|
|
 
Ring Ring (1973)
Ring Ring (1973) Ring Ring was first released in Sweden on March 26, 1973. Recording sessions began in March 1972 and continued until March 1973.
The Ring Ring album shows ABBA coming together. At the time of its original release the group wasn't even called ABBA, but used the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida. When the first song to appear on the album was recorded - 'People Need Love' in the spring of 1972 - the group was just one of many projects the four members were involved in. Only after the title track, 'Ring Ring', became a hit, did the four decide to go on working together as a permanent group.
Side A
1.Ring Ring (Bara du slog en signal)
2.Another Town, Another Train
3.Disillusion
4.People Need Love
5.I Saw It In The Mirror
6.Nina, Pretty Ballerina
Side B
1.Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
2.Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother
3.He Is Your Brother
4.Ring Ring
5.I Am Just A Girl
6.Rock’n’Roll Band
CD Version
1.Ring Ring
2.Another Town, Another Train
3.Disillusion
4.People Need Love
5.I Saw It In The Mirror
6.Nina, Pretty Ballerina
7.Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
8.Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother
9.He Is Your Brother
10.She’s My Kind Of Girl
11.I Am Just A Girl
12.Rock’n’Roll Band
CD Bonus tracks
1.Merry-Go-Round
2.Santa Rosa
3.Ring Ring (Bara du slog en signal)
|
Original release date:
March 1973
Polar POLS 242
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 950-2
Top Ten
Australia 10
Norway 2
Sweden 2
Charted:
|
|
Waterloo (1974)
Waterloo was first released in Sweden on March 4, 1974. Recording sessions began in September 1973 and continued until February 1974.
Sessions for what was to become the Waterloo album were well under way when Björn, Benny and Stig Anderson were invited to submit an entry to the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The song they came up with was, of course, 'Waterloo'.
This second ABBA album was the first to really show the group as a unified entity - indeed, it was the first album to be released under the new group name. Apart from 'Waterloo' the album spawned a hit in 'Honey, Honey'.
Side A
- Waterloo (Swedish version)
- Sitting In The Palmtree
- King Kong Song
- Hasta Mañana
- My Mama Said
- Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
- Honey, Honey
- Watch Out
- What About Livingstone
- Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
- Suzy-Hang-Around
- Waterloo
- Waterloo
- Sitting In The Palmtree
- King Kong Song
- Hasta Mañana
- My Mama Said
- Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
- Honey, Honey
- Watch Out
- What About Livingstone
- Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
- Suzy-Hang-Around
- Ring Ring (1974 Remix, single version)
- Waterloo (Swedish version)
- Honey, Honey (Swedish version)
|
Original release date:
March 1974
Polar POLS 252
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 951-2
Top Ten
Finland 4
Norway 1
Sweden 1
West Germany 6
Zimbabwe 6
Charted:
U.S.A. 145
U.K. 28
Australia 15
|
|
 
ABBA
(1975)
ABBA was first released in Sweden on April 21, 1975. Recording sessions began in August 1974 and continued until March 1975.
The ABBA album was the group's third collection, and was arguably where they finally came into their own. With hits like 'Mamma Mia' and 'SOS', the multi-layered 1970s take on early 1960s pop idioms showed ABBA as a group with a unique sound and approach.
It was with the hits from this album - which also included 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' - that ABBA first made a considerable impact in Australia. 'Mamma Mia' occupied the top position for no less than 10 weeks!
Side A
- Mamma Mia
- Hey, Hey Helen
- Tropical Loveland
- SOS
- Man In The Middle
- Band-A-Boomerang
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- Rock Me
- Intermezzo No.1
- I've Been Waiting For You
- So Long
- Mamma Mia
- Hey, Hey Helen
- Tropical Loveland
- SOS
- Man In The Middle
- Band-A-Boomerang
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- Rock Me
- Intermezzo No.1
- I've Been Waiting For You
- So Long
- Medley: Pick A Bale Of Cotton / On Top Of Old Smokey / Midnight Special
- Crazy world
|
Original release date:
April 1975
Polar POLS 262
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 952-2
Top Ten
Australia 1
Belgium 2
Finland 6
Italy 8
New Zealand 3
Norway 1
Sweden 1
The Netherlands 3
Zimbabwe 1
Charted:
U.S.A. 174
U.K. 13
DENMARK 31
|
|
Greatest Hits (1975)
Greatest Hits was first released in Sweden on November 17, 1975.
