Showing posts with label Abba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abba. Show all posts

Monday 30 October 2023

The A project - Def Syndicate

It's easy to dismiss music from the Nineties because it was so bad. At least, a lot of bad music was produced during that decade. This single was called 'The A project' because Def Syndicate weren't allowed to use the name Abba. And with good reason: the guys from Abba were all about quality control, and the lack of quality is quite apparent when you listen to this medley of Abba tracks. 

When I say 'medley', I am using the term very lightly, because this single contains virtually all the hallmarks of a cheap early Nineties production: run-of-the-mill beats, sound effects and, frankly, not a lot of listenable vocals. A strange curiosity.

My collection: 7" single no. 7044
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 October 2023
Tracks: 'The A Project (radio version)' / 'The A Project (bonus beats)'

Wednesday 26 April 2023

Waterloo (German version) - Abba

It's always great to find an Abba single I don't have yet, and this is a special one: the German version of 'Waterloo'. Yes, the Swedes actually recorded their winning Eurovision song in German and released it in Germany. The single isn't especially rare, but it is still hard to find. I finally got myself a copy at the stand of a Eurovision singles seller, and it's a great find.

Obviously I've already got the English and Swedish versions, as well as a beautiful picture disc (and cover versions by Dr. and the Medics, the Gerd Michaelis Chor, Lecia & Lucienne and a certain Swedish Group!) but this single was one I'd been searching for some time already. Now I only want the French version, but I'd rather not pay 100 euros for it...

My collection: 7" single no. 6959
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 22 April 2023
Tracks: 'Waterloo (Deutsche originalaufnahme)' / 'Watch out'

Wednesday 8 March 2023

So long - Abba

Do I really need more Abba singles? Well, no, not really, but some covers are just too beautiful to resist. This copy of 'So long' was made in France and they gave it a colourful sleeve that was much more stylish than the boring German one.

I remember that, as a child, I thought this song was pure hardrock. Not much later I got into the 'disco-rock' of Kiss, and a few years later again I discovered that hardrock was actually quite a bit harder. And louder. But 'So long' is, to me at least, still Abba's big hardrock moment.

My collection: 7" single no. 6892
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 4 March 2023
Tracks: 'So long' / 'I've been waiting for you'

Sunday 5 March 2023

Chiquitita - Abba / Too much heaven - Bee Gees

This single is a nice curiosity, since it features two big hits from the year 1979: Abba's 'Chiquitita' and 'Too much heaven' by the Bee Gees. Both tracks feature on the album 'Music for Unicef concert: a gift of song', which was released in 1979. It was the album that accompanied the benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on 9 January 1979. It was intended to raise money for UNICEF world hunger programs and to mark the beginning of the International Year of the Child. The concert was the idea of impresario Robert Stigwood, the Bee Gees, and David Frost, who originally conceived it as an annual event. Not all of the performances were truly live, with ABBA lip-synching their new song 'Chiquitita' and the Bee Gees lip-synching their song 'Too Much Heaven'. It's kindof ironic that these two songs were chosen for a single release.


The concert raised less than one million dollars at the time for UNICEF, although this figure did not include longer-term royalties from the songs and repeat performances. (The Bee Gees' song 'Too much heaven', for example, earned more than seven million dollars for UNICEF as of 2003). 

My collection: 7" single no. 6881
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 March 2023
Tracks: 'Chiquitita' (Abba) / 'Too much heaven' (Bee Gees)

Saturday 5 November 2022

Amiga Quartett - Abba

A few East German singles from Abba, released by the state-run record company Amiga have already popped up on this blog: Dancing Queen/Fernando, Mamma Mia and The winner takes it all. The collection is not complete yet, but I recently found perhaps the most interesting of them all: an EP that featured four of the Swedish band's hits. 

This quartet mops up singles from their last two albums, plus the track 'Under attack' that was released as the last original Abba single back in 1982. The cover actually features a photograph of the band, which didn't happen often on these Amiga releases. As far as I know, there's only two more singles to go. I'm sure they will pop up on here sometime.

