My first review concerns the album "LYCKA"
Was it an ABBA album?
certainly not, but it's intricate with what is considered as the first album RING RING which was released as a foursome name (Björn Benny Agnetha and Frida) and even some singles like "he is your brother " and "people need love" taken like ABBA's first singles, were released by PLAYBOY records in the US as "Björn Benny and the svenska flicka " (literally "the Swedish girls")
LYCKA is a Benny and Björn album but a song called "she's my kind of girl" was released on the two albums when they were remastered in the 2000s
so I consider "Lycka" as a step towards ABBA and think that it deserves to be reviewed with ABBA's albums.
The album as a whole is a lot more homogenous than RING RING which is a compilation of songs put together speedily
This album contains very good songs that I only appreciated completely when I heard the 2008 remaster because on the polar original CD the sound was not enough strong and it help not feel the rock power of some material so you can only appreciate the pop songs
With the 2008 remaster some songs gained power and a new dimension
LYCKA (1970)
Even they are no masterpieces there are very good songs which recorded with more arrangements could be big hits (just listen to svenne cover of "Kära Gamla Sol “as "rolly polly girl”, it sounds very ABBAish!!)
Some numbers are terrific and could make a single worldwide.
01. Lycka (happiness)
this is the best version of the song (although I do not like Björn singing on some songs ,I do prefer this version to another one by Frida ,certainly more perfect more technical ,but Bjorn’s version is more "feelings").and of course the sound is better .Annifrid recordings on EMI improved a lot when Benny got over production.
I can recognize any song produced by Benny on the Frida 67-72; you could feel the seventies on Benny’s since 68-69.
02. Nånting Är På Väg (something is on the way)
this song is a good rock song from the ones that gained with the level of power (with the late remasters) ,guitar are more saturated giving a new height to the song, it also featured on the "Inga II" movie mimed by the actor.(movie fans know about it)
03. Kära Gamla Sol (good old sun)
This one is a pop song in the ABBA vein it features Benny and Björn voices and so they don't give the perfect rendition but the svenne's version does.
04. Det Där Med Kärlek (this is love)
Average
05. Välkommen in I Gänget (welcome to the club)
Average
06. Lilla du, Lilla Vän (sweet Little friend)
Beautiful ballads with delightful acoustic guitar, good singing
07. Hej Gamle Man! (Hey old man)
The hit single though, not my favourite, it sounds like a well known national anthem in some notes
The theme of a beggar is also on the excellent "he is your brother"
08. Liselott (liselotte)
This is one of the highlights of the album co written with Agnetha, the song is a perfect ballad with very touching lyrics .Benny and Björn do great job in the singing.
09. Kalles Visa (kalle song)
A good rock song that could work better with a great rock interpreter but the sound is terrific with the new remaster.
10. Ge Oss en Chans (give us a chance)
Average
11. Livet Går Sin Gång (life go its own way)
Very beautiful sad theme, very basic arrangement close to the moonlight sonata. Love it! They made an English version for Lena andersson with a jazzy arrangement close to early Frida "evergreen period"
12. She's My Kind of Girl
Very beautiful pop song, the voices of the girls never credited (neither Agnetha nor Frida could remember singing on it!) though included also on the RING RING album.
13. Inga Theme
Instrumental, leading theme of the movie Inga II, very psychedelic.
14. Det Kan Ingen Doktor Hjälpa (no doctor could help)
this is a song regarded as a curiosity but there is an ABBA touch to it as the girls are prominent and the melody is beautiful.
15. På Bröllop (for wedding)
One of the first folk pieces dear to Benny and would be his future repertoire with BAO (Benny andersson Orkester)
16. Tänk Om Jorden Vore Ung (if the world was young)
Very beautiful melody, in a way "I am just a girl part II" as the songs are very similar though this one is better. The four voices are already harmonizing beautifully.
17. Träskofolket
Folk pieces made with the idea of the "Moberg Emigrants” as inspiration, achieved more than twenty years later with”Kristina från Duvemåla"
Here again the voices of B&B don't make justice to the song.
18. En Karusell
Average
19. Att Finnas Till (to be alive)
One of the highlights of the album although not on the original LP
Björn is at his best, there is no nasal intonation, and it seems that the song is so beautiful that it transcends the interpreter. A standard.
20. Hey, Musikant (german version)
21. Was Die Liebe Sagt (german version of Livet Går Sin Gång)
This version is even better than the Swedish, seems like the song was made for german language.
The background is a little different, just like in some Spanish re-recordings later with abba.
