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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2022 10:38:00 GMT
Welcome aboard the time machine to July 1992. Their success nosedived in 1982, then they stopped recording. ABBA have been forgotten for 10 years.
There are plans for a new compilation for the Autumn called Gold Greatest Hits.
What should the tracklisting be?
1. Their biggest global hits eg I DO x 5 but no LAYLOM. Perhaps Honey Honey but not Voulez Vous
2. Regional compilations ie different tracklistings for different countries
3. Includes Thank You for the Music and LAYLOM (a recent cover version by Erasure hit #1 in UK as part of an EP). NO SNC, I DO, Ring Ring, Honey Honey.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2022 16:46:46 GMT
Johnny, I would vote for Number 3 ( inclusion of " Lay All Your Love On Me " and " Thank You For The Music ".
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2022 20:38:20 GMT
I used to think the tracklisting for GOLD was unfair and UK-centric, even tough I am British.
I thought LAYLOM should not have been included because it wasn't a global hit and I Do x5 should have been because it was, though not in the UK. Even though I love LAYLOM and don't much like I Do x5. And maybe one or two other changes.
There were some regional changes - until 2008. Australia had their own version, including the awful Rock Me..and Latin America/Spain haf the Spanish versions of Chiquitita and Fernando. Maybe different countries could have had own versions like they do for Queen's Greatest Hits or David Bowie's Best Of. Eg Sweden including Ring Ring and SNC or USA with Honey Honey and WAISAD.
But I think the version we have is the right choice. Thank You for the Music wasn't a big hit but a kind of signature tune. And LAYLOM 100s better than I Do.
Polydor UK who created this classic deserve some credit for the tracklist. They being part of Universal. Universal Music bought the rights from EPIC (Uk/Irealand), Atlantic (USA/Canada), RSA(Australia/NZ), Polydor (Mainland Europe)
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Post by Alan on Jul 6, 2022 21:47:15 GMT
Slight correction to your last paragraph there, but PolyGram bought Polar Music International AB (and therefore the worldwide rights to ABBA’s catalogue) from Stig Anderson in 1989. However, Polar had already signed three-year licensing agreements with record companies around the world (including CBS in the UK who were still merrily sub-licensing ABBA’s work to the likes of Telstar and Pickwick for cheap compilations).
The last of the licenses didn’t expire until 1992, so it’s likely that PolyGram had been preparing Gold for three years. It’s often said that LAYLOM is on Gold because of the Erasure EP but it’s more likely the tracklisting was decided before then and that perhaps Erasure were “helped” to pick their four tracks, so that the likes of LAYLOM became more well-known than they had been prior. It was the PolyGram label Polydor in the UK that devised it though, so almost certainly it was deliberately UK-centric. PolyGram merged with MCA in 1999 to form Universal after both had been purchased by the same company.
I personally don’t believe that the Erasure EP and Gold were coincidences. With ABBA being a dead group for ten years, what better than to have a current act cover some of their songs? And especially Erasure as they had form on this (Gimme Gimme Gimme being part of their live set for years). Almost certainly deals were done behind closed doors.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2022 23:50:38 GMT
Alan, thanks for explaining that about PolyGram takeover of Polar in 1989.
When "Gold" was decided, yes 1992. But when in 1992?
The tracklisting clearly UK-centric, as you agree.
But getting back to my options, I think the one we got was right - even though I didn't think so at the time.
I'm kind of interested as to what people think about alternatives
In my opening post I am talking about 1992. What did people think then (if around) or now?
