Rocks In The Attic #113: ABBA - ‘ABBA: The Album’ (1977)

Listening to an ABBA album other than Gold: Greatest Hits is a very odd experience. The hits on Gold: Greatest Hits completely overshadow anything else the band ever recorded - much to the disadvantage of some album tracks that aren’t half-bad. In fact, I can’t think of any other band that suffer from this particular quirk. A Greatest Hits collection would usually turn you on to a band’s back catalogue - that’s the aim of the record company - but with Gold: Greatest Hits, much of the world seems to be content with just those nineteen songs. I heard More Gold: More Hits the other day, and aside from a few familiar songs, most of the album left me strangely dissatisfied.

This album is ABBA’s fifth, and is a companion piece to ABBA: The Movie - although not a straightforward soundtrack to that film (only five of the album’s ten tracks are from the film). It was pilfered from my parents’ collection, and I can see from the sticker inside the sleeve that it was purchased from Woolworths, store number 4, on the 3^rd of March 1978, which means that my Mum was pregnant with me when she bought it.

Hit: Take A Chance On Me

Hidden Gem: Eagle