PolyDor 314 543 948-2
1. Waterloo 2:42
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album WATERLOO (1974)
2. SOS 3:19
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album ABBA (1975)
3. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 3:16
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album ABBA (1975)
4. Mamma Mia 3:32
(Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus)
Taken from the album ABBA (1975)
5. Fernando 4:10
(Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus)
Taken from the album GREATEST HITS (1976)
6. Dancing Queen 3:49
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album ARRIVAL (1976)
7. Knowing Me, Knowing You 4:01
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album ARRIVAL (1976)
8. The Name Of The Game 3:56
(Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
Taken from the album THE ALBUM (1977)
9. Take A Chance On Me 4:01
(Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus)
Taken from the album THE ALBUM (1977)
10. Chiquitita 5:26
(Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus)
Taken from the album VOULEZ-VOUS (1979)
11. The Winner Takes It All 4:54
(Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus)
Taken from the album SUPER TROUPER (1980)
ALL TITLES PRODUCED BY BENNY ANDERSON AND BJORN ULVAEUS
ENGINEERED BY MICHAEL B. TRETOW
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“Only a handful of acts in the history of popular music have scaled the lofty heights of world-wide renown that characterized the overwhelming success of the Swedish supergroup ABBA."
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They dominated the 1970s with a string of chart-topping singles and platinum-selling albums that showcased one the of most infectious sounds ever captured on record. Some considered their music to be the apotheosis of “bubblegum pop,” but there’s no denying that ABBA’s masterful blend of beguiling melodies, beautiful harmony singing and flawless studio production resulted in performances with daunting commercial appeal (in 1982 they were Sweden’s single largest earner of foreign currency!). In addition to transcending international borders, their music performed the even more impressive feat of bridging the generation gap, and devoted fans of all ages eagerly snapped up each new release and flocked to their elaborately choreographed concerts. Today, nearly two decades after their breakup, ABBA’s mystique doesn’t merely endure. It continues to grow.
The name ABBA is an acronym using the first initials of four performers who were already well established in the music business before they ever came together as a group. In the ‘60s, Benny Anderson played piano and sang with a popular Swedish beat group known as the Hep Stars. Toward decade’s end, he struck up a songwriting partnership with Bjorn Ulvaeus, who played guitar and sang with a folk group called the Hootenanny Singers. Both men landed jobs as house producers at Polar Records, an outfit owned by Songwriter Stig Anderson (whose mentoring would later make him ABBA’s “fifth member”). In 1970, they recorded an album together that featured background vocals by their respective romantic partners. Bjorn was involved with Agnetha Faltskog, who’d enjoyed a number one Swedish pop hit as a solo artist in 1968. Benny was seeing Anni-Frid Lyngstad (who later went by “Frida”). She was born in Norway, but had been performing on the Swedish pop scene as a vocalist since her early teenage years.
The foursome formed a quartet with the uninspiring name of Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida. In 1973 they entered the annual Eurovision song contest and placed third. The following year they returned as ABBA and won the competition with their performance of “Waterloo.” The group decided to write and sing their material in English in order to maximize their impact in the lucrative U.S. and British markets (they would eventually record their hits in a variety of languages for different audiences). “Waterloo,” the title track of their debut album, became a top ten hit throughout Europe and earned ABBA a deal with Atlantic in the U.S., where the single rose to #6. Their self-titled second album yielded massive hits with “SOS,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” and “Mamma Mia,” songs that topped the charts in many countries (and were all top forty hits in the U.S.), Benny and Bjorn penned all of the group’s major successes, which were relentlessly sunny and upbeat. The appeal of their romantic ballads was heightened by the fact that both couples within the group eventually married, though they subsequently divorced.
ABBA was disappointed that their impact in America hadn’t quite measured up to the rapturous reception accorded them elsewhere in the world, but in 1976 they finally managed to capture the top spot in the U.S. charts with their recording of the disco era anthem “Dancing Queen.” They nearly replicated this achievement two years later when “Take A Chance On Me” went to #3. In 1978 they enjoyed international success with the film ABBA – The Movie, and by the dawn of the ‘80s there were few worlds left for the group to conquer. In 1980 they scored their last U.S. top ten hit with “The Winner Takes All,” which also topped the adult contemporary chart. ABBA made its final live appearance at a concert in Stockholm in 1982, and had informally disbanded by the end of the year.
Diehard fans remain eternally hopeful for a reunion, while contenting themselves in the meantime with a steady stream of best-selling re-issues. There’s no question that the music of ABBA has left an indelible mark on pop culture.
- Joseph F. Laredo
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Compilation produced by Bill Levenson
Digitally mastered by Jon Astley with Michael B. Tretow
And by Suha Gur at Universal Mastering Studios East
Art Direction: Vartan
Design: Hey Poser
Photo Research: Jason Pastori
Cover Photography: G. de Roos/RETNA
Inlay Photography: Peter Mazel/RETNA
Interior Photography: Peter Mazel/RETNA
Except the back of the Booklet Photo by King Collection/RETNA
Production coordination by Margaret Goldfarb
PolyDor © 2000 Universal Records A Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. 314 562 948 2