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Post by lamont on Jul 7, 2022 6:57:15 GMT
Slight correction to your last paragraph there, but PolyGram bought Polar Music International AB (and therefore the worldwide rights to ABBA’s catalogue) from Stig Anderson in 1989. However, Polar had already signed three-year licensing agreements with record companies around the world (including CBS in the UK who were still merrily sub-licensing ABBA’s work to the likes of Telstar and Pickwick for cheap compilations). The last of the licenses didn’t expire until 1992, so it’s likely that PolyGram had been preparing Gold for three years. It’s often said that LAYLOM is on Gold because of the Erasure EP but it’s more likely the tracklisting was decided before then and that perhaps Erasure were “helped” to pick their four tracks, so that the likes of LAYLOM became more well-known than they had been prior. It was the PolyGram label Polydor in the UK that devised it though, so almost certainly it was deliberately UK-centric. PolyGram merged with MCA in 1999 to form Universal after both had been purchased by the same company. I personally don’t believe that the Erasure EP and Gold were coincidences. With ABBA being a dead group for ten years, what better than to have a current act cover some of their songs? And especially Erasure as they had form on this (Gimme Gimme Gimme being part of their live set for years). Almost certainly deals were done behind closed doors. Also, Polygram used questionnaire’s in a public forum for the Gold compilation, like “what colour do you associate with ABBA ?” Plus, it was decided by using this forum that no picture of ABBA was used on the front cover as it immediately ‘dated’ the album by back to the 70’s. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Jul 7, 2022 11:04:05 GMT
I'm inclined to think that they got the tracklisting just about right. All nine UK No.1s and, apart from LAYLOM, SOS and TYFTM, everything was a Top 5 hit. Absolutely nothing to scare the horses. A record company's wet dream basically. I think that if I Do had been included and LAYLOM shunted to More Gold, we'd be questioning the smarts of whoever was ABBA's A&R at the time. I think Gold was designed for the casual fan, people who had probably only ever had a studio album if it appeared in a Christmas stocking or it it belonged to their Mum. If there was any conspiracy between Polydor and Mute (Erasure's label) I'd be surprised. Plus, I doubt Vince Clarke would be manipulated like that. He's a very stubborn artist. Erasure were big enough to do things on their own terms. If anything, the ABBAesque EP might have been a reputational risk for Erasure then, when the snobs still had their noses in the air.
I can't remember the last time I played Gold - 20 years ago, maybe? I don't like the running order. I like some album tracks and "smaller" hits more than the massive hits. And it takes some effort not to hit the skip button when the into to TYFTM starts. An entirely personal thing, of course, but I find More Gold a much more satisfying experience.
We may well be having this discussion all over again if (as I suspect) some kind of huge career retrospective is in the works for 2024....
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2022 17:43:52 GMT
I don't know why the Australian version of " Gold " included " Rock Me " and why it also, featured on " Greatest Hits Vol 2 ". One of life's many mysteries I suppose.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2022 17:48:32 GMT
Eddie, that's the problem when you just go with big hits, you may get rubbish too. ABBA were so huge in Australia in 75/76 that they could put out a Rock Me and it makes top 5
I think the tracklist is UK-centric but the right choice.
As for the order, I prefer compilations to be chronological.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2022 7:48:17 GMT
Johnny, I couldn't agree more. " Rock Me " is dire. I would have preferred one of the ladies to feature on lead vocals instead.
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Post by foreverfan on Jul 8, 2022 9:08:21 GMT
I understand why it’s there, being some kind of Anthem, Thankyou For The Music, but it certainly wasn’t a big hit here in the UK. Personally I’d have replaced it with SummerNight City, which let’s be honest deserved to be on Gold, rather than More, infact a complete swap would’ve been perfect....
As we know, otherwise all Top 10 hits and a number 33 hit.....doesn’t quite work....SNC bigger hit than LAYLOM and SOS ,position wise, and relegated to More, which again let’s be honest , hardly a really big hit Album...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2022 11:05:56 GMT
ForeverFan
I love SNC too. After being overlooked for Voulez Vous, Gold and the Mamma Mia films it is nice it is in the Voyage concert.
Yes, I think ABBA weren't happy with the final recorded version but they did play it live in the 1979 tour - complete with intro, longer outro and different arrangement. I thought that was great too.
I would have made Gold even more UK centric and included it at the expense of TYFTM. So all ABBA's UK Top 10 hits.
I reckon the tracklisting based on songs UK fans preferred at the time. So most popular songs first. LAYLOM is high in the running order. I guess the Erasure version was fresh in people's minds. Though it is a great song too.
Waterloo and TYFYM acted like concert encore songs at the end.
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Post by iiwftn on Jul 29, 2023 9:15:13 GMT
Strangely, I really liked Erasure but thought that the EP was terrible 😮, apart from maybe S.O.S.
The rest was a lot of karaoke nonsense.
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