ABBA Voyage -11/5/2022

It really is terrific!

Got my yellow vinyl right next to me and holding off listening to it until tonight when I can give it my full attention.

I guess the link I posted doesn't work. Sorry about that.

I really like it. Feels like a link between albums Super Trouper and The Visitors

.......

I have found it disappointing, to be honest.

Most of the songs sound like cast offs from 1976/1980 (well, Just A Notion IS a literal cast off from the Voulez-Vous album), and with both Agnetha and Frida sounding joyless, uninterested and tired, it is simply underwhelming. Frida's voice still retains some of its former power and beauty, but she has clearly lost her upper range and doesn't do anything interesting with her voice; meanwhile, Agnetha's vocals are a bit of a mess - weak, uneven tone, muddy lower and middle range, discoloured upper range... This is made all the more evident in her leads, which are laboured 'till Frida's harmonies come in to rescue her (I Can Be That Woman is particularly painful, because she sings 4/5 of the song on her own and listening to her struggling, is painful).

Then you're right, R4 - the music sounds VERY dated. ABBA did evolve with the times: they successfully incorporated disco, New Wave, folk/rock, soft-rock and dance into their trademark poppy sound, which was always at the forefront. Benny an Björn could have made the effort to enliven everything a little bit more by adding contemporary influences, which both Frida and Agnetha could have handled because they still are better vocalists than most so-called singers nowadays. As it stands, having waited for 40 years to get something so lazily done, is quite disappointing... In their prime, ABBA were releasing an album per year and they still produced great music. This has taken them over two years to complete, and the results are less than stellar. Moreover, since they are never really going to perform these songs live (I strongly doubt that they'll be singing backstage while their holograms are projected onto the main arena's screen), they could have tampered with the voices to make them sound fresher and more polished.

I think that this will do well thanks to the nostalgia factor, but it isn't that great by ABBA's standards.

LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUV !

Sounds fine to me. The pop smarts of Stig Andersson is missed but, apart from the fact he died 25 years ago, they had a huge falling out over money decades ago (he was their manager, owned their record company and was accused of stealing millions from the band) so he wouldn't have been welcome in the studio anyway.

Michael B. Tretow's inventive engineering was also a huge factor in their classic recordings - and his input is missed here - but I guess, at 77 years old, Tretow was not available or interested in getting involved in such a big project (I wonder if they even asked him?).

I hear Kirk raped all 4 members of Abba. He was a bad boy.

It sounds OK, but there's a lot of filler. The first two songs released are the best, and Don't Shut Me Out was really worth the price of admission.

The worst song to my ears was the literal leftover.

Don't Shut Me Down is a masterpiece

I like it. Amazing release from four musicians in their 70s. I agree Don’t Shut Me Down is the best track.

Awful.

DOn't mention that you didn't like it on the Stevehoffman forums. You will be immediately shut down (I made the mistake of saying that the lyrics to Bumblebee are dopey and was completely schooled on the fact that its about global warming so I must be a dullard). I didn't expect it to be such a fangurl site, but I guess they infest everything.

I listened to a bit of: I can be that woman. Good lord what fucking crap. Fuck I hate the Swedes. Most loathsome group after the Dutch protestants. I read some of the comments and the SJW cunts are saying it's about a stupid bitch in an abusive relationship. Fucking SJW cunts. Yuck.

Keep an eye on Dan is a very catchy song. Yes the lyrics are fairly uninspired, like in many other ABBA songs, but the production is top notch and contemporary, and Agnetha’s voice is quite solid. The little snippet of S.O.S at the end is a lovely touch.

I was disappointed with it - nothing very catchy or hummable.

Overall I like it. Probably my biggest critique is that the songs seem more somber. ABBA's original appeal was how they mixed somehow sinister, somber, downbeat lyrics with upbeat melodies. Except on songs like Keep An Eye On Dan, which is phenomenal.

There are a few notes in I Can Be That Woman that remind me of Roxette's Listen To Your Heart.

My favorite tracks so far are: I Still have Faith In You, When You Danced With Me, Don't Shut Me Down, Just A Notion, Bumblebee, No Doubt About It.

R14 The Steve Hoffman site is terrible. I only use it to see if any new reissues/releases are coming.

It's a lot of old boomers with terrible taste and other old boomers who think they know everything. Plus Hoffman himself seems to bring drama with him wherever he goes.

I think the music for Keep an Eye on Dan is okay, but the lyrics are peak Frau. It's a fucking song about dropping the kid off at his Dad's house for weekend visitation.

I read some reviews that it sounds like a natural progression from The Visitors, and I completely disagree. It feels pre-Voulez Vous to me, for the most part.

Nothing on it is as stupid as Dum Dum Diddle, but nothing on it seems as mature as most of what was on Super Trouper and The Visitors, or The Day Before You Came.

I bought the Argentinean version of their greatest hits and 80% of ABBA's hits were stellar. Magical and timeless, but their new album is just garbage. Clearly nothing but rejects from their 70s albums.

Wish I was dumb dumb diddle your darling fiddle!

Well, R20, you're a dope!!!! Bumblebee is about global warming for Christ's sake!!! You dont bet any deeper than a warning about global warming wrapped in lyrics a sscond grader w ould consider immature!!!

Bitch, did I mention Bumblebee?

It pains me to say this, but there are two throwaways here: I Can Be That Woman (sounds like some of Agnetha’s solo dreck) and No Doubt About It —a rehashed Santa Rosa with, believe it or not, a Mr. Roboto vibe in the verse.

The rest of the album is gorgeous.

Don’t Shut Me Down can stand aside their previous classics IMHO.

I love the Celtic drive in When You Danced With Me.

The tension in Keep An Eye on Dan reminds me of some of the music from Chess; they also lifted some melody from I Know Him So Well in I Can Be That Woman.

There are some strings in the beautiful Ode to Freedom that drench it in atmosphere, like Sarah Brightman’s Dreamchaser.

I’m happy with the release. It’s mixed well and the songs flow beautifully—something I tend to forget in the streaming era.

Benny himself says he only wrote about a dozen good ABBA songs. There was a lot of forgettable filler around the hits.

Sadly, r8, Tretow suffered a stroke some time ago and has been out of the business for years. He was supposed to engineer Agnetha’s 2004 album My Colouring Book but was unable to due to his health. A fan spoke to him at some event in the last few years and said he seemed a bit confused mentally but was friendly and in good spirits. Tretow’s wife was there and told the guy Michael is very touched when people recognize him and appreciate his work.

I found the album to be disappointing as well.

After 40 years this is what all the fans were waiting for?

Can't believe this is their first Grammy nomination. Shows how much they mean. I'd rather have Don't Shut Me Down be nominated though, it was my favourite song of the year.