ABBA Gold - ABBA

Compilation albums - a dying breed. With the rise of Spotify, streaming and playlisting, there is simply no need for artists to waste time and effort creating them for very little audience engagement. They’re outdated and out of fashion which means, nowadays, you rarely see them. 

Pre-streaming however, the compilation album was big.  

I have had discussions with my dad and other music lovers from pre-streaming times, who tell me how they would save up their money every week to go get a record and would share these around their school or friendship groups. If you were to do this, you often wanted a guarantee these songs were going to be good - no pocket money could go to waste. Therefore, a “greatest hits” album was normally a safe pair of hands as it compiled all the best bits about an artist. 

In turn, these albums could act as a huge saviour for many artists and the reason why some were so successful. They threw open doors for curious new listeners, solidified artists’ place in music, and transformed reputations that had fallen by the wayside at a time where music was less accessible. For example, it could be argued Bob Marley could have languished in relative obscurity were it not for the release of Legend in 1984, which captured everything he was as an artist and really put him on the map - thank goodness.

And so we get into ABBA Gold, 79 minutes of pop royalty - pop ballads, disco hooks and exuberant harmonies - that saved ABBA and turned them into global pop heavyweights. The 1992 compilation rounded up all of the Swedish pop band’s international smashes into a refined package which sparked a full-blown revival, one that culminated in Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan murdering a version of S.O.S in film “Mamma Mia”. Isn’t that what everyone truly wants for their art?

ABBA Gold became one of the best-selling albums of all time, with copies continuing to be sold in large numbers to this day (I bought it last year on vinyl…). But what is the reason for this?
Sure Mamma Mia was a huge film success and yes, ABBA are played in every cheesy night club across the world - but, to put it simply, that’s because ABBA are good. In comparison to everyone releasing pop music in their era, they were incomparable sound wise and to be honest, I don’t think any other artist has succeeded or possibly even tried to replicate their unique quirkiness. No matter how obscure the track, if a song came on by ABBA, I would argue most people would know it was them.

In a 1981 interview, the band stated: “Our musical roots are European—we like French and Italian songs. “This is probably why our songs work well in the countries of Latin America… in the United States, pop music is heavily influenced by the blues, soul, and gospel—which isn’t in ABBA’s heritage.” They’re not wrong. Their music is so varied which is so clear when you listen to ABBA Gold; so many sounds are encapsulated on this album without any of them sounding out of place or polar opposite from each other. There are songs for every mood and every moment in ones life. You can go from crying to “The Winner Takes It All” to screaming “Super Trouper” in a state of ecstasy. There’s honky-tonk mixed with beautiful a cappella, superb riffs teamed with bat-shit lyrics, the band could do it all.

And as much as some people may not want to say it, you’re hard pressed to find someone who does not have a favourite ABBA song. They’re a guilty pleasure that you should not be feeling guilty about at all.

The band are now releasing new material. It’s lost on today’s listeners and in truth, is nothing on the music they had once created. Even before this Gold release, the bands music was not selling anywhere near as well as in the 70s. But don’t let these new releases tarnish the name of ABBA. Go back and listen to, in my opinion, the best compilation album ever released. A golden collection of pop goodness. ABBA Gold.

Rating: 10/10

Stand Out Tracks: Does Your Mother Know, Winner Takes It All, S.O.S.

Written by: Matthew Bird