the album "ABBA" (1975)
01.Mamma Mia
this is the blue print pop hit ,if there was a teaching about pop music ,this will be the perfect structure of a pop song : a fusion of rock power with classical melodies and operatic shalow lyrics (as "tongue in cheek" as the "sevilla barber" or "figaro's wedding")
it combines childish marimba ,hard rock guitars ,powerfull drums ,five melodical lines changes ,lighthearted lyrics about a simple relationship.
02.Hey, Hey Helen
this is the first real "divorce song" no matter the two couples are living in the dreamworld !
it relates the broken relationship from the perspective of a third part .
in a certain angle we can see an antifeminist side ,"so you had your freedom from your man but was it worth because even if you can be independant financially (by working like a man) there's the children who need their father and yourself needing a man !)
the hard rock guitars are proeminent here but the recording lacks the "hard rock touch" which might have been requested . i do listen to the song with a creative sound card and add "distorsion" ,it works ,the song gains highly .
03.Tropical Loveland
this is pop perfection with the now usual harmonies ,the melodic line is fresh ,beautiful like an "abba song" could be !
the backing track is sober with pure joyful "waves" dominated by the accordeon , few notes of piano (even played by Agnetha on a tv show :Eddy go round dutch show from 75)
the lyrics are for me a little ambiguous ,with sensual allusions .
04.SOS
this is the first masterpiece and is still for me my all-time favorite.
Agnetha is stunning ,singing each time differently at the live performances !
the best is the BBC summer special in 75 ,where the song sounds like an eighties recording !
the song is so well known that it doesn't need description .
quickly ,it combines bach ,hard rock and acoustic guitar riffs ,blueprint for a huge number of punk and rock songs .
it was rewritten for Agnetha ,in swedish for her 1975 solo album "Elva kvinnor i ett huss" the other songs all composed by herself and helped with the lyrics by Bosse carlgren, the same happened with fernando for Frida (the difference is that for SOS it was a translation and the last chorus features a new line in swedish (when you 're gone though i try how can i carry on , + "Varför ska du och jag som två främlingar gå? Var är han, denne man som jag älskade så?" meaning : why we two must go separate ways (like strangers); who really is ,this man that i loved so much.)
for fernando ,the swedish words by stig deal with love affair while bjorn english lyrics deal with south american guerilla !)
05.Man in the Middle
the song that meant to be funky features a great saxophone solo at the end (which is rare in abba songs) and lyrics about being rich and have no true friends ,"you can buy almost anything but not a honest friend !
" as bjorn put it !,i think it's a great song ,the arrangements are great and like all the album stuff deserved to be a single ,especially in the US.
06.Bang-A-Boomerang
this is a pop master ,the background is unusual for this kind of song ,it's a church organ-like sound pattern ,and the harmonies of the girls are incredible juggling with contrepoint just as they do in "fernando" !
07.I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
the classical basic line with the unusual saxo but just enough to avoid excess (like abba knows how to ),the melody is superb and is one of the most beautiful melodies of contemporary music ,it's so close to the feeling in the lyrics 'finally finding the love one has expected all his life !'
08.Rock Me
the rockiest track ("so long" is almost hard rock!) bjorn shows a new way of his singing ability and was probably exhausted after the singing session ,his harsh voice against a sugar melody ,emphazised by the xylophone in the versus ,.The melody is still sweet ,a contrast with the singing.
09.Intermezzo No. 1
fabulous instrumental ,benny shows all his skills as a pianist ,this number is extremely modern and had passed the test of time with excellence.
10.I've Been Waiting for You
sorrowful vocals from agnetha ,country flavored number with still the typical ABBA sound .one of the best ballads of the group.
11.So Long
rock number , almost hard rock ,energetic ,agnetha is leading and do a kind of 'elvis presley' singing .but if you listen to blondie's moroder 'call me', you'll see a reminiscence .there are rumours that moroder had frida and stevie nicks in mind for the song but blondie did the track .
12.Crazy World
this is the worst song of abba ,it deserved to stay in the vaults and be re-used for another song because there is still few notes that are wonderfull and very very out of context in the song !
13.Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special
there is a lot to say about these covers (the only covers in the entire groupe career) first "pick a bale of cott " (a coton field blues) they transform it to a very original rock number ,a prelude to hole in your soul in the future Abba album,"on top of old smokey" (a song about infidelity ) interpreted with such a serious manner by Frida that it all seemed unnatural to anglosaxon critics but that is all Abba ,never taking for granted and giving 100 per cent even for a weak song ."midnight special" is a 'prisoner song' (who is expecting for a coming train that will take him to escape ) this traditional performed by "creedence clearwater revival" (a sure inspiration for Abba and all good pop groups of the seventies) here Abba's version is futuristic wich high energy as in "so long" and "sounds" courtesy of benny : looking like scratches from 'hip hop' ,just listen carefully and you will see.
