ABBA - Gold: Greatest Hits

These songs have been recorded by a slew of artists over the years, but none of them can hold a candle to the originals. Their harmonies were as perfect and as carefully constructed as The Mamas And Papas back in the 60's. If you like ABBA, this is the best collection to have. It contains the best songs off of their albums.


Even This Metalhead Needs His ABBA Fix Sometimes :)   January 27, 2002
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Yep, I was one of those 10-11 year old kids who loved disco when it was popular, and then totally rejected it by the time I was 13 (okay, maybe 14). But during when this music was at its peak in 1977-78, there were very few bands that I liked more than this fab foursome from Sweden, who at the time just happened to be one of the most popular in the world.

As some reviewers have mentioned, there was a certain naivete` about ABBA that was so appealing back then. Part of it was that their music was upbeat without being too silly. Another part of it was the gorgeous vocal harmonies between lead singers Agnetha and Frida. Now that I've come full-circle to appreciate the 70's disco I grew up on, as well as the 80's metal and 90's grunge and industrial that I've grown into, I can say that nothing quite brings back the way I felt in my early double-digit days more than putting on GOLD, the definitive ABBA greatest-hits CD.

The CD begins with their first U.S. #1 hit "Dancing Queen", the song that broke them into mega-stardom. Relentlessly upbeat, this song helped define the disco era. It all ends with their very first U.S. (and international) hit "Waterloo", which they recorded back in 1973, and showed that they were upbeat even before there was disco. In between are 70's classics like "Fernando", "Mamma Mia" (which was so well-utilized in the wonderful film THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT), "Money, Money, Money", "Take A Chance On Me" (during which is impossible to resist the urge to toe-tap), and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (Ah-ha!). There are some 70's curios like "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", "Does Your Mother Know", and "S.O.S." but even these are entertaining. There are even some early-'80's gems like "Super Trouper" and "The Winner Takes It All" (which is probably the greatest disco-love-ballad ever).

Listen, I don't listen to this CD often, and it is in fact the only ABBA CD I own. But, every once in a while, maybe every 3-4 months, I need to hear some of this music. And if that's what you need to do too, then I think you need to get this CD. 'Cause if it's an ABBA fix you need, then there isn't another CD you can get that can satisfy it as well as ABBA GOLD! :)


ABBA Rules   March 22, 2006
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

FIRST- Of note to people who are obsessed with track length (as I am) is the fact that two songs (Voulez Vous & The Name of the Game) are somewhat shorter than their album versions

I thought I would do it track by track:
1. Dancing Queen (3:52) - probably the best-known song on this album- it is truly a classic. It needs no introduction
It's definitely not the best track on the album, but it is a great song.

2. Knowing Me, Knowing You (4:02) - a classic song. A great performance by Frida

3. Take A Chance On Me (4:04) - A nice song. I love the A'Capella beginning. The live version on ABBA LIVE (CD) is also really great- and it sounds faster

4. Mamma Mia (3:33) - A classic ABBA track. I love it!!!

5. Lay All Your Love On Me (4:34) - To me, this is the best song on the album. It has a great sound to it. Very disco-ish or early 80s-ish. From the classic album Super Trouper

6. Super Trouper (4:14) - A good song. This is the opening track from their masterpiece album of the same name. You really should look into the Super Trouper album

7. I Have A Dream (4:44) - a great song. I actually didn't like it until I heard the live version- so you may want to check that out on ABBA LIVE (CD) or on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD). A beautiful track with a children's choir.

8. The Winner Takes It All (4:55) - another great track from the Super Trouper album- and it's probably the most beautiful song on ABBA Gold

9. Money, Money, Money (3:08) - a great song. It has a cabaret type of sound.

10. S.O.S. (3:21) - Not one of my favorites, but for a lot of people this is one of their best songs. I must say, though, they may have a point- listen to it and you'll see.

11. Chiquita (5:26) - My least favorite song on this album. But, it was a major hit in many Spanish-speaking countries

12. Fernando (4:13) - I love this song. To me, it's one of Frida's greatest performances (and that's saying a lot). If you like it, you should hear the live version on ABBA LIVE (CD).

