I was in high school when most of ABBA's work was originally released. At that time, no one considered cool would have admitted to enjoying stuff like this. All the cool people I knew were listening to Lynyrd Skynrd and Bachman Turner Overdrive. Now, all these years later, it is at last safe for me to admit I love these songs.

There is a whole new generation of kids listening (or perhaps pretending not to listen) to ABBA's music as interpreted by the new Swedish group, the A-Teens. I must say, I'll have to stick with these originals. If you think you need only one silly seventies pop-dance album, this may be the one for you.

Most of ABBA's songs are syrupy sweet with a dance-able swaying thump in the background, ala Dancing Queen, Fernando, Knowing Me, Knowing You. I love them all. I can never quite decide whether these are smirky camp or absolutely serious, but perhaps that is part of the appeal. The enigma of ABBA.

What surprised me, revisiting some of the early songs, like SOS and Waterloo, is the almost rock and roll feel. The beat is harder and faster before the group went completely disco.

Still, I think if ABBA has a live-forever pop classic, it has to be Dancing Queen, which has pride of place here as the first track. This really sums up everything you need to know about Pop.

I recently bought the ABBA Gold Greatest Hits CD and something just doesn't sound right! I have the original recordings on LP and 45, so I have a reference other than memory. Someone has done some serious re-mixing on this compilation. It almost sounds like they are singing in a living room with overstuffed chairs. The rhythm track sounds like someone beating on a plastic garbage can with a broom. The originals had heavy compression on the vocals and lush reverb which was an integral part of the ABBA sound. It sounds like in this version they are using some sort of noise gate on the vocals, because they tend to unnaturally disappear between syllables. I was amazed that of all the 173+ reviews only one shared my disappointment with this compilation from a technical standpont. I certainly agree with that review. that "the new (1993) version is extremely boring and in no way reproduces the musical excitement of the real ABBA from the 70s and 80s." The recordings, as originally released, were masterpieces that did not need to be "improved upon".The A-Teens recordings sound closer to the originals in terms of production technique than this collection does.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ONE YEAR LATER, November 26, 2004..... I wrote my original review of ABBA Gold back on December 2, 2003, and my opinion of it has not changed. It does not sound like the original ABBA recordings, even though Michael Tretow, the original recording engineer produced this CD. I have gained some insight into the magic Michael Tretow put into the original mixes. I recently purchased The Winner Takes it All (The ABBA Story) DVD. Michael talks about doubling up the instruments and the vocals to make the recordings sound bigger than life. The doubled instruments and voices were also changed in pitch slightly to enhance the sound. If you listen closely to the original ABBA vinyl recordings, you can hear this chorusing effect. The sound is sort of like a choir of angels singing along with the 4 ABBA vocalists. This effect is lacking on the ABBA Gold CD, where the vocals tend to get lost in the mix, particularly low listening levels. It has nothing to do with some special ethereal quality of phonograph records versus compact discs. ABBA Gold is a re-mix. It is nearly impossible to duplicate all of the aspects of the original mix, a decade and a half later. I wonder if the original 2-track mix tapes that were sent to the record pressing plant are still in a vault somewhere. It would be wonderful if they could be put on CD. You think ABBA Gold is good? The original mix on CD would blow you away!

I also was in Jr. High School and High School when Abba was cranking out top 10 hits. In those days I snuck into the record shop and hid my Abba albums under the cover of Led Zeppelin and then ditched the Zeppelin at the check out counter. It was imperative to hide your face while purchasing Abba albums. They were that uncool. To admit you loved Abba in geometry class was to court disaster and be ostracized for the rest of your life.

Such nonsense mattered as a 14 year old, now I can openly say Abba's music is wonderful and their arrangements were as innovative as anything coming out of the 70's. It is simply impossible to listen to Dancing Queen or Take a Chance on Me and not want to hear the songs again and again. The vocal intricacies on Take a Chance are equal to the harmonies on most Beach Boys records. How about Waterloo? Three minutes of the most pulsing, catchy music ever put on a disc.

Abba's music sounds better today than it ever did, particularly when you know what dreck was produced by other bands in the intervening years. They might not have been Dylanesque lyrically, but few have ever written songs with such clever hooks, bridges and infectious rhythm. Thirty years after the fact, the impossible has happened: Abba has finally become cool!

FIRST- Of note to people who are obsessed with track length (as I am) is the fact that two songs (Voulez Vous & The Name of the Game) are somewhat shorter than their album versions

I thought I would do it track by track:

1. Dancing Queen (3:52) - probably the best-known song on this album- it is truly a classic. It needs no introduction

It's definitely not the best track on the album, but it is a great song.

