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Reviews of: The Definitive Collectionby Abba
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Title: The Definitive Collection
Artist: Abba
Publisher: Polydor Label: Polydor EAN: 0731454997423 Release Date: 2008-03-17 Binding: Audio CD Number of Discs: 2 List Price: £16.99
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Product Description
Is there anything which screams the 1970s most indelible pop cultural clichés-more than the Swedish pop phenomena Abba and their Definitive Collection? While many a pundit snootily dismissed them during their prime as some sort of prefabricated aberration, their worldwide popularity peaked somewhere just south of Beatlemania. Indeed, Abba's music was as finely tooled and crafted as anything to come from a Volvo or Ikea factory --if occasionally more economically potent. This double-disc, 37-track anthology comes neatly on the heels of Mama Mia, the smash, if unlikely, stage show based on the band's hits, and documents every single released by the band's Polar label in their home country was as well as key tracks released as singles elsewhere internationally. When you hear the term "Europop," this is the canon from whence the term sprang. With a continental sense of vocal neo-classicism, informed by just the right ethnic clichés (and oft wed to the era's insistent 4/4 disco beat) to make songs like "Mama Mia", "Fernando", "Chiquitita" and "Voulez-Vous" work on a global scale, the writing team of Bjorn Ulvaeus/Benny Anderson and their respective partners in music and life, Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyngstad, developed the seamless, wall-of-sound productions contained herein. Definitive Collection features a rare single remix of "Ring, Ring" and a 1979 promo-only extended mix of "Voulez-Vous" as bonus tracks, as well as a concise, illustrated history of the band and each track. --Jerry McCulley
Reviews
The real deal
For all its world-conquering success, ABBA Gold didn't really "rehabilitate" ABBA. The casual track sequencing and the choice of only the biggest hits means that a lot of good stuff was missed. The kitsch that dogged the early part of ABBA's career seems to be reinforced.
With The Definitive Collection, however, you get (a) all of the tracks that appear on Gold, (b) plus the additional gems that couldn't be included on Gold, and (c) very elegant packaging.
Another great plus with this set is that the tracks are sequenced chronologically. This makes it easier to see how the group progressed from their somewhat "innocent" early days to their remarkably affecting early 80s output. The big hits are well known and have been discussed ad infinitum. But the second disc (1979 to 1982) is loaded with beauties that don't get the attention they deserve: for instance, skip straight to The Visitors, When All Is Said And Done and The Day Before You Came to see how brilliantly this band evolved as songwrters, as producers and as singers. With these diamonds added to the peachy pop hits that you know and love, The Definitive Collection is a far better bet - and ultimately more satisfying - than the instant sugar rush that is ABBA Gold. Get the Sound & Vision set with the matching DVD for the ultimate experience.
2008-08-15
Mamma Mia!
Abba's best compilation so far if you're buying an abba album for the first time get this it's full of classics not one bad track on this cd this is a must buy! 10/10 now this is what i call music and not the mamma mia soundtrack!
2008-07-14
ABBA IS THE BEST!!
La mejor recopilacion de uno de los mejores grupos de todos los tiempos, y todas las canciones ordenadas de forma cronologica, y un folleto donde se resume muy bien toda su historia, con muchas fotos de todas sus etapas de modo que uno puede ir siguiendo toda su trayectoria como grupo musical; las canciones, simplemente INCREIBLES, desde la sencilla "RING, RING" hasta canciones mas complicadas como "THE WINNER TAKES IT AT ALL"; sin faltar piezas inolvidables como "CHIQUITITA", "I DO I DO I DO", "WATERLOO", "DANCING QUEEN" y "TAKE A CHANCE ON ME"; incluso hay canciones que yo no conocia, como "HONEY HONEY", "ONE OF US" y "PEOPLE NEED LOVE", muy buenas tambien; SIMPLEMENTE LO MEJOR!!!
2008-03-02
Not "prog", but they did progress
OK, they will never be regarded as prog in the way that Yes are, and Genesis were - thank God - not even in the way The Beatles progressed, but there is no doubt that they progressed without, thankfully, loosing the great melodies, superb harmonies, and pop sensibilities. Their lyrical content progressed in terms of maturing, and towards the end the melancholy was obvious without being maudlin. Their break-up songs far exceed Fleetwood Mac's Rumours efforts. This is pop for adults, and a true example of real synergy - the "B"'s writing and the "A"'s harmonious singing. I've a feeling "best of.." 2CD sets will appear regularly for decades.
2008-01-20
The best Abba compilation of all
Abba Gold might be the ideal Abba hits album for most, but this more comprehensive compilation is the ultimate Abba hits package.
It includes all the official singles, plus several tracks released as singles in significant countries. It is the only Abba compilation to include ALL of Abba's UK singles - therefore the UK hits Lay All Your Love on Me, Angeleyes, Thank You For The Music and the single remix of Ring Ring (none of which are classed as "official" singles) are all here.
Unlike Abba Gold, the running order is chronological, telling the story of Abba from beginning to end.
The "rarities" on here are the 1974 single remix of Ring Ring, the extended version of Voulez-Vous and the 1999 re-edit of Eagle.
Clearly a lot of thought went into this compilation, unlike the more recent Number Ones. Abba expert Carl Magnus Palm was involved in selecting the tracks, and it shows. Even the cover artwork nicely re-uses the tasteful photo of Abba from 1979's Greatest Hits Vol 2 (never widely released on CD).
This is the album to get if you want more than Abba Gold can offer.
2007-08-02
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