ABBA – Gold

ABBA freaking Gold

Great Start to an album. That piano slide. UGH!

It’s ABBA. It’s great. It’s the greatest. I’ll be honest their BIG hit “Dancing Queen” is NOT my favorite ABBA song. Will I still listen to it? Of course! It’s practically their anthem. BTW… ever done it for karaoke? Every see someone else NOT sing the song while that’s happening? It can’t be done.

Alright so I’ve got a lot of memories with this album. My mother usually had this album playing while i was growing up and the songs have cemented into my brain as being good. Since having studied music extensively i get to revisit the songs and listen to them objectively.

Their arrangements and production quality is through the roof. You want to know how a song should sound? Listen to abba. Listen to each instrument (Piano first IMO). Restart the album and listen to a different instrument for the whole album. Yeah, each instrument is THAT good, production wise. Sometimes they aren’t doing anything spectacular but they are doing EXACTLY what they should be doing for the songs. (that bassist, Rutger Gunnarsson. UGH. so good)

I’m not going to point out my favorite songs. I can’t. Too many memorable and distinct pieces. Their career was stellar. I will, however point out my favorite SMALL detail. It only takes a few seconds. When people mention ABBA I use this single moment to address how important it is to EMOTE when you’re performing music (studio, live or otherwise.)

The Winner Takes It All has a line, sung by the lead vocalist Agnetha Fältskog. Right near the end. 3:30 to the 3:37 mark. Listen to the subtle, growing suffering in her voice. You can hear her performance start to choke up with the first line and almost start to lose it in the 2nd line “come to shake my hand.” THAT’s how you should perform. Make it real. EMOTE your songs. So listen to that spot so you know what you’re listening for… then restart the song. It almost makes you sad WITH her. FOR her. Right alongside her. What a powerful song.

Anyway, I do feel it isn’t quite right to do a greatest hits album on TheNoiseRank but ABBA Gold is one of the few justifications. It’s not so much of a greatest hits record as it is an overview of how impactful they have been throughout their career.

I bet you’re excited to hear the two new songs they’re recording pretty soon, huh? (as of 2019)