Abba: Pickwick Hits Boxset 1991

Hello All, I have the chance to pick up this boxset from 1991, I don't know anything about it apart from at the time it was a budget release, has anyone got any idea on the mastering and sound quality of the discs etc, I don't care for the crap artwork,
Thanks

The Hits (Disc One)
1. Waterloo
2. S.O.S.
3. Dancing Queen
4. Knowing Me Knowing You
5. Lay All Your Love On Me
6. Super Trouper
7. Take A Chance On Me
8. I Do I Do I Do I Do
9. Honey Honey
10. Hasta Manana
11. The Visitors
12. Mamma Mia

The Hits Vol.2 (Disc Two)
1. Name Of The Game
2. Arrival
3. Ring, Ring
4. Eagle
5. Summer Night City
6. Happy New Year
7. Angel Eyes
8. Money, Money, Money
9. Andante Andante
10. Voulez Vous
11. Kisses Of Fire
12. The Day Before You Came
13. When I Kissed The Teacher
14. Fernando

The Hits 3 (Disc 3)
1. The Winner Takes It All
2. The King Has Lost His Crown
3. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
4. Gimme Gimme Gimme
5. Head Over Heels
6. Rock Me
7. I Have A Dream
8. Chiquitita
9. The Piper
10. On And On And On
11. One Of Us
12. Our Last Summer
13. Does Your Mother Know
14. Thank You For The Music

 

All tracks are digitally remastered allegedly. I have never heard any of the three but I have heard Pickwick's Love Songs compilation, which was the final one in that series.

They used whatever tapes that came to hand. On Love Songs, this means that you have the best unremastered version of the B-side mix of Lovelight side by side with a dreadful transfer of Under Attack.

 

So it could be a bit hit and miss depending on what track, at least it won't be loud and compressed and it has only cost me $8

What about that Reader's Digest 4 cd set - The Ultimate Collection?

 

Yep. It's an excellent buy at that price. The Reader's Digest set has been reissued multiple times - what version are you looking at? I've heard tracks from the 1993 version and they seem decent enough.

 

These:

http://music.shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=ABBA+ULTIMATE+COLLECTION&_sacat=11233

 

I have the first disc from this set and the sound quality is actually quite good in my opinion.

 

Which set, my friend?

 

The one from the set you originally asked about. Here are the specifics of my disc:

ABBA
The Hits
1990
Innovative Music Productions / Pickwick Int.
PWKS 593
Disc Manufactured in France

Cover is identical to the one you posted.

 

I'd buy this set in a heartbeat.

 

(deleted - double post)

 

I can't comment on sound quality comparisons, but I have a soft spot for this set because for the longest time, it was the only ABBA I had. This, along with the Gracias Por La Musica Japanese greatest hits compilation CD in Spanish, is what I listen to the most from ABBA.

I didn't know until today that this was a box set. I got the discs all separately.

 

That's a 2005 reissue. I would avoid it unless I was 100% certain it didn't use the Astley remasters as pretty much all compilations issued around then did. I was talking about the version that appeared over 10 years previously...

 

Anyone know what length is The Name of The Game is on the Hits Vol 2? If its the full version, does it have any of the distortion that most other masterings have?

 

Great Cheers!

 

I will let you know when it arrives

 

Gracias Por La Musica actually was a proper Abba album, not a compilation. It's just rarely seen these days as Polydor rebranded it as Abba Oro to cash in on the success of Abba Gold and have never seen fit to restore it to the catalog in its original format.

 

It's the edit that also appeared on the first Abba Gold cd. I don't remember if there was distortion.
I had these cds but gave them away a couple of months ago. They aren't mastered hot at all but they are a mixed bag sonically. Some of the songs sound quite decent while others sound very tinny. Does Your Mother Know was very disappointing when compared to the Polydor Voulez-Vous cd and GH vol.2.

 

Any other edits or Bad Masters you know off, what about Eagle is that the full or edit version?

 

Eagle is the full version, iirc.
Lay All Your Love On Me is faded very early (around the 4:15 - 4:20 mark) which was probably done to avoid the applause on the Super Trouper album master.

 

The short version has no distortion and the worst section is edited out anyway.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I just ran across it while researching the Pickwick hits box, so I thought I'd throw out my two-cents worth.

I have enjoyed this set since it first came out. IIRC, there were scant ABBA compilations on cd in those days and I believe this was one of the first. I can attest to the fact that this set is mastered fairly well and not loud and compressed as seems to be the industry standard these days. Anyway, I would recommend it.

 

i agree charles,thanks for commenting on it

 

I also owned this set back in the day, and at that time it was the best ABBA compilation on the market.

 

Just received this set. Ok, I am very surprised how great this sounds!

No compression and NR. It's the closest to ABBA on vinyl I have heard yet aside from the Atlantic GH discs!

Name of the Game sounds great, no distortion that I can detect.

Stay tuned, I may have an extra one of these to sell in the classifieds very soon.

 

There's no distortion because it contains the short edit of the song, which omits all the distorted sections.