ABBAvivor Round 4: Self-Titled

[Diesel 11]

Eliminated after Round 2:
King Kong Song (4 votes)
Gonna Sing You My Lovesong (4 votes)

 

[Diesel 11]

@Edington you seem to be a bit of an ABBA fan, would you care to join us?

 

[Edington]

Alrighty then, thank you kindly. How long is this round open 'til? Only know a couple of songs from these albums so would need to give them a proper listen, probably won't get a chance until the weekend. Don't leave it open longer on my account though if it's gonna mess with your schedule, I'll come in on the next round if I don't get round to it.

 

[Diesel 11]

Alrighty then, thank you kindly. How long is this round open 'til? Only know a couple of songs from these albums so would need to give them a proper listen, probably won't get a chance until the weekend. Don't leave it open longer on my account though if it's gonna mess with your schedule, I'll come in on the next round if I don't get round to it.

@Stardust and @Black Bart still need to vote so I’m not opposed to keeping it open longer for you.

 

[Edington]

I'll hold off voting until I've heard Waterloo, but after a listen of Ring Ring I think I'm going to go with "Another Town, Another Train", "People Need Love", "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother"... still undecided on whether I like "He Is Your Brother" or not.

Most of this album was a bit bland for me, ABBA really didn't hit the ground running. The only two songs I knew I definitely wouldn't vote for were the title song and "Disillusion".

 

[Diesel 11]

The only two songs I knew I definitely wouldn't vote for were the title song and "Disillusion".

 

[Edington]

For some reason I feel like I should hate "Hasta Mañana" but I quite liked it. I'm also really liking "Watch Out", I've severely underappreciated ABBA's guitar work before now. Waterloo is definitely the stronger of the two albums, even though I didn't love every song off it they stuck with me more on the first listen than the songs from Ring Ring.

I decided to go with:

Another Town, Another Train
People Need Love (Good God, this could be the worst song ABBA released)
I Saw It In The Mirror
Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother
He Is My Brother (I decided I didn't like it)
I Am Just A Girl
Sitting In The Palm Tree
She's My Kind of Girl

 

[Diesel 11]

@Black Bart did you want to vote or shall I update?

 

[Black Bart]

@Black Bart did you want to vote or shall I update?

Done,.

 

[Diesel 11]

Thanks, will update this afternoon.

 

[Diesel 11]

Eliminated after Round 3:
People Need Love (6 votes)
I Saw It In The Mirror (5 votes)
He Is Your Brother (5 votes)

ABBA, the band's self-titled third LP, joins the game. From here the band's classic round really starts to blossom, IMO.

 

[Edington]

This is gonna be interesting, the only songs I can say I really disliked have now been eliminated. Will listen and vote on the morrow.

 

[Diesel 11]

ABBA (1975)

1. Mamma Mia - What a great song. This is an obvious classic, and a big step up from the past two albums. The piano and guitar meld together quite well in creating this happy little bop, led by the girls but also featuring one of the guys pop up before the chorus. Great song. 10/10

2. Hey, Hey Helen - A drumbeat and tambourine open up this song because a guitar riff comes in, and it's great. The lyrics explore a woman going through divorce, asking if it was worth it or not... and they decide it is. It's a catchy and pretty mature song for ABBA. Very great. 10/10

3. Tropical Loveland - A more simplistic song, this one. There are some great harmonies happening in the chorus, and overall I like this song. But well, y'know, it's not one of ABBA's most magical concoctions. Still good though. 8/10

4. SOS - Y'know, it never really clicked with me before now that this isn't about a breakup, but rather feeling alone without the one you love and wanting them to come back to you. Regardless of meaning, it's another ABBA classic. All the instruments, vocals, lyrics, everything is just so good. Best song on the album. 10/10

5. Man In The Middle - Another of the Björn-sung tracks, with the girls popping in for the chorus. It actually feels like a classic rock track. It's not bad, just not really... a very... "ABBA" sort of song. Solid, not too memorable. 7/10

6. Bang-A-Boomerang - A very classic sounding ABBA track, although not quite a bona fide classic at the same time. There's a lot of good stuff going on through the song, but like "Tropical Loveland", it's just not one of their ultimate tracks, but still good. 8/10

7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - This one, however, is certainly a classic, although it's not really in the classic ABBA style. There's a lot of swing in their step, which makes it a very infectious number. Great song. Not one of my top songs maybe but it's up there. Very unique song for them. 9/10

8. Rock Me - Björn and the ladies open up this song with the chorus, which is quite catchy, although the verses don't really knock anything out of the park. Unfortunately that does impact the rest of the song and brings it down slightly. Still, it's a solid enough song. 7/10

9. Intermezzo No. 1 - Can't remember for sure but I think that this is the only instrumental in ABBA's discography, and what can I say? It's a good one. Sounds like something you could find in a ballet. Lot of great moments throughout. 9/10

10. I've Been Waiting For You - What a lovely little song. The acoustic guitar and Agnetha's vocals are so good together. The vocal harmony on that chorus is great. Is this a hidden gem? I didn't remember how it went before it came on and I'm loving it a lot. 10/10

11. So Long - What a bop. The verse is strong, the pre-chorus is awesome, and the chorus is catchy as hell. Maybe not as good as the four 10s on the album, but it's great all the same. What a good choice for a closer, too. 9/10

Definitely a far better album than the two that preceded it. The songs are much stronger, ABBA have been working on their style and it's a pretty great listen as a whole.

Rating: 88%

 

[Brigantium]

SOS is a very nice piece of songwriting. One of those songs that does set Abba apart from your average twee pop group of the era.

 

[Edington]

SOS is one of my favourite ABBA songs, if it doesn't make it to the end I'll eat my hat.

Anyways, finally given ABBA a listen, only a week late. What was the vote number for this round, twelve?

 

[Diesel 11]

What was the vote number for this round, twelve?

Yeah. I'm considering lowering it drastically for the next round because it's so hard to pick twelve songs you're fine with eliminating. I didn't even use all my votes this round, lol.

 

[Edington]

Yeah. I'm considering lowering it drastically for the next round...

I wouldn't object to that. I felt I was picking things to fill the vote number rather than because I actually didn't like them.

ABBA was a much better album than the last two, so most of my votes were the remaining songs I voted for before, plus:

Nina, Pretty Ballerina (Narrowly missed the vote last time)
Bang-A-Boomerang
Rock Me

 

[Diesel 11]

@Black Bart and @Brigantium I think you two are the only ones left to vote. Don't forget!

 

[Diesel 11]

@Black Bart and @Brigantium I think you two are the only ones left to vote. Don't forget!

Still waiting.

 

[Diesel 11]

@Collin is joining the game so I’ll give him extra time to catch up. Meanwhile I still need votes from @Black Bart and @Brigantium . Hate to move like the glaciers that are NP survivors ( ) but it is what it is, you know.