ABBA: Waterloo 40th Anniversary Deluxe to be released 7th April 2014

I certainly hope so.

Darryl

 

You can see the performance in "Melodifestivalen" from 1974 here http://www.oppetarkiv.se/video/1066906/melodifestivalen-melodifestivalen-1974
Since it's only available if you're sitting in Sweden I guess you can use some proxy server to fool the server you're in Sweden.

 

Voting contest has ended and here's the tracklist for the upcoming ABBA-40/40 japanese 2SHM-CD compilation:

1. Dancing Queen
2. That’s Me
3. Take A Chance On Me
4. Chiquitita
5. SOS
6. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
7. Super Trouper
8. Ring Ring
9. Honey, Honey
10. She’s My Kind Of Girl
11. Tiger
12. Eagle
13. Move On
14. Hey, Hey Helen
15. Our Last Summer
16. One Of Us
17. The Winner Takes It All
18. Slipping Through My Fingers
19. My Love, My Life
20. Happy New Year

1. Waterloo
2. Mamma Mia
3. Money, Money, Money
4. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
5. Voulez-Vous
6. Summer Night City
7. Does Your Mother Know
8. On And On And On
9. When I Kissed The Teacher
10. Fernando
11. Knowing Me, Knowing You
12. Angeleyes
13. Lay All Your Love On Me
14. The Name Of The Game
15. Under Attack
16. Hasta Mañana
17. I Have A Dream
18. I’ve Been Waiting For You
19. One Man,One Woman
20. Thank You For The Music
http://www.universal-music.co.jp/abba/news/2014/03/03_votingresult/

No The Day Before You Came and no Visitors? My top 40 would've been different but anyway i pre-ordered it.

 

and no Rock Me !

 

Yes, sadly it's NTSC this time (always leads to problems with my german equipment) and it's definitely not a CD to watch in one session, cause 9 versions of "Waterloo" are definitely too much..;-)
The alternate version of that song on the CD is quite interesting, as it works out, how important the saxophone is for that song.
The new mastering is not - unlike the 30th anniversary release - brickwalled at all. It's around 3 dB lower, nothing is clipped, full dynamics, less "agressive" treble and a bit more bass. And it's a different transfer, the files differ slightly in length.
A nice set for collectors, but it doesn't really improve the album. The best was yet to come....

 

Did you already pick up this 40th anniversary CD/DVD set? I forgot the exact release date, but plan to order it very soon. From your description, the CD sounds nice though. An NTSC DVD is not usually a problem for U.S. machines though.

 

Yes, some media already have copies for reviews.

 

I've got a message from Amazon that my Deluxe Edition was shipped today. I will arrive tomorrow. I will listen to the stuff, check waveforms and write a short review here !!!
Anybody out there who has the DE received before me ???

 

Read above - but that shouldn't spoil your fun. It's no race, it's just about enjoying music.

 

So tomorrow must be the 7th April in the Amazon calendar....great to get that package three days prior its official release date !!!
I just thought that maybe other consumers got their package earlier to talk about the sound quality - tomorrow I will know more about it
The race is on

 

I received both the Gold and Waterloo Deluxe Sets today but have no time to listen to them before the weekend.

 

Any danger that the 40/40 title might bring us the same sound quality as the Carpenters 40/40 compilation? Already have the Complete Studio Recordings blue fuzzy box but could be persuaded to open my wallet for something Abba wise of equivalent quality as the Carpenters comp.

 

Finally I unwrapped my Deluxe Edition.
I gave it a quick listen, have to check it in full tomorrow (with headphones).
I ripped the CD with EAC and checked the waveforms...mhm....not exactly what I expected (a little bit too loud fpr my taste), but I will trust my ears first.
Unfortunately we will not get new transfer of the RING RING 1974 remix + US versions. Both were taken from previous remasters and lowered in volume to match the other tracks.
First thing I checked was the end of HONEY HONEY. On all available versions, the stereo image swaps short before the fade out. I fixed it in 2008 for my own audiophile ABBA set and now, 40 years after the original release of the album, they fixed it...!!! Well, the new restoration job doesn't sound really good (the editing point is very audible), but this could a first effort to restore some stuff in the future.
I will write a short review when I listened to the full thing, if anybody is interested !!!

