Track Listing

1. As Good As New
2. Voulez-Vous
3. I Have A Dream
4. Angel Eyes
5. The King Has Lost His Crown
6. Does Your Mother Know
7. If It Wasn't For The Night
8. Chiquitita - Abba, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Michael B. Tretow
9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
10. Kisses Of Fire
11. Summer Night City
12. Lovelight
13. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4182 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 54 minutes

CD Description
1979's VOULEZ-VOUZ, the Swedish foursome's sixth album, wasprobably their commercial pinnacle, as nearly half of the album's ten tracks became substantial hits. The discofied title track, the anthemic "I Have A Dream", Bjorn Ulvaeus' vocal showcase "Does Your Mother Know?" and the UNICEF benefit single "Chiquitita" were inescapable on AM radio in the waning days of the '70s. However, those tracks aren't the album'sonly merits, as the bittersweet "Angeleyes" and the downright spiteful "The King Has Lost His Crown" are among ABBA's best and most beloved songs. In 1979, ABBA were the biggest-selling band in popular music. The slick yet substantial VOULEZ-VOUS shows why this position was justified.

Customer Reviews

Another Timeless Album
This album is consistently brilliant and is a further example of a near flawless piece of work. From Arrival (1976) right through to The Visitors (1981), Abba produced wonderful albums not just great singles but timeles album tracks which, in their own way, were just as endearing. And it would be foolish to label this album as The Disco Album on account of the admittedly below par title track and the accompanying single ’Summer Night Night City’. Although the latter is a much more successful attempt at this oevre. After all this album contans that great ballad and hit single ’Chiquititta’ which is up there with their very best. And much more besides. The opener ’As Good As New’ is a gorgeous mixture of classic strings, a strong disco beat and those wondeful Agnetha/Frida vocals which need no introduction. Then there is Bjorn’s finest moment in the raucous ’Does Your Mother Know’ which remains an all time party favourite to this day, 28 years later. The minor single ’Angel Eyes’ should have been massive. Here is this band at their magical best. ’If It Wasn’t For The Nights’ is a superb album track. Nothing new here. Great album tracks are a trademark of all their last five albums, and they were not exactly non existent before then. This whole album sounds like a Piece Of Work in the way that no compilation album can. ’I Have A Dream’ is slushy for sure but fits in well here surrounded by more upbeat numbers. It is a great melody. Period. But they save the best track for last, the magestic ’Kisses Of Fire’ which sounded then and sounds even more now like The Great Single That Never Was.

The cover shows the band looking impeccable. On top of the world would not be heavy exaggeration. Sadly the two divorces were to follow shortly afterwards but as songwriters and performers this is something like their peak. Even NME or was it Melody Maker gave this one Five Stars.

Greatest Hits albums have their place of course. But my advice would be to buy this album, because it shows us the consistency that band continually showed themselves capable of from 1976 onwards. More than a Singles Band. Just one listen to ’Kisses Of Fire’ will demonstrate that.

I have a dream - Frida singing 'I have a dream' to me!!!
There is nothing I can say that can praise ABBA enough for their gift of music to planet earth (and probably beyond!). I just want to add that this is probably the best-produced and best-performed of the lot. Benny's keyboards and synthesizer work is flawless (even Nick Rhodes will probably testify that!), and the singing by the girls is on such high notes on most of the album that even Barry Gibb will probably envy Agnetha and Frida more than he would wish to admit! So come on angel Agnetha, forgive the world for being so cruel to you, cause we do not know what we do, and give us another chance of experience the magic all over again, so that we can show our children and grandchildren of how proud we were and still are of you!

ABBA Goes Disco
While ABBA's 6th studio album is widely regarded as a piece of disco, it doesn't contain the qualities of the disco music of the time, music such as The Bee Gees and Donna Summer. Instead, it's more of a collection of flowing, catchy tunes that only ABBA could have created, but with a pounding and more exotic sound. Despite being a Number 1 album, it contained no UK number 1 singles, although it did spawn 6 top tens (including the bonus tracks).

First up, "As Good As New" starts with a classical intro followed by the more typical disco sound. The structure of the song is excellent and Agnetha and Frida's vocals are, as ever, amazing. Definitely one of the missed single opportunities. 5/5

Voulez-vous, while being among my least favourite tracks, does feature a pounding disco beat, perhaps making this the most "danceable" song on the album. 3/5

Oh dear. I Have A Dream doesn't exactly sound right with disco. The lyrics are sweet, maybe a little too sweet, and the children's choir doesn't help much. I know it was a big single release at Christmas '79, but I just don't like it. 2/5

Angeleyes is my favourite on the entire album and among my favourite ABBA songs. The long processions of "Ahhhhas Ahh Ahh Ahas" throughout, plus the "flowing" sound of the song, add on some soaring vocals and you've got a great song. 5/5

The King Has Lost His Crown ended up as the B-side to Gimme Gimme Gimme. It's not the best, but it's not terrible either. Frida sings it well and it's one of the more sedate of the album's disco tracks. 3/5

Does Your Mother Know is full of energy. It reminds me more of a 50s rock'n'roll tune than a disco song. Yes, the lyrics are about flirting, just like Take A Chance On Me, but they work the opposite way - a young girl flirting with a man, which is why Bjorn takes the lead, the first and last time he sings lead vocals on a single release. 4/5

This one is almost certainly a missed single. If It Wasn't For The Nights has more soaring vocals and a very catchy tune. 5/5

Chiquitita is much more bearable than I Have A Dream, in my opinion at least. Just like I Have A Dream, this ballad doesn't really sound right on the album, but it grew on me over time. Benny's piano sounds good on this one. 4/5

Lovers (Live A Little Longer) slips a little for me. I don't know whether it's the slightly flat sounding tune or the lyrics (about some physician discovering that love makes you live longer), but it doesn't work for me. 3/5

Oh boy, how Kisses Of Fire ended up as a B-side is incredible. Agnetha kicks it off with a sexy intro (Lay your head on my chest, so you hear, every beat of my heart), sung in a quiet and soothing tone. Soon, that quiet intro disappears to be replaced with a pounding chorus with both girls singing in unison. 5/5

The first of the bonus tracks, Summer Night City, is one amazing song. From the first note, it thumps along with some very sexy vocals and lyrics. You can imagine a hot summer night in a club when youlisten to this one. Benny and Bjorn were reluctant to release it as a single. Admittedly, it does keep building up to a non-existant chorus, but it's still one of their strongest songs. 5/5

Lovelight is another good one. It's a typical ABBA song with a catchy tune. 4/5

Finally, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, a trademark ABBA tune, is not one of my absolute favourites. I find it a bit limp, with the slightly campy and cheesy chorus, but the longing lyircs and disco beat brighten it up. 4/5

So there you have it, another great ABBA album. I gave it 5 stars, because even though there are some letdowns, the best tracks are absolute ABBA classics. This album probably holds the most lost single opportunities and it holds the record for best album tracks. Voulez-vous isn't among my three favourite albums (The Visitors, The Album and Super Trouper), but the fact that I still gave it 5 stars is a testimony to ABBA's everlasting music.