The Definitive Collection

Disc 1
1	People Need Love 2:45
2	He Is Your Brother 3:18
3	Ring Ring 3:04
4	Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) 2:53
5	Waterloo 2:47
6	Honey, Honey 2:55
7	So Long 3:05
8	I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 3:16
9	S.O.S. 3:20
10	Mamma Mia 3:32
11	Fernando 4:14
12	Dancing Queen 3:51
13	Money, Money, Money 3:05
14	Knowing Me, Knowing You 4:01
15	The Name Of The Game 4:52
16	Take A Chance On Me 4:05
17	Eagle 4:27
18	Summer Night City 3:35
19	Chiquitita 5:24
20	Does Your Mother Know 3:13
Disc 2
1	Voulez-Vous 5:08
2	Angeleyes 4:19
3	Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) 4:50
4	I Have A Dream 4:42
5	The Winner Takes It All 4:56
6	Super Trouper 4:13
7	On And On And On 3:42
8	Lay All Your Love On Me 4:34
9	One Of Us 3:56
10	When All Is Said and Done 3:17
11	Head Over Heels 3:47
12	The Visitors (Crackin' Up) 5:46
13	The Day Before You Came 5:51
14	Under Attack 3:47
15	Thank You For The Music 3:51
16	Ring Ring Bonus Track / 1974 Remix, Single Version / Version 3:10
17	Voulez-Vous Bonus Track / Extended Remix, 1979 US Promo 6:07

Barnes & Noble

It seems odd that Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad only had one No. 1 single on the U.S. charts with their über-pop quartet ABBA. From 1972 to 1982, they created some of the most immediate, singable, danceable anthems to ever permeate popular consciousness. This comprehensive two-disc set outdoes their popular Gold: Greatest Hits disc by including every single ABBA release in Scandinavia, remastered and sequenced in mostly chronological order. Carl Magnus Palm’s thorough liner notes detail the drama behind each song on the 37-track set, following the quartet’s rise from Eurovision contenders to double-dating disco biscuits. The rapturous piano gallop of their 1973 contest-winning “Waterloo,” 1982’s synth-pulsing swan song “Under Attack,” and everything in between illustrate Benny and Björn’s songwriting brilliance and Agnetha and Anni-Frid’s unmatched pop vocal genius. This well-deserved retrospective provides a deeper look into the rise, demise, and ultimate staying power of one of the '70s' most beloved groups. And for anyone who only wants "the hits" -- this is the only ABBA collection you'll ever need.

All Music Guide

The titles of hits compilations always deal in superlatives: "Greatest," "Best," "Very Best" -- but the compilers of this ABBA collection have a special problem justifying the release of yet another such album after the multi-platinum success of 1992's ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits and its 1993 follow-up, More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits. (Indeed, the band was never shy about repackaging, issuing a Greatest Hits LP in 1976 as only its third U.S. album, followed by Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 in 1979 and The Singles [The First Ten Years] in 1982.) They have settled on The Definitive Collection and done their best to live up to the name. The 37-track double CD contains "for the first time exclusively collected in one package, each and every single as conceived and released by ABBA and their record company Polar Music between 1972 and 1982," writes annotator Carl Magnus Palm. That accounts for 30 tracks, with another five consisting of songs individual countries released as singles, notably "When All Is Said and Done" and "The Visitors," which Atlantic in the U.S. put out for chart entries. The remaining two tracks are a single remix of "Ring Ring," being given its first American release, and an extended dance remix of "Voulez-Vous," not previously released commercially. The remastered sound is excellent, and the nearly chronological order of the sequencing allows an appreciation of the band's development from light Europop to a disco-influenced sound and onto a more energetic, new wave-influenced approach, all with compelling melodies and dense arrangements in a Phil Spector Wall of Sound production style. Palm's informative liner notes tell the ABBA story single by single. (Who knew that "The Visitors" is about "the fears of dissidents in the Soviet Union"?) If this doesn't satisfy you, go ahead and buy the group's entire catalog. William Ruhlmann