The oldest album "Ring, Ring" from 1972 (and may the professional world forever argue about whether it is a "real" ABBA album since the group had not yet thought of the name) is much better than I expected: cheerful, catchy Flower Power Pop! With some rocky landings. Here you can tell the freshness of young people who just want to make music. The second album "Waterloo", although the foundations for an international breakthrough, has personally not quite as convinced me that famous songs "Waterloo" and "Honey, Honey" are great, but the rest I have to still nice to hear.
Schlicht "ABBA" they called their album of 1975 and that is for me the first album, which has the very typical ABBA sound, the one immediately thinks, if the name of the band falls. Very melodic, very harmonious, very catchy. Followed is the work of the mega-sellers "Arrival", who made ABBA superstars, and I have to say quite rightly, the album is gigantic! Absolutely every song on it is good, here you will find the four best in form.
"The Album" with "Eagle" has even a nearly 6-minute song and at the end also contains a mini-musical, the "Thank you for the music" includes the well-known. Here ABBA begin to try more with their music. "Voulez-Vous" is ABBA's disco album, but this also includes the beautiful ballad "I Have a Dream" and "Chiquitita". The song "If It Was not for the Nights" but reminds me of "Stayin 'Alive" of the Bee Gees, I would say, here they have been inspired by the current trend disco.
ABBA's late work consists of the magical fairy-tale "Super Trouper" album, which is very melancholic, but also very beautiful, and finally the last album "The Visitors" by 1981. Although that was last no longer so successful, it contains especially a lot of sound and vocal technical highlights, is a rather dark colored, but just very mature album. Personally, I like it for that very reason.
Finally, the box contains a bonus CD with 17 songs that are not found on the albums. Again, I am very pleasantly surprised by the unknown songs like "Crazy World", "Elaine" or "Should I laugh or cry". The CD contains the last song ABBA's penultimate single of their career "The Day Before You Came", one of my favorite songs! Since the group has still managed an absolute masterpiece in the final meters and I liked the stories about the song but also to "The Visitors" as much as is hineingeheimnist regarding the divorce and the end of the group. Big Drama!
Overall, the box is made very loving, the digital versions of recordings geremasterten are qualitatively top notch and even the booklet is high quality and informative. I am thrilled beyond measure by this purchase!
After I heard all the albums, I am deeply impressed by ABBA's creative power, they have provided all in less than 10 years on their feet and we're not talking about rapidly blended gap fillers, but almost any of the albums containing several international hits which today a large audience are well-known.
In addition, I noticed how original and successful are the lyrics. For example, no longer going out of my head: "And if I meet you, what if I eat you, I am the tiger" Just as good. Fauch.
