1974

WATERLOO - The band's second album opens with the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest winner and global smash cementing Abba's name in music history.  The timeless classic hit number 1 in the UK and as with most Abba songs is a staple at any party.  Catchy Pop/Dance/Rock , nothing more to say than "class".

SITTING IN THE PALMTREE - Lead vocals by Bjorn on this track, it is a kind of summery almost Reggae Calypso song,  Laid back and engagingly catchy.

KING KONG SONG - Bjorn again joins the Agnetha and Frida for this track's vocals.  This is a brilliant Glam Rock style track.  Catchy chorus and powerful vocals by all, with a really cool melodious chanted chorus.  Could have easily been a single.

HASTA MANANA - Spanish for "Until Tomorrow", this track is a female crooning styled track of old style Pop from the late 50s to early 60s.  Simialr to the female singers of the time like Connie Francis and Brenda Lee, beautifully sung by Agentha here.

MY MAMA SAID - Not a favourite of mine this one, it seems to meander along without a kick.  It's almost hitting a Funk Disco vibe but holding back somewhat.  It would work better with more Funk at the fore I think.  Still its a rarity of an Abba song not to click with me.

DANCE (WHILE THE MUSIC STILL GOES ON) - A song that gives the feel of Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound from the 60s.  Everyone including Benny joins in the vocals on this track.  Its Motown feel and soulful singing make this a great song.

HONEY, HONEY - Classic Europop singalong.  Everyone knows this song, I even thought it was a cover version at the time because it felt like I had heard it many times but it is an Abba composition.  It is light and catchy and Bjorn joins the girls again on this track.

WATCH OUT -  Bjorn takes charge on vocals on this manic Glam Rock/Classic Rock track.  Brilliant track and shows the band were not just a bubblegum Pop outfit as was once claimed by so called music critics.  They cover all genres.

WHAT ABOUT LIVINGSTONE - This track supposedly about explorer David Livinsgstone.  Its a kind of Alternative Country Pop.  It is bright and breezy but not up to the standard of Abba classics.

GONNA SING YOU MY LOVE SONG - A big powerful Pop ballad sung brilliantly by Frida on lead vocals.  Bags of emotion and a great love song.

SUZY-HANG-AROUND - Benny leads this Progressive, Psychedelic Rock styled track.  It is nice and takes you back to the hippie times of the 60s.  Reminds me a little of the Alternative Pop played by The Monkees.

RING RING (U.S. REMIX) - The classic track and title of the previous album remixed for Americans!

1975

MAMMA MIA - Abba's third studio album is almost like a hits album in itself with so many well known songs on it.  This opening track was a mega hit across the globe and was the sixth single from the set and the first UK number 1 since "Waterloo".  A classic Abba song, Europop merging with Progressive 70s Rock, a pure timeless gem.

HEY, HEY HELEN - A little Disco, a little Glam Rock and a little Europop. A simple but effective and engaging experimental track.

TROPICAL LOVELAND - Frida carries this song in a Calypso Regga Pop style. It's a nice, summery, feel good, relaxing track.

SOS - Reaching number 6 on the UK chart, this is one of my favourite Abba tracks.  An anthemic Rock Pop classic sung beautifully by Agnetha.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE - Led by Bjorn on vocals, this is a cool, funky track with a great chorus and laid back, sleazy attitude.  Love it.

BANG-A-BOOMERANG - Both girls are back on vocals for this song.  A typical Europop style with a hint of 60s Wall of Sound Motown.  It is catchy and again memorable. Not released as a single in UK but was a minor hit in several countries.

I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - The third single from the album only reached number 36 on the UK chart.  Its a nice piano led Pop ballad but not one of my favourites, I must admit.  Beautifully sung with orchestrated backing but doesn't really go anywhere for me.

ROCK ME- An absolute favourite of mine.  Led by Bjorn as is usually the case on the rockier songs.  His throaty, hard rockin' vocal merges with the infectious beat and guitars to make a melodious old fashioned Rock 'n Roll track.  Nice.  Interestingly not a single worldwide but a hit in Australia and New Zealand!

INTERMEZZO NO1 - An almost Classical/Progressive Rock instrumental, both eerie and off beat quirky.  Its cool if you like instrumentals, but for me Abba is the vocal harmonies..

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU - A big powerful Pop ballad sung by Agnetha.  It's anthemic Europop, its not a great Abba song for me, but then it has a lot to live up to!