My collection: 7" single no. 6778
Found: Discogs.com, 1 October 2022
Tracks: 'Super trouper', 'Head over heels' / 'One of us', 'Under attack'

Friday 26 August 2022

The winner takes it all - Abba

What can I say about Abba that hasn't been said already a hundred times before? Well, maybe that their "live" show in London is absolutely groundbreaking, but also prohibitively expensive. You would think that once the expenses of creating a purpose-built arena in London have been earned back, the prices for those seat would go down but there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. And so Abba will remain the biggest money-making machine Sweden has ever created (with only the possible exception of Ikea). 'The winner takes it all', indeed. 

This 7" single was released in the GDR, or East-Germany as we would call it back then. We didn't know much about that part of Germany except that it was ruled by communists and that Amiga was their state-controlled record company. Those Amiga Abba-singles have now become a nice little sub-collection for me, and I'm glad to add this one to my already too large Abba collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6624
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 January 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'The winner takes it all' / 'Elaine'

Friday 8 July 2022

Slipping through my fingers - Abba

One of the tracks on Abba's 1981 album 'The Visitors' was 'Slipping through my fingers'. It was never released as a single - except in Japan, where it was released as a 'Coca Cola super record'. According to the blurb on the back of this sleeve (in Japanese), the song was recorded "just for you", which of course wasn't entirely true.

The record is actually a picture disc, featuring a photograph of the band complete with signatures on one side (without any music on that side) and a red playable side with the Coca-Cola logo on it. After looking for this item for some time, I am glad to finally own this particular single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6732
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 June 2022
Cost: $10
Tracks: 'Slipping through my fingers'

Tuesday 14 June 2022

Waterloo (Svensk version) - Abba

Strictly speaking, I already own a Swedish version of 'Waterloo' on 7", but that one is a re-release from 2014, which I bought in 2015. There is nothing quite like the real thing, and so this original Swedish release of 'Waterloo' is a great find. I bought it together with a few other singles from a Scandinavian seller, and it is lovely to own this particular piece of history. The B-side features the Swedish version of 'Honey, Honey', another track from the album 'Waterloo'. 

It's funny that the back of the sleeve actually contains a price sticker. Apparently you would pay 8.75 for this single back in 1974, but the sticker does not clarify in which currency. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6710
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 April 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Waterloo (Svensk version)' / 'Honey, honey (Svensk version)'

Saturday 4 June 2022

Mamma Mia - Abba

With the recent resurgence of Abba in "abbatar" form, it is appropriate, I guess, to post another single by the Swedish quartet. I am still collecting some of their singles, in particular the ones that were released in the GDR by the state-run Amiga label. 'Dancing queen / Fernando' was my first acquisition, and here's another one: 'Mamma mia', released with the song 'Tropical loveland' on the B-side. 

As you can see, the sleeve is hardly exciting, without a colourful photograph that was always there on the single releases in Western Europe. I guess the good people in the eastern part of Germany were not meant to be shown the kind of glamorous pictures we were constantly bombarded with back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 6712
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 May 2022
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Mamma mia' / 'Tropical loveland'

Sunday 13 March 2022

Happy Hawaii (Why did it have to be me) - Manuela

German singer Manuela recorded a generous amount of cover versions during her career, and two of them already made their way to this blog: 'Der schwarze Mann auf dem Dach' and 'Alles und noch viel mehr'. Both these songs were cover versions of Eurovision songs, but that's not the only place where Manuela fetched her songs from. 

'Happy Hawaii' is a cover version of an Abba song. It was released in 1980 on a 7" single that was sponsored by Hapag-Lloyd Flug, an airline that operated between 1973 and 2007. It operated scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly to holiday resorts in Europe. Its successor is today's TUI fly Deutschland. 

