VRZ Robotz wrote:To me, ABBA are the band most hurt by their modern reappraisal. Back when they were uncool, I loved standing up for them. Now that they've won the history sweepstakes, I find I tire of them easily. Digging deeper has never been a fruitful task with this band.
I think shallow appreciation was a state of grace for me and Benny, Bjorne, Frida and Agnetha.
But I'll say this for them, their best singles kicked 10-year old me's ass late nights with the am radio on all night.
But the modern reappreciation of them barely scratches the surface of what was great about them.
It's still a secret. You will hear people talking about the musical perfection, the melancholy (comparing them to ... Fleetwood Mac??), but few have discerned what's really in the songs. And they don't help by keeping tight reins on their catalogue. How I wish a huge cache of isolated tracks would leak! How many people really know the song "You Owe Me One"? It's not one of their best, you know. How many have really heard this stuff buried within it? ...
[youtube]hGLAvaYfBRA#t=17[/youtube]
Or the beauty of the voice lines on this? ...
[youtube]3bjk4QO9ZSM#t=46[/youtube]
These are both courtesy of a guy who uses phase cancellation to bring out these things buried in the mix. I sincerely believe that ABBA deserve a "complete score" treatment. And even then, only a select few would even understand the magnitude of what they are seeing.
Like I say, for all their immense popularity, real appreciation of the artistry of ABBA is still very much of an exclusive club.