ABBA single by single thread

Re "One Night in Bangkok":

The U.S. 45, which came out on the RCA label (PB-13988), has a custom white label with the CHESS logo at the top and a picture sleeve. All the copies are on styrene. It also has an incorrect credit on the label.

Here is the credit as it appears at the left of the label. I have bolded the part that is wrong.

Produced by
Benny Andersson,
Tim Rice and
Björn Ulvaeus/
Engineered by
Michael B. Tretow/
Choruses sung by
Anders Glenmark/
Introduction by
London Symphony
Orchestra
Conducted by
Anders Eljas/
Arranged by
Benny Andersson
& Anders Eljas

The orchestral introduction as heard in the official video does not appear on the U.S. single version. This is the correct version as it appears on the stock copy of the 45:



I own the stock copy and remember wondering where the orchestra was as I listened to it for the first time!

The promo 45 of "One Night in Bangkok," RCA JB-13988, has two versions on it. One is labeled "(Original European Hit)" with the sub-number -- at least on the label -- of PB-13988-A and a time of 3:54. This side has the same label credits as the above stock 45.

The other side is labeled "(U.S. Radio Edit)" with the sub-number of PB-13988-D and a time of 4:05. The credits on this side of the promo are as follows:

Produced by
Benny Andersson,
Tim Rice and
Björn Ulvaeus/
Engineered by
Michael B. Tretow/
Choruses sung by
Anders Glenmark/
Arranged by
Benny Andersson
& Anders Eljas

Notice what is missing.

I don't own this promo, so I can't confirm what is in the trail-off wax, but the labels are pictured on 45cat.

I suspect what happened is that someone at RCA decided that the "A" version was going to be the one with no orchestra (U.S. Radio Edit) and the "D" version the one with orchestra, but didn't relay that information to the label printers, and no one ever bothered to correct it, because every label is wrong. I say this because my stock copy is etched with "PB-13988-A-1" in the trail-off wax, and as mentioned, it matches the video above. If it was truly an error pressing, it would have had a D where the A was in the dead wax.

When the Gold Standard 45 was released in 1986, with "Pity the Child" on the flip (GB-14339), once again the "U.S. Radio Edit" was used on the "One Night in Bangkok" side, with the same incorrect credits and time as on PB-13988.

 

I just remembered the first time I watched some of ABBA's music videos. It was in October 1992, when MTV Europe did an 'ABBA/ AC/DC weekend'.

On Fridays around 5 pm, they always had a show where they played 3 music videos by one artist in a row. On Friday October 23, 1992, they played three ABBA videos, as an introduction to their 'ABBA/ AC/DC weekend'. I remember that one of these 3 videos was 'The Winner Takes It All'.

Then on Saturday October 24, they had their ABBA day. The VJ who introduced the songs was a Swedish girl call Rebecca.
The same day, I got the 'ABBA Gold' VHS video as a present. I was blown away by all the music videos, mainly because of Agnetha's (and to some extent Frida's) beauty.

 

Thanks for posting that, I had no idea that the US single version didn't feature the orchestral introduction!

 

I just discovered a great performance of 'So Long' on YouTube, performed on French TV in 1975:



The person who uploaded that video has one of the best ABBA channels on YouTube (2Shaymcn).

 

US Billboard Top 10 Singles for the week ending May 18, 1985 (when 'One Night in Bangkok' reached it's peak)

01 (03) Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
02 (01) Crazy for You - Madonna
03 (05) One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
04 (08) Everything She Wants - Wham!
05 (07) Smooth Operator - Sade
06 (06) Some Like It Hot - The Power Station
07 (04) Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge
08 (02) We Are the World - USA for Africa
09 (10) Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
10 (12) Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer

'Bangkok' spent 6 weeks in the top 10 and 20 weeks in the Hot 100.

 

I Know Him So Well - Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson (1984)

Released: December 1984
B-side: Chess (London Symphony Orchestra)
Charts: #1 (UK, Ireland), #22 (Germany)

 

"I Know Him So Well" is a duet from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was originally sung by Elaine Paige (as Florence) and Barbara Dickson (as Svetlana). In this duet, two women – Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress – express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.

Original version
The duet was first released worldwide on the Chess double LP, often referred to as a concept album or album musical, in the autumn of 1984. Later it was released as a single by Paige and Dickson, the duet reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in 1985. They laid down their vocals separately and never met during the recording of the song, only for the video and subsequent performances on Top of the Pops and the European tours. This recording remains in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling UK Chart single ever by a female duo. Paige also appeared in the original London West End stage production of Chess.

