Waterloo (album)

Waterloo
Studio album by ABBA
Released March 4, 1974 (1974-03-04)
Recorded September 24, 1973–February 20, 1974 at Metronome Studios, Stockholm
Genre Pop, pop rock, glam rock
Length 38:10 (original release)
Label Polar
Atlantic (US original release)
Producer Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA chronology
Ring Ring
(1973)		 Waterloo
(1974)		 ABBA
(1975)
CD reissue cover

Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 4 March 1974 through Polar Music. The album's title track won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. Waterloo was first released on CD in Sweden in 1988; a West German CD release followed in 1990 (later released internationally). The album has been reissued in digitally remastered form three times; first in 1997, then in 2001 and again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set. It was also released as a special 30th Anniversary edition in 2004, celebrating 30 years of the group's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The original 1974 Polar Music edition of the album opens with the Swedish version of the title track and closes with the English language version. The American version of the album, released through Atlantic Records, closes with a 1974 remix of "Ring Ring". In the United Kingdom/Ireland and several other European markets, the original 1973 version of "Ring Ring" was added as track 6 on side 2. The cover features the sub-title "Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida" although some editions replaced 'Agnetha' with 'Anna' - by which Agnetha Faltskog was known in some countries[1].

Waterloo peaked at the top of the charts in Sweden and Norway, charting highly in many other countries as well. In 2004, it was certified platinum in Germany, thirty years after its release.

Waterloo was the group's first album released in most countries outside Scandinavia, and the first to be credited to "ABBA" (the band was originally referred to as "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid". However, to avoid confusion, they were called "ABBA (Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida)". The "Honey, Honey" single was the first release to refer to the group as ABBA and nothing else.

Contents

Track listing

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

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Waterloo" (Swedish version; written by Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus) 2:45
2. "Sitting in the Palmtree"   3:39
3. "King Kong Song"   3:14
4. "Hasta Mañana" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) 3:05
5. "My Mama Said"   3:14
6. "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"   3:05
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Honey, Honey" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) 2:56
2. "Watch Out"   3:46
3. "What About Livingstone?"   2:54
4. "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong"   3:35
5. "Suzy-Hang-Around"   3:11
6. "Waterloo" (English version; written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) 2:46
Total length:
 38:10

CD re-issues, bonus tracks

Waterloo was remastered and reissued in 1997 with the same track listing as the original vinyl records. Note that the original Polydor CD issued in 1990 swapped the tracks "Watch Out" and "What About Livingstone?". The 1997 remaster followed this anomaly.

Waterloo was remastered and reissued in 2001 with two bonus tracks not found on previous releases. It also swaps the respective versions of the title track so that the CD begins with the English version. The track listing goes (in order):

  1. "Ring Ring" (1974 US Remix, single version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Sedaka, Cody) – 3:06
  2. "Waterloo" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:45
  3. "Honey, Honey" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:59

Waterloo - 30th Anniversary Edition contained several bonus tracks and a bonus DVD that included the following tracks (in order on disc):

  1. "Ring, Ring" (U.S. remix 1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody) – 3:06
  2. "Waterloo" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:45
  3. "Honey, Honey" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:59
  4. "Waterloo" (German version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Gerd Müller-Schwanke) – 2:44
  5. "Waterloo" (French version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Alain Boublil) – 2:42
  1. "Waterloo" (Eurovison Song Contest, BBC) – 3:56
  2. "Waterloo" (Melodifestivalen SVT) – 2:56
  3. "Honey, Honey" (Star Parade, ZDF) – 3:19
  4. "Hasta Mañana" (Señoras Y Señores, RTVE) – 3:05

Waterloo was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of the box set of The Complete Studio Recordings with several bonus tracks, including (in order on disc):

  1. "Ring, Ring" (U.S. remix 1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody) – 3:06
  2. "Waterloo" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:45
  3. "Honey, Honey" (Swedish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:59
  4. "Waterloo" (German version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Gerd Müller-Schwanke) – 2:44
  5. "Hasta Mañana" (Spanish version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Buddy McCluskey, Mary McCluskey) – 3:09
  6. "Ring Ring" (1974 remix, Single version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Sedaka, Cody) – 3:10
  7. "Waterloo" (French version) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Alain Boublil) – 2:42

Waterloo was reissued once again in 2008 as part of the box set of The Albums, but without any of the previously released bonus tracks.

"Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"

Although it was featured on Greatest Hits and The Best of ABBA, "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" was never released as a single A-side. It was the first track to be recorded for the Waterloo album on 24 September 1973 at Metronome Studio, and was inspired by Phil Spector hits of the early 1960s.

Singles

The album contained three singles:

  1. "Waterloo"/"Watch Out" (March 1974)
  2. "Honey Honey"/"King Kong Song" (April 1974)
  3. "Honey Honey"/"Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" (September 1974) (Australia only)
  4. "Hasta Mañana"/"Watch Out" (October 1974)

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Rolling Stone (Favorable) [2]
Allmusic [3]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart/Country Position
1974 UK Album Chart 28
Billboard 200 145
Norway 1
Germany Album Chart 6
Finland 4
Zimbabwe 6
Sweden 1
1976 Australia 18
New Zealand 38

Singles

Europe

Year Single Chart Position
1974 "Waterloo" UK Singles Chart 1
"Ring Ring (1974 Remix)" 32
"Waterloo" Norway's Singles Chart 1

North America

Year Single Chart Position
1974 "Waterloo" Billboard Hot 100 (United States) 6
RPM Top Singles Chart (Canada) 7
"Honey, Honey" Billboard Hot 100 27
Billboard Easy Listening (AC) Chart 27
RPM Top Singles Chart 18
RPM Pop Music Playlist 8

References

  1. ^ Abba The Book. Aurum Oress Ltd. 2000. p. 9. ISBN 1 85410 698 8. 
  2. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  3. ^ Allmusic Review
  4. ^ Scott, Robert (2002) 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music - The Stories Behind Every Song', Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p.38
  5. ^ Scott, Robert (2002) 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music - The Stories Behind Every Song', Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p.38
  6. ^ Scott, Robert (2002) 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music - The Stories Behind Every Song', Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p.38
  7. ^ Scott, Robert (2002) 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music - The Stories Behind Every Song', Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p.38

External links

ABBA
Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
Singles
Other songs
Video games
Related articles
Book:ABBA