I have been a fan of ABBA since they won the Eurovision Song Contest with the catchy Waterloo back in 1974 and have followed their career ever since. I bought all their albums on day of release including Arrival, ABBA The Album, Voulez Vous, Super Trouper and their final studio album The Visitors. Over the years I added the Greatest Hits and Gold albums along with the foreign language album Gracias Por La Musica.
Who could forget all the hits they produced between winning Eurovision and going their separate ways in 1982. Too many to list but here are just a few that are instantly recognisable from the first few bars, Dancing Queen, The Name Of The Game, Knowing Me, Knowing You, S.O.S, Fernando, Chiquitita, Does Your Mother Know and The Winner Takes It All. Every one a classic.
I had the opportunity to see them in concert at Wembley Arena in November 1979. An amazing show and one of the best concerts I have ever been to and just £7.50 for the ticket. Recently I added the ABBA Live At Wembley 2-CD set which was recorded during the concerts in 1979 and a great memory of an enjoyable night.
While their professional career was going from strength to strength their personal lives were suffering and following the collapse of both marriages the group split in late-1982. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus continued writing music for musicals, most notably Chess with Tim Rice, while the girls pursued solo careers.
Their music has also appeared in many films including Johnny English (Does Your Mother Know), High Rise (S.O.S.), The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (Mamma Mia) and Muriel's Wedding (Waterloo).
In 1999 the jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of ABBA, premiered in London and would go on to be a major success not only in London's West End but also Broadway. It is reported that over 65 million people have seen the musical and it has grossed more than $4 billion worldwide.
Following the success of Mamma Mia! The Musical there were two films, Mamma Mia!: The Movie (2008) and Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again (2018) whose casts included Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters.
Over the years there have been many rumours of an ABBA reunion or new material and now, 40 years since their last studio album, they have returned with a new album of brand new songs all written by Benny and Bjorn. Voyage features ten tracks with all but one recorded between 2017 and 2021.
The story of the album goes back to 2016 when the group reunited to work on a digital avatar concert. The concerts are scheduled to take place in 2022 at a newly built venue in London and although the band members will not be in the show they will appear virtually in what have been called 'ABBAtars.' Two years later they announced they were working on some new songs.
Released on 5 November 2021 Voyage was recorded at RMV Studios in Stockholm and produced by Benny Andersson with associate producer Bjorn Ulvaeus.
The album is typical ABBA. A mix of great lyrics, beautiful melodies and harmonies, wonderful arrangements and production.
Opening the album is I Still Have Faith In You, a beautiful track with a haunting vocal from Anni-Frid. When You Danced With Me has an Irish folk song theme and works well with the blend of both voices and the backing.
The weakest track on the album is Little Things, a Christmas song that I feel doesn't really fit the album. It is the kind of track that would have been featured as a b-side back in the days of vinyl singles.
Both Don't Shut Me Down and Just A Notion are two of the strongest songs on the album and definitely the albums highlights. The former is about looking back at a past relationship and coming out of it stronger despite the pain and heartbreak.
Just A Notion is the oldest track on the album and has a fifties feel to it. Recorded back in 1978 during sessions for the Voulez Vous album it was unused at the time. It did appear, in a very short section, as part of the ABBA Undeleted medley on the Thank You For The Music box set in 1994. For the new album they have taken the original vocal track and added new instrumentation.
There are several themes covered on the album. Songs about relationships, break-ups, reconciliation, I Can Be That Woman and, as in Keep An Eye On Dan, co-parenting.
Bumblebee has an environmental theme while the uptempo No Doubt About It is an apology for a tendency for fighting.
The album is bought to a close with the beautiful, haunting and wistful Ode To Freedom that features a lush orchestral backing. A fitting end to the album.
Both I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down, songs that were first announced back in 2018, were issued as singles prior to the release of the album with a third single, Just A Notion, released a fortnight before the album hit the stores.
Voyage already had advance orders of over 40,000 in the first 24-hours following the announcement of it's release. This had doubled within three days and by October 2021 had passed the 100,000 figure. There is no doubt that Voyage will be 'one' if not 'the' best selling album of 2021 and is almost guaranteed to reach number one on the album charts.
I love the new album which in places sounds like it could have been recorded during their final years together back in the early 1980s. Favourite tracks are Don't Shut Me Down, Just A Notion, I Still Have Faith In You and No Doubt About It. The only track I am not too keen on is Little Things but it does not spoil my enjoyment of an album that has been worth the 40 year wait.
There is only one way to end this article/review and that is to say ABBA... Thank You For The Music.
Great review hun! I've always liked ABBA.
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