Never Again (Tomas Ledin)
a beautiful ballad but just like the heat is on , a hit record for the swedish market , not for europe or the USA .it's very naturel that Ledin has never broke into the international market , though he had a few good songs , his voice is a disease !
Ya Nunca Más" (Tomas Ledin/Spanish version: M.McCluskey, B.McCluskey)
Ledin has a horrible spanish accent unlike Agnetha !
Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Lp)
For this album , Agnetha worked with Blondie and Susie Quatro producer Mike Chapman , the two worked very well together being perfectionists and hard workers , Agnetha of course took a major part of the sound arrangements (see "the making of " movie ) and Chapman had very easy job , it was said that he worked as well with Debbie Harry but had trouble with punk retarded the Knacks (one hit wonder 'Sharona') so with someone like Agnetha a model of swedish discipline , he felt blessed !
There was rumours that she would have make it with the Bee gees , and the album would have been close to streisand 'Guilty' but God preserves us , the album sound like an Agnetha album with some Blondie-Quatro reminiscence !
"The Heat Is On" (Florrie Palmer, Tony Ashton) ++
this is in fact at the same time a hit , Blondie pastiche , a weak number but a contagious tune , maybe the impact of Agnetha's voice or the great sound but here we have a relative average song transformed into a hit , of course Agnetha acustomed us with such a thing before with her covers from the swedish repertoire , as I said before in my other blog (Agnetha eller Frida) Agnetha and Karen carpenter are the only two singers who could metamorphose a weak song into a great piece !
"Can't Shake Loose" (Russ Ballard) ++++++
this is the masterpiece of the album , of course a big hit , made in the same vein as Frida's "Something's going on" though it's a far better song melodramatically , the video is a little horror movie (Frida's video is really ridiculous compared to this ) there's a "heuh" in the the third middle of the song that you can understand only when you see the video !
"Shame" (D.C. Allen)
average
"Stay' (D.C. Allen)
an Olivia newton john pastiche with more sexy vocals !
"Once Burned, Twice Shy" (Dan Tyler, R.S. Brannan)
average
"Mr. Persuasion" (Susan Lynch, Larry Whitman) +++
a successful attempt to a 60s pastiche ! she sing in a very unusual way but she always surprise us !
"Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (Mike Chapman, Holly Knight) +++++
a very beautiful melody very sugary , the only time in her solo carrier when we feel that she needs a Frida's vocal support to sing it , there's a quite emptiness in the chorus but it's a good number .
"To Love" (J. Brandt, Randy Goodrum) ++++++
one of the highlight
her voice shining bright into the melody , very chromatic shading , sounds a bit like "Up where we belong" as if it was the same writer , this time the 'fff' is more understandable before "what am I saying" and it's Agnetha's signature , really she seems to take command of the ship or the board of production (unlike when she was with Abba , sharing commands)
"I Wish Tonight Could Last Forever" (Russ Ballard) ++++++
another highlight and one of my all time favorite
sounds like an evergreen , a Bacharah thing and it's so beautiful , you can hear her singing , clmbing the high notes as it was a children game !
"Man" (Agnetha Fältskog) +++
her only own composition , an average number still agreable but not a highlight
"Take Good Care Of Your Children" (Tomas Ledin) +++
a good song
"Stand By My Side" (Guido and Maurizio De Angelis), D. Cowles) ++++++
this is one of the closest thing to Abba in this album , sounds almost like Sumer night city , with the sadness of the Winner takes it all !
a highlight and one my all time favorite !
she even take command on the low key and a note she always sung as a back vocal in Abba !
and it's really incredible how she can at the "to make you change your mind" you even don't recognise her voice (maybe it's a vocoder but I really don't think so )
bonus on universal CD :
"It's So Nice To Be Rich" (G. Svensson, H. Alfredson) +++++++
this is the best song she ever recorded in her solo english albums
it's equally as good as an Abba song , featuring all the ingredient , a perfect simple melody , simple direct lyrics and a dance rythm that kills !
"P and B" (G. Svensson, H. Alfredson) ++++++
this one is very contagious , I remember when i first listen to it (it was on this CD) and when i went out i carried on listening to it a thousand times on my MP3 and found myself dancing in the street !!!
"The Heat Is On" (Super Dance Music Mix) (F. Palmer, Tony Ashton) ++++
a very good remix with lots of effects and more prominent arrangements !
