Best ABBA album

[Hillbilly]

Sorry for yet another poll - but let's do ABBA, the greatest pop group ever!
What's your favourite of their original studio albums?

[York Minster]

Not the greatest pop group ever. Very good though.

[GalataPSB]

I like some Abba songs..

Thew winner takes it all
I have a dream
Waterloo

I only have Abba - The Gold -Greatest Hits album

[Radiophonic]

I've never thought about it, but they are probably are the best pop group in the world. If they were a beer they'd be Carlesberg.

[BlueSwan]

Second greatest pop group ever.

The Visitors is without a shadow of a doubt their best album and arguably the best album in history.

Super Trouper is clearly their second best album.

Voulez-Vouz, The Album, Arrival and Abba are all great albums but not as good as the two aforementioned.

Ring Ring and Waterloo were weak albums.

Basically Abba started out crap, then got better and better and better and finished their career with arguably the best pop album in history and after that arguably the best single of all time ("The Day Before You Came"). They sure as hell finished on top.

[karnsculpture]

Ring Ring and Waterloo were weak albums.

Basically Abba started out crap, then got better and better and better and finished their career with arguably the best pop album in history and after that arguably the best single of all time ("The Day Before You Came"). They sure as hell finished on top.

I think ABBA, like The Beatles, managed to take studio recording and the way the music industry operates to a new level. Yes the early recordings are weak (too much filler on the first two albums which are arguably collections of solo recordings anyway, the first real ABBA album is "Abba" IMHO with SOS and Mamma Mia), then in '76 they really started to want to experiment and create sounds that would be popular in the USA (influenced by disco, Moroder, but also The Eagles and Beach Boys Brian Wilson) and be regarded as a world-class act rather than a European act and it shows. "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando" were recorded at the same time in '75 and then held back for 6 months FFS!

Anyhoo, they were important in industry terms because they wrote and produced their own records and Bjorn & Benny were partners in the record label Polar. They were, basically, an independent label using the major labels that were most successful in each territory to ensure their records were plugged properly. That's what a lot of bands are doing now, including Pet Shop Boys.

[Hillbilly]

Second greatest pop group ever.

The Visitors is without a shadow of a doubt their best album and arguably the best album in history.

Super Trouper is clearly their second best album.

Voulez-Vouz, The Album, Arrival and Abba are all great albums but not as good as the two aforementioned.

Ring Ring and Waterloo were weak albums.

Basically Abba started out crap, then got better and better and better and finished their career with arguably the best pop album in history and after that arguably the best single of all time ("The Day Before You Came"). They sure as hell finished on top.

I agree almost completely with this! I really LOVE "The day before you came", and with that song now as a bonus track The Visitors is definitely ABBA's greatest album. Besides it's got brilliant non-single gems like "Soldiers" and the absolutely gorgeous final "Slipping through my fingers" and "Like an angel passing through my room". It doesn't get more beautiful. Wow!

I may prefer Voulez-Vous to Super Trouper though, but I agree that their first two albums are weak; in particular Waterloo. I actually think that Ring Ring has a certain charm to it.

Especially the lyrics got much better on the two last albums! Before that they were childish to say the least...

[Hillbilly]

By the way, I'd rank ABBA's albums this way:

1) The Visitors
2) Voulez-Vous
3) Super Trouper
4) The Album
5) Arrival
6) ABBA
7) Ring Ring
8 ) Waterloo

[Radiophonic]

They were the ultimate pop act. Everyone from Madonna to Madness have been influenced by them.

[AdamDowds]

I chose The Visitors all the way. When the fade comes in on the opening track I know I'm in for a wild ride. The first seven tracks are some of the best 80's tracks I have. It does get a bit too slow for my tastes on the last two songs, but that is more than made up on the brilliant B-Sides and non-album singles Cassandra, The Day Before You Came, Under Attack and You Owe Me One.

I was able to buy all 8 of their albums (plus a bonus disc with all the B-Sides etc.) in one boxset for £20 in HMV last July. I would have liked it if the Pet Shop Boys had done that too, but the albums had already been re-released just after the Brits Performance and Yes had been released. But oh well.

[Hillbilly]

Basically Abba started out crap, then got better and better and better and finished their career with arguably the best pop album in history and after that arguably the best single of all time ("The Day Before You Came"). They sure as hell finished on top.

They surely did! And what an album it could have been if they had finished "Opus 10". The songs from those sessions turned out to be nothing but great - especially this one:



It's a crime to let such a good song remain unreleased! Though I prefer the "Na-na-na" version (also on Youtube of course). Many of the melodies that ABBA were working on the last year later turned up for Chess and Benny solo projects.

[Radiophonic]

Under Attack was their final single release ...

[York Minster]

Is it possible that everyone here likes the later ABBA stuff because it's synthy not because of better songwriting?

[Hillbilly]

Under Attack was their final single release ...

Yes, that's right. "The day before you came" was the last song to be recorded though. So you can really say that they finished with a masterpiece!

[Hillbilly]

Is it possible that everyone here likes the later ABBA stuff because it's synthy not because of better songwriting?

You've really got a point here. I have also guessed that PSB fans like the latter-days ABBA records better because they are more synthesizer-based.