If the only ABBA CD you own is 1992's multimillion selling GOLD, then it's definitely time to replace that collection of classic pop music it with a newer compilation. The digital remastering on this CD is amazing, and ABBA sounds shiny and new and vibrant all over again!

On the other hand, if Amazon still has THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION on sale for $9.99, pick that up instead. Same remastering, MORE SONGS! LONG LIVE ABBA!

When a group is as universally popular as ABBA you can rest assured that those in charge of their catalogue will take advantage of this overwhelming popularity. If you were to believe the statistics, the Swedish Super-group has sold more than 360 million units worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling acts in the history of popular music trailing behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. It should not come as a surprise that this compilation was released even though there are several others available that already showcase the talents of this lovable foursome. There's the 20th Century Masters collection (CD) featuring ABBA which was certified Gold in the US, "The Definitive Collection" (CD and DVD) and the most popular of them all "ABBA GOLD: Greatest Hits" (CD and DVD) which was certified 6 x platinum in the US and has sales of over 25 million world-wide. So what is the point of this new release titled "ABBA Number Ones" which like their previous compilations have been released in both CD and DVD format? The title of one of ABBA's hits comes to mind: "Money, Money, Money". For the millions who already own "GOLD" and "The Definitive Collection" purchasing "Number Ones" would be pointless since they already own these songs. However, for the millions of fans (like myself) "Number Ones" is just another compilation to add to your ever growing collection.

"ABBA: Number Ones" showcases all of the songs that topped the charts internationally (The DVD version includes all the videos to these classic songs and as a bonus, they throw in a live version of "Waterloo", 2 other live performances which were sung to a backing track and a Number One scrapbook which lists all the countries the respective singles topped the charts in, although some of the lists are incomplete since it omits countries several of these songs reached the top). Evidence of ABBA's overwhelming international appeal is that if you were to tally up all of their number ones, you would get a number well over 100. Missing in action however is "Does Your Mother Know" which reached # 1 in Belgium and the Top Ten in several other territories including Canada, "Eagle" which topped the charts in Belgium and "Lay All Your Love on Me" which was a top ten hit in the UK and reached # 1 in the US Hot Dance Club Play Charts in the early 80's.

ABBA's success in North America paled slightly to their massive appeal elsewhere however to state they were not successful in the US and Canada will be an inaccurate statement. In the US, the group had 20 singles reach the Billboard Hot 100 within an 8 year time frame out of which 14 reached the Top 40. They also scored a # 1 hit on the singles chart with "Dancing Queen" (featured here), two # 1 hits in the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts with "Fernando" and "The Winner Takes It All" (featured here) and a # 1 in the Billboard Dance/Club charts with "Lay All Your Love on Me" (not featured here). In Canada they scored no less than 14 Top Forty hits out of which 8 reached the Top Ten and 6 consecutive Top Ten albums including a # 1 with Greatest Hit: Vol 2.

To the few who have not been exposed to these timeless and immaculate pop gems, "ABBA: Number Ones" may be a good place to start with since it's reasonably priced and offers their biggest hits but keep in mind that "The Definitive Collective" is far more extensive and may be a better buy. For the millions of ABBA fans out there, what can I say since you already own these songs? But knowing the passion this group inspires among their fan-base, I wouldn't be surprised in knowing that when entering your favorite music store, the first thing you do is extend your arm and grab this CD/DVD off the shelf and pay for it at the counter. I can't blame you since I have done exactly that. That is the power of ABBA's music

Even though other ABBA compilations already exist, this is still a well put together collection of tracks. It's safe to assume that the songs in this album were number one hits in countries around the world since their only chart topper in the US was "Dancing Queen". Hence, this collection truly underscores their global popularity.

Strangely the booklet is devoid of credits so it's not known who compiled or produced the disc nor does it say anywhere which countries the songs reached number one. But unlike other compilations "Gold" and "The Definitive Collection" the lyrics to the tracks are printed so you can actually sing along while it's playing.

New and old fans alike will love this album. It's great to play during long trips and/or parties. You'll be hard pressed to touch the skip button on this one.

This is just another repackaging job from the money spinners at Universal. The tracks are the 2001 masters used for the reissue of all the original albums, and if you have none of these, then you might consider buying this double set. The second CD however, while not being number one hits, are tracks 'taken' from number one albums. I have no problem with this, but running at a slim 43 minutes, when we all know CDs can hold up to 80 minutes, you'd expect they might have been a little more generous. After all, it's not as though there isn't enough material to fill up the disc. One can't help but feel that Universal are bleeding consumers. Given this, my advice is to wait until the price plummets, or buy it second hand. Not good value for money, and quite a few punters believe these tracks were specially remastered for this release. The offical ABBA Fan Club in the Netherlands confirm this is not the case - these are recycled 2001 masters. Not that this is a bad thing, but if you are expecting something spectacularly different from the 2001 reissues you will be disappointed.

I received this album as a gift and now I listen to it constantly. I bought it for the person who gave it to me. She and I both agree that you can't choose a favorite song on this album because they are all so great. Any ABBA fan should include this album in their collection because the 18 songs on it really capture their talent and they're just so much fun to sing! I love that the album comes with lyrics, also. In my opinion, out of all ABBA hits albums, this one is the best, especially for the price; you won't find a better value for your money. It has all the songs that made ABBA so popular and continues to keep their music alive today. You won't be disappointed and you'll want to play it loud again and again.