Customer Reviews

Gold: Greatest Hits (Ltd.Ed)

5 star:		(153)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Rock critic Elisabeth Vincentelli has called ABBA Gold (first released in 1990) one of the most important compilation albums ever released. It almost single-handedly revived interest in a band that been nearly forgotten as a 70's-era relic. ABBA Gold was followed directly by the inclusion of the music in a couple of influential film soundtracks, the covering and sampling of ABBA tracks by other artists (including U2, Madonna and Peter Cetera), and the creation of the Mamma Mia! stage and movie musical. ABBA is now the best-selling band in history, after the Beatles, with 375 million records sold worldwide. This 2010 release includes a remastered edition of the original 19 Gold tracks and a DVD containing 25 of ABBA's music videos remastered. (ABBA was a pioneer in the use of music video to reach new markets before MTV was ever invented.) It includes a rediscovered animated video for Money, Money, Money that has been unseen since 1977. While the rest of the material has been available in other collections this is a great package for anyone who wants to explore the music for the first time or who just wants to renew their collection.

I bought this cd because i lost the one i had,(foud it last week)if you want good music for your party or listening ,that is the one,`
thanks

ABBA was one of the groups that shaped my youth in the 70s. I bought this CD a few years ago, and it's one of my favorites. I don't think ABBA gets enough credit for the influence they've had on pop music -- we would never have seen groups like Ace of Base or Roxette do well in North America had ABBA not been a precursor to them -- the group was actually quite groundbreaking in many ways.

The music is deceptively simple. Alot of it is great dance music, but there are also some terrific ballads on the album, from Fernando, to Knowing Me, Knowing You, to Chiquitita. Some of the lyrics are actually quite good and catchy, and the tunes themselves are totally hummable and fun to sing along with.

There are a few minor flaws with the disc -- there's no lyrics included, which I found really frustrating because there are a couple songs I couldn't quite figure out all the words to. Not sure if that's because ABBA tended to overproduce there songs, or if it's the quality of the remastering of the tape into CD form, or a combination of both. Regardless, the overall quality of the songs is so high, and the lyrics are so readily available on various internet sites (just do a search, they're easy to find) that this one small detail isn't important enough to take off a star.

In short, ABBA is the best -- skip all the ABBA wannabe groups and go for the original.

The only way to listen to ABBA songs is by ABBA themselves. Others may try, but only ABBA is worth the effort.

Nineteen of ABBA's best songs are plenty, but you won't tire of them. It is amazing that four Swedes (Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus as writers and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog as the main singers) could take such simple English cliches and turn them into pop music magic. Despite sometimes maddeningly simple lyrics, the song arrangements were unnervingly catchy and the multi-level layered compostions are fascinating. The keyboards and synthesizers were used in some of the more ingenious ways during the seventies to produce that unmistakeable ABBA sound. The energy and nearly anthemic enthusiasm eminating from each song marked them all as instant classics, no matter how jaded or synical the listener. It is doubtlful if you read the song list here that you would not know the melody. The one ironic thing about this groups phenomenal success, is that of over 400 million album sales, they only had one number one hit in the US - "Dancing Queen". But it is one heck of a great song.

I absolutely love this compilation. I forgot how many great hits they have... great! great! great!

i work as a correctional officer in a rough toronto area jail. at nightime when my supervisor goes home, i stick on my walkman, and listen to this greatest hits selection by ABBA as i do my rounds. I absolutely love every song on this album, and it makes me feel soooooo good to glide along the hallways singing choice cuts such as "mama mia" and "fernando" at the top of my lungs! seriously, people! if you don't ever wanna stop singing and dancing and grooving and partying, then buy this disc! from beginning to end it truly is sold GOLD!!!

As i listened to this cd, i realize that i know every single word to every single song. this cd is amazing in that the best songs arent just in the beginning, they are all throughout the cd. the cd starts with the huge hit Dancing Queen and ends with Waterloo. Waterloo was the song that made abba famous when abba won a competition with it and released a record "Waterloo" using the song as the theme song. Throughout the years, movies have used abba songs because they're funny and fun to listen to. In johnny english, does your mother know is one of the main jokes used throughout the movie. some of the most popular songs on this cd are mamma mia, dancing queen, does your mother know, thank you for the music, take a chance on me, and Voulez vous. this cd is truly gold

Abba is one the greatest rock bands of all time. They are up their with greats such as Depeche Mode, Beatles, Bee Gees and The Rolling Stones. The lyrics are very well written, the music is amazing and they have unfairly been called stupid disco music when it is in deed sublime. Highly Recommended.

Great music that's deceptively simple. Abba don't use two words where one will do and something new comes out of the music every time you listen to it. Definitely one of the records I'd take to a desert island.