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ABBA
RATING: 8
PLAY THESE: DANCING QUEEN, S.O.S, WATERLOO
SKIP THESE: CHIQUITITA, DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW, I HAVE A DREAM
As Gold will attest, Abba were the ultimate pop group. Indeed, the Swedish quartet had it all: hooks, glossy production, great vocals, and a couple of pretty chicks. There are a dozen or so fantastic songs on this Greatest Hits compilation, many of which are easily among the greatest pop songs ever written. Better still, Abba's music has aged extremely well, which is all the more remarkable when one considers when it was produced, namely the disco-dominated late 1970's. One marvels at just how well-crafted many of these tunes are, particularly classics like 'Dancing Queen,' 'S.O.S,' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You.' These songs are so catchy, and so well crafted, that there are actually hooks within the hooks. In fact, nearly everything in these recordings is a hook - listen closely to these overly-familiar songs, and one will realize how Abba's pop genius is often taken for granted. Sure, things can sound a little too perfect and calculated at times, but overall one can't help but be impressed by the group's attention to detail.
The only downside to Gold is that it is a bit too long (nineteen tracks in all). While no time or energy were spared piecing together the aforementioned classics, the same cannot be said of a good half dozen or so of the remaining tracks - most of which absolutely scream "padding." Most of the offending songs are sappy ballads, which clearly were not the group's forte (especially the ones sung by the guys, such as 'Does Your Mother Know'). However, if one is prepared to hit the skip button the odd time this is probably your best bet for an Abba compilation.