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| Abba - Voulez-Vous Band: Abba Tracks: - As Good As New - Voulez-Vous - I Have A Dream - Angeleyes - The King Has Lost His Crown - Does Your Mother Know - If It Wasn't For The Nights - Chiquitita - Lovers (Live A Little Longer) - Kisses Of Fire abba in full eurodisco swing a consistently good album throughout, this one sees abba most openly embracing disco; 'voulez-vous' is among the group's best songs, 'chiquitita', although corny, is still totally engaging, and the vocal harmonies in it are amazing, with frida beautifully complementing agnetha's lead; 'if it wasn't for the nights' and 'lovers' are the two most obvious disco flirtations here, both fine, as is 'the King has lost his crown', an overlooked album track which nonetheless features a lovely melody; 'does your mother know', with bjorn on lead, not among abba's best songs, is marred by a childish lyric Voulez-Vous? Mais oui! Ever adaptable, ABBA kept their finger on the pulse of the late 70s by dipping into the buzzing disco culture. Rather than completely immerse themselves in the genre, they merely borrowed some of the tools and tricks and applied them to their classic pop creations. "If It Wasn't For The Nights", an absolute highlight, is a perfect example of this marriage of dancefloor pizzazz to Abba's trademark piano-driven tunefulness (it really should have been a single). The disco feel is more strongly Felt on the album's zingy title track which, 20 years later, still sounds fresh. Meanwhile, the sexy "Lovers" adds a touch of funk to the disco feel with spectacular results. Like any Abba album, great tunes are the Heart and soul of the set. "Angeleyes" and "Chiquitita", of course are among Abba's all-time classics. The structure of the latter owes more to, perhaps, classical music than to pop and demonstrates the breadth of Andersson's and Ulvaeus' talent. Of course, younger pop fans will be familiar with "I Have A Dream" as performed by Irish boyband Westlife - but Abba's version appeared first on this album and was a big Christmas hit in 1979. However, because of the snobbery directed against disco, many excellent songs here have been stupidly overlooked. "The King Has Lost His Crown" is a prime example. With it's dreamy intro, Frida's gorgeous lead vocal and a melting string arrangement, this song could have been a hit single but, like "If It Wasn't For The Nights", it remains a largely undiscovered album track. To these ears, only one song falls short of the mark and that is "Does Your Mother Know?" (a UK#4 hit in 1979) and even that's still pretty popular. This remastered version of the album is augmented by the 1978 hit "Summer Night City" and "Lovelight", a B-side which actually sounds like an A-side. These bonus tracks were recorded during the album sessions and work well with the set. Make no mistake, this is an excellent Abba album. At mid-price, it is definitely a worthwhile investment. Abba's most protean album. 'Voulez Vous' rarely ranks highly with the late Abba masterpieces. Maybe its versatility militates against the tonal unity that makes an album like 'The Visitors' such an overpowering experience. And yet, this album features the lyrics that define the glitter/tears Abba aesthetic: 'I have a dream, a fantasy, to help me cope with reality'. It is difficult to think of any reputedly Great album that boasts such a run of miraculous songs - the euphoric funk of 'As Good as new'; the love-as-crime-thriller paranoia of the title track; the death-wish masquerading as life affirmation of 'I have a dream'; 'the King has lost his crown', the kind of up-tempo ballad Abba patented; the saucy boogie of 'Does your mother know'; The Bee Gees melancholy of 'If it wasn't for the nights'; the 'Fernando' rehash 'Chiquitita', with its haunting, rag-stomp finale; the electro hysteria of 'Lovers (live a little longer). The catchy rapture of 'Kisses of fire' Brings the album to a satisfying, full-circle close. Even the bonus tracks, which on an album like 'the Visitors' blight the overall mood, are invaluable, the Michael Nyman echoes (or vice versa?) of 'Summer Night City', and the Bowie pastiche, 'Lovelight'. Remarkable. Buy Abba Voulez Vous at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.comJamster - the latest ringtones for your phone! |
