The never-ending supply of ABBA reissues, expansions and other catalogue ephemera - which was just added to by the release of a new compilation in Europe, rendering our Back Tracks post on the matter even further obsolete - is going to get even bigger with an impending expanded release of the group's self-titled LP this winter.
ABBA, the Swedish quartet's third album, was perhaps the first of the group's to enjoy lasting international exposure. While singles "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," "SOS" and "Mamma Mia" were No. 2 hits in Norway, they were also Top 40 hits in the U.K. (with "Mamma Mia" topping the charts) and Australia (where all three were No. 1 hits). Even the U.S., who turned "Waterloo" into a Top 10 hit in 1974, embraced the danceable tunes, bringing "I Do" and "SOS" both to No. 15 and "Mamma Mia" just outside the Top 30. (That song would of course become one of the band's most recognizable tracks as the title track of the wildly successful musical of the same name.)
As with previous ABBA deluxe editions, there is very little new to offer on the audio side of things; the same three bonus tracks on previous expansions - the non-LP B-sides "Crazy World" and a medley of standards and a Spanish version of "Mamma Mia" - are included on the CD. Where the set does shine for collectors is the DVD, featuring vintage commercials and live performances, most notably ABBA in Australia, a Swedish edit of an Australian television special called The Best of ABBA. That original special drew 58% of all television audiences down under - more watchers in that country than the comparatively small feat of man walking on the damn moon.
Look for the reissue in November, and hit the jump for the full track breakdown (a link is still forthcoming).
ABBA: Deluxe Edition (Polar/UMC, 2012)
Disc 1: Expanded LP (originally released as Polar POLS 262 (Sweden), 1975)
- Mamma Mia
- Hey, Hey Helen
- Tropical Loveland
- SOS
- Man in the Middle
- Bang-a-Boomerang
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- Rock Me
- Intermezzo No. 1
- I’ve Been Waiting for You
- So Long
- Crazy World (B-side to "Money, Money, Money" - Polar POS 1227, 1976)
- Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton – On Top of Old Smokey – Midnight Special (1978 Remix) (B-side to "Summer Night City" - Polar POS 1239, 1978)
- Mamma Mia (Spanish Version) (from Gracias por la Música - Septima LP SRLM 1, 1980)
Disc 2: DVD
ABBA in Australia television special
- Mamma Mia
- Hasta Mañana
- Ring Ring
- Tropical Loveland
- Waterloo
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- Rock Me
- Dancing Queen
- Honey, Honey
- Fernando
- So Long
- SOS
Made in Sweden – For Export (SVT)
- Mamma Mia
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- So Long
SOS (Seaside Special, BBC)
Mamma Mia (Top of the Pops, BBC)
The Best of ABBA Australian TV commercial
Greatest Hits TV Commercial
International Sleeve Gallery
The Weekend Stream: September 4, 2021
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 13
Release Round-Up: Week of June 14
I still love all the covers to ABBA's albums. They captured the essence of the 70s.
I love the comment in this essay about ABBA's special attracting 58% of the Australian television viewing audience in 1976, more than "man walking on the damn moon." That's hilarious! And proof of ABBA as a Seventies pop culture phenomenon in some parts. Despite their radio-friendly tunes, it's still surprising to me that ABBA wasn't bigger in the U.S. I became an ABBA fan at the end of 1976, buying a copy of "Greatest Hits" with $5.00 from my grandfather. A week later, I heard "Dancing Queen" for the first time on a car radio. I had no idea what they were singing, but I was totally hooked from then on.