This single actually features two songs about exotic islands: the B-side is called 'Gran Canaria', which was released as a single in 1978. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6650
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 March 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Happy Hawaii (Why did it have to be me)' / 'Gran Canaria'

Wednesday 24 November 2021

Thank you for the music - Abba

The current resurgence of Abba would have you think that I have suddenly started buying Abba singles. This could be true, of course, but this particular single has been on my wantlist for about two years. It just took me very long to find a decent copy for a decent price. 

This is, of course, a re-release of Abba's immortal 'Thank you for the music'. It was released in the UK in 1983 in a poster sleeve. It coincided with the release of a compilation album, also titled 'Thank you for the music', that same year. It was only a year after the release of 'The Singles: The first ten years' in 1982, the one that featured the group's last two singles. But between 1982 and this year, Abba has released dozens of compilation albums and also re-releases (and re-re-releases) of all their albums. And box sets, of course. I wonder how many re-releases 'Voyage' will get in decades to come...

My collection: 7" single no. 6506
Found: Ebay, received 17 November 2021
Cost: £5
Tracks: 'Thank you for the music' / 'Our last summer'

Saturday 13 November 2021

Voulez-vous - Abba

With sales of over 5 million copies, 'Abba Gold' is the second highest selling album of all time in the UK, after Queen's 'Greatest Hits'. As of July 2021, "Gold" became the first album to reach 1000 weeks on the Official Charts in United Kingdom with pure sales of 5.61 million copies sold in United Kingdom.

When the album was first released, back in 1992, it was supported by a series of single releases. 'Dancing queen' was the first single, and this one was the second: 'Voulez-vous' backed with another single which didn't appear on Abba Gold: 'Summer night city'. This single didn't chart, but it still attracted some attention. These days it's very hard to get hold of a copy, and the third single is even more difficult. But it will appear here someday, I'm sure. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6486
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 October 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous' / 'Summer night city'

Friday 12 November 2021

She's my kind of girl - Bjorn & Benny

Before Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson became famous with Abba, they had careers themselves. They had success with the Hootenanny Singers and the Hep Stars respectively. 'She's my kind of girl' represents their first single together. It was recorded for the Swedish movie 'Inga II: The seduction of Inga'. Originally released in 1970, the single became a huge hit in Japan two years later, selling half a million copies.

The song was subsequently put on the B-side of the Swedish issue of ABBA's 'Ring Ring' (English Version) single, and on the album of the same name in some other countries (in spite of it having been recorded before ABBA was formed and featuring no contribution from ABBA's other members, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad). The song is also unusual in that it is the only track in the entire catalogue that appears in fake stereo. To date, there is no known mono-only version. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6482
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 October 2021
Cost: $3
Tracks: 'She's my kind of girl' / 'Inga's theme'

Friday 5 November 2021

That's me - Abba

Today is release day for Abba - their first album in 40 years is called 'Voyage' and serves to remind people that music can be timeless if you ignore "current trends". Fortunately they didn't employ rappers or other "famous people" to create their new work.

On this special occasion I thought I'd get out one of the special items I have in my collection: I got a nice handful of Japanese Abba singles last month and this one is extra special, because it flipped the A- and B-sides, relegating 'Money, Money, Money' to the B-side whereas 'That's Me' was promoted to the A-side. Why the Japanese felt this necessary I don't know - perhaps they thought the message of 'Money, Money, Money' was unsuitable for the Japanese public? 

My collection: 7" single no. 6479
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 October 2021
Cost: $7
Tracks: 'That's me' / 'Money, Money, Money'

Tuesday 19 October 2021

I still have faith in you - Abba

One of the most anticipated comebacks of all time: it's easy to see that when Abba announced not only a few new tracks (which were already announced a couple of years ago), but a full album, the music world shook on its foundations. During a live streamed press moment the music video for 'I still have faith in you' was shown - undoubtedly an emotional moment for Abba fans worldwide.

While it is easy to get caught up in this hype, the question remains: is the new song any good? Without reservation I would say, yes of course. Thankfully they remained true to their own sound and didn't employ rappers, modern producers or "big names". They just made their own music, and released it, thankfully, on 7" vinyl as well. The only disappointing thing is that they didn't include a B-side: that side is etched with the lyrics of the song. That's beautiful, of course, but another song would have been nicer.