22. Love Has Its Ways
a very good pop song ,sugar and bitter sweet ,Benny seems to not like it because the melody is a lot like "she's my kind of girl”, as it was not composed by them but by a Japanese composer who did a sort of the first ABBAesque song .I like it very much.
23. Rock'n Roll Band (early version)
Average
24. Merry-Go-Round (early version)
Average
25. To Live with You
A demo of "lycka" in English, fans were looking for round for years.
Sounds like a very finished demo, and very different from the Swedish one but as good, here again Björn does a very good job despite his limited vocal abilities that he balances with feelings.
Benny Andersson (keyboards). Janne Schaffer. Björn Ulvaeus (guitar).Bo Dahlman, Hasse Rosen (acoustic guitar). Jan Boquist (vibraphone), Rutger Gunnarsson (bass), Roger Palm (drums). Frank Corvini, luciano Mosetti, Weine Renliden (trumpets), Torgny Nilsson (trombone), Sven Larsson (bass trombone). Anders Dahl, Ake Jelving, herbert Konvicka. Gunnar Michols, Claes Nilsson, Alfred Pisuke. Sixten Strömvall, Harry teike, Krzysztof Zdrzalka (violins), Lars Arvinder, Niels Heie (violas). Olle gustafsson (cello).Strings and horns arranged by Sven-Olof Walldoff.Benny Andersson (piano, accordion), Bjorn Ulvaeus, Tonny I Indberg (guitar), Jonne Undgren (stool guitar), Mike Watson (bass), Roger Palm (drums).
the second album is RING RING (1973)
this is the worst album they ever recorded contains great songs not featured on any compilation and very average songs added quickly after the triumph on the Swedish charts with the title track
N°1 in Sweden with the Swedish version and N°2 with the English one.
half of the songs are very accomplished tracks ,pop perfections and half are re-recordings of songs written for other Swedish artists who interpreted them even better in some case (I saw it in the mirror)
Originally released as "Björn och Benny, Agnetha och Frida" and not available as an album in the Anglo-Saxon market (Australia excluded)
The best version of the CD remains the 'box set' one.
The track listing will combine different reissues on cd.
01. Ring Ring (Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody)
this is the blue print for a seventies pop song .the "wall of sound" is already present, there are several versions but in general there are two sort of recordings, the "rock version" less speedy with saxo and the "pop version" more speedy keyboard dominated
this is the one where Mr. tretow compares its sound with humor to the "Disney mice" because of the highness of the voices speeded up to high degree.
There are several rock versions and the best one is the live one on the Tommy cooper show.
The lyrics are from outside the usual team and this is the last time that they make such approach .this is one of my all-time favorite.
02. Another Town, Another Train
wonderful sad song just like we love with abba. This is the first time we observe the skills of Benny as a great arranger, the background is full with wonderful tricks with piano melotron and flute, similar to other songs like "move on" and "happy new year" .they are special patterns that I never heard on pop songs a part from Stevie wonder and Vangelis pieces.
03. Disillusion (Fältskog)
wonderful sad song interpreted with all the unique skills of Agnetha and also composed by her (first and sadly last time).
Note that in the "Elva kvinnor I ett Huss" solo Lp Swedish version, she even gives more with her vocals, enhanced by Sven olof waldoff imaginative string arrangements.
I think by the way that this arranger needs to be cited, he is responsible for the string arrangements on "dancing queen" and many others.
04.People Need Love
this is a weak number that did not deserve for me to be a single as it is not the more representative of an ABBA altogether song .
Largely compensated by the video on "Vi I Femman”.
05. I saw it in the Mirror
the Benny and Björn version do not give the song justice, the Billy G: son one is very good though the b side "there's a little man" have a wonderful bridge with harpsichord, and sounds like a credence Clearwater revival (CCR) number which shows its quality. the bridge "I never thought I would cry for you" has been added and even the girls didn't do any efforts to sound original as in "sitting in the palm tree" where they give a wonderful backing vocals playground.
ABBA will cover on the "medley" the midnight special a traditional performed by CCR earlier and McCartney later in the eighties.
06.Nina, Pretty Ballerina
this is one of the best songs ,the sound is perfect ,and there is the best ever bass line of the history of rock by Rutger gunnarsson (he will make it on other songs and even on the "shine" song of Frida)
it sounds fresh and old-fashioned at the same time.
there will be an "old-fashioned" song an every ABBA Lp completely out of the mainstream and delightful
(hasta manana, I do I do I do, money money money, thank you for the music, chiquitita, happy new year, head over heels)
07.Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
though not the best song ,the sound is a little average ,it is very catchy and had to be a world single (not only in Scandinavia)
08.Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother
average but Frida sings with a disarming professionalism as if it was a Cole porter number ! Her voices is haunting (I saw this only with Swedish german and Italian female singers)
the lyrics are reminiscence of childhood souvenirs, the melody is perfect but there is only the pipe flute that is a complete intruder!
