By Kyle Monson
To those who say ABBA was a fluff group, a predecessor to the bubblegum bands of the 80s and late 90s, the music mom listened to while doing the housecleaning, I say - 'yeah, so?'
ABBA was the disco pop group that showed the world that dance music could have just as much musical complexity as any other form of music. And they sold a pile of records doing it.
While I''ll admit that there is a lot of drivel on their regular albums, 'ABBA Gold' whittles those albums down to 19 classic songs (well, 17) and sets the standard for greatest hits albums.
With only two exceptions ('I Have a Dream' and 'Thank You For the Music'), the tracks are phenomenal, and showcase the talent of Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Bjorn.
The musical styles of the Swedish foursome range from swingin'' rock to heart-wrenching ballad to drum and bass beats as good as those of any Euro-techno group.
We''ve all heard 'Dancing Queen' and 'Take a Chance On Me,' but even the songs that aren''t recognizable classics deserve to be.
The songs aren''t perfect, though. The lyrics are syrupy on almost every track, but what pop group doesn''t have bad lyrics? And the accents are not quite right, turning 'The Winner Takes It All' into a song about a greedy hot dog (think about it, you''ll get it).
However, the music itself more than makes up for shallow lyrics and sketchy pronunciation.
You can hear right away the intricacies of the chord structures and melodies of Benny and Bjorn''s music. The fact that they wrote their own music at all is a deviation from the pop norm; the fact that it was good music makes them pop music iconoclasts.
So if you like good music or making fun of foreigners singing in English, 'ABBA Gold' is a safe bet. The album highlights include the classic 'Waterloo,' as well as less-known 'Does Your Mother Know,' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You.'
If you''ve got a couple extra bucks to spare, 'ABBA Gold' can be bought paired with volume two, 'More ABBA Gold.' This second collection is not as listenable as the first, but 'Angel Eyes' and 'Ring, Ring' make it worth the money.
Or, you can just steal your parents'' ABBA records. Trust me, they''ve got ''em.