ABBA - The Complete Studio Recordings

BOX SET NEWS!

Don't panic if you haven't seen the box set in local retailers: although the official release date was November 7, stock distribution in the UK and parts of Europe has been erratic.

If you are in doubt, approach your retailer, quote the catalogue number and ask when they will have it in stock.

The Australian release has been delayed due to problems with the Australian Customs Service new computer clearing system. It has been held up on a wharf at Port Botany in Sydney. It should be reaching shops very soon.

So...what's in the box that you can't get anywhere else?

* The previously unreleased mix of "Waterloo" which was issued as a single in Sweden but quickly withdrawn and replaced with the version we all know

* The longer, extra verse version of "On And On And On" previously only seen on the film clip for the song. This longer version is only available in mono unfortunately

* 5 song performances from the "Dick Cavett Meets ABBA" TV special in 1981

* The version of "Should I Laugh or Cry" that has the counting 1, 2, 3, 4 in Swedish by Benny (previously only available as the b-side to the vinyl single of "One of Us" in the UK)

* The complete longer-introduction version of the studio version "Summer Night City" (a bastardised, edited version of this was previously available on the 1994 Thank You For The Music box set)

November 7 sees the release of the box set containing ABBA's complete studio-recorded output, plus two DVDs, one of which features a previously unavailable live concert (Dick Cavett).

Polar Music International is proud to confirm the November 7th release of ABBA: THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS. The box set will comprise 9 CDs & 2 DVDs, plus a full colour booklet with timeline and photos. A separate booklet will contain lyrics to all the songs contained in the box set. This will mark the first ever release of a complete ABBA studio recordings set since the band’s formation 33 years ago, and the first set to tell the ABBA story both through audio and video content.

The first eight CDs will include each of the band's studio albums, plus all non-album singles and B-sides, and versions in Spanish, German, French and Swedish. CD 9 will contain a selection of rarities, most of which were originally released after the band's heyday. Of particular interest to the ABBA collector should be the rare alternate mix of ‘Waterloo’, which has never been available on CD before. The extended mono version of ‘On And On And On’ – featuring an extra verse and previously only available as the soundtrack to the ‘On And On And On’ video – is also released on CD for the first time. The nine CDs comprise every single studio-recorded piece of music commercially released by ABBA on single, LP or CD, including alternate mixes. Edited versions and extended versions (that did not feature alternate mixes) have been excluded.

The lavishly packaged box set will also include 2 DVDs, featuring all the promo videos ever released by the band, THE HISTORY documentary which covers the overview of the ABBA story, and a previously unreleased concert, which was originally a part of the television special Dick Cavett Meets ABBA, a co-production between Polar Music International and Sveriges Television (SVT). Five of the performances from Dick Cavett will be included on the DVD. The original concert consisted of nine songs, but the remaining four performances are no longer to be found in the SVT archives.

ABBA: THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS will be strictly limited edition - only available for a limited period of time and in limited numbers.

The worldwide success of the musical MAMMA MIA! has led to ABBA's music being more widely popular today than ever before. ABBA’s greatest hits packages continue to sell millions of copies every year all over the world and their profile retains its strength from generation to generation.

ABBA: THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS (0602498723272)

Tracklisting:

CD1: RING RING
1. Ring Ring
2. Another Town, Another Train
3. Disillusion
4. People Need Love
5. I Saw It In The Mirror
6. Nina, Pretty Ballerina
7. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
8. Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother
9. He Is Your Brother
10. She’s My Kind Of Girl
11. I Am Just A Girl
12. Rock’n Roll Band

BONUS TRACKS
13. Ring ring (bara du slog en signal) (Swedish Version)
14. Åh, vilka tider
15. Merry-Go-Round
16. Santa Rosa
17. Ring Ring (Spanish Version)
18. Wer im Wartesaal der Liebe Steht (German Version of Another Town, Another Train)
19. Ring Ring (German Version)

CD2: WATERLOO
1. Waterloo
2. Sitting In The Palmtree
3. King Kong Song
4. Hasta Mañana
5. My Mama Said
6. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)
7. Honey, Honey
8. Watch Out
9. What About Livingstone
10. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
11. Suzy-Hang-Around

BONUS TRACKS
12. Ring Ring (US Remix 1974)
13. Waterloo (Swedish Version)
14. Honey, Honey (Swedish Version)
15. Waterloo (German Version)
16. Hasta Mañana (Spanish Version)
17. Ring Ring (1974 Remix, Single Version)
18. Waterloo (French Version)

CD3: ABBA
1. Mamma Mia
2. Hey, Hey Helen
3. Tropical Loveland
4. SOS
5. Man In The Middle
6. Bang-A-Boomerang
7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
8. Rock Me
9. Intermezzo No.1
10. I’ve Been Waiting For You
11. So Long

BONUS TRACKS
13. Crazy World
12. Medley: Pick A Bale Of Cotton - On Top Of Old Smokey - Midnight Special (1978 mix)
14. Mamma Mia (Spanish Version)

