Anni-frid, Benny, Bjorn, and Agnetha. Is their music reminiscent of the best trends in late-70′s’/early 80′s dance music, or cheesier than a vat of fondue? I’m on the fence, but I’m willing to bet that you, discerning reader, are not…
THUMBS UP: It’s with good reason that Abba have sold more than 370 million (!) records worldwide – their music speaks a hip-shaking universal language that says “How can you still be sitting?” Consequently, their songs – even the cheesy ones – have an infectious groove that helped define a particular era, but can still fill the dancefloor. The group has enjoyed an enduring, cross-generational popularity that’s entirely due to the quality and effectiveness of the silly dance songs on Abba Gold. One could argue that Abba were pioneering in their use of synthesizers, but this group isn’t about technical achievement, they’re about pure, booty-shaking fun.
THUMBS DOWN: On September 8, 2007, the residents of Fon du Lac, Wisconsin, set the record for the world’s largest fondue. The record-setting dish was served in a fondue pot that weighed more than 1,000 pounds and was capable of holding more than 2,500 pounds of bubbling cheese. And yet, the amount of cheese on display that historic day was a pittance compared to what is contained within the plasticine grooves of Abba Gold. While it sports a handful of classic dance tracks, the majority of the album features stiff, programmed beats and silly, operatic harmonizing that have caused the group to become synonymous with… well, you know. Fon du Lac, you’ve met your match.
[This is an impassioned plea for your participation. If you believe in life, liberty, and the love of music, then make your opinion of Abba known...]
4 February 2008 at 7:35 pm |
Thumbs up, baby! Lighten up and embrace the cheese!
4 February 2008 at 7:51 pm |
‘Superstar’ is THE best song about fan obsession… EVER. I dare anyone to name a better one! I love you… I really do!
4 February 2008 at 8:08 pm |
WOAH………………………………. I read your post and instead of ABBA I thought CARPENTERS!! WOW… Sorry ’bout that.. It must have been the long day at work combined with the red wine I drank with dinner…. ABBA… Fun to listen to while bowling… New Year’s Eve 1998… At the stroke of midnight.. Throwing a strike while ‘Dancing Queen’ wailed out of the bowling alley’s PA system at 12:01AM in 1999..
4 February 2008 at 8:42 pm |
Hmmmm… cheese… Abba… Carpenters…
Seems like an honest mistake.
4 February 2008 at 9:09 pm |
Fuck Abba!
P.S. My Mom’s from Fon du Lac.
5 February 2008 at 7:49 am |
Fucking ABBA rocks my face. And I will kick anyone’s ass who says differently.
5 February 2008 at 8:20 am |
Stink bomb.
5 February 2008 at 8:22 am |
Thumbs down…
Arlo hasn’t yet absorbed the power and magic that is ABBA…
They do play it a lot at bowling alleys for some reason, though…
Thumbs up for Fon du Lac for finally getting the recognition it deserves (besides high school hockey tournaments, of course)…
5 February 2008 at 8:45 am |
DK, you’ve managed to choose the one artist/album for which I’m squarely on the fence. Some days, the saccharine-sweet 70s dance music moves me to groove and makes me think of Rollerland where I spent the better part of my fourth grade year; other days, it makes my teeth and head ache.
Not many artists can claim such divisive music.
The thought of all that cheese makes me a little sick, though. And I generally love fondue.
5 February 2008 at 9:02 am |
Ick! Definitely infectious, but in a macarina way. Thanks, now I’ll have Dancing Queen running through my head all day.
Love ya,
5 February 2008 at 9:35 am |
I’ve always been torn with this one. I get the nostalgic passion over Dancing Queen et al, however I’ve never been a huge fan. After one or two songs, I just wanna barf.
5 February 2008 at 9:37 am |
Couldn’t escape if I wanted to…
5 February 2008 at 9:46 am |
Big thumbs up. Embrace the cheese. Roll in the cheese. Love the cheese.