14.Mamma Mia (Spanish Version)
this is not better than the original english version although all other spanish versions are lifted by the spanish language except this.
Guitars Janne Shaffer, Finn Sjöberg, Björn Ulvæus, Lasse Wellander , Bass Rutger Gunnarsson, Mike Watson Drums Ola Brunkert, Roger Palm , Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer Benny Andersson Trumpet "So Long" Bruno Glenmark , Tenor sax "Man in the middle" Ulf Andersson Alto sax "I do, I do, I do, I do, I do" Ulf Andersson , String arrangement "Mamma Mia" Sven-Olaf Walldoff, "Intermezzo no 1" Björn J:son Lindh , Horn arrangement "Intermezzo no 1" Björn J:son Lindh Tenor sax arrangement "Man in the middle" Björn J:son Lindh , Recorded at Glenstudio, Stocksund and Metronome Studio, Stockholm 74-75 , Mixed at Metronome Studio Engineered by Michael B. Tretow , Cover photo Ola Lager Album Design Sten-Åke Magnusson , Produced and Arranged by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvæus
the album "ARRIVAL" (1976)
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this is the second masterpiece album ,the weakest song is better than any other bands pop song from the era ! Abba are the kings of pop and will remain for thirty years on .
everything is perfectly recorded with the greatest meticulousness. nothing left to random.
each song is like a Fabergé egg !
1. When I Kissed The Teacher
perfect opener for the album ,it begins with an Cappella lifted by an acoustic guitar ensemble , the song is so fresh that it exalts all the craziness of adolescence and the edginess of the voices amplified it , the melody is as usual perfectly blending with the lyrics , dealing with the classical crush , students have with some teachers , the bassist delivers delightful paterns , benny provides a synthesizer sober arrangement (with a different mix on the Abbadabadoo clip) the end is exploding !
2. Dancing Queen
what can i say,a lot have been said about this song
it's a disco-funk number with lots of heavenly harmonies and sparkling piano arrangement ,this is the pop blue print at its peak.the Sven ollof waldoff string arrangement is alone a masterpiece !
3. My Love, My Life
dreamy soundscape ,lots of harmony work, Agnetha doing what she does best singing sorrow songs ,lot of passion and a majestic orchestral string arrangement ,Frida singing in a unusual higher register (what she does later in "move on")
4. Dum Dum Diddle
the track begins with a very characteristic bagpipe synthesizer then follows a girls unison ,both delivering a wonderful "third voice"
the song is pure pop and the lyrics ,excluding the chorus ,are metaphorically interesting in the verses (maybe bjorn was inspired by the italian movie Il Merlo Maschio from 71)
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
lyrically this is the ultimate break up song ,with this album and these songs ,Abba could stop and leave a indelible spot on pop music ,they could have never release 'the winner' ,with this album there was enough classic to put Abba on the rock'n'roll hall of fame .
the song combine the acoustic guitar riffs with clavichord patterns ,when the sentence 'empty room' is pronounced ,you hear the notes of keyboard (clavichord pattern) imaging a haunted manor !
when Agnetha is whispering in the second verse ,you could feel the loneliness and sadness of the lead singer (Frida) but it remains a pop song and you still take control without being diving in the atmosphere.
the song combines hard rock power in the chorus (due to electric guitars) with harmony vocals (almost church vocals) .
this is perfection of lyrics melody voices and arrangement !
6. Money, Money, Money
this is one of my all time favorite song ,this is the one why i became an Abba fan. if it could have been for waterloo ,i would never be the one .but this song got the best ever intro in all music (classical and pop) .
it has five changes in the the structure (like 'dum dum diddle')
first 'i work all night ..." with it's own rhythm and drum pattern ,then it's 'in my dreams ..." with it's own percussion pattern ,then a third part in the verse 'i wouldn't have ...."
as if t wasn't enough come the chorus with it's own rhythm ,then another change with 'aha aha all the things i could..." with electric guitar courtesy of Anders glenmark of the eighties benny production GEMINI
the melody is incredibly beautiful having german cabaret flavor (it's close musically to 'Kurt Weills' masterpiece "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) and of course the interpretation by Anni-frid is incomparable even Agnetha could never do it like this (it's the same for 'the winner ')
7. That’s Me
this song is a blueprint for all 90s techno dance hits , it features an incredible arrangement one of the early "fusion" songs ,combining very different ingredients like country guitars with rhythm and blues and latin flavor ,the result is a perfect pop song that deserved to be a single (though it was in some territories)
the lyrics are a bit feminist ,it's really one of the finest song in the album no matter what Anglo-Saxons critics may have put !