I think it was played on FM more frequently than the original single version ( on spanish and italian stations)
Eyes of a Woman
"One Way Love" (Jeff Lynne)
"Eyes of a Woman" (Paris Edvinson, Marianne Flynner)
"Just One Heart" (Paul Muggleton, Robert Noble)
"I Won't Let You Go" (Agnetha Fältskog, Eric Stewart)
"The Angels Cry" (Justin Hayward)
"Click Track" (Jan Ince, Phil Palmer)
"We Should Be Together" (Jay Gruska, Tom Keane)
"I Won't Be Leaving You" (Eric Stewart)
"Save Me (Why Don't Ya)" (Eric Stewart)
"I Keep Turning Off Lights" (China Burton)
"We Move As One" (John Wetton, Geoffrey Downes)
"You're There" (Agnetha Fältskog, Eric Stewart)
"Turn The World Around" (Randy Edelman)
"I Won't Let You Go" (Extended Version) (Agnetha Fältskog, Eric Stewart)
"The Way You Are" (with Ola Håkansson) (T. Norrel-Oson, A. Bard)
"Fly Like The Eagle" (with Ola Håkansson) (T. Norrel-Oson, A. Bard)
I Stand Alone
"The Last Time" – (Robin Randall, Judithe Randall, Jeff Law)
"Little White Secrets" (Ellen Schwartz, Roger Bruno, Susan Pomerantz)
"I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)" (Mark Mueller, Aaron Zigman)
"Love in a World Gone Mad" (Billy Livsey, Pete Sinfield)
"Maybe It Was Magic" (Peter Brown, Pat Hurley)
"Let It Shine" (Austin Roberts, Bill LaBounty, Beckie Foster)
"We Got a Way" (John Robinson, Franne Golde, Martin Walsh)
"I Stand Alone" (Peter Cetera, Bruce Gaitsch)
and the spanish versions only available on Lp Estoy Sola (actually bootlegs)
Yo No Fui
La Ultima Vez
"Are You Gonna Throw It All Away" (Diane Warren, Albert Hammond)
"If You Need Somebody Tonight" (Diane Warren, Albert Hammond)
My Colouring Book
My Colouring Book ++++++
(John kander and Fred Ebb)
When You Walk in the Room ++++++
(Jackie de Shannon)
If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind ++++++
(John Cameron)
Sealed With A Kiss +++
(Gary Geld Peter Udell)
Love Me With All Your Heart ++++
(Carlo Rodriguez Rigual;Mario Rodriguez Rigual;Carlos Martinoli; EM. Vaughn)
Fly Me to the Moon ++++
(Bart Howard)
Past, Present and Future +++++
(Arthur Butler, Jerry Leiber, George Francis Morton)
A Fool Am I +++++
(F. Carraresi; A. Testa; Peter Callander)
I Can't Reach Your Heart +
(Ted Murry and Benny Davies)
Sometimes When I'm Dreaming ++++++
(Michael Batt)
The End of the World ++++
(Arthur Kent;Sylvia Dee)
Remember Me ++++
(Chris Andrews)
.
What Now My Love +++
(Gilbert Becaud Pierre Delanoe; Carl Sigman)
A
"The One Who Loves You Now" ++++++++++
Jörgen Elofsson, Pär Westerlund
One of the most beautiful songs she recorded ,lovable at the very few seconds , the pachelbel canon is here (after the moon light sonata in "past present future") there's also reminiscence of the Beatles "across the universe" ) just like "Även en blomma" , it's one of the finest moment in Abba solo repertoire !
"When You Really Loved Someone" ++++++
Elofsson
very good number enjoyed after many listening , catchy and modern , there's a few seconds that i hate when she do " lay down and die" in the first verse !
"Perfume In the Breeze" ++++++
a favorite though maybe not the best but still very enjoyable because it's very "landscapy" ,her voice is typically the solo style she used to sing with.the perfect guitar pop number !
"I Was A Flower" ++++
Elofsson
psychedelic landscape , maybe the most far away song from the Abba style and a little bit 60s pre-abba agnetha ,the jazzy feeling wanted by the producer is absent and Agnetha could never do jazz that's Frida thing ! it has the worse lyrics i ever heard since "I saw it in the mirror" , who could rhyme ghost with most ?
never mind the music is quite beautiful if not original and of course Agnetha's voice is exceptional and uplift the piece to highlights
"I Should’ve Followed You Home" (with Gary Barlow) ++++
Elofsson, Barlow
reminds me of recent Francoise Hardy's melodies teaming up with teen pop Brits (blur ...)
it's quite enjoyable every new listening !
"Past Forever" +++++
Elofsson, Carole Bayer Sager
perfect Agnetha moody number though quite far away from her usual style ,also enjoyable every new listening which means that it's future classics !
"Dance Your Pain Away" ++++++
Elofsson
nothing to do with "voulez vous" but more with 2000s pop dance hits (Mika or daft punk) , quite the perfect disco classic even if she's not the classic diva , the dzance floor could burn under the feet of the future hit (we cross our fingers)
"Bubble" ++++
Elofsson
unlike "i was a flower" , the lyrics here are more clever though the title seems against !
playing with "astronmy and physics" words , it's the perfect number for the era , satellites and rockets have never been so "everyday things" !
the music is orbital like and quite beautiful and original .
"Back On Your Radio" +++
Elofsson
naughty like Mr persuasion , Agnetha playing again with her voice , sweet like a teen age voice at 60 , isn't it a real challenge ?
bubble gum pop , is she singing to us fans ? who would enjoy to hear her voice back on the media ?
"I Keep Them On the Floor Beside My Bed" +++++++
Fältskog, Elofsson
for me a real highlight
as always her self penned songs are the best on her solo albums ( except "man" on Wrap your arms LP which is really average) a George Harrison pastiche in parts , she delivers a surprisingly harsh voice !
my second favorite after the masterpiece 'the one' .
it flows like a river of souvenirs , and the flowers with their petals represented by the solo guitar riffs
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