ABBA single by single thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Haristar, Apr 7, 2018.

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  1. Colocally

    Colocally One Of The New Wave Boys

    Location:
    Surrey BC.
    He is your brother, again, a staple from GH, another song that could have been written for Eurovision, it did seem to be their goal at the time, both of these singles are very "love, peace, brotherhood" themed, of the time. Nice interaction between all the voices and a nice lead guitar as well.
     
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  2. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    More of the same. It has the ‘romper stomper’ feel that seemed to afflict many of the Eurovision songs of the early 70s. I can see Lulu performing it in a trouser suit.:D At this point there’s no indication that the group would turn out songs like The Name Of The Game, The Winner Takes It All and The Day Before You Came just a few years later.

    He Is Your Brother is OK, but not exceptional by ABBA or the time period’s standards.
     
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  3. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    My preferred "Ring, Ring" from all of the versions I have on CD is the one on THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC.
     
  4. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    Of the versions in my collection, again THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC is the winner for best sound.
     
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  5. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    I'm becoming more impressed with THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC as I like the "He Is Your Brother" version on that box set better than all of the other versions I have on CD.
     
  6. onionmaster

    onionmaster Tropical new waver from the future

    Ring Ring is an interesting LP for how it was written over a period of time, as whilst I think 'People Need Love' and 'He Is Your Brother' are quite unremarkable, I think 'Ring Ring' and 'Love Isn't Easy' are great.

    If I recall, Merry Go Round was first recorded in English for the Japanese market, soon after which the Swedish version 'En Karusell' was released in Sweden...and then the English version was remixed and used when People Need Love needed a b-side. Of the others, Santa Rosa was a cancelled Japanese single and She's My Kind Of Girl had been one a few years before.
     
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  7. steelvelvet20

    steelvelvet20 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    It is strange how this did not even reach the billboard top 100. Do you know which single this followed?
     
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  8. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    ABBA were never that big in America. Especially at this early stage.
     
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  9. steelvelvet20

    steelvelvet20 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    This was 1979 ((gimme gimme gimme)
     
  10. steelvelvet20

    steelvelvet20 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom

    Not a bad song. Its not something I listen to very often in Abbas set.
     
  11. Colocally

    Colocally One Of The New Wave Boys

    Location:
    Surrey BC.
    We will get there in time, we are still Pre-Waterloo at the moment. :)
     
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  12. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
    (Sorry for the thread interruption, just answering an inquiry!) :)

    It came out shortly after the single Voulez Vous/Angel Eyes single. After Angle Eyes (also) charted here, "Gimme Gimme Gimme" was released in the USA. I think it bubbled under the Hot 100, and the track was included on Greatest Hits Vol. II.

    Edit: I think Europe got "I Have A Dream" as their next single that was also featured on Greatest Hits Vol. II.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
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  13. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
    Welcome Back! :)

    Another single released on the "Playboy" imprint that I don't have. Again thank goodness for Greatest Hits for getting us this early song also. It's another fun practice vehicle for the early ABBA to play and sing on. This one didn't even bubble under here. Does anyone own a USA copy of this single? The B-side, "Mirror" is my least favorite track on the Ring Ring album. The European B-side, Santa Rosa, I've always quite liked. It sounds kind-of "groovy."
     
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  14. Ignominious

    Ignominious Knock and Know All!

    Location:
    North of England
    I think Blue Mink were a big influence on Abba at this time - “Melting Pot”, “The Banner Man” sounds very similar in style to “People Need Love”
     
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  15. Ignominious

    Ignominious Knock and Know All!

    Location:
    North of England
    Probably because “I’d like to Teach” was written by one of the members of Blue Mink I’ve just discovered!
     
  16. John Dyson

    John Dyson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fishers, Indiana
    I was at first skeptical, but I have to agree with you. Unlike a lot of the releases, someone spent some time on the version that you are talking about and did some legitimate work on it to EQ and other things. Also, it doesn't sound like they destroyed it with 'too much' love either. Too often, whoever does the finalizing gets into the compression/limiting game -- but the version that you suggested wasn't overdone, yet time was spent to do a good job of EQ and probably some other well thought out improvements -- much better than just doing heavy handed 'processing'!!!

    Good catch...
     
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  17. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    He is Your Brother is one weird song. The first verse is about a guy going out to beat up some random stranger.

    Santa Rosa on the flip is pure Sunshine Pop with a clavinet the most prominent instrument. I like it.
     
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  18. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    "People Need Love" at the end gets very close to yodeling territory, not that that's a bad thing.
     
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  19. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    Bjorn likes to sing his weird songs -“ Two For The Price of One” is in that same vein.
     
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  20. 9la

    9la Forum Resident

    Which version of ABBA Gold, which year? My Definitive Collection CD sounded so bad that I finally gave it away.
     
  21. John Dyson

    John Dyson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fishers, Indiana
    My 'bad one' is the 40th Anniversary Edition. (Copyright 2014 Polar Music International.) It isn't even DolbyA encoded in a useful way -- nothing. So many times material that doesn't sound good (harsh, too much compression) results from DolbyA not being decoded, but this isn't that. This is just broke. I use it as a reference as 'bad sound' when I am comparing other material that I am testing. Doesn't even sound sane when expanded. I just don't like excessive compression - a little bit done tastefully can be very good. Some of the pieces on this disk are far too gone.
     
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  22. RichC

    RichC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    HA! I'll jump on even though my thoughts on these early singles are fairly limited. ABBA doesn't get enough credit for jumping between genres at will, and in their prime this is a very good thing. Unfortunately, their early stabs at "Up With People" folk do nothing for me. There's a big jump from these early singles to "Ring Ring," which might be a silly song but it's pure ear candy.
    The first two albums (Ring Ring and Waterloo) are the only ones I can't listen to, start to finish. Because the songwriting is all over the place. By the third album, they're still changing genres every song, but the ABBA "sound" has finally locked in so even the stylistic detours are very listenable.

    Once Benny & Bjorn figured out the group's strengths (and stopped singing lead on every other song), ABBA was unstoppable.
     
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  23. steelvelvet20

    steelvelvet20 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Thanks for answering this. A bit strange how it wasn't more successful in the USA, especially as Abba had recently been on tour.
     
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  24. steelvelvet20

    steelvelvet20 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Love isn't easy is a great little tune.
    But Ring ring. Bjorn says that in the UK, between Waterloo and SOS, they had a few flops. Let's face it Ring ring is not a top 10 hit.
     
  25. bare trees

    bare trees Senior Member

    Even if it does sound like an "Up With People" type of song, "He Is Your Brother" has a certain charm to it. I do prefer the flipside, "Santa Rosa".
     
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