CD4: ARRIVAL
1. When I Kissed The Teacher
2. Dancing Queen
3. My Love, My Life
4. Dum Dum Diddle
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. Money, Money, Money
7. That’s Me
8. Why Did It Have To Be Me
9. Tiger
10. Arrival

BONUS TRACKS
11. Fernando
12. Happy Hawaii
13. La Reina Del Baile (Spanish Version of Dancing Queen)
14. Conociéndome, Conociéndote (Spanish Version of Knowing Me, Knowing You)
15. Fernando (Spanish Version)

CD5: ABBA – THE ALBUM
1. Eagle
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. One Man, One Woman
4. The Name Of The Game
5. Move On
6. Hole In Your Soul
”The Girl With The Golden Hair” – 3 scenes from a mini-musical –
7. Thank You For The Music
8. I Wonder (Departure)
9. I’m A Marionette

BONUS TRACKS
10. Al Andar (Spanish Version of Move On)
11. Gracias Por La Música (Spanish Version of Thank You For The Music)

CD6: VOULEZ-VOUS
1. As Good As New
2. Voulez-Vous
3. I Have A Dream
4. Angeleyes
5. The King Has Lost His Crown
6. Does Your Mother Know
7. If It Wasn’t For The Nights
8. Chiquitita
9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
10. Kisses Of Fire

BONUS TRACKS
11. Summer Night City
12. Lovelight
13. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
14. Estoy Soñando (Spanish Version of I Have A Dream)
15. Chiquitita (Spanish Version)
16. Dame! Dame! Dame! (Spanish Version of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!)

CD7: SUPER TROUPER
1. Super Trouper
2. The Winner Takes It All
3. On And On And On
4. Andante, Andante
5. Me And I
6. Happy New Year
7. Our Last Summer
8. The Piper
9. Lay All Your Love On Me
10. The Way Old Friends Do

BONUS TRACKS
11. Elaine
12. Andante, Andante (Spanish Version)
13. Felicidad (Spanish Version of Happy New Year)

CD8: THE VISITORS
1. The Visitors
2. Head Over Heels
3. When All Is Said And Done
4. Soldiers
5. I Let The Music Speak
6. One Of Us
7. Two For The Price Of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room

BONUS TRACKS
10. Should I Laugh Or Cry (Intro Version)
11. No hay a quien culpar (Spanish Version of When All Is Said And Done)
12. Se me està escapando (Spanish Version of Slipping Through My Fingers)
13. The Day Before You Came
14. Cassandra
15. Under Attack
16. You Owe Me One

CD9: RARITIES
1. Waterloo (Alternate Mix, briefly available as a single A-side in Sweden)
2. Medley: Pick A Bale Of Cotton/On Top Of Old Smokey/Midnight Special (original German charity album mix, released in 1975)
3. Thank You For The Music (Doris Day Version)
4. Summer Night City (Full Length Version, first released in 1994)
5. Lovelight (Alternate Mix, first released in 1993)
6. Dream World (outtake from Voulez-Vous sessions, first released in 1994)
7. Voulez-Vous (Extended Remix, 1979 US promo)
8. On And On And On (Full Length Version, issued as video soundtrack in 1980)
9. Put On Your White Sombrero (outtake from Super Trouper sessions, first released in 1994)
10. I Am The City (outtake from 1982 album sessions, first released in 1993)
11. ABBA Undeleted (medley of outtakes, first released in 1994): Scaramouche / Summer Night City / Take A Chance On Me / Baby / Just A Notion / Rikky Rock ’n’ Roller / Burning My Bridges / Fernando / Here Comes Rubie Jamie / Hamlet III Parts 1 & 2 / Free As A Bumble Bee / Rubber Ball Man / Crying Over You / Just Like That / Givin’ A Little Bit More

DVD1: THE VIDEOS
1. Waterloo
2. Ring Ring
3. Mamma Mia
4. SOS
5. Bang-A-Boomerang
6. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
7. Fernando
8. Dancing Queen
9. Money, Money, Money
10. Knowing Me, Knowing You
11. That’s Me
12. The Name Of The Game
13. Take A Chance On Me
14. Eagle
15. One Man, One Woman
16. Thank You For The Music
17. Summer Night City
18. Chiquitita
19. Does Your Mother Know
20. Voulez-Vous
21. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
22. I Have A Dream
23. On And On And On
24. The Winner Takes It All
25. Super Trouper
26. Happy New Year
27. Lay All Your Love On Me
28. When All Is Said And Done
29. One Of Us
30. Head Over Heels
31. The Day Before You Came
32. Under Attack

BONUS VIDEOS
1. Estoy Soñando
2. Felicidad
3. No Hay A Quien Culpar
4. Dancing Queen (1992 Version)
5. The Last Video

DVD2: THE HISTORY + LIVE IN APRIL 1981
The History: documentary (originally appeared on ABBA GOLD DVD)

Live In April 1981: selections from ABBA’s final live concert, originally broadcast as part of the television special Dick Cavett Meets ABBA.

