ABBA In Concert (Universal)

Underneath the cheesy smiles and cheesier outfits, ABBA hated touring. Anna-Frid (sic) says as much in the otherwise happy-happy footage between the songs here. This DVD captures their 1979 world tour in all its dated glory. While thier songs sound better in the studio it's fascinating to watch ABBA at work (Bjorn directing a children's choir is hilarious) and there's good fan-only extras. Now can we have ABBA The Movie on DVD please ?

3 stars.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Luke Rogers Melbourne, Australia

The Weekend Australian Review Music June 12-13, 2004 DVD: POP

In Concert ABBA
Universal 3.5 Stars

Iain Shedden writes:

WATCHING ABBA in concert is to be reminded of their musical genius. This is not so much because the brilliantly constructed layers and hooks that inhabit the likes of 'Dancing Queen' and 'Take A Chance On Me' - to name but two - are brought to an even greater level of invention and immediacy in a live setting. No, it's because one quickly realises that, had they not had talent, both as performers and songwriters, then the ABBA dagginess quotient would have been way off the scale. Seeing them in action here at Wembley Arena and on their 1979 tour of the US, one can only look on with a sense of wonder, even disbelief. How could a band fashioned in metres of material that many an errant 1970s parent believed could "lighten a room" when attached to curtain rods have been so successful? The answer lies in the songs, which are, for the most part, top drawer. The aforementioned titles get a full work- out here, as do 'Voulez-Vous', 'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)' [sic] and 'Does Your Mother Know. There are also interviews with some Swedes who were behind the scenes at the time and a previously unreleased version of 'Thank You For The Music'. No sign of 'Thank You for the Off-the- Shoulder Unitard With Diagonal Blue Stripe', however - and rightfully so.

[features picture of DVD cover, and picture of group: wearing white & gold outfits with gold boots, boys standing at back, Frida sitting and almost tilted horizontally on a stool in centre, Agnetha on one knee in front, green vinyl backdrop behind the group] picture caption: "A curtain style: ABBA dressed to thrill"