8. Why Did It Have To Be Me
first composed as 'happy hawaii' ,the song have been completely reworked with a fats domino flavor giving it a "blues like" atmosphere though tongue-in-cheek ,the arrangement is deliberately poor for an Abba song ,and it gives more aeration to the song . the perfect combination between the voices and the sax in the middle section is unreal !
the end of the song on the album mix seems indefinite and it pulls to imagination !
although a "hidden track" on the album , it was a big success on stage with Frida performing it alone while Agnetha is relaxing (Agnetha performed it only one time on the Abbadabadoo clip)
9. Tiger
this is one of the best rock songs ever recorded by the band ,though it's meticulously arranged and has a "dance touch" the song has a perfect rock feeling , rough and even the scream of the girls on the end of the song really rocks , this is the ultimate single but it wasn't (only in japan) also a concert favorite in the 77 tour
the harmony vocals of B and B in the chorus are incredible and the middle 'yellow eyes' is incredibly beautiful interrupting the song with some "false" tender moment like the tiger gives you when he want to eat you !
10. Arrival
a complete classic folk instrumental ,it's a standard at the first listening very celtic due to the bagpipe flavor ,covered with success by many artists ,already in 77 (some months after the album release) by French singer michele torr who made a very beautiful cover ,since then Frida made two covers for Abbacadabra ,'Belle' with D.Balavoine and 'Time' with B A Robertson (the best ever ) more eighties but brilliant ,the melody seems universal and can be put to any arrangement without losing it's flavor !
Bonus tracks
11. Fernando
Abba's greatest classic ? yes ,it combines swedish melancholy to south american folklore !
first the melody, a standard even played on a "tiny music box" ,
second ,the arrangements incredibly inventive ,the flute and strings arrangements are differently mixed in the three versions (swed eng span) though it's the same background .
Agnetha backing vocals ,she sings in the lowest key but the two voices merge and blend together and at some point it's very hard to make the difference (i personally think that in some notes Agnetha and Frida's voices are the same ,that's why they sing together so perfectly )
the lyrics deal with the south american guerillas .
the song is so huge that a complete book was written on it (fernando the flute)
12. Happy Hawaii
"early version" of why did it have to be me , this is the pop version , though not the best one ,it could have been a single for the average bands of the era but not for Abba .
what is really remarkable is the piano arrangement , really benny's signature . it worth the while just for the that .
13. La Reina Del Baile (Spanish Version of Dancing Queen)
slightly different from the english background ,it seems to have the early mix ,more acoustic than the synth version in the english one , the girls voices are incredible and they sing spanish extremely well .
it has a latin flavor that makes it very different from the original ,featuring also the famous "lost verse" of the english one .Equally beautiful to the original ,a must for a fan.
14. Conociéndome, Conociéndote (Spanish Version of Knowing Me, Knowing You)
this one also has a little different mix from the original ,strangely this one is more rockier because of the heavier electric guitars in the mix and spanish lyrics here sound more hard !
A part from this ,it's not as good as the english one like other spanish recordings.
perfect opener for the album ,it begins with an Cappella lifted by an acoustic guitar ensemble , the song is so fresh that it exalts all the craziness of adolescence and the edginess of the voices amplified it , the melody is as usual perfectly blending with the lyrics , dealing with the classical crush , students have with some teachers , the bassist delivers delightful paterns , benny provides a synthesizer sober arrangement (with a different mix on the Abbadabadoo clip) the end is exploding !
2. Dancing Queen
what can i say,a lot have been said about this song
it's a disco-funk number with lots of heavenly harmonies and sparkling piano arrangement ,this is the pop blue print at its peak.the Sven ollof waldoff string arrangement is alone a masterpiece !
