Aug 02, 2006 10:20 PM
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(Updated May 15, 2011 01:03 PM)
That's what those metalheads who read my Sabbath review must be saying! What's a guy who digs bad ol' Ozzy doing writing a review on - cringe - ABBA?!! Granted, pop is certainly not my cup of tea, but good music is always welcomed with open ears. And let's give this Swedish two-couple band some credit for producing a few delightful moments of music in this, their immensely successful third album. What makes ABBA different from a lot of pop bands is their bold, if sometimes unsuccessful, attempts to fuse rock and symphony into their sound. And THAT makes their music interesting for me.
1.Mama Mia:This IS a pop number, so if you've dipped your finger in, don't cringe at the "My, my" chorus parts. What did you expect, anyway! Where the band scores musically is with the judicious use of the bass section to emphasise some of the parts and the impressive, if simple, handling of the piano. With clarinets chipping in in the accompaniment, you do get illusions of listening to something progressive, if only illusions, but still....
2.Hey hey Helen:The one reason why I give credit for this song is the band actually beat AC DC with similar-sounding hard rock - Yes! - riffs a whole five years ahead of Highway to Hell. Otherwise, nothing much interesting going on here. But it's certainly an enjoyable song when you are not yet too choosy about your music.
3.Tropical Loveland:This is the sort of song that you can't really praise to the skies, but can't find fault with either. Everything - the accompaniment, the beats and the vocal harmonies - is perfect, but if you look for anything strikingly original, you won't find it here.
4.SOS:This was the most successful number from this album and why not! Flowing piano parts, Agnetha's passionate rendition and once again an effective handling of the bass section make for one damn good number. And - maybe the guitar accompaniment is too simple, but it's elegantly done, so who's complaining!
5.Man in the middle: Now, things get a little jazzy. A very catchy bass opening combined with heaped dollops of saxophone - ah! this is more to my liking. Particularly, the sense of mystery communicated by the song and the male vocals makes for a pleasant change from the overdose of "Love you"s and "Darlings"s.
6.Bang - A - Boomerang: Sorry, this song boomeranged on me! Overproduced with plenty of electronics and grand symphonic sections all revolving around just a silly pop number that ultimately goes nowhere. Fails to live up to the grand build-up given by the prelude.
7. I do, I do, I do:This is pop all the way for sure, but with its old-fashioned approach - the bluesy beat and the saxophone (once again!) - this works well enough with a change of scale in the end, which is predictable but impressive all the same.
8. Rock me: The rock experiment goes awry, atleast for me it did! this song tries to be jazzy and heavy at the same time, but ultimately becomes more than a little irritating. Geez, do they have to try so hard to get one up with the Led Zeppelins and the Scorpions of the rock kingdom? All they manage is to trip badly.
9.Intermezzo No.1: Must say this was one ambitious band for their time. They actually released an instrumental with a full-scale orchestra playing to peppy pop beats. This is by no means prog-rock heaven, all ya Genesis fans, but it's still a very good effort.
10.I've been waiting for you: This is one song from this album that I really cherish. More than the band's modest attempts at expanding their repertoire, what I really savour in ABBA's work is Agnetha's voice. Just what the doctor ordered when you come back home from work tired and drained. It's like letting cold milk gently splash on your face. With her beautiful voice and immaculate technique, she makes your heart melt even in this mush-fest of a song. You've heard it all - the electronic fade-in, the slow, gentle beats, the overall progression of the harmonies, the chorus parts, the delicate guitar parts - but you must be really heartless to dismiss her voice as pop-crap. That it may well be, but it's still good musicianship and good music has but one genre, one language.
11. So long:Maybe this was the band's idea of closing the album on a thumping note. And it would work well - except that is, if you have already heard Sabracadabra by Black Sabbath. The two songs are not exactly the same at all, but there's nothing new in this number for me. And even the best guitars and guitarists that their production company could get them can't match the raw itensity of the Iommi - Butler combo. OK, there's really no comparing a mainstream pop act with the world's first true heavy metal band. But then, ABBA do manage to venture too far out of their zone, like in Rock Me. I got to listen to this song before I ever heard Sabracadabra. But once I heard the latter, there was no question as to which song to pick! For me, this's an anti-climactic end to the album.
At the end of the journey, some great music and some of it not so great. But overall, quality music for a pop album. Just one complaint, Anni-Frida is the lead vocalist in seven of the ten songs (Intermezzo being an instrumental). So the boys get just the one Man in the middle and just two for Agnetha. If the vocal mix had been more balanced and variegated, this album may have worked even better. Anyways, if you dig pop, you must, must add this to your collection!
