Just what most people want in an Abba box

Here you get all of Abba's classic hits in one outstanding package, together with a selection of album tracks, B-sides and rarities. Famous songs dominate the first three CD's including Waterloo, SOS, Mamma Mia, Fernando, Dancing queen, Money money money, Knowing me knowing you, Name of the game, Take a chance on me, Summer night city, Chiquitita, Does your mother know, Voulez-vous, Angel eyes, Gimmie gimmie gimmie, I have a dream. Winner takes it all, Super trouper, Lay all your love on me and One of us. Of course, these songs are generally available on other compilations but the advantage of this set is that you get all the minor hits and other important recordings as well as all the big hits. Honey honey was a hit for Abba in some countries but not Britain, where Sweet Dreams (a duo featuring Polly Browne, former lead singer of Pickettywitch) had a top ten hit with it.



Within those first three CD's, all tracks are presented in chronological order and clearly illustrate the development of the group from its early folk-influenced pop music through the disco era and beyond. Much of the music on the first two CD's is happy, cheerful music, reflecting the joy and pleasure they had in being together. Sad songs were a rarity in those days, though there were some - like Knowing me knowing you. When the strains in their relationships surfaced, sadder songs became a more significant part of their repertoire and this shows on the third CD - there are plenty here.



Among the album tracks, everybody (except those who are only interested in the hits) has their personal favorites. Some of mine (The piper, Why did it have to be me, Move on, Nina pretty ballerina) are not here but others (Another town another train, When I kissed the teacher, Dance while the music still goes on, The way old friends do) are here. I see other reviews in which others name their favorite omissions. I love those tracks too, but even four CD's cannot include everything. All the original albums (often with extra tracks) are available at a reasonable price and that is the only way to get all the great album tracks.



The final CD is devoted to rarities but is clearly designed to appeal to a much larger audience than Abba's die-hard fans - it isn't filled with boring alternate takes that are only slightly different from the standard versions. Some of these tracks have since become less rare - Put on a white sombrero and the folk medley have since been added as bonus tracks to re-mastered original albums - but it's still great to see these tracks here. There is clearly a need for a separate rarities compilation, perhaps even a whole boxed set, but this boxed set was designed for a mass market and succeeds brilliantly in that.



Die-hard fans will buy this box anyway, whatever reservations they may have. For everybody else, this is the ultimate Abba compilation.

A good choice for true ABBA fans

Four CDs. A 68-page booklet. Not bad! It has all their most famous hits.



ABBA's sound is great, and their music shows plenty of imagination.



The first disc includes early hits with multiple words, such as Ring Ring; Honey Honey; Money, Money, Money; and I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. And there are some other famous hits such as Waterloo, S.O.S., When I Kissed The Teacher, Fernando, and, of course, Dancing Queen.



The second disc has later ABBA hits. These include Happy Hawaii, The Name Of The Game, Eagle, Take A Chance On Me, Chiquitita, Does Your Mother Know, Voulez-Vous, Angel Eyes, and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!



The third disc has some of ABBA's last and most experimental songs. Examples are Super Trouper, The Visitors, Head Over Heels, Cassandra, and Under Attack.



The final disc has some miscellaneous material. Some of it is interesting, such as Dream World, She's My Kind Of Girl, You Owe Me One, and Just Like That.



With all these hits, what is missing? Plenty of less famous songs. Tiger, Arrival, As Good As New, Move On, The Piper, and Soldiers are just some of the omissions. But I think the very best songs are all there.



ABBA lyrics occasionally lack profundity. But they are unforgettable.



Well, do I like the CD set? Uh-huh. Can't deny it. 'Cause it's true. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.

One Of The Greatest Boxed Sets Ever Released

One of the most successful groups of all time (thought it was surprisingy limited in America), ABBA is truly one of the few artists who truly deserve a boxed set like "Thank You For The Music". In their 11 - year tenure, Anni - Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeuss, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Faltskog created a string of classic pop singles that hold up against the best of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. They also had many lesser known album tracks that were just as good.



Both these aspects are included on "Thank You For The Music", a four - cd, 66 - track collection of ABBA's work from 1971 to 1983, including all their biggest hits plus many album tracks and a disc of unreleased material.



Disc 1 covers their early years, 1971 to 1977. Starting off with some pre - "Waterloo" tracks, right from the beginning ABBA showed some true potential. However, they didn't break big until 1974's immortal classic "Waterloo". The rapid fire succession of hits that followed like "Honey Honey", "S.O.S." and "Mamma Mia" were top notch pop singles, while album tracks like "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)" and "Crazy World" could have just as easily been hits themselves. This disc is also notable since it includes the band's two biggest worldwide hits, "Fernando" and the timeless "Dancing Queen" (their only number one hit here in America).



Disc 2 covers 1977 to 1979. Kicking off with "Knowing Me, Knowing You", ABBA started to create more experimental music, such as "I Wonder (Departure)". However, their best songs at this point were still straightforward feel - good pop numbers like "Summer Night City", the bouncy "Take A Chance On Me" (a number three hit in America), "Does Your Mother Know" and "I Have A Dream".



Disc 3 covers their final years, 1980 to 1983. Starting off with the somber divorce ballad "The Winner Takes It All" (written about Agnetha and Bjorn's divorce and a true musical masterpiece), their music at this point touched on personal (Frida and Benny's marriage ended in 1982, immortalized by the excellent "When All Is Said And Done" and the lush "One Of Us"), political (the powerful Cold War anthem "The Visitors") and even immortality (the chilling "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room"). Still, they had time to create upbeat pop songs like "On And On And On" and "Head Over Heels". One of their best b - sides is on here as well, the beautiful "Cassandra". Closing out the disc is their final single "Under Attack", a good song but not a great one and also an innapropriate swans song (they should have either "When All Is Said And Done" or "Thank You For The Music" as a farewell single).



Disc 4 is filled with unreleased material, all of which are really good, especially songs like "Dream World" (an early version of "Does Your Mother Know") and "Put On Your White Sombrero". The "ABBA Undelted" medley is a 23 minutes long. It features only mere snippets of unreleased songs, but listening to many of them you can see how pretty much everything ABBA released could have been a big hit. My favorite song in the medley is "Just Like That", a Culture Club - style song that I think cold have been a huge hit circa 1985.



Overall, an excellent collection of ABBA's music. As bonus, the set comes with a 66 page booklet filled with track information, some intriguing liner notes and many great photos. A truly great set for a truly great band.