3. My Love, My Life
dreamy soundscape ,lots of harmony work, Agnetha doing what she does best singing sorrow songs ,lot of passion and a majestic orchestral string arrangement ,Frida singing in a unusual higher register (what she does later in "move on")
4. Dum Dum Diddle
the track begins with a very characteristic bagpipe synthesizer then follows a girls unison ,both delivering a wonderful "third voice"
the song is pure pop and the lyrics ,excluding the chorus ,are metaphorically interesting in the verses (maybe bjorn was inspired by the italian movie Il Merlo Maschio from 71)
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
lyrically this is the ultimate break up song ,with this album and these songs ,Abba could stop and leave a indelible spot on pop music ,they could have never release 'the winner' ,with this album there was enough classic to put Abba on the rock'n'roll hall of fame .
the song combine the acoustic guitar riffs with clavichord patterns ,when the sentence 'empty room' is pronounced ,you hear the notes of keyboard (clavichord pattern) imaging a haunted manor !
when Agnetha is whispering in the second verse ,you could feel the loneliness and sadness of the lead singer (Frida) but it remains a pop song and you still take control without being diving in the atmosphere.
the song combines hard rock power in the chorus (due to electric guitars) with harmony vocals (almost church vocals) .
this is perfection of lyrics melody voices and arrangement !
6. Money, Money, Money
this is one of my all time favorite song ,this is the one why i became an Abba fan. if it could have been for waterloo ,i would never be the one .but this song got the best ever intro in all music (classical and pop) .
it has five changes in the the structure (like 'dum dum diddle')
first 'i work all night ..." with it's own rhythm and drum pattern ,then it's 'in my dreams ..." with it's own percussion pattern ,then a third part in the verse 'i wouldn't have ...."
as if t wasn't enough come the chorus with it's own rhythm ,then another change with 'aha aha all the things i could..." with electric guitar courtesy of Anders glenmark of the eighties benny production GEMINI
the melody is incredibly beautiful having german cabaret flavor (it's close musically to 'Kurt Weills' masterpiece "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) and of course the interpretation by Anni-frid is incomparable even Agnetha could never do it like this (it's the same for 'the winner ')
7. That’s Me
this song is a blueprint for all 90s techno dance hits , it features an incredible arrangement one of the early "fusion" songs ,combining very different ingredients like country guitars with rhythm and blues and latin flavor ,the result is a perfect pop song that deserved to be a single (though it was in some territories)
the lyrics are a bit feminist ,it's really one of the finest song in the album no matter what Anglo-Saxons critics may have put !
8. Why Did It Have To Be Me
first composed as 'happy hawaii' ,the song have been completely reworked with a fats domino flavor giving it a "blues like" atmosphere though tongue-in-cheek ,the arrangement is deliberately poor for an Abba song ,and it gives more aeration to the song . the perfect combination between the voices and the sax in the middle section is unreal !
the end of the song on the album mix seems indefinite and it pulls to imagination !
although a "hidden track" on the album , it was a big success on stage with Frida performing it alone while Agnetha is relaxing (Agnetha performed it only one time on the Abbadabadoo clip)
9. Tiger
this is one of the best rock songs ever recorded by the band ,though it's meticulously arranged and has a "dance touch" the song has a perfect rock feeling , rough and even the scream of the girls on the end of the song really rocks , this is the ultimate single but it wasn't (only in japan) also a concert favorite in the 77 tour
the harmony vocals of B and B in the chorus are incredible and the middle 'yellow eyes' is incredibly beautiful interrupting the song with some "false" tender moment like the tiger gives you when he want to eat you !
10. Arrival
a complete classic folk instrumental ,it's a standard at the first listening very celtic due to the bagpipe flavor ,covered with success by many artists ,already in 77 (some months after the album release) by French singer michele torr who made a very beautiful cover ,since then Frida made two covers for Abbacadabra ,'Belle' with D.Balavoine and 'Time' with B A Robertson (the best ever ) more eighties but brilliant ,the melody seems universal and can be put to any arrangement without losing it's flavor !
Bonus tracks
11. Fernando
Abba's greatest classic ? yes ,it combines swedish melancholy to south american folklore !
first the melody, a standard even played on a "tiny music box" ,
second ,the arrangements incredibly inventive ,the flute and strings arrangements are differently mixed in the three versions (swed eng span) though it's the same background .
Agnetha backing vocals ,she sings in the lowest key but the two voices merge and blend together and at some point it's very hard to make the difference (i personally think that in some notes Agnetha and Frida's voices are the same ,that's why they sing together so perfectly )
the lyrics deal with the south american guerillas .
the song is so huge that a complete book was written on it (fernando the flute)
12. Happy Hawaii
"early version" of why did it have to be me , this is the pop version , though not the best one ,it could have been a single for the average bands of the era but not for Abba .
what is really remarkable is the piano arrangement , really benny's signature . it worth the while just for the that .