2. Knowing Me, Knowing You (4:02) - a classic song. A great performance by Frida

3. Take A Chance On Me (4:04) - A nice song. I love the A'Capella beginning. The live version on ABBA LIVE (CD) is also really great- and it sounds faster

4. Mamma Mia (3:33) - A classic ABBA track. I love it!!!

5. Lay All Your Love On Me (4:34) - To me, this is the best song on the album. It has a great sound to it. Very disco-ish or early 80s-ish. From the classic album Super Trouper

6. Super Trouper (4:14) - A good song. This is the opening track from their masterpiece album of the same name. You really should look into the Super Trouper album

7. I Have A Dream (4:44) - a great song. I actually didn't like it until I heard the live version- so you may want to check that out on ABBA LIVE (CD) or on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD). A beautiful track with a children's choir.

8. The Winner Takes It All (4:55) - another great track from the Super Trouper album- and it's probably the most beautiful song on ABBA Gold

9. Money, Money, Money (3:08) - a great song. It has a cabaret type of sound.

10. S.O.S. (3:21) - Not one of my favorites, but for a lot of people this is one of their best songs. I must say, though, they may have a point- listen to it and you'll see.

11. Chiquita (5:26) - My least favorite song on this album. But, it was a major hit in many Spanish-speaking countries

12. Fernando (4:13) - I love this song. To me, it's one of Frida's greatest performances (and that's saying a lot). If you like it, you should hear the live version on ABBA LIVE (CD).

13. Voulez Vous (4:22 [edit- the album version is 5:09, so we lose 47 secs.]) - A great venture into disco. Very upbeat. If you like it, you should hear the whole Voulez Vous album and you should see the performance on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD)

14. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (4:48) - Another great disco classic. It was recently sampled by Madonna on the song "Hung Up."

If you like Gimme! You may want to see/hear the live version on ABBA LIVE (CD) or on ABBA IN CONCERT (DVD) and you may want to hear "Hung Up" by Madonna

15. Does Your Mother Know (3:15) - I used to hate this song, but now it's one of my favorites. The 50s rock type of sound to it is great. From the Voulez Vous album- I just love it. If you like it, you should hear the live version (on ABBA LIVE [CD] or on ABBA IN CONCERT [DVD])- it has a great guitar solo part not found in the studio version

16. One Of Us (3:58) - arguably the best track on The Visitors album. Although I'm not so sure about that, it still is great. Check out that bassline!!!!

17. The Name Of The Game - (4:00 [edit- the album version is 4:53, so we lose 53 secs.]) - a beautiful song (although the full length version on ABBA The Album is much better as it has an extra verse)

18. Thank You For The Music (3:51) - great song. Although it released as a single in 1983, it was a track on 1977's ABBA The Album. It is often seen as a farewell song (which it does serve well as), but it is actually one of four songs from ABBA's mini musical "The Girl With the Golden Hair" (this and two others are available on ABBA The Album. One song is unavailable on any album although it can be heard on ABBA The Movie)

19. Waterloo (2:42) - their first major hit. It has a glam rock-ish sound to it. WOW. If only it were longer

ALSO RECOMMENDED: ABBA LIVE and MORE ABBA GOLD.

(I personally prefer More ABBA Gold to ABBA Gold)

Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket! If I were a conniving CD producer & peddler and had the opportunity to issue "ABBA Gold" and "ABBA More Gold," I'd likely take the most solid ABBA tunes and tactfully divide them evenly between both CDs, and add the lesser known "fillers" as an afterthought.

Well...being an Abba fanatic, I found plenty to enjoy with both CDs. But the first "ABBA Gold" is an absolute gem if you are a casual ABBA fan and want to purchase a "Best of" collection that's packed with the richest and finest ABBA hits.

Seriously, you won't find yourself skipping a few tracks every time a tune ends. Track 1 goes right into "Dancing Queen," and --in my opinion-- the following five songs are not only hits, but some of ABBA's most solid work. You get a diverse selection of their music from sorrowful "SOS" to playful "Money, Money, Money" (a particular favorite of mine, as it's one of those few tunes where you get to hear Frida's powerful and sultry

I really find no filler tracks in ABBA Gold. Admittedly, "I Have a Dream" and "Does Your Mother Know" are two ABBA tunes that always lost me, but when I chat with other ABBA fans, I find myself in the minority. The only way this CD will not fulfill your needs is if you are one of those folks (like me) who discovered ABBA, think they are one of THE greatest, and want ALL ABBA! On the other hand, you can be a fairly avid fan and still get almost all the ABBA you'll need on this CD.