Gold: Greatest Hits (ABBA album)

Gold: Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by ABBA
Released September 21, 1992 (1992-09-21)
Recorded December 1973-October 1981
Genre Pop, disco
Length 77:10 (1992)
79:08 (1999 – )
Label PolyGram (1992-1997) Universal Music (1998 – )
Producer Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA chronology
ABBA Live
(1986)		 Gold: Greatest Hits
(1992)		 More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Blender [2]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on September 21, 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn merged into what is now the Universal Music Group. With sales in excess of 28 million copies, it is the best-selling ABBA album as well as one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

Contents

Overview

Prior to its release, all previously released ABBA compilations had been deleted and only the original studio albums (along with the 1986 live album) remained in print. Gold: Greatest Hits was well received by the music-buying public, and went on to be one of the best-selling albums of all time worldwide. Worldwide sales as of 2009 are 28 million, Gold: Greatest Hits has emerged as the group's all-time greatest success.[3] It is the third biggest selling album of all time in the UK as of June 2009, having sold 4,610,813 copies in that territory.[4] The album entered the UK album charts at number 1 in October 1992, and had climbed back to number 1 position four times after then, the most recent time in 2008. It has occupied every position in the top 75 of the U.K. album chart, while also appearing in the chart every year since the release except for 2002 and 2006. It now holds the title of longest time spent in the album charts, (493 weeks in the UK Top 100).[5] In Germany, Gold is the third biggest-selling album of all time with sales of 2.5 million units.[6] It is also the best-selling album of all time in Switzerland, with certified sales of half a million copies.[7] It is also all time chart champion album in Switzerland for longevity, with 251 weeks in chart.

Gold: Greatest Hits has been re-released in various "special" or "remastered" releases in 1999, 2002, a 2003 CD/DVD release, 2004 and 2008. Most recently, in December 2010, Gold was again re-released with a bonus DVD; this time featuring the group's original promotional films in newly remastered high resolution. A similar package titled ABBA Oro: Grandes Éxitos features fifteen ABBA songs sung in Spanish.

History

The original 1992 release included edited versions of "Voulez-Vous" and "The Name of the Game." These were replaced by the full original-length versions on the 1999 and subsequent re-releases. The original 1992 version is still the only one available in the United States. However, the Australasian release had a modified track list to include three local hits, replacing three other songs. In Spain, the original 1992 release replaced the English versions of "Chiquitita" and "Fernando" with the Spanish language versions.

In 1999, the album was remastered and released both worldwide and in Australasia with the different track listings to commemorate ABBA's 25th Anniversary of winning the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo". This new version was called the "signature series", as it came with autographs from the band members embedded into the front plastic casing in gold writing. This new version also contained new liner (sleeve) notes.

A 10th Anniversary Edition was released worldwide in 2002 with a revised booklet and updated liner notes. The ABBA logo was changed to the official ABBA font and the back cover was redesigned. It was released in Europe and New Zealand (with the European track list, and not the previous Australasian track list). This version was not released in Australia.

A 2xCD Special Edition with Bonus CD was released on 22 September 2003. The DVD released in 2003 included the same 19 songs as the CD, plus a 25-minute documentary ABBA – The History, as well as the 1992 version of the "Dancing Queen" video. This includes scenes from other clips edited into the original video, which was made to promote the original release of Gold: Greatest Hits.

A 30th Anniversary Edition was released in 2004 in UK with a gold-coloured sleeve cover rather than the normal black sleeve. The original release included a DVD with 18 of the 19 songs from the CD, excluding "The Name Of The Game". It was available also without the DVD.

Gold: Greatest Hits was re-released in some territories in 2008, coinciding with the release of the film Mamma Mia!' in a so-called super jewel case, with updated liner notes and with remastered sound. The Australasian release featured the European track list, not the Australasian track list on previous issues.

The album topped the UK album chart on five separate occasions, sixteen years apart, first in 1992, then three times in 1999, and then again in 2008. It was also in the UK Top 50 best-sellers of 2004.[8] As a result, Gold: Greatest Hits is one of the best-selling and is the longest-charting album released in the United Kingdom, currently totalling 493 weeks in the Top 100.[5]

On July 24, 2008, it also topped for the first time the US Top Pop Catalogue Albums charts, being its first number 1 ever in any one of Billboard's Album charts, previously peaking at number 17 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums charts, where it finally peaked at number 11. In the 2010 Billboard Year End charts, Gold: Greatest Hits finished in 20th position for the year in the Top Pop Catalogue Album charts.

In the Irish Album Chart, the album, as of 3 September 2011, has been in the top 100 best selling albums for 538 weeks.

Gold: Greatest Hits was re-released as a new CD/DVD package on 6 December 2010. The DVD features newly remastered versions of all the videos and an extremely scarce cartoon video of "Money, Money, Money" only previously seen in Australia in the seventies, in addition 5 other videos will show a split screen to demonstrate the quality difference between the original and the remastered videos (full details on the official ABBA site).