13. La Reina Del Baile (Spanish Version of Dancing Queen)
slightly different from the english background ,it seems to have the early mix ,more acoustic than the synth version in the english one , the girls voices are incredible and they sing spanish extremely well .
it has a latin flavor that makes it very different from the original ,featuring also the famous "lost verse" of the english one .Equally beautiful to the original ,a must for a fan.
14. Conociéndome, Conociéndote (Spanish Version of Knowing Me, Knowing You)
this one also has a little different mix from the original ,strangely this one is more rockier because of the heavier electric guitars in the mix and spanish lyrics here sound more hard !
A part from this ,it's not as good as the english one like other spanish recordings.
We’ve recorded this album at the Metronome studio, during 1976. As usual we've been working together with Michael B. Tretow, sound engineer as well as an invaluable pusher and a neverending source of ideas. it's been a privilege to have a lot of our friends playing with us on the album. Rutger Gunnarsson, for instance, who plays bass on all the tracks and who also wrote the excellent string arrangements for My Love, My Life. Drummer ola Brunkert some day we're gonna let you hear him sing plays on eight songs and Roger Palm on one, Dancing Queen. These guys are even happier than usuel when they get together with percussionist Malando Gassama and his sack full of strange and exotic rhythm instruments. Janne Schafer plays electric guitar on Why Did it Have to Be Me, That's Me and if you listen carefully you can pick up a few notes on My Love, My Life, too. Anders Glenmark is the electric gultarist on Money, Money, Money and Lasse Wellander plays on knowing Me, Knowing You and Tiger and changes to acoustic on Dum Dum Diddle, where he's joined by Bjorn who is responsable for all the acoustic and a few of the electric guitars on the album. Synthesizers, marimbas, chimes, accordions, pianos, Benny plays any keyboard instruments he can lay his hands on, especialy on Arrival where Anders Dahl helped us with the strings. Every now and then you can hear violins on Dancing Queen and they were arranged by Sven Olof Walldof. Finaly, Lasse Carlsson is playing saxon Why Did it Have To Be Me. All vocals were of course sung by ourselves. Solo parts on My Love, My Life and When I Kissed The Teacher by Agnetha, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You by Frida and solo parts on Why Did It Have To Be Me by Bjorn.The lay out and the idea for the cover came from Rune Soderqvist and Ola Lager, who also took the beautiful photos. We thank you all for helping us complete this album, ABBA. Arranged and produced by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Photos inner sleeve by Bengt H. Malmqvist/Premium Publishing, Michael Putland/Pressens Bild, chris Walter/SJÖBERG Classic, Pressens Bild, Sjiiberg Classic.
ABBA – THE ALBUM (1977)
1. Eagle
this is the first time ABBA sounds epic and nearly hard , the background sounds really "prog-rock" Yes or Floyd couldn't sound better , this is perfection in all , a masterpiece to open the album.
you can shut your eyes and embark to a trip through wide spaces , fly with the eagles , often observed as an oblique tribute to the Eagles (the american band) , it's too experimental compared to the Eagles standards ,more like 'Fleetwood Mac' combined with 'Steely Dan' for the perfection of the sound . the comparison was made with fleet but the truth is that ABBA is more sophisticated and fleet's sound is very dated compared with the ABBA sound (which is more like steely Dan's ) and Janne schaffer is the lead guitar along with Lasse Wellander .
this song is with SOS the most pieces ABBA can be proud of .
the guitar solo at the end is captivating ,there's even a sound of seagulls (which you could also hear on some longer versions of "Doktorn" ,Agnetha solo track)
2. Take A Chance On Me
the acapella intro is magic , the girls lead vocals are edgy and surrounded by the bass male voices who succeed to them : making a abstract pattern really scarcely seen since the beach boys "good vibration" .
the melody is superb , the synthesiser in the midsection is really magic and futuristic .it's really pure
ABBA joy !
Even the lyrics are chosen especially to sound sweet and slithering with the melody !
3. One Man, One Woman
Frida here try to sound different , more mature and harsh , she reaches the Alto range with ease , and something that is rarely (or never ?) is the fourth voice that blend frida's with Bjorn's , they blend together just as the third voice (Frida and Agnetha) , here Frida's solos are partly raised by Bjorn something more extensive in the next track.
the solo electric guitar are the more beautiful part of the song , and the music-scape is changing at each verse , something they'll use in "evergreen" songs like 'the winner takes it all' or 'happy new year' .....