SO LONG - Similar in vein to "Waterloo", the Rock 'n Roll Pop style is brilliant once again.  Another favourite of mine of so many.  The first single on the album released in a handful of countries but not UK and yet we still all know it, like so many of the band's lesser songs.

1976

WHEN I KISSED THE TEACHER - The opening track to the fourth album from Abba is a lighthearted whimsical light Pop Rock track about a student who can't handle the crush anymore more and kisses the teacher! If anyone else made this track it would be scandalous but this seemed to have gone by the censors.  It is a breezy track to open a great album.

DANCING QUEEN - Every party staple since this was released.  An all time classic, number 1 in the UK and numerous other countries and even their only USA chart topper.  Unmistakeable intro, catchy chorus and a pumping Europop Disco beat with slower vocals, a gem.

MY LOVE, MY LIFE - A simply beautiful ballad, sung by Agnetha.  Such pure vocals and a melancholic melody that is both positive and heartbreaking.

DUM DUM DIDDLE - By any other artist this would be a ridiculous, banal Eurovision entry.  The fact that is sounds pretty decent despite that is such a testimony to Abba that they can make anything sound music worthy!

KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU - Another classic rolls off the line on this album.  The third single from this set and reached number 1 in the UK and its another of those magical memory inducing songs. Sung this time on lead by Frida.  

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY - The big hits kept coming for Abba with this great Europop Rock styled track.  Again with Frida on vocals, it sounds almost like a James Bond theme with its dramatic orchestral-like backing.  Only reaching number 3 in the UK chart but a massive hit all over.

THAT'S ME - This track would not be out of place on the "Voulez-Vous" album with its pumping Disco beat.  Although deep into the next decade Erasure would come around, this surely would have been one of their blueprints.  Electronic Synth Pop Abba style.

WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ME? - 60s slow Rock 'n Roll track here with Bjorn joining the girls for the vocals.  It has a great Jazz Blues feel too.  Cool.

TIGER - An uptempo Pop Rock track that wouldn't have been out of place in the early 80s.  It is almost New Wave Disco.

ARRIVAL - To finish the album, the band go for another instrumental offering, I actually like this one.  It has a nice  Gothic Folk feel in composition

"VOULEZ-VOUS" 

1979

AS GOOD AS NEW -  Abba's Disco styled sixth album opens with a stomping, fast paced funky track sung on lead vocals by Agnetha.  The lyrics may be not as inciteful as some of the Swedish band's tracks but its got a great feel good vibe.  A simple but effective introduction. 

VOULEZ-VOUS - The title track hits that perfect Disco beat and sound, a classic Abba track and in my opinion, one of their best.  Although the album is a year before the 80s this is straight out of the mid 70s club Disco scene.  Great track and reached number 3 in the UK chart.

I HAVE A DREAM - Frida takes lead vocals on this melancholic but positive track.  It is a beautifully crafted song.  It reached number 2 in the UK chart held off by Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall".

ANGELEYES - Another favourite of mine.  Released as a double A side with "Voulez-Vous" but its a great song in its own right.  Another catchy Disco Pop track, great harmonies and melodies as usual.  Timeless classic once again.

THE KING HAS LOST HIS CROWN - A mediocre track for me, although ably sung by Frida.  It moves away from the Disco sound and this is just an average Pop ballad.

DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - Class track and another favourite.  Bjorn again taking lead vocal duties on the rockier songs.  This is great,  a pumping Disco beat with Rock leanings, great backing and harmonies from the girls.  Brilliant and reaching number 4 on thr UK chart.

IF IT WASN'T FOR THE NIGHTS -  This is like a Motown Disco track from the early 70s.  It's not a bad song but fails to grab me like most Abba songs.  Maybe because it sounds like many other songs of this genre, whereas Abba are usually pretty original.

CHIQUITITA - Absolutely love this song, really emotional and uplifting.  In Spanish it means "little one" but the single was huge reaching UK number 2.  Agnetha takes the main lead vocals but the chorus is so anthemic the track became one of the band's biggest hits.

LOVERS (LIVE A LITTLE LONGER) -  Frida and Agnetha exchange vocals in this orchestrated/guitars hybrid of a mid tempo Disco tune.  A decent track if not a great one.

KISSES OF FIRE - Half Pop, half Disco, this track is pretty cool.  It is like a mix of all the tracks we have previously heard with elements of everything.  Good track to finish.