Track listings

Worldwide (excluding Australasia until 2008)

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:51
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:03
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1977) – 4:06
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:33
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:35
  6. "Super Trouper" (1980) – 4:13
  7. "I Have a Dream" (1979) – 4:42
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:06
  10. "S.O.S." (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:20
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:27
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:14
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21/5:10
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:52
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:13
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:58
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56/4:54
  18. "Thank You for the Music" (1977) – 3:49
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:46

Australasia version (until 2008)

All songs written by Andersson and Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson Ulvaeus) – 3:49
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:01
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1978) – 4:01
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:32
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:32
  6. "Ring Ring" (1973) (Andersson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody) – 3:02
  7. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:15
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:05
  10. "S.O.S" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:19
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:26
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:10
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:46
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:14
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:53
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56
  18. "Rock Me" (1975) – 3:02
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:42

Special edition bonus CD

In 2003, Gold: Greatest Hits was released in Europe with a bonus second disc.

  1. "Summer Night City"
  2. "Angeleyes"
  3. "The Day Before You Came"
  4. "Eagle"
  5. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"
  6. "So Long"
  7. "Honey, Honey"
  8. "The Visitors"
  9. "Ring Ring"
  10. "When I Kissed the Teacher"
  11. "The Way Old Friends Do"

VHS Home Video Release

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (1992 Version) (Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:51
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:03
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1977) – 4:05
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:33
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:35
  6. "Super Trouper" (1980) – 4:13
  7. "I Have a Dream" (1979) – 4:42
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:06
  10. "S.O.S." (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:20
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:27
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:14
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21/5:10
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:52
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:13
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:58
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56/4:53
  18. "Thank You for the Music" (1977) – 3:49
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:46

DVD Release

The DVD release features cleaned-up and remastered prints of the following videos.

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:51
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:03
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1977) – 4:05
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:33
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:35
  6. "Super Trouper" (1980) – 4:13
  7. "I Have a Dream" (1979) – 4:42
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:06
  10. "S.O.S." (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:20
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:27
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:14
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21/5:10
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:52
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:13
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:58
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56/4:53
  18. "Thank You for the Music" (1977) – 3:49
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:46
  20. ABBA - The History - 25-minute documentary
  21. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (1992 Version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:51

Personnel

Production

Chart positions

In many countries, this album has re-entered the charts many times over the last 15 years. It peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart, reaching the Top Spot of this charts 16 years after release.

Album

Chart Position
Australian Albums Chart 1
Austrian Albums Chart 1
Belgium 1
Canadian Albums Chart 4
Finnish Albums Chart 1
France 1
Germany 1
Hungary Album Chart 10
Irish Albums Chart 1
Italy Album Chart 2
Japanese Album Chart 13
Mexico Album Chart 1
Netherlands Album Chart 2
New Zealand Album Chart 3
Norway Album Chart 1
Portugal 2
Slovenian Albums Chart 3
Spain 1
Swedish Albums Chart 1
Swiss Albums Chart 1
UK Albums Chart[5] 1
U.S. Billboard 200 63
U.S. Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums 1
U.S. Billboard Comprehensive Albums 11
U.S. Billboard Catalog Albums 1
U.S. Billboard Digital Albums 10
Zimbabwe 3