09.He Is Your Brother
one of the highlights ,the lyrics are one of the best ,Frida is doing her solo operatic vocals in the second chorus ,delightful
the sound is rocky and strong they even performed it with stronger sound on abba the movie ,delighted of course visually with a shape ...
10.She's My Kind of Girl
reviewed on the lycka album
11.I Am Just a Girl
as I heard the jarl kulle version ,this is the best one ,the song is not my favorite but as I said before the voice of Frida and Agnetha is pure joy and the join together is delightful!
She is more to her early years, tongue in cheek but professional.
12. Rock’n Roll Band
average
this second mix has more power, everything is okay about the arrangement but the song is really bad.
13. Merry-Go-Round
average
14.Santa Rosa
this one has a great backing track.
15.Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal)
the soundscape a little different from the English which is perfect; it’s interesting as it shows the different stages of the mixing of Mr. tretow
even the Spanish is another step.
14.Åh, Vilka Tider (oh the good old days)
this is old fashioned making someone think about B& W old films.
15. Ring Ring (Spanish version)
it's a different mix but the interest is in the Spanish language which is delightful, some ABBA songs are better in Spanish, this one is.
16. Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht (german version of Another Town, Another Train)
Björn interprets this with such easiness as if he was German.
17. Ring Ring (German version)
same mix as the Spanish one.
Drums: Ola Brunkert, Roger Palm ,String arrangements I Am Just A girl Sven Olof Walldoff. Regarding she's My Kind Of Girl no documentation as to the musiciens can be found. Recorded et Metronome Studio,KMH and Europafilm studios, Stockholm. Engineered by Michael B. Tretow with assistance of Rune Persson, ÅKE ELDSÄTER and LENNART KARLSMYR (KMH) and BJÖRN ALMSTEDT (Europafilm). Cover photos by BENGT H. MALMQVIST (front) and LARS FALCK (back) PETER WIKING Art director Photos inner sleeve by BJÖRN ALMSTEDT /Premium Publishing, Kennet Thorén/SVT Bild, M. Brannas/Pressens Bild.
ROCK 'N ROLL BAND : Benny Andersson (keyboards). Janne Schaffer. Björn Ulvaeus (guitar). Bo Dahlman, Hasse Rosen (acoustic guitar). Jan Boquist (vibraphone), Rutger Gunnarsson (bass), Roger Palm (drums). Frank Corvini, luciano Mosetti, Weine Renliden (trumpets), Torgny Nilsson (trombone), Sven Larsson (bass trombone). Anders Dahl, Ake Jelving, herbert Konvicka. Gunnar Michols, Claes Nilsson, Alfred Pisuke. Sixten Strömvall, Harry teike, Krzysztof Zdrzalka (violins), Lars Arvinder, Niels Heie (violas). Olle gustafsson (cello).Strings and horns arranged by Sven-Olof Walldoff.
ÅH, VILKA TIDER : Benny Andersson (keyboards), Björn Ulvaeus (guitar, mandolin). rutger Gunnarsson (bass), Kjell Jeppsson (drums), Lennart Axelsson. Weine Renliden (trumpets), Torgny Nilsson, Lars Olofsson (trombones). Inge Boström, Ulf Engström. Eva Isaksson, Gunnar Klinge, Gösta Lax, Per-Erik Olsson. Hubert Reinholdson, Lars Widén (violins). Kristina Andersson, Lars Brolin, Magda Fürst, åke Hedlund. Bernt Nilsson, Kjell Nilsson (violas), Lars Blomberg, Erik Dybeck (cellos), Bengt Svensson (double-bass).Strings and horns arranged by Sven-Olof Walldoff,
Next the WATERLOO album (1974)
from folk rock we enter the glam rock album
This is a more homogenous album, though it features some weak numbers, the major part is perfect pop
The girls have more important parts and Björn begins singing fewer songs and gives more solos to Agnetha and Frida.
We have to wait the next album to see the masterpiece, the song which could have been confined in a solo Swedish album
Nevertheless the albums worth buying like the early two others because only two songs are on major compilation, a song like "dance” has been longtime hidden from best of.
01."Waterloo"
This is the hit that conquered the entire world except England where it was a one hit wonder during one year and a half.
Rockier than ever, some dumb journalists list it as disco!!!