LIVE IN APRIL 1981
1. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
2. Super Trouper
3. Two For The Price Of One
4. Slipping Through My Fingers
5. On And On And On

FANS' FIRST IMPRESSIONS...

I managed to get the box set today.

I`ll admit that the biggest selling point for me personally was the fact that -allegedly - they used the original master tapes for this box set for the first time since the ABBA GOLD days.

(I`ve been told -and read on several places) that the current remasters are actually remixes straight off the old multitracks, which might explain why the sound of the Astley remasters puts me in a bad mood. (excessive noise reduction that sucks the life out of the recordings and let us not forget the cut`n`paste job on Dancing Queen...)

So, I can`t care less about which 1981 videos made it or not, the fact that they are using the real tapes (as opposed to just photographing them!!) does it for me. (Please don`t take offence if you like the sound on the current remasters. I`m extremely neurotic when it comes to sound and I just don`t like the sound on the 2001 discs.)

OK, visually, it looks stunning. They used scans of the old vinyl covers, and they come in these sturdy cardboard sleeves that look really cool.

The discs themselves look like vinyl records (and they are black on both sides except the DVDs, which have the vinyl look on the printed side and the silver colour that you normally see on DVDs and whatever.)

Each disc has a little insert with the actual tracklisting on each disc. I`ve skimmed through the booklets and they look quite stylish. The included timeline thing gets straight to the point, but no information you haven`t heard before obviously. Some of the pictures, I`d never seen before especially the early ones. (There`s one of Stig surrouned by loads of copies of the Waterloo LP, which I`d never seen before...)

As you know, 9 CDs and 2 DVDs is a lot to go through so I haven't spotted any sonic glitches or wrong mixes as of yet... ;-) That said, I had to play Super Trouper (because I love that album fiercely) and I`m pleased with what I hear. Sounds like the album I grew up with and not this overly-bright-in-your-face-stuff that plagued the Astley discs. PLUS the applause segue between Lay All Your Love on Me and The Way Old Friends Do is there, so I can rest assured they used the real tapes and not some nth generation copy or any other sonic abomination.

Thanks to ABBAMAIL Forum member Richard, UK

I finally got my hands on a copy of the box set this afternoon. I played around with it for a bit this evening and here is my comprehensive first impressions on the box.

Firstly, the box set is well packaged. The box itself is quite roomy and there's plenty of space for all the contents. My only reservation is that it's coated in suede, which gives it an unpleasantly camp image.

Both books are hardbound and the contents booklet has a few pictures I haven’t seen before such as Stig Anderson with piles of Waterloo LPs. The text is fine although I'm a bit puzzled as to why it gives the cassette catalogue number for Polar's version of The Singles: The First Ten Years rather than the LP one.

The lyrics booklet has the lyrics for all the songs, including the foreign language versions.

Each of the nine CDs is housed in a thick mini-LP sleeve, which features accurate original artwork for the original eight studio albums. The printing is excellent and the text and images are just as clear as the 2001 remasters sleeves.

The cutting on a few of the sleeves in my box were a little rough and the overall finish isn't quite as good as other mini-LP series such as the 2004 Japanese Queen remasters but the packaging is still quite impressive. Each CD is pressed on black material (like Playstation 1CDs), which is a classy touch.

In terms of sound quality, the box set represents a distinct improvement over previous remasters. Although the sound has been somewhat compressed, there is much less noise reduction employed. The audio is less bright than previous remasters but there is still plenty of top end.

Despite being gentle on noise reduction, the new remasters seem to be more ruthless on tape dropouts than previous attempts and even the biggy on I Have A Dream (when the choir sings 'to cope with everything') is less noticeable.

The overall sound is very similar to the original Polygram CDs from the 1980s.Unfortunately, however, the tapes used for the Album for these remasters don't seem to have been as good as those available to Astley and Tretow. There is some bad distortion at times on The Name of the Game, as there was on the original 1984 CD.

There is also a slight odd fault at Dancing Queen at 2:08, which is similar to the one on the 1997 remasters. I'm beginning to wonder if there was slice on the tape that was improperly fixed at some stage.

The alternate mix of Waterloo is a bit distorted but that has to be expected as the master tape was unavailable.

The video DVD is a mixture of the Abba Gold, Last Video and the Definitive Collection DVDs with a new menu. The audio has not been upgraded to use the new remasters and the NTSC makes fast movement appear very blurry.

The history documentary on the second DVD was previously on the ABBA GOLD DVD, which brings us to the mini-concert, which is available in stereo and the now obligatory 5.1 mix supervised by Benny.

The sound is clear and is, of course, much better than on the disastrously poor 1986 Live album. It also stresses how desperately anew live Abba compilation is needed.

Anyway, the visuals are average for archive video and no restoration work has been carried out, which means there are regular dropouts.

It is very disappointing that only half the concert is featured as the technical quality of the SVT stuff isn't really so brilliant that you would notice material from an inferior source.

Overall, I'd give it about 7/10 it's not exciting and while the CDs are very well executed, the DVDs are totally lazy (they haven't even resynched On and On and On).

Ken Griffin, Dublin, Ireland