"The official release date was May 2 and, while their availability is not widespread as yet, it seems from something I read earlier today they may have been available earlier in The Netherlands (as usual!).

I haven't had a chance to play them in full yet, just listened to a few of the bonus tracks that I haven't heard for years (the extended Shine, the solo Here We'll Stay, the single version of I Know There's Something Going On). the guitars on Threnody are simply sparking! Truly stunning.

I really like the three CDs. Then again, I'm apparently biased ;-) As much as I would prefer the complete original look of each, rather than making them all match (an argument I've previously put forward for the ABBA 2001 reissues), they do look very nice, very smooth, very stylish, and somehow the look works with all three. I imagine the same look will probably be used for the Agnetha CDs when they are released later this year.

From what I've heard so far, the sound is excellent. A comparison with the original CD, the volume has to be turned up a couple of notches on the old one to come close to a similar volume. But just aside from the volume, the sound is crisp and very clear - not muffled at all.

Just looking at the new Something's Going On front cover compared to the original 1983 CD, the new cover looks soft, pink and gentle, as it did on its original LP release. The 1983 CD by comparison looked like a manic magenta Ziggy Stardust clone! (it's one of those CDs I always thought looked bad). And something I'd never noticed in 20-odd years until this very moment - the original CD (and I guess all other reissues since) used a different font for the title, the new CD uses the same font as the original album. Well, that's something!

There's a different mix of Here We'll Stay (the duet version) on the Something's Going On CD!!! Some echo on the vocals in the verses, and no response backing vocals in the first chorus. How very strange. I wonder what happened there? A case of the wrong master tape used, a la the alternate version of Lovelight from More ABBA Gold perhaps? "

Ian Cole