Abba
Forever Gold
[Polygram]
Rating: 5.0
Hearing this 2xCD greatest hits compilation (which combines the ubiquitous
Abba Gold with the lesser-known More Abba Gold) makes me
wonder about the Pitchfork demographic. The Swedish supergroup
Abba are not the kind of unit whose music gets "rediscovered" by new
generations of fans the way, say, '70s funk does. No question, the people
who buy reissued Abba albums now are the people who heard and liked Abba
back in the day. If you weren't there (read: you're less than 25 years
old), this stuff sounds terrible-- nothing more than cold, calculated pop
from the era before videos. For those of us who had some childhood in the
"Me Decade," these well-crafted songs do what oldies are supposed to do:
take you back to a fuzzy, warm, innocent time. I sense a generational rift
afoot... Hmm, could be trouble.
On to the package itself. The Abba Gold disc has all the well-known
hits-- love 'em or hate 'em, you've heard 'em all of before. "Dancing Queen,"
"Mama Mia," "The Winner Takes It All..." must I go on? All dominated late
'70s radio and most have since appeared in films (most notably in
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's
Wedding) and advertisements galore. The More Abba Gold disc
scrapes the bottom of the barrel for such a narrowly focused hit machine.
But in truth, most of these songs are just as strong and catchy (and
terrible, depending) as the legitimate hits.
All told, the two discs offer a generous 39 slabs of... something. And what
that something is is for you to decide. Inspired golden greats or worthless
pap? Cynical product or stellar craftsmanship? Hot snot in a champagne glass
or a cold booger in a Dixie cup? For the hipster kids, the set rates a rock
bottom 0.0. For the graying readers in our midst with a taste for pop
perfection, it's an easy 10. So let's split the difference and get on with
our lives. Anybody up for a hug?
-Mark Richard-San