ABBA - Gold: Greatest Hits | 
 enlarge | Artist: Abba
Label: Polydor / Umgd
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $5.85
You Save: $8.13 (58%)
New (55) Used (49) Collectible (2) from $3.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  311 reviews
Sales Rank: 103
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 517007
UPC: 766487202923
EAN: 0766487202923
Publication Date: 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: IMPORT CD. Brand new and factory sealed! Free upgrade to First Class for US orders and to Air Mail for international orders!
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| Tracks:
| • | Dancing Queen | | • | Knowing Me, Knowing You | | • | Take A Chance On Me | | • | Mamma Mia | | • | Lay All Your Love On Me | | • | Super Trouper | | • | I Have A Dream | | • | The Winner Takes It All | | • | Money, Money, Money | | • | S.O.S. | | • | Chiquitita | | • | Fernando | | • | Voulez Vous | | • | Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) | | • | Does Your Mother Know | | • | One Of Us | | • | The Name Of The Game | | • | Thank You For The Music | | • | Waterloo |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
Anyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
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| Customer Reviews: Read 306 more reviews...
 Lively, Cheerful, Occasionally Thoughtful January 26, 2003
60 out of 64 found this review helpful
I am the right age to have known ABBA in its early years, but I didn't. I've always been out of synchrony with music trends, but I enjoy what I enjoy, when I enjoy it. I "discovered" ABBA in the late twentieth century (Man, that makes me feel old!), and still enjoy them. At first, they come off as "ear candy, and a few of their songs are just pretty fluff, but an examination of the lyrics (yes, there are real words accompanying that powerful beat and those lush melodies) shows that there is some depth there. Not always, but more often than you might think, and not always where one might expect it.
"Dancing Queen" - Okay, I just talked about depth, but then we start with one of the fluffier songs. It does create the image that some girls have of being the star at a big dance, but there is little depth beyond that. This one has a high cotton-candy factor: very sweet, but too much can give you a stomachache (look at the word, "stomachache," as it's a strange word, just to look at).
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" - Well, here we get a bit more meaning. This one, to me, is all about picking one's partners in Life carefully. That might not be profound, but it is a good idea to include in a song. The melody is fairly rich for this song, and the beat is fairly strong. A lively song.
"Take A Chance On Me" - This is a very lively song with lyrics that should be taken with a grain of salt, as that "take a chance on me" statement implies potential danger (otherwise, why would someone need encouragement like that?). A good song, though.
"Mamma Mia" - This one is lively and fun and good to dance to and lively and fun. I don't see the lyrics as having a lot of meaning to them, but the song did inspire a musical, so I guess that some people see an important story in there. To me, it's just a good fun song.
"Lay All Your Love On Me" - Like "Take a Chance on Me", this is a good song, that has the message of "I want you to love me, but be careful, as that is a risky thing to do." Here, though, the risks are more clearly stated, as is the challenge to try love anyway. An interesting song, with a good beat and a good melody.
"Super Trouper" - This one has a powerful beat and a good melody. The lyrics are nothing fancy, but it does make me wants to sing along, and it is very cheerful.
"I Have A Dream" - This happy song is an ode to optimism and an anthem for the cheerful people of the world, set to pleasant music, and featuring nice, clear vocals. It reminds me, in its spirit, of "The Happy Wanderer".
"The Winner Takes It All" - Is this Donald Trump's theme song? No, I guess that would be "Money, Money, Money". This one talks about taking chances, and the concept of "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Risk-taking is something that we all have to think about, as a risk untaken is an opportunity lost, but that opportunity might have been a path to disaster, too.
"Money, Money, Money" - Now, we have Trump's anthem. It might seem out-of-place on this generally upbeat album, but I think its superficially-jaded message is really a lampooning of greed. It's not one of my favorite songs here, but it's good.
"S.O.S." - Oh, this is one of my favorites! The music flows richly, the beat is good, and the message is a simple and strong one: "We had it good, it's gone now, I don't know what went wrong, and I want to know what the heck happened!"
"Chiquitita" - This one makes me want to not only sing along, but to march! The melody is rich, the vocals are great, the beat is powerful, and the lyrics are inspiring. A+
"Fernando" - For me, this is the best of the album. Not only do I love the sad melody and the rich vocals, but the lyrics are packed with meaning. Even though I have never been much of a rebel, this song clearly conveys the idea of "We might have failed, but the attempt was worth it, because our cause was just." Wow.
"Voulez Vous" - This one is what it is: a powerful, primal invitation to love. The beat is strong, the melody is pretty rich, and the message is simple and straightforward.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" - On the surface, this one seems like it's redundant with "Voulez Vous", but listen to the lyrics. While "Voulez Vous" is wanton and reckless, hedonism distilled, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" is something different. It has a powerful, almost primal beat, and a whirlwind melody, but the lyrics are not about sex and impulsive love, but about safety, security, and keeping away the shadows, the evil of the night. This might be the deepest song of the album.
"Does Your Mother Know" - A catchy, upbeat tune, but it seems to lack the magic of the others. My least favorite of this bunch.
"One Of Us" - Okay, we had something, it's gone now, and I don't like losing what we had. Nothing complex there, but well-stated in this song.