This compilation album was rush-released to counter expected import sales of similar collections released by licencees in Europe. The tracks, taken from ABBA’s first three albums, had all been single sides somewhere in the world. The song ’Fernando’ was added when Greatest Hits was released in certain countries during the first few months of 1976.
The bizarre cover painting on the Swedish release was made by artist Hans Arnold. It was originally awarded as a prize from a magazine where ABBA were voted Artists Of The Year. The group liked it so much that they used it for the gatefold sleeve of the album.
In 2006, Greatest Hits was reissued on CD in a miniature replica gatefold sleeve, featuring the original Swedish cover.
Side A
- SOS
- He Is Your Brother
- Ring Ring
- Hasta Mañana
- Nina, Pretty Ballerina
- Honey, Honey
- So Long
- I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
- People Need Love
- Band-A-Boomerang
- Another Town, Another Train
- Mamma Mia
- Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
- Waterloo
|
Original release date:
November 1975
Polar POLS 266
Digitally remastered:
Top Ten
Belgium 2
Canada 6
Finland 3
Japan 4
Norway 1
Sweden 1
United Kingdom 1
West Germany 2
Zimbabwe 1
Denmark 2
Charted:
U.S.A. 48
|
|
Arrival (1976)
Arrival was first released in Sweden on October 11, 1976
ABBA's fourth album featured some of their biggest hits: 'Dancing Queen', 'Money, Money, Money' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'. The album sessions also spawned 'Fernando' which was only released as a separate single in most parts of the world, although it was included on Arrival in Australia and New Zealand.
This was the album where ABBA pushed their classic, direct pop style to the limit. The album could be classified as the group's "exam paper" in the school of International Pop. On Arrival, almost every track could have been a hit single.
In 2006, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of its original release, a Deluxe Edition of Arrival was released, featuring a number of bonus tracks as well as a DVD of rare television performances, news reports and interviews.
Side A
- When I Kissed The Teacher
- Dancing Queen
- My Love, My Life
- Dum Dum Diddie
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Money, Money, Money
- That's Me
- Why Did It Have To Be Me
- Tiger
- Arrival
- When I Kissed The Teacher
- Dancing Queen
- Side A
- My Love, My Life
- Dum Dum Diddie
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Money, Money, Money
- That's Me
- Why Did It Have To Be Me
- Tiger
- Arrival
|
Original release date:
October 1976
Polar POLS 272
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 953-21
Top Ten
Australia 1
Belgium 1
Canada 8
Finland 2
Japan 3
Mexico 1
New Zealand 1
Norway 1
Sweden 1
Switzerland 2
The Netherlands 1
United Kingdom 1
West Germany 1
Zimbabwe 1
Charted:
France 15
U.S.A. 20
|
|
ABBA - The Album (1977)
ABBA - The Album was first released in Sweden on December 12, 1977. Recording sessions began in May 1977 and continued until November 1977.
On their fifth album, ABBA showed a new sense of ambition: longer tracks, more complex structures, and lyrics that aspired to be more than just words that fitted the melody.
Alongside hit singles like 'The Name Of The Game' and 'Take A Chance On Me', the album offered three songs from ABBA's mini-musical, The Girl With The Golden Hair. One of them was 'Thank You For The Music', one of ABBA's most well-known songs but actually never a big hit single.
ABBA - The Album was issued in conjunction with the cinema release ABBA - The Movie. Several of the songs on the album were also featured in the film.