My collection: 7" single no. 6444
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 4 September 2021
Cost: € 9,99
Tracks: 'I still have faith in you'


Wednesday 6 October 2021

Dancing queen / Fernando - Abba

This single was released in the GDR, or 'East Germany' as we called it until 1990, when that part of Germany was under communist rule. The state-run label Amiga released singles for the wealthier part of the public - although there were, apparently, also lots of illegal tapes doing the rounds.

I bought this single because it feels a bit like a rarity. It's not really that rare - it is available regularly online - but it's always nice to own a piece of history, and this is it. Amiga released a couple of Abba singles, and this one features two of their biggest hits: 'Dancing queen' and 'Fernando'. Who knows I may find those other Amiga singles someday too.

My collection: 7" single no. 6459
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 2 October 2021
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dancing queen' / 'Fernando'

Sunday 26 September 2021

On and on and on - Abba

The song 'On and on and on' was taken from the album 'Super Trouper' and in Europe it was never released on a 7" single. A 12" single was released at the time, featuring the track on the B-side, but it was almost a double A-side, condisering both 'Lay all your love on me' and this track were pretty popular at the time. 

That 12" single was the first 12" single I ever bought, and now, forty years later, I found a Japanese 7" single featuring 'On and on and on' on the A-side. Strangely, it is coupled with 'The piper', which was the B-side of 'Super trouper' in the rest of the world. As always, this Japanese single is a thing of beauty and in almost impeccable state, despite all the decades that passed since its release.

My collection: 7" single no. 6448
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 September 2021
Cost: £2.99
Tracks: 'On and on and on' / 'The piper'

Monday 18 March 2019

Bravo tu as gagné - Mireille Mathieu

I wonder how many Abba fans are aware that this track happened. I don't recall any news items about this back in 1981, but it is pretty astounding that Benny, Björn and Frida contributed backing vocals to 'Bravo tu as gagné', a French cover version of their then-recent hit 'The winner takes it all', recorded by Mireille Mathieu. The back cover of this single even shows a photograph of the four in the studio. Why Agnetha wasn't present, I don't know - she was probably sulking at home somewhere.

The song was actually produced by Benny and Björn as well, which makes it almost an Abba single. I found this single while shopping online. It was a big surprise for me, especially since the single wasn't particularly expensive. You'd think that any rare Abba track would fetch a lot of money.

My collection: 7" single no. 6009
Found: Discogs.com, received March 9, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Bravo tu as gagné' / 'Viens chanter pour le Bon Dieu'

Tuesday 8 January 2019

Estoy sonando - Abba

'Estoy sonando' is of course the Spanish version of 'I have a dream'. With the help of Buddy and Mary McCluskey the ballad was turned into a warm-blooded version for the Spanish speaking market.

I ordered this single along with a few others from Spain. The problem with online ordering is illustrated right here: this was by far the worst sleeve of the whole package. You can't always know what you'll get. The might be an occasion to replace this single, but I am not rushing it. For now this is good enough to have - a nice curiosity doesn't always need to be perfect.

My collection: 7" single no. 5980
Found: Discogs.com, received January 4, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Estoy sonando' / 'As good as new'

Dame! Dame! Dame! - Abba

Abba was a successful band, but while they were having success in Europe and beyond, they also achieved quite a bit in the Spanish-speaking world. They translated some of their songs and released them as a single in those countries as well.

Obviously, since these singles were never released around these parts, I never actually bought them. Since I recently completed my collection of 'normal' Abba singles, these rarities have started to catch my eye. I recently acquired two Spanish Abba singles, and this the first of them: 'Dame! Dame! Dame!' is the Spanish version of 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!'. Although it is not among their most successful singles, it has always been one of my own favourites, and hearing it in Spanish is something special.

My collection: 7" single no. 5978
Found: Discogs.com, received January 4, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dame! Dame! Dame!' / 'The king has lost his crown'
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