Track Listing

1. Eagle
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. One Man One Woman
4. Name Of The Game
5. Move On
6. Hole In Your Soul
7. Thank You For The Music
8. I Wonder (Departure)
9. I'm A Marionette
10. Thank You For The Music

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8015 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Import, Original recording remastered

CD Description
Not quite the soundtrack to the Swedish foursome's film debut, ABBA: The Movie (directed by respected Swedish filmmakerLasse Hallestrom), THE ALBUM combines several songs from the movie, including the deliriously bouncy hit "Take A ChanceOn Me" and the dramatic "The Name of the Game", with three songs from Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson's never-completed musical The Girl with the Golden Hair.
These three songs are among the band's most intriguing, with "Thank You for the Music" serving as the band's unofficial theme song and "I Wonder (Departure)" one of their most affecting ballads. It's the near-violent, bitterly ironic "I'm A Marionette" that's the wild card. Easily the angriest song ABBA ever recorded, "I'm A Marionette" sounds in retrospect like a portent of the band's rancorous end less than four years later. Curiosities and all, THE ALBUM may be ABBA's creative highpoint.

Customer Reviews

Another Timeless Album
This album is very nearly as good as its predecessor 'Arrival' from the previous year 1976, and that is truly saying something. And what it perhaps lacks in continuity, or marginally in consistency, it almost makes up for with the stupendous highs that are achieved on this record.

The opener 'Eagle' was initially disappointing to me on early listens, perhaps due to its slower pace but this opening track has really aged well to the point where now it is the classic it undoubtedly is. If not to freak out to on the dancefloor, at least as an album track to listen and Soar To. I apologise to my good friend Todd for my ill-advised comments about this song! It may not grab you in the way 'When I Kissed The Teacher' did as the opener of 'Arrival'. But in its own majestic way it is mesmerising and highly evocative of the lyric's subject matter: the most wonderful bird in God's creation flying so high. Over Mountains and Forests and Trees. In a way the second track 'Take A Chance On Me'is a bit of a let down after the opening track. But then again, it is so undeniably catchy and so typical of the Happy Go Lucky songs that this band produced by the bucket load that it is pretty hard to fault this song. And the impact on first listening of those first few lines with those 'take a chance take a chance take a chic-a chic chance backing vocals' from Bjorn and Benny back in 1978 was so Huge in my experience that it is guaranteed a High Place in my affections. 'One Man One Woman' is another (of so many) examples of an album track that prompts that same seven word sentence: 'How Come This Wasn't A Single?!!' The closing number of Side 1 (the vinyl record we're talking of course) was the first single I ever owned. And that may be why it is up there in the upper etchelons of all of Abba's songs in my book. Or of anyone's songs for that matter. But subjectivity and sentimentality aside, this song is truly amazing. Incredibly melodic, really great heartfelt lyrics. Many do not rate Benny and Bjorn as serious lyricists. But I do. This song says more to my ears than the whole of Punk put together. Not surprisingly therefore that it is remembered somewhat better nearly three decades on than any of that Anarchy In The UK rubbish. Sorry Tim.

But if Side 1 was close to perfection, Side 2 is rather less so. The opener 'Move On' with its silly deep voice man contributing trite rubbish is only rescued by the melody and uplifting chorus. And then only marginally. 'Hole In Your Soul' was an OK attempt at disco but Abba were to do far better in this field on their next album 'Voulez Vous' (1979). Here, this track is amusing but, ultimately disposable, filler. But just when you think they've lost the plot along comes 'Thank You For The Music'. Which may not be the best song ever recorded. But is probably the happiest. The fact that it appeals to almost anyone of any age is to its eternal credit. This song will be played and loved in centuries to come. 'I Wonder' is another lost gem of an Abba ballad, similar to 'My Love my Life' from Arrival in this respect. A melody to die for.

As with 'Arrival' this album ends a little uncertainly, with the jerky 'I'm A Marionette', interesting but hardly the stuff of greatness.

But as with 'Arrival', this album contains so much quality material that it is somewhat churlish to snipe at its minor flaws. Here we see Abba basically still on top of the world. Flying high. Over mountains and forests and trees. And History is behind me on this one.

Superb
As an Abba fan, ABBA The Album was very welcome and expected in my collection. The one song that I enjoy the most is Move On. The lyrics sound and feel timeless and natural. The second song that makes me scream, shout, be happy and excited is Hole In Your Soul. Yes, "There's gotta be rock'n roll, To fill the hole in your soul".

Emotive & Wonderful
Emotive is not a word normally associated with (early) ABBA. Most people remember them for the singles. Yet even here, the single, "Eagle" is flowing, emotive & inspiring. Yet it's on the album tracks that you can hear the full depth of Benny & Bjorn's skill. "Move On" & "One Man . . ." really do bare listening to. "I'm A Marionette" is almost barbed in it's lyrical content. Wonderful stuff. From beginning to end a must listen, esp for people who know only the "pop" side of the group. Very much recommended listening.