"The Name Of The Game" - "Nobody else has figured me out, but you did, so what do I need to do to make this work?" That's the message here -- another invitation to a potentially risky relationship. Not the best song here, but not bad.
"Thank You For The Music" - I like this one. ABBA is thanking their fans, thanking each other, thanking God, for their success; that's how I interpret this catchy song. Fun, and good to sing along with.
"Waterloo" - A strong beat, a good melody, good vocals, very upbeat. Not their most profound song, but it closes out the album on a fun note.
If you're unfamiliar with ABBA, Wikipedia has a good description of them. They are from Sweden, they were active from 1972 to 1982, their music was a mix of pop and disco, and the four members were: Benny Anderson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog (who married Bjorn Ulvaeus in 1971), and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad.
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC! May 14, 2006
37 out of 48 found this review helpful
Abba's music is electric, vibrant and fresh despite the passage of time. The group, as Amazon so correctly points out, had a special versatility that enabled them to produce many different types of songs. There's the classic "Dancing Queen" that almost everybody recognizes as being distinctly Abba with their 1970's pop sound; but there's also the rock and roll style of "Does Your Mother Know." "Does Your Mother Know" is just one of the many songs on this CD that has a great musical arrangement as well.
Abba was also very capable of capturing the intensity of one's feelings about love affairs and romance. I enjoyed how they compared a romance to Napoleon's infamous battle with their song entitled "Waterloo." "The Winner Takes It All" also captures the intense bitterness of a lost romance. They sing of other universal themes such as the quest to become rich ""Money, Money, Money" and the sheer delight of celebrating love without ties with "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)."
"Lay All Your Love On Me" has a beautifully haunting disco flavor that deserves recognition all on its own. Powerful! The musical arrangement is strikingly beautiful and very sensitively delivered. I also particularly enjoyed the somewhat autobiographical song entitled "Thank You For The Music." The lyrics are very well written:
I'm nothing special; in fact I'm a bit of a bore
If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before
But I have a talent, a wonderful thing
'cause everyone listens when I start to sing
I'm so grateful and proud
All I want is to sing it out loud
So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me
Although some people may be tempted to say that the lyrics to Abba songs are just too sugary sweet to be enjoyable; I for one disagree. There is a refreshing honesty to the lyrics that reminds me of a naivet? I myself once had and lost when I learned some painful lessons along the way in my life. That nostalgia probably helps me enjoy Abba's music even more; and I would imagine that at least some other people would feel the same way that I do.
One note: if you want longer "dance" versions of some of these songs, you'll be disappointed here. The CD gives you 19 songs so there's not much time for longer versions. That's a minus, admittedly, but this CD remains quite strong anyway. Hey, the proof is in the pudding: despite being released years ago, the CD is still a big seller! SMILE
The quality of the sound is excellent and the song set is nicely laid out.
The liner notes are excellent. John Tobler contributes an extensive essay about the history of the group that also includes some information about their personal lives. The liner notes include song credits, pictures of the covers of their record albums and quite a few nice color pictures of the group. You won't get the lyrics to the songs, though.
All in all, this is an awesome CD for Abba fans as well as people who want to get to know Abba. I would also recommend this CD for fans of great pop music with a 1970's flavor to it. Try this CD--you won't be disappointed.
Extremely pleased with this CD June 24, 2003
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
ABBA was formed in 1972 by four great Swedish musicians (Agnetha Fltskog, Bjrn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad - ABBA, get it?). Featuring wonderful vocals and bouncing instrumentation, plus enjoyable (if somewhat lightweight) lyrics, the group shot to international stardom, dominating charts around the world until their final breakup in 1982. This album was put together in 1993, and contains many of ABBA's most memorable tunes. As an added bonus, the paperwork contains a short history of the group, plus many colorful pictures.Overall, I am extremely pleased with this CD, and highly recommend it to everyone! By they way, I used this CD to introduce my own children to ABBA, and now they walk around singing some of the same songs that I did at their age!
Abba forever! June 22, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
There's a reason that the music of Abba seems to enjoy a new revival every few years. The work of this Scandinavian pop quartet, which broke up in the early 1980s, has an irresistible appeal that seems to transcend both time and national boundaries. "Gold: Greatest Hits" collects 19 of Abba's most popular songs.The songs of Abba range from romantic to melancholy, from sentimental to playful. The instrumental arrangements and vocal performances blend perfectly to create a true international pop style. The gentler songs ("Chiquitita," etc.) employ ballad elements effectively, and fast songs like "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo" have a wonderful driving energy. Whether you first fell in love with Abba during their heyday, or during one of the revivals of their material, you'll want this CD for your collection.
The best place to start for the new fan July 26, 2000
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
A warning to those who do not yet own an Abba album. They WILL get under your skin, despite their disco sensibilities, lyrics that sometimes cross the border into the silly and those (ahem!) funky outfits they used to wear. This is because Benny and Bjorn (the two guys) were first rate songwriters who knew that a good hook is the key to a great song, and because Frida and Agnetha (the two girls) had the prefect throats to sings those songs. "Abba Gold" has all the biggest hits (19 of 'em!), from "Dancing Queen" to "S.O.S." But be forewarned, if you buy this album as your initiation, you may well find yourself seeking out other Abba albums.
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