In the United Kingdom on 18 September 2004, the BBC's All-Time Greatest Love Songs (hosted by Lionel Richie) saw the duet performed live by Paige and Dickson, together for the first time in 20 years, to a rapturous reception. Paige played her solo demo recording of the song on her BBC Radio 2 show, Elaine Paige on Sunday.

In January 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the top 10 All Time Best Selling Duets in which "I Know Him So Well" was placed seventh in the chart.

Paige and Dickson also recorded Spanish-language lyrics for release as "Lo Creo Conocer". The single was never released though.

Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston version
In 1987, a studio version of "I Know Him So Well" was recorded as a duet by Cissy Houston and her daughter Whitney Houston for Whitney's second album, Whitney. It was released as a final and 6th single from Whitney on November 30, 1988 in Australia, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain. There was no official music video produced for the Houston duet of song, however there are live performance video-recordings. The song version was included in the Whitney Houston North American leg of the Moment of Truth World Tour. The single was not promoted as heavily as previous singles from Whitney.

Critical reception
Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times praised the duet thus: "The album ends on a graceful, intimate note as Houston is joined by her mother, singer Cissy Houston, on "I Know Him So Well," a ballad from the musical Chess. Rolling Stone's Vince Alleti criticized the song and production: "Walden covers all these bases, out-schlocking Masser with "I Know Him So Well" — a genuine if frankly derivative show tune (from Tim Rice's Chess) treated here with deadly reverence..." St. Petersburg Times called the duet lifting and praised the mother's role: "Mom adds a brief, welcome moment of grainy soulfulness to the album."

Chart performance
This single peaked at number 46 in Germany and in the Netherlands it peaked at number 14. The single did not appear in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, unlike the 4 previous singles which all reached the Top 10.

Geraldine McQueen and Susan Boyle version
"I Know Him So Well" was recorded by Peter Kay and Susan Boyle for Comic Relief 2011, with Kay appearing as his alter ego Geraldine McQueen. Their version reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. A spoof music video was also created.

Melanie C version
"I Know Him So Well" was also covered by English recording artist Melanie C. The song was the first single to be taken from Melanie C's musical theatre-inspired and sixth studio album Stages. The song is a duet with Chisholm's fellow Spice Girls group member Emma Bunton. The song was released as a single on 11 November 2012. The b-side of the single is a cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical Carousel. The music video for the song premiered on YouTube on 12 November 2012.

I Know Him So Well - Wikipedia

 

Ah, Chess. My favorite musical of all time. "One Night in Bangkok" is so unlike almost everything else in the score, but it's fantastic nonetheless. I heard "One Night in Bangkok" on the radio and loved it, even before I had any idea it was written by Benny and Björn. I figured that out as soon as I went to buy the album.

The extended version of "One Night in Bangkok" from the 12" single is quite odd. It's a strange pastiche of the song with fragments of other songs from the score faded in and out over an extended instrumental section in the middle of the song.

 

Another great song from Chess. I adore Elaine Paige, so I'm a bit biased, but this is one of the highlights of the score. It's far more ABBA-esque than "One Night in Bangkok." I would pay good money to hear this sung by Agnetha and Frida...

 

To be honest, I doubt Agnetha and Frida could better the original... I’m not a big fan of Elaine Paige’s harsh voice, but she and Barbra Dickson knocked the hell out of that song. Even Streisand didn’t make a very good job of it!

 

In the United States, RCA released five singles from Chess. Only "One Night in Bangkok" made any Billboard chart; it made the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Hot Dance/Disco charts.

All five had custom white labels with the "CHESS" logo at the top, and at least the first four had picture sleeves. In numerical order, with credit as listed on the label:

PB-13958: Heaven Help My Heart (Elaine Paige) / Argument (Elaine Paige and Tommy Körberg)
PB-13988: One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head) / Merano (Murray Head) [different mix of A-side issued in the U.S. vs. UK, though the label would have you believe otherwise]
PB-14022: I Know Him So Well (Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson) / Chess (Instrumental) (London Symphony Orchestra)
PB-14123: The Arbiter (I Know the Score) (Extended and Remixed Version) (Short) (Björn Skifs) / Merchandisers (The Ambrosian Singers)
PB-14152: Pity the Child (Murray Head) / The Deal (No Deal) (Elaine Paige, Murray Head, Tommy Körberg, Denis Quilley)

In the UK, seven singles from Chess were given catalog numbers.