13. Voulez Vous (4:22 [edit- the album version is 5:09, so we lose 47 secs.]) - A great venture into disco. Very upbeat. If you like it, you should hear the whole Voulez Vous album and you should see the performance on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD)

14. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (4:48) - Another great disco classic. It was recently sampled by Madonna on the song "Hung Up."
If you like Gimme! You may want to see/hear the live version on ABBA LIVE (CD) or on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD) and you may want to hear "Hung Up" by Madonna

15. Does Your Mother Know (3:15) - I used to hate this song, but now it's one of my favorites. The 50s rock type of sound to it is great. From the Voulez Vous album- I just love it. If you like it, you should hear the live version (on ABBA LIVE [CD] or on ABBA IN CONCERT [DVD])- it has a great guitar solo part not found in the studio version

16. One Of Us (3:58) - arguably the best track on The Visitors album. Although I'm not so sure about that, it still is great. Check out that bassline!!!!

17. The Name Of The Game - (4:00 [edit- the album version is 4:53, so we lose 53 secs.]) - a beautiful song (although the full length version on ABBA The Album is much better as it has an extra verse)

18. Thank You For The Music (3:51) - great song. Although it released as a single in 1983, it was a track on 1977's ABBA The Album. It is often seen as a farewell song (which it does serve well as), but it is actually one of four songs from ABBA's mini musical "The Girl With the Golden Hair" (this and two others are available on ABBA The Album. One song is unavailable on any album although it can be heard on ABBA The Movie)

19. Waterloo (2:42) - their first major hit. It has a glam rock-ish sound to it. WOW. If only it were longer

ALSO RECOMMENDED: ABBA LIVE and MORE ABBA GOLD.
(I personally prefer More ABBA Gold to ABBA Gold)


Yabba-Dabba-ABBA!   May 17, 2000
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

During the second half of The Seventies, ABBA was Sweden's greatest export since the meatball. Their infectious pop sound was all over the radio and this generous 19-track, 77-minute CD contains nearly every US Top 40 hit. [MIA: "Honey Honey," "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and their final chart entry from 1982 "When All Is Said And Done." You'll have to get More ABBA Gold (still available from BMG) or ABBA's box set if you feel these are essential.]

Although more popular in the UK--seven No. 1 singles and eight No. 1 albums--ABBA hit big in the US with their Eurovision Song Contest winner "Waterloo" in 1974. I was working parttime at a radio station in the late Seventies when our MOR playlist included their two million-sellers: "Dancing Queen" (their only stateside No. 1) and "Take a Chance On Me." [And after the umpteenth playing of "You Light Up My Life" and "Sometimes When We Touch," it made ABBA seem like the Rolling Stones!]

Before purchasing "Gold," I had an old K-tel greatest hits cassette, but the sound on this recording is superb--it was like hearing these songs again for the first time. And in addition to the hits, you get some of their minor chart entries like "Voulez Vous," "Money, Money, Money," "Super Toruper" and the disco-style "Lay All Your Love On Me."

ABBA's delightful Europop with its tight harmonies and soaring vocals are still a joy to listen to more than two decades after these songs were first released. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


Easily one of the great "Best of" albums of all time.   February 3, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket! If I were a conniving CD producer & peddler and had the opportunity to issue "ABBA Gold" and "ABBA More Gold," I'd likely take the most solid ABBA tunes and tactfully divide them evenly between both CDs, and add the lesser known "fillers" as an afterthought.

Well...being an Abba fanatic, I found plenty to enjoy with both CDs. But the first "ABBA Gold" is an absolute gem if you are a casual ABBA fan and want to purchase a "Best of" collection that's packed with the richest and finest ABBA hits.

Seriously, you won't find yourself skipping a few tracks every time a tune ends. Track 1 goes right into "Dancing Queen," and --in my opinion-- the following five songs are not only hits, but some of ABBA's most solid work. You get a diverse selection of their music from sorrowful "SOS" to playful "Money, Money, Money" (a particular favorite of mine, as it's one of those few tunes where you get to hear Frida's powerful and sultry
voice in the forefront!), to sweet & nasty "Gimme Gimme Gimme!"
The full spectrum of ABBA is in this collection.

I really find no filler tracks in ABBA Gold. Admittedly, "I Have a Dream" and "Does Your Mother Know" are two ABBA tunes that always lost me, but when I chat with other ABBA fans, I find myself in the minority. The only way this CD will not fulfill your needs is if you are one of those folks (like me) who discovered ABBA, think they are one of THE greatest, and want ALL ABBA! On the other hand, you can be a fairly avid fan and still get almost all the ABBA you'll need on this CD.