Abba Studio Albums coloured vinyl box 03/07

It’s an interesting point on the general state of ABBA re-issues. Let’s take for example the Beatles stereo box set that came out a few years ago. I purchased this set even though there are numerous copies of Beatles stereo pressings on the market (1 box 2 box emi etc etc) which can be picked up relatively cheaply and in pretty good shape, I guess I was thinking that by buying the “box set” it would somehow be “better” but it wasn’t. My friend also bought the stereo box set and he loved it, but by his own admission he was a casual Beatles fan, had no interest in comparison.
So I was thinking that this box set would somehow be the “ABBA musical nirvana” over my current copies, and to some extent it could be, but I guess for me I will probably stick with my Dutch and German originals. You never know one day they may do the ABBA equivalent of the Beatles mono box set and really push the boat out, I think ABBA do deserve that, as for me they are a superb band and worthy of that sort of treatment.

 

The one redeeming quality of that set was the gorgeous book that came with the set. It was selling for $100 on eBay at the time.

 

If I knew for a fact they weren't the 2011 digital's i'd risk buying it. The set as a whole does look nice.

 

Doing some more digging.
Looks like these are the old digital's. These 2020's carry the same Optimal stamper year code, A=2010- The Album side one received a new stamper/cut K=2020
So, just a re-issue.

 

I wonder if the analogue-derived metal parts for previous albums are unusable at this point? Or perhaps it’s a licensing issue?

Or may the powers that be don’t give a s**t.

 

That’s an interesting point. When was the last time a “box set” of ABBA was done all AAA ?? Would that have been the readers digest set? Which is a forum favourite and rightly so (just make sure you get the UK pressing)
I would have thought that the parts would be readily available, so maybe it is a licensing issue.

 

Cost cutting probably. Optimal already had what was needed, since they did the last box and individual releases. Abba's such a brand name anymore, they could sell out a cassette box i'm sure.

 

Well said and on-point. The remastering of their catalogue has been nothing short of disastrous. We need Bernie Grundman / Hoffman or Gray remasters.

 

The powers that be don’t, or have ever given a **** about how their catalogue sounds.

 

I’ve done a lot of A/B against this box set and the Japan original pressings are on par or better. I own and love the RD box set - it’s a little brittle at points, but the best “best of” by far.

 

It's a pity that with today's technology nobody has yet used high res laser scanning or MRI type imaging tech. to literally carefully map mint condition copies of any well-regarded LP mastering you can mention. With somebody who knows their stuff you could even repair imperfections in the original pressing via the 3D scan. Could then replicate true analogue re-pressings of any title one cared for. I'm sure there's some serious money to be made by such tech... This could then be used to CNC cut a fresh stamper. LPs on demand? Oh ****! I just woke up, well one can dream!

(I should patent this idea quick haha!).

 

I couldn’t agree more. Luckily I was following the “best vinyl ABBA pressings thread” so I managed to pick up some cheap really good sounding pressings (Dutch, German etc), I then preceded to take the ones I replaced to my local record shop who promptly told me they would end up in the 10pence bin along with all ABBA pressings!! Some of the uk pressings I previously owned were pretty awful sounding, very thin especially VV, don’t get me wrong the new box set looks superb and by the limited feedback on sound quality, seems to be quite well liked. I guess I was looking for that Beatles mono moment, before I splashed out

 

Any further comments on the sound of these? I am tempted to buy them regardless of the sound but my opinion of ALL the ABBA reissues I have (inc the half speed) is something that would make chiquitita blush.

 

Wait, I was under the impression that the B2B releases were from the boxset and were AAA? Is that incorrect? I bought Arrival, The Album, VV and Super Trouper, but have not really listened.

They are the only albums I really like. I think the original RCA/VICTOR Australian yellow label first presses for the others sound great. Ring Ring and Waterloo use POLS stampers and ABBA sounds good enough. I don't even notice a lot of distortion. Although seeing as ABBA was the biggest selling record of all time in Oz in 1976 with over a million copies (until The Best of ABBA and Arrival!) so it is tough to find an early pressing. It was pressed at so many different studio's plants as RCA had to contract it out to try and keep up demand.

I actually think the POLS stamper Super Trouper sounds great too. Was my birthday on the 1st, had to listen to that ST my mum bought me on my 4th birthday. The Visitors sounds the same for every version with "cutting room Sweden" in the deadwax so that goes to the mint, quiet Jp version I have. I no longer have my RCA originals from 1981 (I ended up with 2), trying to find a mint or near mint copy of the RCA album is impossible.

The US promo I have of Arrival sounds AMAZING, I doubt any other pressing sounds as good. Another plus for me is NO F'ING FERNANDO!!! I HATE that song. It was no.1 for 14 weeks here, I was barely born so I was not arpund, but I think anybody that was around then HATES that song! Of course history has been re-written since the 70's and ABBA's success is always talked about in terms of the UK, but nowhere had a bigger impact than Australia. If it was not for us, EPIC would not have bothered to start promoting. There would also have been no Mama Mia single.

 

Everything is from the 2011-
DIGITAL's @44
Except the recent 1/2 speeds which are actually hi-rez digital's.

 

That is not so to my ears, I have three pressings from different countries with that stamp and they sound absolutely different -not even close- to each other.

 

Well crap.... I thought they were AAA and read that many times.

Really? I have not compared to be honest them much. Will have to do that now. Again, just from what I have read again. "Cutting Room Sweden are all the same"

 

Yes, I have read that many times, those are assumptions that are not likely based on actual testing. The stamp might be the same but the sound isn't, at least in my experience. My Atlantic US pressing is not bad but it is the one I like the least, generally I use the Swedish one which I can't find now but I like the German too.

 

Can’t believe I missed this thread after all this time. I bought this boxset and I love it. The coloured vinyl are beautiful and they did well on the colour grading of the covers and reproducing the text of the titles, group names... The fonts are as crisp as the original albums. It was worth it,

 

Personally, they can shove their "coloured vinyl" gimmick garbage. Make some proper AAA records while the tapes are still held together!

 

What’s an AAA record by the way?

 

I have always understood it to stand for analogue, analogue, analogue. Basically a recording made with a full analogue “chain”. Take a CD, it may start its life as an analogue recording but is then converted to digital. AAA starts with analogue and ends with analogue. And if more learned members say I’m talking tosh, then I will hide under the table

 

You are quite right and that is probably more accurate than the reason I remember for the triple A as there can be other steps instead of just three.

A1 original tape where the artist recorded the music.
A2 the mastering tape/process
A3 the media used to reproduce the music, in this case an analogue record.

That makes the AAA and you can change the A for a D as necessary until you have DDD.

A stands for analogue of course and D for digital.

 

Thinking about this, it takes me back to the late 80’s when I first purchased the Beatles cd’s as a young wide eyed young lad, I remember seeing on the notes that they were AAD (or something like that) which I now imagine would be 1) analogue original recording 2) analogue recording process 3) digital media
Kind of makes sense now

 

Yes, it was a description that became common to describe CD's in the 80's, only more recently you start seeing it as AAA. AAD and ADD were also taunted as the reasons a CD might not sound that good and that you could only get top sound when it was marked DDD.