ABBA

ABBA

Tracks: 14, total time: 48:34, year: 1975, genre: Pop

The Complete Studio Recordings - Disc 03 of 11 : ABBA
2005 Polar Music International
Complete Studio Recordings Box Released November 7, 2005

Originally Released 1975
Remastered Edition Released March 16, 1999
DigiPak Edition With Bonus Tracks Released October 16, 2001

New 24-bit digital remaster with new liner notes, complete lyrics and bonus tracks: 'Crazy World' and 'Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special'.

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: ABBA appears on the cover of this album sitting in the back of a limousine and drinking champagne, which may have been intended as an ironic comment on their one-hit wonder status at the time but became an apt reflection of their status after this record's success. Thelead-off track is the irresistible "Mamma Mia," their second U.K. chart topper and a U.S. Top 40 hit, and also included are the equally catchy "SOS" (Top Ten in Britain, Top 40 in America) and the minor U.K. hit "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," whichactually did better in the U.S. -- William Ruhlmann

Amazon.com Editorial Reviews
The success of the jaunty "S.O.S" and bouncy ABBA-by-numbers (no insult!) "Mamma Mia" ended a year of uncertainty. For a while, it seemed as if the Swedish quartetwouldn't be able to break free of the stigma of being a pop band that didn't boast English as a first language. "S.O.S" changed all that. Elsewhere, however, the quartet still hadn't quite found their niche: slipping from the great (the truly scary"Hey, Hey Helen," the poptastic "Bang-A-Boomerang," and the unstoppably catchy marriage song "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do") to the ridiculous (the funkified "Man in the Middle" and the sunburned "Tropical Loveland") with alarming ease. The token glam stomper, "Rock Me," this time round, though, was awesome. --Everett True

CD Connection Review
ABBA's third album, released in 1975, finds the group at the end of the first phase of their career. Having scored massive worldwide success withthe bubblegum classics "Ring Ring" and "Waterloo" in the previous two years, the Swedish foursome continued that streak with the sweet "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," the silly "Tropical Loveland" and "Bang-A-Boomerang." However, "Mamma Mia" and thegrandly-titled "Intermezzo No. 1" showcased a new compositional maturity somewhat reminiscent of Brian Wilson's 1964 productions.

Several songs, including the brilliant, enormous hit "S.O.S." and the excellent "Hey Hey Helen" (covered by Lush 15 years later), contained the first inklings of the melancholy that would become such a fundamental part of their later albums. ABBA's self-titled album is the first key turning point of their long and exceptional career. YEAR: 1975

1.	3:35	Mamma mia
2.	3:20	Hey, hey, Helen
3.	3:08	Tropical loveland
4.	3:25	SOS
5.	3:06	Man in the middle
6.	3:07	Bang-a-boomerang
7.	3:19	I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
8.	3:08	Rock me
9.	3:51	Intermezzo No 1
10.	3:43	I´ve been waiting for you
11.	3:12	So long
12.	3:48	Crazy world
13.	4:23	Medley (Pick a bale of cotton - On top of old smokey - Midnight special (1978 Mix))
14.	3:32	Mamma mia (Spanish version)

Category: rock - Discid: bd0b600e

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