Track Listing

1. Dancing Queen
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
3. Take A Chance On Me
4. Mamma Mia
5. Lay All Your Love On Me
6. Super Trouper
7. I Have A Dream
8. The Winner Takes It All
9. Money, Money, Money
10. S.O.S.
11. Chiquitita
12. Fernando
13. Voulez-Vous
14. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
15. Does Your Mother Know
16. One Of Us
17. The Name Of The Game
18. Thank You For The Music
19. Waterloo (English Version)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163 in Music
• Released on: 2004-04-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 78 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Anyone looking for the key to ABBA's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic 1950s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen". And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula

CD Description
Massive-selling, definitive greatest hits collection from arguably the greatest pure pop act of all time. The inspiration for countless male-female groups even to this day, their irresistibly catchy melodies, close harmonies and emotionally resonant lyrics have been imitated many times but never bettered. Includes all the classics like 'Dancing Queen', 'Money Money Money', 'Knowing Me KnowingYou', 'The Winner Takes It All' and the Eurovision-winning 'Waterloo'.

Customer Reviews

A sheer classic
I'll give you one word to describe this album: phenomenal. Abba are one of those rare groups that never lose their appeal - I was born fifteen years after they won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo", and even though I wasn't around to witness any of their single releases, they are one of my favourite pop artists of all time. "Gold" represents exactly why Abba were so successful in the seventies and early eighties, and why they still have such a wide fanbase of all ages around the globe.

I don't believe anyone can fail to adore Abba, and Polar Music must have been incredibly hard-pushed to select just nineteen of their best singles to compile onto this album. However, the majority of their UK releases are included on "Gold", which is enough to make any pop lover (or even a dance music worshipper or die-hard rock fanatic, for that matter) jump at the chance to buy this album straight away. Every Abba single contains the elements of total pop perfection - memorable melodies, breathtaking vocals from Agnetha and Frida, and most importantly, astounding lyrics.

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are complete idols for writers and composers of pop music the world over, because of their amazing ability to express any type of feelings or situations through incredible songs. All nineteen tracks on this album show just how superb Björn and Benny's songwriting partnership was, notably "Lay all your love on me", "SOS", "Thank you for the music" and "Chiquitita". In my opinion, however, the strongest lyrics are those of "Fernando", my favourite from this album: "In the firelight Fernando, you were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar, I could hear the distant drums and sounds of bugle chords were coming from afar". Everything in this beautiful ballad still takes my breath away when I listen to it, from the afore mentioned lyrics to the girls' perfect harmonies during the verses.

Not to be left out were the classics "Mamma mia", "Take a chance on me", "Super trouper", "I have a dream", "Money, money, money", "Does your mother know?" and "Gimme, gimme, gimme!", all of which are pulled off brilliantly by the group. One of the things I like best about this album, though, is the very appropriate introduction and conclusion. Arguably the most famous Abba single ever, the incredible "Dancing queen" sets the standard for the remaining tracks to follow, and I'm delighted to say that they all meet or exceed the dominance of this song. And what better way to send us off than with "Waterloo", Abba's debut UK single and Eurovision breakthrough? No words can describe the greatness of this track - catchy, happy guitar chords from Björn, energetic piano playing from Benny, heartfelt vocals from the girls... what else can I do but be bowled over?

I cannot urge you more strongly to buy this album. "Gold" confirms Abba's place at the very top of pop's all time greats, and they will no doubt remain there for a long time to come. If you appreciate pop music at its absolute best, or even if you aren't keen on the pop genre, I guarantee that you will benefit enormously from listening to "Gold". It will put a huge smile on your face and keep it there for the rest of the day.

what can you say?
It's all been said about Abba, but I love the band so I'm going to say it again! It's summed up by a discovery the Sex Pistols made. At a gig, they played a tape of 'Dancing Queen' ironically before they went on stage - they disapproved of Abba and wanted to ridicule them. It backfired. Their audience cheered, danced and clapped. I've been hearing the band on and off ever since 'Waterloo' and, unlike most pop music, it really doesn't seem to age or date. There's a freshness, a vitality and (sometimes) a poignancy that is really very attractive. So three cheers to Abba and to this excellent compilation.

thank you for the music - the joy its bringing...
The chorus of one of the most beautiful songs ever written,sung by one of the most beautiful singers you could hope to see or hear.The quality and originality of the 19 songs on this cd were probably not surpassed by the Beatles.In the 25 or so years since Abba split up as a group I have yet to hear the equal of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyngstad when they sing together.Everyone laughed at how they dressed - nobody laughed at
how they sang:buy this recording,and you'll understand why.