
Offline
^ One Direction isn’t that bad there are much worse acts in pop like Jason Derulo
5.28pm
14 December 2009
Offline @meanmistermustard , you know that ABBA’s (gotta use the capitals) decades-old albums have a much higher criticial rep today than they did when they were new, don’t you? Just wait until 30 years from now, when 1D are similarly re-evaluated. (Maybe if they start writing/playing their own stuff, if they can. Can they? Have they started already?)
Annadog, what are the best 2-3 1D songs? Do they have any that are funky and rocking and clever that I might give 3-stars-or-better to? (srsly)
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
5.31pm
1 November 2013
Offline 6.23pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline 
(This signature brought to you by Net Boy and Net Girl. Putting messages in modems since 1996.)
7.26pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline All my point was is that you cannot go by sales. Ken Dodd sold a million copies of ‘Tears’ outselling ‘Help !’ (the single).
Ask nearly everyone who claims ABBA are a great band what their favourite ABBA album is and a very large % will say ‘Gold’, go for another and they will struggle. Same goes for Queen, another band who i think are slightly overrated and i like Queen.
I like ABBA, i just dont think they are as amazing as some claim as i find there is more dross than excellent, most is good.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
7.34pm
8 April 2014
Offline I quite like ABBA, but I think they’re overrated. I listen to them occasionally but only, as meanmistermustard said, to the album Gold; I only like their famous songs.
2.39pm
18 January 2014
Offline And now for something completely different….
7.14pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline In celebration of the 22nd anniversary of its release
The following people thank IveJustSeenAFaceo for this post:
4or5Magicians(This signature brought to you by Net Boy and Net Girl. Putting messages in modems since 1996.)
7.54pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline and now for no particular reason other than it being an incredible album:
(This signature brought to you by Net Boy and Net Girl. Putting messages in modems since 1996.)
5 Guest(s)