The DVD "ABBA GOLD" was released here in The Netherlands on Monday August 18th.

Since I work in a CD store I ordered it and it arrived on August 19. I haven't seen a copy of it anywhere else here (so far). I understand why this is rather well. It is the same reason I didn't order stock of it for my store either. The fact is that it has no 'right of return'.

That means that if you order several copies of it for your store, and none of them sells, you can't return stock to the record company. With ABBA GOLD on DVD you have to keep them until there is a sale (or not). The 'Definitive Collection' DVD has a 'right of return' which means, as a record shop, I can order as many copies as I want and, if I don't sell all of them, after a certain period of time (usually 6 months) I can return them to my company headquarters and they'll send them back to Universal. I get a full refund from Universal for the unsold and returned stock.

The 'ABBA GOLD' DVD has the same price as the 'Definitive Collection' DVD. And I wonder why? With only 19 songs and 2 'bonus' tracks it is not so difficult for customers to choose which of the two DVDs to buy.

For the release of the 'Definitive Collection' DVD I received a few promotional posters, and the DVD was well advertised on TV and in other media. This really helps boost sales. I rang Universal, but for the ABBA GOLD DVD, posters are not available, nor have I seen an advert for it on TV, nor heard a commercial for it on the radio. In my 'new release' magazine, there was no mention of the ABBA GOLD DVD being backed by a commercial or advertising.

Personally?

Of course I like it!

I was surprised that I liked the bonus documentary that's included on the DVD. I mean, how many similar documentaries / interviews have they made over the years, not telling us anything new at all?

However, If you look at DVD releases by other artists, the extras on those discs are far more interesting than what the ABBA DVDs have to offer (so far). I somehow keep thinking that the ABBA DVDs are made especially for us, for the fans, when in fact that isn't true at all.

I sell ABBA DVDs mostly to people who are not ABBA fans but just think, 'well, if I turn off the TV, I have the sound of the DVD, so why buy the CD version when you can have both?' Other artists produce DVDs that, in my opinion, are really made for fans. With commentary, "making of" features, location visits, bloopers etc. Not *really* interesting if you are not a fan.

It would have been great if they had found people that are featured in the videos for "Voulez-Vous" and "Does Your Mother Know", and asked them about the day the recording took place. And that's just one example of something to put on an ABBA DVD as an extra. Don't they have 'brainstorming sessions' at Universal when they plan to release a DVD? Looking at the 'ABBA GOLD' disc itself, there is so much space left on the disc that hasn't been used. If they had utilised that additional space with more "extras" it would have made this DVD far more interesting to buy. And <with my record retailer hat on> to sell.

Still, it is a nice item to add to your collection, the layout is very nice and I'm glad they're continuing to use the '2001 re-remasters' style. The booklet is great as well. 

And with credits like "Carl Magnus Palm, 2003 with thanks to Ian Cole and Trent Nickson", it makes me want to send my booklet to Australia and have it signed by both of you Aussie ABBAMAILers ;-)

ABBAMAILer Lex Corbach, The Netherlands