A MUST TO COMPLETE THE ABBA COLLECTION

This album wasn't released in USA so I didn't own the CD until fairly recently, already having all the other ABBA albums. Technically this is not an ABBA album as it was originally released under the name of "Bjorn, Benny & Anna, Frida" in 1973. Recorded in the early seventies, the ABBA sound as we know it today is not present on this LP. In fairness, the group started of as being a duet with just Bjorn and Benny. In fact one of their singles, "She's My Kind Of Girl" is included in this set. Bjorn and Benny frequently asked their girlfriends (Agnetha and Frida) to record backing vocals for them and their voices gradually started becoming more and more prominent on the recordings. This LP is the result, no hint of the group's name ABBA which came a year later. So with this in mind, Ring Ring is a fascinating insight into the progression of the group in its earliest years. There are a few songs here that I don't like (unlike the later ABBA albums), and a few hidden gems (Another Town Another Train, I'm Just A Girl, Nina, Ring Ring). Definitely not their strongest but I wouldn't be without this CD.

My least favorite "debut" album

Madonna and Britney Spears had great first albums. However, this isn't one of them. While I enjoy ABBA's later albums, this one never quite rises above silly with a bunch of fillers. One example is "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brither." Gosh, it's annoying now!!! I used to like it. After ABBA evolved into more mature artists (by next years 'Waterloo,' they were already MUCH better) they are more enjoyable. Far more than this ... piece of immature ....

Underrated; you can already hear movement towards greatness.

While hardly a masterpiece in the league of the great, late albums, 'Ring Ring' is a vast improvement on patchy albums like 'Waterloo'. The grotesque prog-rock indulgences that marred that work are largely absent; the one exception, 'I Saw it in the mirror' is redeemed by sad lyrics and moving backing vocals.

By this tage of their career, Abba had yet to find their true voice, so 'Ring Ring' largely comprises some excellent pastiches (eg the Carole King of 'Disillusion'; the Animals of 'She's My Kind of Girl').

Full of exhiliratingly tuneful dance pop, the Abba aesthetic can be glimpsed in the frothy stomp/melancholic subject matter of the title song; the haunting 'Another town, another train' reminiscent of the astonishing late ballads; and 'Nina, pretty ballerina', an early stab at what would become their euphoric masterpiece, 'Dancing Queen'.