"SUPER TROUPER"

1980

SUPER TROUPER - The UK number 1 title track opens the band's seventh studio album.  "Super Trouper" returned the band to their inimitable catchy Pop Rock style after the Disco sounding "Voulez-Vous".  Although this was not the last album before the break up, this seemed a fitting end and was their last good album in my opinion.  "The Visitors" that followed seemed a bit hollow.  

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - A poignant song as everyone knew about the rocky marriages within the band and sensed this was about that.  Whether that is true, who knows, Bjorn once denied it.  The fact is, its a great song and again reached number 1 in the UK chart.  Led by Agnetha on vocals it is emotionally sung and is a major Pop ballad.

ON AND ON AND ON - This track is almost popping back to "Voulez-Vous" with its pumping, incessant beat.  I think it is more like an 80s Synth Rock song.  Love it even though it sounds simplistic in composition and lyrically.

ANDANTE, ANDANTE - Andante technically means "moderately slow" and the song is exactly that.  Frida sings lead vocals nicely but this song fails to lift off the ground.  It is a nice enough Europop ballad but not great Abba material.

ME AND I - Frida again takes the lead in this sometimes moody, sometimes quirky Synth Pop track.  The chorus lifts the song from being just an average Electronic track.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - A nice, relaxing, laid back, positive and hopeful sounding Pop track that has featured on many a Christmas/New Year playlist since its release.

OUR LAST SUMMER - Frida leads this musical-style Pop Rock track that again for me, fails to lift me to any height of glee.  It is nice enough but sounds, as I stated, like a musical number for the theatre not an album track.  Maybe Benny and Bjorn were experimenting for their later careers writing for musicals!

THE PIPER - A big favourite of mine, I remember buying the "Super Trouper" single and yet was playing this B-side on a loop|! I loved to sing along to the chorus and the medieval and Celtic sound of the track got me hooked.  Brilliant.

LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ONE ME - Seems to be a favourite with some Abba fans but I am not a great lover of it.  Its a decent Disco song but maybe its because I heard the Erasure cover version and it has put me off this track for life.  Listening now, although this album is ok, I can see why the band lost track a little with life at the top.

THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO (Live) - A live version from Wembley Arena, London to finish the album.  It is very emotional and sounds great live.  As I said if this was the last song on the last album before they split it would be a fitting end.

1981

THE VISITORS - The eighth and final album before the band split opens with the title track.  Sung by Frida, its actually a great Synth Pop Rock track, reminding me of Ultravox and the like.  I did say that "Super Trouper" was the band's fitting last album but this is a track I really like.  Sometimes had the subtitle in brackets, "Crackin' Up".

HEAD OVER HEELS - Only reaching number 25 in the UK chart, thus proving that the band's awesome song catalogue was declining with fans as well as themselves.  The song is actually a cool Tango-styled Synth Pop Rock track.  

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Almost has a "The Loco-motion" beat when it starts, its a decent enough track but fails to grab the listener.  That upbeat promise is distinguished quickly into blandness.  Frida takes the lead but cannot lift this to anything more than an average Europop track.

SOLDIERS - Agnetha is back on lead vocal duties on this anti-military track.  Its a nice Pop track with a moody backdrop but trying to be positive sounding.  Some great eerie guitars on this.

I LET THE MUSIC SPEAK - A big orchestral sounding musical number sung on lead vocals by Frida.  Apparently the 5th longest Abba track coming in at 5 minutes 20 seconds.  For me, its too long and drawn out and with most of this album, seems like the Abba hit factory had lost its spark.

ONE OF US - Sung by Agnetha, the first single by the band when both couples had divorced and it proved to be their last major hit.  Released as the first single from the album, it was a wise move, probably the strongest track in my opinion after "Head Over Heels".  It reached number 3 in the UK chart but it was also their last number 1 on the Eurochart.  

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE - A quirky mid tempo track, unlike the usual rockier numbers that Bjorn usually takes lead on.  It sounds lazy and bored and maybe that's how the band were feeling, despite a couple of good tracks on this album.

SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS - Sadly, another track that fails to lift off the ground.  A mediocre Pop ballad beautifully by Agnetha as usual but its not a great song.

LIKE AN ANGEL PASSING THROUGH MY ROOM - A really emotional and sad vocal by Frida over a sparse Acoustic Synth Pop styled track.  Its minimal backing allows Frida's vocal to shine on the very last track on Abba albums until 2021's comeback "Voyage".  If "Super Trouper" included "The Visitors", "Head Over Heels" and "One Of Us" and that was it, I would have been happier.