Upon the 30th anniversary of the album, a Deluxe Edition of ABBA - The Album was released in 2007, expanded with several bonus tracks as well as a DVD featuring rare television performances, news reports and interviews.
Side A
- Eagle
- Take A Chance On Me
- One Man, One Woman
- The Name Of The Game
- Move On
- Hole In Your Soul
- Thank You For The Music
- I Wonder (Departure)
- I'm A Marionette
- Eagle
- Take A Chance On Me
- One Man, One Woman
- The Name Of The Game
- Move On
- Hole In Your Soul
- Thank You For The Music
- I Wonder (Departure)
- I'm A Marionette
- Thank You For The Music (Doris Day version)
|
Original release date:
December 1977
Polar POLS 282
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 954-2
Top Ten
Australia 4
Belgium 1
Canada 7
Finland 2
Japan 9
Mexico 1
New Zealand 1
Norway 1
Sweden 1
Switzerland 1
The Netherlands 1
United Kingdom 1
West Germany 2
Zimbabwe 2
Charted:
France 13
U.S.A. 14
|
|
Voulez-Vous (1979)
Voulez-Vous was first released in Sweden on April 23, 1979. Recording sessions began in March 1978 and continued until March 1979.
When ABBA’s sixth album was recorded, the popular music world was in the midst of a disco craze. This certainly left its mark on Voulez-Vous, which was characterized by dance beats and rhythmic inflections. As if to emphasize this tendency, the title track was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, USA, where The Bee Gees made their disco-era records.
Other hits on the album included ’Chiquitita’, ’Does Your Mother Know’, ’Angeleyes’ and ’I Have A Dream’.
Side A
- As Good As New
- Voulez-Vous
- I Have A Dream
- Angeleyes
- The King Has Lost His Crown
- Does Your Mother Know
- If It Wasn't For The Nights
- Chiquitia
- Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
- Kisses Of Fire
- As Good As New
- Voulez-Vous
- I Have A Dream
- Angeleyes
- The King Has Lost His Crown
- Does Your Mother Know
- If It Wasn't For The Nights
- Chiquitia
- Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
- Kisses Of Fire
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
- Lovelight
- Summer Night City
BELOW THE PICTURE DISC RELEASED IN FRANCE ONLY
- BELOW THE U.K. VERSION OF THE PICTURE DISC
|
Original release date:
April 1979
Polar POLS 292
Digitally remastered:
July 2001
POLAR 549 955-2
Top Ten
Argentina 1
Australia 5
Belgium 1
Canada 4
Finland 1
France 6
Japan 1
Mexico 1
New Zealand 2
Norway 1
Spain 3
Sweden 1
Switzerland 1
The Netherlands 2
United Kingdom 1
West Germany 1
Zimbabwe 1
Charted:
U.S.A. 19
|
|
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1979)
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 was first released in Sweden on October 29, 1979.
A round-up of ABBA’s hits since their first compilation album – released in 1975 – Greatest Hits Vol. 2 also contained the brand new single, ’Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’. One or two tracks on the album had been hits in just a few territories: ’Rock Me’, for instance, was a Top Five hit in Australia and New Zealand only.
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 was released to coincide with ABBA’s tour of North America and Europe, taking place between September and November, 1979.
Side A
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Take A Chance On Me
- Money, Money, Money
- Rock Me
- Eagle
- Angeleyes
- Dancing Queen
- Does Your Mother Know
- Chiquitia
- Summer Night City
- I Wonder (Departure)
- The Name Of The Game
- Thank You For The Music
|
Original release date:
October 1979
Polar POLS 312
Digitally remastered:
Top Ten
Belgium 1
Canada 1
Finland 5
France 5
Japan 2
New Zealand 3
Spain 3
Switzerland 2
The Netherlands 4
United Kingdom 1
West Germany 6
Zimbabwe 2
Charted:
Sweden 20
U.S.A. 46
Australia 20
|
|
