| ABBA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by ABBA | ||||
| Released | April 21, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | August 22, 1974–March 16, 1975 at Glen, Metronome and Ljudkopia Studios, Stockholm | |||
| Genre | Pop, pop rock, schlager | |||
| Length | 36:09 | |||
| Label | Polar Atlantic (US original release) |
|||
| Producer | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | |||
| ABBA chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
|
CD re-issue with ABBA logo.
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
ABBA is the self-titled third studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released on 21 April 1975 through Polar Music.
Following the Eurovision success of "Waterloo", ABBA saw the band gaining worldwide recognition. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" topped the charts in Australia, as did "Mamma Mia" shortly after. "SOS" and "Mamma Mia" became hits in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and two of its most famous songs. The album saw ABBA dabble into reggae with "Tropical Loveland" and includes a grand pseudo-classical keyboard instrumental in the traditions of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman with "Intermezzo No. 1" (originally entitled "Mama").[1]
ABBA was first released on CD in Japan in 1986, with an alternative mix of "Man in the Middle" not found on any subsequent CD pressing.[2] " ABBA was then released on CD in West Germany in 1987 (later released internationally), with five bonus tracks of songs from Waterloo and Ring Ring, which had not been released on CD at that time. ABBA was released on CD in Sweden in 1988 featuring the original 11 tracks only. 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.
Contents |
All songs written and composed by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus.
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Mamma Mia" | 3:32 | |||||||
| 2. | "Hey, Hey Helen" | 3:16 | |||||||
| 3. | "Tropical Loveland" | 3:05 | |||||||
| 4. | "SOS" | 3:22 | |||||||
| 5. | "Man in the Middle" | 3:00 | |||||||
| 6. | "Bang-A-Boomerang" | 2:50 | |||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | 3:15 | |||||||
| 2. | "Rock Me" | 3:03 | |||||||
| 3. | "Intermezzo No. 1 (Instrumental)" | 3:48 | |||||||
| 4. | "I've Been Waiting for You" | 3:39 | |||||||
| 5. | "So Long" | 3:06 | |||||||
|
Total length:
|
36:09 | ||||||||
(P)1975 Polar Music international AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Stig Anderson helped us with the lyrics on "Mamma Mia", "Tropical Loveland", "SOS", "Bang-A-Boomerang", "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "I've Been Waiting for You".
ABBA was released on CD in 1987 with five additional tracks from the albums Waterloo and Ring Ring:
ABBA was remastered and reissued in 1997 two further bonus tracks:
ABBA was remastered and reissued again in 2001 with two bonus tracks, but without the five tracks from Waterloo and Ring Ring:
ABBA was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set with following bonus tracks:
ABBA was reissued once again in 2008 as part of the The Albums box set but without any bonus tracks.
"Tropical Loveland" was released as the B-side of "Mamma Mia" in the United Kingdom and "Hey, Hey Helen" was the B-side of "Fernando" in most territories. In the United Kingdom, nine of the original eleven tracks from the album were eventually released on single as either A or B-sides (plus all the later bonus tracks), the most of any ABBA album.
Recorded 18 October 1974 at Glen Studio. The lyrics for the song were later re-written and became "Rock Me". "Baby" was first released on CD on the box set Thank You for the Music as part of the ABBA Undeleted section.
"Crazy World" was recorded on 16 October 1974 at Glen Studio during sessions for this album. The track was left unreleased until it surfaced again during the Arrival sessions, and was eventually released as the b-side to the "Money, Money, Money" single in November 1976. "Crazy World" was first released on CD on the box set Thank You for the Music, and then appeared as a bonus track on the CD re-issue of the album ABBA.[3]
"Here Comes Ruby Jamie" was recorded on 16 September 1974 at Glen Studio, and is one of the rare occasions where Benny Andersson sings the lead vocals. The song was first released on CD on the box set "Thank You for the Music" as part of the ABBA Undeleted section.
Recording began on 6 May 1975 at Glen Studio. It remains ABBA's only release of material not written by themselves, and was originally released on the 1975 German charity album "Stars Im Zeichen Eines Guten Sterns". In 1978, it was remixed and released as the b-side of the "Summer Night City" single. The song was first released on CD on the box set Thank You for the Music, and then appeared as a bonus track on the CD re-issue of the album ABBA.[3]
"Rikky Rock 'N' Roller" was recorded on 15 September 1974 at Glen Studio, and was first released on CD on the box set Thank You for the Music as part of the ABBA Undeleted section.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | UK albums chart | 13 |
| Australia – ARIA Albums Chart | 1 | |
| Billboard 200 – USA | 174 | |
| Cashbox album chart – USA | 165 | |
| RPM album chart – Canada | 55 | |
| Składnica Księgarska – Poland | 1 | |
| Belgium | 2 | |
| Finland | 6 | |
| The Netherlands | 3 | |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | |
| 1975 | New Zealand | 3 |
| Italy | 8 | |
| Sweden | 1 | |
| Norway | 1 |
According to The Official Charts Company, the album spent 8 weeks in the Top 40 between 7 February 1976 and the 3rd April 1976. The chart positions were 23-13-13-16-18-32-30-40.
Europe
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "So Long" | UK Singles Chart | failed to chart |
| "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | UK Singles Chart | 38 | |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 | ||
| "S.O.S." | UK Singles Chart | 6 | |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 | ||
| "Mamma Mia" | UK Singles Chart | 1 | |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
USA and Canada
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "SOS" | Billboard Hot 100 – USA | 15 |
| Cashbox Singles Chart – USA | 12 | ||
| Billboard Adult Contemporary – USA | 19 | ||
| 1976 | "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | Billboard Hot 100 | 15 |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 8 | ||
| "Mamma Mia" | Billboard Hot 100 | 32 | |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 12 | ||
| "SOS" | RPM Singles – Canada | 36 | |
| RPM Adult Contemporary – Canada | 17 | ||
| Steede Report Airplay – Canada | 9 | ||
| "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | RPM Singles | 14 | |
| RPM Adult Contemporary | 6 | ||
| Steede Report Airplay | 12 | ||
| "Mamma Mia" | RPM Singles | 18 | |
| RPM Adult Contemporary | 11 | ||
| Steede Report Airplay | 20 |
| Preceded by Atlantic Crossing by Rod Stewart |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album December 8, 1975 – February 22, 1976 |
Succeeded by Desire by Bob Dylan |