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ABBA - Voyage

Given that Bjorn has a net worth of about £300,000,000 and Benny about £179,000,000, I think you might be just a little wide of the mark there. :rolleyes:

The female members is possibly not that well of, as only Agneta has any song writing credits, and only one song, I think.

Before ABBA she was the one who actually had the most self penned hits in Sweden.
 
So much negativity mind you not as much as another hifi forum. I genuinely think think this in not about money for the guys, they are are all bloody rich, and oh Agnetha has made plenty of great music on her own and her last album is great too.
No some people just love to CREATE. thats what any musician who keeps goin into old age does it for, they love to CREATE.
Thats what they did as a love to get started.
Why should they stop if millionaires if they love to do it, the guys that is, the girls are a different kettle and enjoy their recluse.
But look at all the money everyone else involved is gonna make , brill and good luck to the whole industry, its bloody tough out there esp after covid.
 
Interesting to see the markedly different response on here to another hi-fi forum I frequent. As others have said I think they're in this for the joy of writing new music together and creating, certainly not for the money. Personally I like the new songs and have preordered the album and will go to the show. I think they are clearly throwing enough money and expertise at the show that it's going to be spectacular!

Birdseed007
 
So much negativity mind you not as much as another hifi forum. I genuinely think think this in not about money for the guys, they are are all bloody rich, and oh Agnetha has made plenty of great music on her own and her last album is great too.
No some people just love to CREATE. thats what any musician who keeps goin into old age does it for, they love to CREATE.
Thats what they did as a love to get started.
Why should they stop if millionaires if they love to do it, the guys that is, the girls are a different kettle and enjoy their recluse.
But look at all the money everyone else involved is gonna make , brill and good luck to the whole industry, its bloody tough out there esp after covid.

You are most probably right. Who of us here at the forum would give up LISTENING to music just because a heavy lottery win?
 
I recall hosting a riders evening some years ago. Everyone attending brought with them some really eclectic music. It was a good night, actually. Mid way thru the evening I thought I'd throw a spanner in the works. I put on the CD of the 1st track from "The Visitors". Nearly all there stopped and listened to it for several minutes, clearly liking what they were hearing - until someone asked who it was. When I responded, some clearly were not happy they'd 'liked' an ABBA track.

Its not the done thing, you know.:rolleyes:
 
The female members is possibly not that well of, as only Agneta has any song writing credits, and only one song, I think.

Before ABBA she was the one who actually had the most self penned hits in Sweden.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Net worth £216,000,000. Agnetha Faltskog. Estimates of net worth vary, but around £144,000,000 seems to be the usual figure.

So no, I don't think they're doing it for the money.
 
FWIW I’m impressed that they are writing new material, releasing a new album etc. That sets them far apart from many of their contemporaries who just tour the same old songs around ever-larger stadiums and release yet more compilation albums running up to Christmas each year or two. It’s probably not targeted at me but I certainly respect this approach. Good on ‘em! It is clearly not a cash-in.
 
There is money to be made, but its an industry it employs many, they are building a dedicated venue, many technicians involved, and there are real musicians playing, even if they run two shows a day thats putting lots of money into pockets of people employed to get it up and running and to keep the whole show running day after day.
And after all its voluntary if you go to the show buy the album etc so whats to complain about.
 
So when I eventually got to choose my tickets, I get a repeated error saying try again in a few mins. Many minutes of re-clicking, no joy. Had to refresh, which added me to a Q 6000+ long......
Tried a later date, got a 1500 long Q.

Now have 3 front row tickets! :)
 
One of them has definitely had some financial woe and one is rather poorly. Thus the virtual show. Much innovation being claimed but it’s just a form of reclaiming and controlling the brand. The show could have been put on at many other venues without difficulty and appears to be little more than an EA Sports version of ABBA.

All such comebacks are a mess. You have the components of your original sound but decades missing from your natural creative evolution (or stasis) so you end up with a facsimile of your original sound. The two songs released so far are well produced but bang average. Had we not known who it was I wonder if it would have even gotten R2 air play.
 
Fabulous songs, superb melodies and the (English) lyrics always amaze me considering they are not native speakers, they may have had help there of course but I’m inclined to think not. Such talented people.
Edit: v.poor dress sense!
 
Someone has to get to the point so it may as well be me. For two women in their 60s or 70s they still look dead hot.
 
OK someone has to do it.... review Voyage that is.

Firstly I need to fess up that I'm a bit of an Abba fan, not an avid fanatic, but someone who still listens to their albums as opposed to just the Gold 'best of'. In terms of pure pop music songwriting I don't think there's anyone to touch them (even The Beatles veered off into more sophisticated arenas away from what I would call pure pop). Yes it's easy pop listening with a bit of a feelgood factor, but so what? That's what it is and the fact they never pretended to be (or tried to be) anything else is what gives them their enduring appeal. That and those gorgeous voices of Agnetha and Anni-Frid and how they harmonise.

So to Voyage. It arrived yesterday in a nicely package box (CD version). Have listened three times now and here are my thoughts. Is it demonstrably Abba or is it Abba going through the motions? Well luckily and on balance it's the former. There is no Dancing Queen on it, but with the exception of "Little Things" there are no fillers or stinkers. Let's get "Little Things" out of the way first. It's track 3 and it's a Christmas song and it's dreadful... not sure how it got on here, it's even got a kids' choir... yuck! Luckily the remaining tracks more than make up for it. The peppier numbers ("When You Dance With Me," "Don't Shut Me Down," "Just a Notion" and "No Doubt About It") are uplifting and pure Abba reminding us how great Benny and Bjorn are at writing and recording hooky melodies, one of Abba's two main weapons in their assault on the pop world of the late 70s/early 80s. It's the quieter more open and slower tracks ("I Still Have Faith in You," "Bumblebee," "Ode to Freedom") that make this album for me though and highlight the other weapon in their arsenal... Anni-Frid and Agnetha's vocals. Is there a better harmony in pop music than these two? I don't think so. Without them Bjorn and Benny would be stuffed frankly... their voices are what sets Abba apart and the good news is they are genuinely still as good as those 40 year old recordings and when you hear how some other famous voices of the 70s have faired it is great news they still sound as good as ever.

Another point is that this album doesn't sound like an Abba retrospective, it's not pensioners having a go at rekindling lost triumphs, it sounds like it could have been released in their heyday and that is important. Some artists reuniting sound like tribute acts to themselves, Abba sound like.... well that epic Swedish pop band Abba. So does it stand up as an Abba album in its own right? Yes, I think it very much does. Overall though I think it's more than any of us could ever have hoped for.. new songs and the band back together and happy doing what they are doing. It's been a shite 2021, but this story and the resultant album is a bright light in what are dark times!
 


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