CHESS 1: One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head) / Merano (London Symphony Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers)
CHESS 2: Nobody's Side (Elaine Paige) / Embassy Lament (Featuring Peter Bamber, Alan Byers, Leslie Fyson, Vernon Midgley)
CHESS 3: I Know Him So Well (Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson) / Chess (Instrumental) (London Symphony Orchestra)
CHESS 4: The Arbiter (Björn Skifs) / Merchandisers (The Ambrosian Singers)
CHESS 5: Heaven Help My Heart (Elaine Paige) / Argument (Elaine Paige and Tommy Körberg)
CHESS 6: Pity the Child (Murray Head) / The Deal (Elaine Paige, Murray Head, Tommy Körberg, Denis Quilley)
CHESS 7: Nobody's Side (Remix Version) (Elaine Paige) / Embassy Lament (Featuring Peter Bamber, Alan Byers, Leslie Fyson, Vernon Midgley)

CHESS 6 is not known to exist as a UK pressing, but the number was assigned.

 

I agree. Elaine Page is OK, but not a favourite of mine. A bit, how should I put it... "Two A Penny". (I´m pretty sure you get the reference, Your Bobbyness. ) Barbara Dickson, on the other hand, is a favourite. I know she´s the kind of singer you´re not supposed to like, but I seem to collect all those un-favourites! There´s something so easy, so unaffected in her voice that I really like. She can do show tunes and Alan Tarney-pop - and most other kinds of music. (Though I tend to avoid her Beatles covers. She has recorded some of the most boring versions of their great songs. And I´m not even a fan of The Beatles!)

 

To be honest I'm not a big fan of 'I Know Him So Well'. I definitely prefer 'One Night in Bangkok'. Funny that the former was a huge hit in the UK but nowhere else and with the latter it was the contrary.

 

I would love to start an 'ABBA album by album' thread! It would include their 8 studio albums plus the most successful compilations (GH 1 & 2, 'The Singles', 'Gold' etc.). Is there enough interest for such a thread?

 

I’m sure there would be. My ABBA threads/polls have generally gone down well.

 

Have you decided if you’re going ahead with the thread?

If so, would you do the solo albums too? Maybe things like the Thank You For The Music box?

It could end up being a big job.

 

I haven't decided yet. I would not include solo albums. Things like the 'Thank You For the Music' box set, however, yes!

 

Please do the thread, cut to the chase! I loved the singles thread, and albums can allow us to gush over the album tracks that need some attention. ("I´M A MARIONETTE", "MY LOVE, MY LIFE" etc.) I´ll be doing my bit - going on and on about the songs I love. (Which means...all of them.)

 

Where else will Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother get its due appreciation?

 

He, he... How true. Their one shining moment... NOT. Still, I like the naiive simplicity of it. It´s not Top 50 ABBA, but I can forgive a lot from them. Even "CRAZY WORLD".

 

I like Crazy World.

You can forgive ABBA their occasionally clunky lyrics because the melodies, vocals and arrangements are so fantastic.

 

I agree with you about certain things. I do like the arrangements, especially the stuff that was added after the fact when the song was remixed. (If I remember correctly.) They add some of the ABBA magic to a rather bland and tired track, if you ask me. (Oh, you didn´t? Well... Never mind. ) The vocal arrangement is perfection, as always - the musical backing less so, I think.

I usually don´t mind the sometimes clumsy lyrics in ABBA songs - I mean, they are no worse than the Bee Gees, whom I also love. But sometimes the lyrics get in the way of me enjoying the song. "CRAZY WORLD" is one of those, "TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE" another. I don´t actively dislike either of them, but the lyrical twist in both songs is tired and cliched, and in the former, not very well told anyway.

John Tobler wrote in his book about ABBA that "CRAZY WORLD" was the first time you felt that ABBA had put B-side level material on a B-side of a single. And I kind of agree with him.

I like this - we have started in on the discussion already, even though this song is not technically in any way an album track. Other than as a bonus track.

 

I like "Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother" I like the slight clunky sound of the sound, that makes it work for me.

"Crazy World" is one of my favorite ABBA songs (I waited for years to get a replacement for my well-worn 45 of the song). I like the sad nature of the song with the nice twist at the end. Reminds me a little but of another of my favorite songs: "Bermuda Triangle" by Barry Manilow (too bad ABBA didn't cover that song, it would have been terrific!).

 

If you end up doing the thread, please put a link here in this thread.