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[9] 3× Platinum 180,000x
Argentina (CAPIF)[10]
for 2008 re-release		 Gold 20,000x
Australia (ARIA)[11] 11× Platinum 770,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[12] 3× Platinum 150,000x
Belgium (BEA)[13] 6× Platinum 300,000*
Brazil (ABPD)[14] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Diamond 1,000,000^
Finland (IFPI Finland)[16] 2× Platinum 142,248[16]
France (SNEP)[17] Diamond 1,000,000*
Germany (BVMI)[18] 5× Platinum 2,500,000^
Hungary (Mahasz)[19] Platinum  
Italy (FIMI)[20] Gold 50,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[21] 3× Platinum 600,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[22] Platinum 250,000^
New Zealand (RIANZ)[23] 16× Platinum 240,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[24] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[25] Gold 50,000*
Portugal (AFP)[26] Platinum 40,000x
Russia (NFPF)[27] Gold 10,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Sweden (GLF)[29] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[30] 10× Platinum 500,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] 13× Platinum 4,610,813[32]
United States (RIAA)[33] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ Gold: Greatest Hits (ABBA album) at Allmusic
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ "British Phonographic Industry – Best Selling Albums of All Time" (PDF). http://www.bpi.co.uk/assets/files/top%2040%20albums.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
  5. ^ a b c "– Overall - Stats". Chartstats.com. 2011-12-19. http://www.chartstats.com/stats.php. Retrieved 2011-12-19. 
  6. ^ "Highes Gold Platinum certifications". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.musikindustrie.de/fileadmin/piclib/presse/Dokumente_zum_Download/Gold_Platin_Hoechstverleihungen_Stand_100621.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  7. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swiss Certifications 2008". Swisscharts.com. http://swisscharts.com/awards.asp?year=2008. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
  8. ^ "chartsplus.co.uk" (PDF). http://www.chartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2004.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
  9. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – ABBA – Gold". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=ABBA&album=Gold&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. 
  10. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – ABBA – ABBA Gold Re Release". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=ABBA&album=ABBA+Gold+Re+Release&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. 
  11. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-1999.htm. 
  12. ^ "Austrian album certifications – ABBA – Abba Gold - Greatest Hits" (in German). IFPI Austria. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin.  Enter ABBA in the field Interpret. Enter Abba Gold - Greatest Hits in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  13. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina - 2008". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/certifications.asp?year=2008. 
  14. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – ABBA – ABBA Gold" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. http://abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp?sArtista=ABBA&tmidia=1. 
  15. ^ "Canadian album certifications – ABBA – ABBA Gold". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=ABBA+Gold&sa=ABBA&smt=0. 
  16. ^ a b "Finnish album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/ABBA. 
  17. ^ "French album certifications – ABBA – Gold" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=1996&type=15. 
  18. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'Gold: Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Gold%3A+Greatest+Hits&strInterpret=ABBA&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked.  Note that it is certified 10×Gold by mistake, according to this it should be 5×Platinum
  19. ^ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2000" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=arany_es_platinalemezek&menu2=adatbazis&ev=2000. 
  20. ^ "Italian album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Italian) (PDF). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. http://www.fimi.it/temp/cert_Gfk_week4911.pdf. 
  21. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200902.html. 
  22. ^ "Mexican album certifications – ABBA – Gold / Greatest Hits" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=ABBA&titulo=Gold+%2F+Greatest+Hits&categoria=ALBUM&contenido=buscar. 
  23. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://rianz.org.nz/rianz/oldchart.asp?chartNum=1664&chartKind=A. 
  24. ^ "Dutch album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60463. 
  25. ^ "Polish album certifications – ABBA – Gold" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV). http://www.zpav.pl/rankingi/wyroznienia/zlote/index.php. 
  26. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – ABBA – ABBA Gold" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. http://www.artistas-espectaculos.com/topafp/pt/200910.htm. 
  27. ^ "Russian album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). http://web.archive.org/web/20090216165239/http://2m-online.ru/gold_n_platinum/detail.php?COUNTRY=5078. 
  28. ^ "Spanish album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits" (in Spanish) (PDF). Productores de Música de España. http://promusicae.es/files/listassemanales/albumes/historial/TOP%20100%20ALBUMES%2008_52.pdf. 
  29. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/ar-19991.pdf. 
  30. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (ABBA; 'Gold - Greatest Hits')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=ABBA+Gold+-+Greatest+Hits. 
  31. ^ "British album certifications – ABBA – Gold: Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.  Enter Gold: Greatest Hits in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  32. ^ "BPI Top 40 UK albums up to 2009" (PDF). http://www.bpi.co.uk/assets/files/top%2040%20albums.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
  33. ^ "American album certifications – ABBA – GOLD - GREATEST HITS". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22GOLD+-+GREATEST+HITS%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

Preceded by
The Best of Belinda, Volume 1 by Belinda Carlisle
Talk on Corners by The Corrs
Equally Cursed and Blessed by Catatonia
The Hush by Texas
Viva la Vida by Coldplay		 UK number one album
October 3, 1992 – October 9, 1992
April 17, 1999 – April 23, 1999
May 1, 1999 – May 14, 1999
May 29, 1999 – June 11, 1999
August 3, 2008 – August 17, 2008		 Succeeded by
Automatic for the People by R.E.M.
Equally Cursed and Blessed by Catatonia
Head Music by Suede
By Request by Boyzone
The Script by The Script
Preceded by
Glittering Prize 81/92 by Simple Minds		 Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
December 13, 1992 – January 9, 1993		 Succeeded by
Still the 12th Man by The 12th Man
Preceded by
Transit by DumDum Boys[4]		 Norwegian VG-lista number-one album
47/1992 – 49/1992 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
Tusen julelys by Oslo Gospel Choir[5]
Preceded by
Tourism by Roxette[6]
Millennium by Backstreet Boys[7]		 Swedish Chart number-one album
October 14, 1992 – October 28, 1992
June 3, 1999 – July 22, 1999		 Succeeded by
Den ständiga resan by Marie Fredriksson[8]
För Sverige i rymden – Di Levas bästa by Di Leva [9]
Preceded by
Time Flies by Vaya Con Dios		 Swiss Chart number-one album
November 8, 1992 – January 10, 1993		 Succeeded by
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album by Various Artists
ABBA
Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
Singles
Other songs
Video games
Related articles
Book:ABBA