 

I've got this one and the new GOLD on order, but am just slightly dismayed that one of the 30th anniversary videos doesn't seem to be included here - "Hasta Mañana (Señoras y Señores, RTVE)". That black & white clip is among my favorites of ABBA videos:



Harry

 

An old post of mine in another thread details the 30th Anniversary Edition of Waterloo:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/abba-arrival-deluxe-cd-dvd-set.333260/page-3#post-9746292

Harry

 

Back from my listening session with headphones.
Overall sound is very good, but sounds indeed a bit darker than previous editions. A very warm and loud bass, slightly less treble, but still nice.
I recognized some small dropouts which were not present on earlier releases, but I suspect that they did another transfer from the vinyl cutting tape with may show its signs of the times...but all in all a good version.
Tomorrow I will check the DVD content.

 

I always considered this swap a gimmick on purpose and not a mistake. I am used to it in the English version and somehow would miss it if it wasn't there anymore. The Swedish version doesn't have it though.

 

Yes, it is (was) only on the english version.

 

Just so you know... all ABBA albums (mastered for Itunes) available as of today. And guess what: The Name Of The Game is without that limiting/distortion (whatever the heck you want to call it) on the vocals. It's definitely not the Astley botch-job either because it doesn't have the horrendous EQ or the obvious cut and past job. That said, however, Eagle and One Man One Woman do sound like the came from the old faulty/distorted/limited (whatever the heck you want to call it) tape. Can they ever get it right? LOL!!

Also on The Visitors. Slipping Through My Fingers ends cold, no tick tock cross fade (so this one's new).

I checked the samples on Arrival and Dancing Queen has the dropout back in its rightful place (enough with that already! Every time they've tried to fix it they just screw it up further!) It does sound like a new remaster; it doesn't have the Astley magic (i.e. EQ and the weird skip in the middle of Knowing Me Knowing You) and it sounds nothing like the Deluxe.

Anyway, that's all I can report from now. I've only bought The Name of the Game and Slipping Through My Fingers. I would assume the rest of the stuff is the recent remastering for the deluxe editions but I cannot be 100% sure.

That's all I have so far!

Richard.

 

Thank you for information about the iTunes stuff !!!
I will buy The Name Of The Game now...

 

Thanks for the heads-up. FYI: the MfiT editions are only available in the European iTunes stores. The U.S. and Canadian stores have even fewer ABBA titles than before, and none of them are MfiT.

 

I've only just ponied up for the Led Zeppelin MFiT remasters! Will sample Name Of The Game (my fave Abba track) and a couple of others - if these are any good I WILL end up rebuying.

 

First impressions after a headphone listen to the previews on the UK store: I'm far from an Abba expert, my only references to date are the Thank You For The Music set and the blue fuzzy Complete Studio Recordings CD box. The Visitors at least is MUCH less loud and compressed than the CSR equivalent album, the music seeming able to breathe more.

Cutting back and forth between CSR The Visitors and MFiT equivalent is sounding extremely promising indeed! Only (very petty) gripe so far is that the extra tracks on CSR/TYFTM such as Crazy World, You Owe Me One don't seem to be included or on a separate album so far but this really is going looking for concerns.

For anyone else with access to any of the European iTunes sites I'd be very interested in their opinions. In the mean while it;s time to start reckoning which meals I might be able to go without over the next week or two

EDIT: Tell a fib. Crazy World is on Abba. Tempted to do an A/B listing between the CSR box set and the new MFiT release and see what is missing/included relative to CSR if anyone is interested.

 

Gorts: If this is deemed to be off topic, happy to start a new thread.

Having had a good look around the UK iTunes store, the following albums are available MFiT:

Ring Ring
Waterloo
Abba
Arrival
The Album
Voulez Vouz
Super Trooper
The Visitors

Some of the albums have extra tracks relative to their initial issues, others do not. Additionally Abba Gold & Oro are also available MFiT. Not sure if these are using the same masters as the individual albums themselves. Gold at least doesn't sound overly compressed dynamically. I'd imagine Gold at least being constructed from the new MFiT files.

More Abba Gold, The Essential Collection, The Visitors (Deluxe Edition) and Ring Ring (Deluxe Edition) are still available on the UK store but are not MFiT.