5 February 2008 at 10:07 am |
Life’s too short, man. Just say no. Abstain. I just can’t board the ABBA train. I kinda feel weird taking a hard line on ABBA, because I love a lot of 70s & 80s Top 40 cheesy stuff. Still, I have to draw the line somewhere, and the first two letters of the alphabet is as good a place as any…
5 February 2008 at 11:29 am |
wow can’t believe the size and speed of the response to this cheesy question. all i can say is ugh!
5 February 2008 at 7:47 pm |
Blackberry crepes, anyone?
5 February 2008 at 8:11 pm |
No crepes for me, but can I please have one size XL ‘Fuck Abba!’ t-shirt??
5 February 2008 at 9:14 pm |
Current + International: from today’s AP feed…
(02-05) 19:45 PST RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) –
Revelers wrapped up Brazil’s wild carnival bash with the popular Gala Gay ball Tuesday night on Rio de Janeiro’s streets, littered with feathers and sequins after five days of partying.
Thousands of onlookers gawked as men in glittering miniskirts, evening dresses, bead-studded lingerie and feathered headdresses shimmied down a wide avenue to the sounds of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” for a party that would last until dawn Wednesday.
6 February 2008 at 7:03 pm |
“Everybody claims they don’t like Abba, but they sold more records than anybody else in the world,” he asserted. (Some reporters questioned this assertion; Post research editor Alice Crites notes that Abba has sold 370 million albums, which is fewer than Elvis and the Beatles.)
Now, even McCain has his limits when it comes to Abba tunes. “We don’t want to use ‘Dancing Queen.’ That’s not the theme we want for our campaign,” he cautioned.
McCain’s aides are still mulling over the candidate’s suggestion. Senior aide Mark Salter: “There are many things I admire about John McCain, but not his taste in music.”
Adding to the confusion is the fact that not everyone in the campaign appears to be familiar with the Scandinavian cult band’s work.
“I’ve never heard of Abba,” remarked former Texas senator Phill Gramm, who is campaigning here in South Carolina on McCain’s behalf. “But I’ve heard of the Beatles. Elvis. Johnny Cash.”
7 February 2008 at 11:00 am |
Much like my 1989 MC Hammer sweat pants, it didn’t seem cheesy at the time. So you really have to throw out that aspect of the hindsight evaluation.
That said, I can’t help but to still associate “Dancing Queen” w/ screaming girls running onto a dance floor, and the “serious music fan” in me just can’t reconcile any music attracting screaming girls with something I’d want to give repeat listens.
8 February 2008 at 7:31 am |
Due to the dancing and prancing and sing along at the Mama Mia stage show, the only word I have for ABBA now is…
Gay,
…not that there is anything wrong with that
10 February 2008 at 12:13 am |
I’m always happy to hear about one spin of Dancing Queen. After that, though, it brings joy to my heart to know that Sweden isn’t (a) a NATO member or (b) in possession of any nuclear retaliatory capability. I say we keep the ICBM option open on this one.
10 February 2008 at 6:29 pm |
Would it be possible to load that ICBM full of Velveeta™??
25 June 2008 at 1:38 pm |
Pete Towshend to John Lennon gave ABBA thumbs up and Loved their music. Both said S.O.S. was the most perfect pop song ever. All you critics with tin ears can just eat your cheeze whiz to something else. Oh unless you have better credentials than Lennon or Townshend. Pearl Jam had ABBA blasting on every tour bus as well so they are admired from rockers to grunge. So eat it haters!
31 March 2010 at 6:25 pm |
In addition to the praise from Lennon and Townsend, Bono from U2 also admires them. John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers sometimes performs SOS live for his “solo”.
Another John Lennon nugget: He was asked who he thought would follow the Beatles popularity…he answered “ABBA”. The man was right. Interesting that movies featuring the music of the Beatles and ABBA were released in the last couple of years….and the ABBA movie was the one the public liked.