ABBA single by single thread

I agree - watching professional singers handle ABBA tunes on stage is one thing.
Listening to people who can’t sing butcher the songs with a 5 minute plot for an hour and a half is quite another

 

Isn't there a thread for Mamma Mia 2?

 

Here we go again...

 

My, My ...

 

10 days and no new single post. Are you able to continue @Haristar or are you done here? Maybe everyone has moved on to greener pastures?

 

It's a single-by-single thread. We're outta singles.

 

I think we should look at ABBA compilations because there are so many, and some early ones are worth seeking out for odd tracks. I'd like to learn more about the key ones, the different masterings and so on.

 

I don’t know why they don’t do boxed sets or outtakes of abba songs as they do with Beatles. With those masterful vocals and layering of instruments it would be a real treat to hear some of these legendary songs in stripped down or isolated forms.

 

That probably deserves a thread of it's own.

 

I know we are out of ABBA singles! (Until December anyway!) What had been tentatively planned was to go on with the post ABBA solo singles by the girls to continue this thread until the new ABBA song is released later this year.
Haristar messaged me and said he is not going to be continuing this thread, but if we wanted to, he is OK with us using this thread to finish that.

What I'd like to know is there -ANY- interest in exploring and discussing the solo singles from the 1980's through 2018 using this thread, using the "single by single" format of songs that were issued for Agnetha and Frida, after ABBA.
It was started already (here) with "I Know There's Something Going On" by Frida, and "Never Again" by Agnetha, being the first solo singles in 1982. Would anyone like to continue? No problem either way, express your opinion.

 

I'm certainly interested in reading about the girls solo efforts. Unfortunately I'm more of a lurker and not much of a contributor, so perhaps not the best person to be having a say in what happens next.

 

Won't be as interesting to me. I suggest a new thread for those that ARE interested.

 

I think the answer to your question is that Bjørn and Benny doesn´t want anything less than perfect, in their eyes, to hit the market. I have listened to a few on bootlegs, and some of them are great. "YOU OWE ME ONE" is especially interesting to listen to, as you can hear the layering of the backing vocals so clearly, and you can hear how much work went into the recording of these seemingly simple songs. The boot I found this one is called "LOST GOLD", and it´s a 2CD compilation. I wish they would release these things on an official compilation. I for one would love to hear these.

 

In just going to say it would include about another 35 or so tracks from tail end 1981 to 2018. I know I can learn something and maybe appreciate the ladies beautiful voices even more. That said, I'm not going to research it further if no one is really that interested. And it's OK to not be interested. It's not ABBA.

 

Very interested.

 

I'd also be interested in following the singles of each ABBA member as they did separate projects. I'm collected most, if not all, of Benny's work over the years, but I really don't know all that much about what Agnetha and Frida did outside of a couple of albums each.

 

I'm afraid I won't be interested either. From Frida I only like 'I Know There's Something Going On' and from Agnetha a couple of songs from 'A' and 'My Colouring Book'.

Have we already discussed the two Chess hit singles? They would fit into this thread perfectly.

 

Next single release by Frida was the solo version of "Here We'll Stay". On the album version it's a duet but here it is only Frida. The single version was not released digitally until 2005 with the remaster of Something Going On (and the first version of the remaster included yet another mix of the version with Phil Collins that had never been released before due to a wrong tape being use. This was corrected on later versions). From wikipedia: The song "Here We'll Stay" had previously been recorded and performed by singer Sonia Jones for the UK pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest1980.[2] On the album, it was recorded as a duet with Phil Collins, although he wasn't credited. When it was decided to release the song as a single in 1983, Frida re-recorded the song as a solo version.
A music video was released also.


Polar POS1334

 

Second and last single here from Frida's current album. Great song, still sounds funny without Phil Collin's vocals! So that in itself made it collectible for me. First a promotional 7' was released in late 1982, also the solo version. In the States it was released commercially in mid 1983 on Atlantic 7-89834 as a special version, meaning sans Phil. It charted in the US at #102 on the Hot 100 Bubbling under chart. It broke the top 40 in a couple European countries, but not in Sweden.

@tim_neely if you'd be willing to share your expertise, you might be able to shed more light about this single release and upcoming solo releases! "To Turn The Stone" was actually the next single released internationally in late 1982, but it's release was passed on by Atlantic Records again, like several ABBA singles in the past.

 

I'd never heard Frida's solo vocal until yesterday, when I watched the video.

Unfortunately the video was... well, not my cup of tea, and I bailed on it after less than a minute.

 

I picked the single up in a bargain bin a few weeks after release only because I didn't even know it existed before that day. Promo for it in the UK must have been near zilch, never saw any ads or reviews or heard it on the radio. I also didn't realise it was a Frida solo take of the album track until I got home and played it.

They should have stuck with the original duet idea and released it as it was. Phil Collins profile at the time would have surely helped garner a few more sales.

Also thanks to filip_kbh, I was completely unaware of the songs Eurovision connection. That performance is on YouTube for anyone brave enough to seek it out.

 

Phil Collins didn’t want his vocals on the single release....

 

I hate to say it but I can sort of see his point. Singing a failed Eurovision reject tune with an ex ABBA member might not have been seen as the coolest thing to do at that point in time.

 

Plus he was busy with Genesis, and he would of had to do promotion with Frida had he been on the single and video. It would of been expected.