4. The Name Of The Game
(working title ;A Bit Of Myself)
this is like Eagle , perfection ,everything is at its place not a single note is added , this is really what ABBA is all about , perfection , no place for mistakes , after "my mama said" this is the song where we hear the most the fourth voice (Frida , Bjorn combined voices) , first you have Agnetha (Frida sounding more like backing vocalist ) sounding soulful , then the chorus with the four , then Frida alone charming and elegant , then the two girls , but in the chorus it seems more Frida and Bjorn leading and Agnetha backing , it's a mixture of Alto-tenor like pattern , powerful and elegant at the same time .
the song consists of five distinct parts ,something seen in other songs but not so evident .
when i heard it the first time on cheap radio and only parts I thought that it was two different songs !!
it always reminds me of psychoanalysis and did surely related to Agnetha's Doktorn lyrics and Bjorn and Agnetha's canceling sessions before their break up but of course with Bjorn imagination the things are not that simple .
5. Move On
this time the south american flavour is back , this time Bolivian flutes combined with Spanish guitar .the result is a very beautiful song that's flowing like a stream ,with even drops of water hidden among the arrangements ,Agnetha decorates that all with a superb birdie pattern (lalalalala) from her invention ,and Frida is doing the soprano while backing Agnetha ! just like Agnetha did the low voice in Fernando !
this song and 'happy new year' features the most beautiful hidden gems ever among ABBA's songs !
6. Hole In Your Soul
after experimenting the rock and hip hop scratch patterns in the medley (pick a bale of cott ...) this is the heavier ever ABBA song , featuring one of the most skilful solo electric guitar courtesy of Lasse Wellander the legend .even on "ABBA in concert" ,he's not disturbed by the girls clanging at his feet , something that really astonishing !
the track is power and energy gives an image of a fast car , Agnetha climb to the highest pitch and the boys give their most beautiful rendition , it could be easily a sound track for an american road-movie .
7. ”The Girl With The Golden Hair”
– 3 scenes from a mini-musical: this is the first attempt of Benny at musicals , it's a success even if criticized compared to Evita's standards .but Benny's efforts are not so ambitious and when he decided to do so ,with Chess, he really achieved something incomparable and of course Chess is the best musical ever !
8. Thank You For The Music
this has a cabaret flavor , Agnetha singing with her lowest range , she climb and descend with her familiar ease , giving her 100 % despite the fact that she's pregnant , recording sometimes in proclive (lying on her back) on this version she's more like Ella here ,but on another recording she sounds like Doris Day doing a "Manhattan tranfert" recording !
9. I Wonder (Departure)
the arrangement seems like a 'swan lake' decorum , Frida does her Diva , and Benny plays an "improvisation-like" in the midsection .the live version is very close to the studio one compared with other ABBA songs .
the lyrics deal with the fear of living everything to begin a new life .
10. I’m A Marionette
Opera is clear in this track , it seems like there was an attempt in 'Tiger' and achieved on this .the arrangemnts are astonishing giving the song or better the masterpiece a paranoid atmosphere well blended with the lyrics, there's a solo guitar section brilliantly executed by Lasse .
Bonus tracks
11. Al Andar (Spanish Version of Move On)
this sounds as good as in english , and of course perfectly with the style.
12. Gracias Por La Música (Spanish Version of Thank You For The Music)
as good as the English version if not better !
Bass: Rutger Gunnarsson Drums:Ola Brunkert (on "Take A Chance On Me","One Man, One Woman" and "Thank You For The Music" Roger Palm) Lead Guitar:Lasse Wellander (on "Eagle" Janne Schaffer) Other Guitars :Bjorn Ulvæus & Lasse Wellander All Keyboards: Benny Andersson Percussion:Malando Gassama Saxophones & Flutes: Lars O. Carlsson String arrangements: Rutger Gunnarsson Photo:Barry Levine/Mirage Album Design:Rune Soderqvist Illustrations:Rune Soderqvist/Bjorn Andersson Recorded and mixed at: Marcus Music & Metronome Studio"The Name Of The Game" mixed at Bocus Studio. Additional overdubs recorded at Glen Studio.STIG ANDERSON helped us with the lyrics on "The Name Of The Game","Move On" and "I Wonder (Departure)"Engineered by: MICHAEL B. TRETOWAll songs written, produced and arranged by BENNY ANDERSSON & BJORN ULVÆUS Licensed by Production BABOO A Polar Music Production