Using the Complete Studio Recordings blue fuzzy felt box, the following hopefully identifies which tracks are available MFiT and which are missing. Green denotes MFiT available, red denotes MFiT unavailable:

Ring Ring

1. Ring Ring
2. Another Town, Another Train
3. Disillusion
4. People Need Love
5. I Saw It In The Mirror
6. Nina, Pretty Ballerina
7. Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
8. Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother
9. He Is Your Brother
10. She's My Kind Of Girl
11. I Am Just A Girl
12. Rock'n Roll Band
13. Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal) (Swedish Version)
14. Ah, Vilka Tider
15. Merry-Go Round
16. Santa Rosa
17. Ring Ring (Spanish Version) - on Ora
18. Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht
19. Ring Ring (German Version)

Waterloo

1. Waterloo
2. Sitting In The Palmtree
3. King Kong Song
4. Hasta Mañana
5. My Mama Said
6. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
7. Honey, Honey
8. Watch Out
9. What About Livingston
10. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
11. Suzy-Hang-Around
12. Ring Ring (US Remix 1974)
13. Waterloo (Swedish Version)
14. Honey, Honey (Swedish Version)
15. Waterloo (German Version)
16. Hasta Mañana (Spanish Version) - on Ora
17. Ring Ring (1974 Remix, Single Version)
18. Waterloo (French Version)

Abba

1. Mamma Mia
2. Hey, Hey Helen
3. Tropical Loveland
4. S.O.S.
5. Man In The Middle
6. Bang-A-Boomerang
7. I Do, I Do, I Do
8. Rock Me
9. Intermezzo No.1
10. I've Been Waiting For You
11. So Long
12. Crazy World
13. Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top Of Old Smokey/Midnight Special
14. Mamma Mia (Spanish Version) - on Ora

Arrival

1. When I Kissed The Teacher
2. Dancing Queen
3. My Love, My Life
4. Dum Dum Diddle
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. Money, Money, Money
7. That's Me
8. Tiger
9. Arrival
10. Fernando
11. Happy Hawaii
12. La Reina Del Baie - on Ora
13. Conociendome, Conociéndote - on Ora
14. Fernando (Spanish Version) - on Ora

The Album

1. Eagle (Long Version)
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. One Man, One Woman
4. The Name Of The Game
5. Move On
6. Hole In Your Soul
7. Thanks You For The Music
8. I Wonder (Departure)
9. I'm A Marionette
10. Al Andar - on Ora
11. Gracias Por La Musica - on Ora

Voulez Vous

1. As Good As New
2. Voulez-Vous
3. I Have A Dream
4. Angel Eyes
5. The King Has Lost His Crown
6. Does Your Mother Know
7. If It Wasn't For The Nights
8. Chiquitita
9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
10. Kisses Of Fire
11. Summer Night City
12. Lovelight (Original Version)
13. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
14. Estoy Sonando - on Ora
15. Chiquitita (Spanish Version) - on Ora
16. ¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame! - on Ora

Super Trouper

1. Super Trooper
2. The Winner Takes It All
3. On and On and On
4. Andante, Andante
5. Me and I
6. Happy New Year
7. Our Last Summer
8. The Piper
9. Lay All Your Love On Me
10. The Way Old Friends Do (Wembley Arena Live Version)
11. Elaine
12. Andante, Andante (Spanish Version) - on Ora
13. Felicidad - on Ora

The Visitors

1. The Visitors
2. Head Over Heels
3. When All Is Said And Done
4. Soldiers
5. I Let The Music Speak
6. One Of Us
7. Two For The Price Of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
10. Should I Laugh Or Should I Cry
11. No Hay A Quien Culpar - on Ora
12. Se Me Esta Escapando - on Ora
13. The Day Before You Came
14. Cassandra
15. Under Attack
16. You Owe Me One

Rarities

1. Waterloo (Alternate Mix)
2. Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top Of Old Smokey/Midnight Special - On Abba
   
3. Thank You For The Music (Doris Day Version)
4. Summer Night City (Full Length Version)
5. Lovelight (Alternate Mix)
6. Dream World
7. Voulez-Vous (Extended Version)
8. On and On and On (Full Length Version)
9. Put On Your White Sombrero
10. I Am The City
11. Abba Undeleted

Of the missing English language tracks I'm slightly disappointed that You Owe Me One and I Am The City aren't available as they form a natural listen through with The Visitors for me. These two at least can be picked up individually from The Visitors Deluxe Edition. Otherwise the glass is definitely half full for me here as the new MFiT files definitely sound superior and more dynamic than the CSR box which is my main Abba mainstay through today. A purchase is definitely in order as it will prove cheaper than picking up other individual albums on CD.

How do they sound relative to other non-CSR issues, specifically the recent run of Deluxe Editions?

 

The Visitors is definitely a new remaster. Apart from the standalone version of Slipping Through My Fingers, it restores the regular version of Head Over Heels (the Deluxe uses an alternate version with a somewhat alternate chorus)

I'm listening to Arrival as I type... I decided to get this one, I think it's a definitive improvement over the Astley remaster and the nightmare that was the Deluxe-CSR version. And I probably like it better than the Polydor (I know this is generally viewed as the superior version but I always found it a bit muffled...)