Album Essentials: "Abba" (1975)
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
There is a reason why ABBA sold millions of records and why people are still talking about, listening to, and obsessing over them some fifty-plus years since their debut LP and the forty-plus years since they called it a day. The reason is, they were f'n great! They were, in many ways, the perfect 'Pop' act. Great songwriting, wonderful harmonies, and melodies performed impeccably. They had style, image, and a sense of humor and could avoid a head-first dive into saccharine-laced debris while maintaining a sense of smartness about their writing, even when it veered a bit too close to popping the gum bubble.
The band had two albums under their belt, and they had a number one hit with 'Ring Ring' and a number two hit with 'Waterloo,' which won them the Eurovision Song Contest Award for 1974. The other singles released, however, failed to light as much fire. They could have become a footnote, with their shining moment being the Eurovision win, but band leaders and songwriters Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus were never going to let that happen.
On August 22, 1974, work began on what was to become ABBA’s third album, titled 'ABBA.' The album presented a 360-degree view of what ABBA was and or could be, with material ranging from the purest pop to glam rock, reggae, and a grandiose prog-esque instrumental. It was all put together seamlessly, creating a hit album and a way forward for the inspired combo.
The album starts with the now classic 'Mama Mia,' a song which looms large in the story of Abba, but more for the Broadway musical and film than the actual song or single. It was one of the seven, count 'em, seven singles released from the album over the year following the LP's release.
Elsewhere, 'Tropical Loveland' dips its toes into reggae sounds five years before Blondie would take the mix into the charts. 'S.O.S' is, quite simply, a perfect record. Engaging verse into triumphant chorus shifts from minor to major, and on and on. It did make the US Top 20, but certainly deserved a better fate. 'Australia, however, was where Abba could do no wrong. Countless Abba singles hit the top of the charts in the land down under, 'S.O.S' stayed there for 14 weeks.
You want rock action? Try 'Hey Hey Helen', with a heavy, distorted guitar riff and straight-ahead drums driving it home. I swear, this could have been a hit for Sweet! 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and 'Bang-A-Boomerang' are pristine pop, while 'So Long' stomps back to 'Waterloo'-style terrain to round out the LP.
For the remainder of the decade, and into the first couple steps into the 1980s, Abba's reputation, fame, and fortune would continue to grow alongside their artistic ambitions. History, however, has been their best friend, as in the years since they folded up shop, Abba has become more well-known and respected than they ever were in their time in the spotlight. It is an amazing catalog, and while the first two albums were nothing to sneeze at, the self-titled third is where things really came together to showcase the sound and style of this offbeat foursome. The music lasts, stronger than ever, to this day.