The only thing we could say is that we can consider it as one of the early discorock songs, though So long can take this title.
Of course it has been duplicated with little success especially with Eurovision ones.
02."Sitting in the Palm tree"
A raga-calypso number with subtle arrangements, a soundscape full already with all the ABBA tricks, the girls do one of the best backing vocals, the bridge combines voices and keyboard sounding like a "weather effect”. The lyrics are inspired by a male heartbreak (about one of ABBA's musicians) reported with great humor .that's what we like with ABBA, it’s that even with the girls heartbreak songs "hope is always present and optimism is not far” of course Agnetha and Frida approach are very different and Björn cleverly put it on lyrics.
03."King Kong Song"
rocky and roll number ,also with very great humor ,the sound is fresh today and many pop rocks songs sounded like it ,the first song of "paranoia and anger" although the paranoia is not predominant here until the screaming of the girls .
04."Hasta Mañana"
this ballad though not boosted by as single (except in Australasia) made it alone to become a classic on its own ,the quality of the recording is perhaps the reason ,the soaring vocals of Agnetha are typical, here we can listen carefully to string arrangements more audible on the Spanish version.
05."My Mama Said"
one of the hidden treasures ,this is fusion between funk-jazz and "Scandinavian blues", a touch of R&B .the minor key used foretell eighties songs and their soundscape .
The lyrics deals with the suffering of teens who do not feel good about themselves.
06."Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)
Agnetha intro is stunning, join in the second verse by a hard rock guitar, the chorus sung by Benny and Björn is so beautiful that the boys voices seem wonderful, the lyrics very poetic deal with the usual theme of the end of a relationship.
07."Honey, Honey"
Sugar pop, a part from "Livingstone”, the more Beatles-like song, it reminds "hello goodbye" the melody is very beautiful, though not ABBA's best but a masterpiece compared to the mainstream pop. This is one of the first of many songs in the following albums ("teacher”, “take a chance "....) where chorus is head of the verses.
08."Watch Out"
This is one of ABBA underrated songs, the riff is on Lenny kravitz number, more than twenty years after, and the soundscape is finished as if it was made to be a single (typical ABBA working)
Benny and Björn record their songs (even bubble gum ones) as if they were working on a Mahler symphony!
09."What About Livingstone?"
One of my all-time favorite, the melotron background minimal (not very usual with ABBA) the vocals doing intricate tricks, the clever lyrics, make it a standard pop piece.
10."Gonna Sing You My Love song"
One of ABBA most beautifull ballad, perfectly delivered with splendid arrangements. The lyrics dealing with the solitude of a "one way love"
11."Suzy-Hang-Around"
Average
12."Ring Ring" (1974 remix, single version)
Another rock remixes very tight sound.
13."Waterloo" (Swedish version)
The live "Eurovision version" is better.
14."Honey, Honey" (Swedish version)
Best version as the Swedish lyrics sound like Spanish!!
The string arrangements are more evident.
15."Ring, Ring" (U.S. remix 1974)
This mix is little better but as I said earlier the best rock mix is the "Tommy cooper" one.
16."Waterloo" (German version)
This version is very good; it seems that german works with lots of ABBA material.
17."Waterloo" (French version)
Beautiful version sounds more pop, the rock sound of the Swedish and german versions is absent.
18."Hasta Mañana" (Spanish version)
Agnetha masters the Spanish language with incredible easiness, though it's little bit cheesy but exquisite!
Musicians:Guitars: Janne Schaffer. Bass: Rutger Gunnarsson. Drums: Ola Brunkert.Acoustic guitar: Bjorn Ulvaeus.Piano, moog and mellotron: Benny Andersson.Bass Dance: Per Sahlberg.Tenor Sax Waterloo: Christer Eklund.Congas Sitting In The Palmtree: Malando Bassama.Strings Honey, Honey Arranged By Sven Olof Walldoff.Produced By Benny Anderson And Bjorn Ulvaeus.Recorded Et Metronome Studio, Stockholm, September 1973—January 1974.Engineered By Michael B. Tretow.Cover Photos By Ola Lager (Front, Back). Photos :Inner Sleeve By Ola Lager/Premium Publishing, Torbjorn Calvero/Premium Publishing, Sjoberg Classic, Bengt H. Malmqvist/Premium Publishing, Pressens Bild.RON SPAULDING Album designerINGER SVENNEKE designer. Created the ‘Waterloo’ costumes
the sources are the excellents books of Carl Magnus Palm
the complete recording sessions
bright lights dark shadows (could be a source for a movie about the band)
