ABBA - Summer Night City - full version

Given this forum is turning into ALL ABBA, ALL THE TIME, I was wonderin' about the full length version of "Summer Night City" with the quiet intro with Bjorn singing.

I know it is on the "Thank You For The Music" box, but has it been released anywhere else?

 

It's on the Rarities disc in the CSR box too.

 

I am SO glad this thread was started. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this version, and it should have been issued this way in the first place, at least on LP if not single. That opening sequence might have been the best thing the band ever did, production wise.

The only drawback-knocking people out of their seat when the common part of the song kicks in.

 

If I'm not mistaken it was also on the UK limited edition of the Number Ones collection -I think the one with the bonus disc, though I can't recall with the most accuracy right now. It was also on the 1997 remaster of Voulez-Vous (the 2001 edition uses the shorter version)

I quite like this song despite the bad rap it gets from its songwriters and other sources. I'm not sure what it is. Oh, it sounds great if you listen to it thru OOPS. There are some great piano parts by Benny buried in there that you cannot quite hear when you listen to the song in (normal) stereo.

Richard.

 

Not on my 1997 edition, it is listed with a 4:12 running time on the back and in the booklet but it's only 3:35 on the disc.

 

Oh, there you go! I thought of that one because I remember seeing the timings on the back of the sleeve and always assumed it was the full length version as stated on the track listing. I never bought the 1997 remasters because I found them "offensive" for a whole load of reasons ranging from sonic issues to shoddy artwork and inaccurate liner notes!! I remember there was an ABBA fansite that reviewed them and said "read more about The ABBA Disasters" (instead of "remasters")
Despite the neverending repackaging of the ABBA catalogue, the Polar/Polydor/Atlantic discs are all I ever listen to. I do go to the CSR box for the rarities though.

Richard

 

There's actually a couple of different versions out there, according to Carl Magnus Palm, the guy who compiled the CSR boxset:

[The] original full length version was originally released on the 1994 Thank You For The Music box set. However, by the sound of it, it appears sound engineer Michael B. Tretow took the beginning of the track and spliced it onto the regular single version of the track. For The Complete Studio Recordings, I managed to track down the original full length mix, created back in 1978. In my opinion, it sounds better than the "glued-together" version released in 1994, having a slightly less "drastic" volume increase after the strings-piano-and-vocals introduction.

 

And of course it was also released on the Deluxe version of Voulez-Vous.
It is rather strange that ABBA never explored the 12" format with longer versions or alternate mixes.

 

An extended version of the track "Voulez-Vous" is available on a US promo 12"...