ABBA - The Albums (9-CD Box Set) - new in November 2008!

Done! This is what I sent...

Dear Mr Jonnson,

I am an avid reader/member of the Steve Hoffman Music Forums. ABBA CDs are a re-occurring topic of interest. Since 1997 there have been a number of ABBA re-issues.

Steve Hoffman forum readers are well aware that you were responsible for the mastering of both the Complete Studio Recordings box set (2005) and the Albums box set (2008). One reader of the Steve Hoffman Music Forums recently observed that the wave forms of the 2008 Super Trouper CD show significant differences as compared to the 2005 version (more dynamics/less compression/more breathing room in the digital realm). I was very surprised by this. I would have assumed that the 2008 box set was simply a subset of the 2005 Complete Studio Recordings. We would love to more hear about the history and differences regarding the Albums box set project and invite you to visit

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=166590

Perhaps you may even be willing to field a handful of questions regarding your ABBA mastering projects. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Ron S. Daschmans

 

Just curious, If you've never heard ABBA, then why were you dissing them in the record store?

As for which albums, I'd start with 'ABBA', 'ARRIVAL' & 'VOULEZ-VOUS

 

I'd be curious to know how it sounds compared to the Astley digipak remasters. I passed on the Complete Studio Recordings box from a few years ago because of reports of massive compression. I'd be interested in this if it's not squashed, no-noised, and has not been massively EQ'd. I don't find the Astley's as offensive as others here. They're not perfect. But I have no interest in replacing one set of flaws with a different set of flaws. If these new ones are flat transfers with open, uncompressed, more analogue-like sound, I'd bite.

 

You might want to re-send that e-mail to [email protected] since you've misspelt his last name, it is Jonsson and not Jonnson. It just didn't look right when I read it as it was an unusal spelling of a common Swedish name and double-checked.

 

I have the 1997 editions of the Abba catalogue, mastered by Jon Astley and Tim Young, with Michael Tretow, I guess with JA at the helm, these are not well thought of around here, are they?

 

WTF??? Any chance of posting a sample up?

 

Actually on second thought I believe I am mistaken, the sample I posted here is supposedly NOT from the upcoming new "The Albums" box set but from a private remaster of "Super Trouper" that was apparently released for members of an ABBA fan club in Tokyo.

I just downloaded the same song from iTunes (which is already selling "The Albums" box set ahead of its physical release date) and compared the wave forms and found that "The Albums" uses the exact same mastering as previously found on "The Complete Studio Recordings" (the wave forms look very much alike).

I'm very sorry about this and would like to apologize for the confusion, I should have researched this issue more carefully!

 

I'd agree with two of those but not Abba - Abba is a little bit too primative in places to be a good introductory album. I would say, despite the dated production, Super Trouper would be the one I'd recommend instead - strong songwriting, good lyrics and every song is a winner.

 

Phew! Thank goodness you clarified that before I got my wallet out. I'm not even going to ask how you got the two confused.

 

Close call. *phew*
I was comparing prices for a purchase.

 

If you've never heard ABBA, then why were you dissing them in the record store?

I wasn't dissing them, not really. I just think of ABBA like I think of The Partridge Family...a gimmick. I was sort of dissing my wife. She grabbed up all of the ABBA albums just like she grabbed up all of the ASIA albums.

 

What's wrong with the Partridge family???

 

Oh no! I ordered it now, will have to cancel the order

 

....all this sounded too good to be true...

 

It's obvious that your wife likes four-letter groups that begin and end with the letter "A"!



Harry

 

Thanks for clearing this up! Well, I guess I won't be purchasing this box then.

Those 'private remasters' could be interesting though...

 

In light of the confusion, perhaps I'm lucky to have made that typo

 

Fate.

 

There's an old saying: "When something appears to be too good to be true, it usually isn't."

I guess this applies to the lovely wave-form of "Super Trouper" posted earlier in this thread. There was hope for a minute...

 

OK here is a good one ... my wife informed me the reason she has only ASIA and ABBA is because when she is "lucky" enough to get to the record store, she does not hunt down a particular group like I do but rather starts alphabetically and then I bust her before she even gets out of the "A"'s.

Now she made me put the record on and I know why I bust her everytime ...

 

Then I guess I'm busted as I like both Asia and ABBA.

 

ABBA have lots of talent.

 

Dang this thread!

That waveform post had me equivocating in my head about whether or not to take a chance and order this newer box set. I'd made the lagre leap of faith that if ONE SONG were that different, then the whole set just HAD to be. And with the relatively cheap price of the set, I'd pulled the trigger and placed the order.

Thankfully, I was able to cancel it in time.

I wonder if someone who's capable to produce those waveforms could do so on the "Super Trouper" track on the old Atlantic/Polydor mastering of the album and post it here. Wouldn't it be a hoot if the "secret remaster" was in fact just a clone of the old Atlantic disc!?

Harry

 

From the Polydor "First Ten Years" double CD.