Domenica 24 Mag 2009, 18:22

Seeing as how the majority of my CDs have been re-ripped to my computer, I felt it time to resurrect the long-neglected "Off the Rack" series. A quick refresher: this is my attempt to listen to every album in my collect and write something, anything about each one. These are record reviews so much as ramblings associated with each album. I left off several months ago somewhere in letter B, but this recent acquisition brings me all the way to the beginning of the alphabet. Indeed, before the formation of the bands A and ZZZ, the record store claiming to have it all would say, "from Abba to ZZ Top."

Released in November of 1981, The Visitors was Abba's final studio album. My copy is a digitally remasted reissue released in 2001 which features an essay in the liner notes about the group's final years. It is claimed that despite internal drama (aka "Fleetwood Mac syndrome"), the foursome had no intention of breaking up the group and intended on soldering on after The Visitors. It wasn't in the fates, however.

In 1982, Anni-Frida Lyngstad released Something's Going On under the moniker Frida. The title cut from that album, "I Know There's Something Going On," which was produced by Phil Collins (who also played drums on much of the album) made it as far as #15 on the singles chart in early 1983. However, further chart success eluded Lyngstad. Meanwhile, the mid 1980s saw Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus collaborating with Tim Rice on songs for the musical Chess (the musical itself was performed in 1986, but the songs first appeared on a 1984 concept album).

The title cut, "The Visitors," opens the album. The song creeps in slowly, beats building before exploding into synthpop glory. It sounds like the second cousin to The Human League's "Don't You Want Me" and makes a strong case for this seminal 1970s act being quite ready for the 1980s.

Of course, being one of the finest pop acts of any era, Abba was adept at co-opting other styles and making them their own. Four tracks later, Abba sounds like they're taking in a night at the opera with "I Let The Music Speak," which could have been effectively a sequel to "Thank You For The Music." Meanwhile, "One Of Us" sounds like a bittersweet disco reggae hybrid.

I forced to wonder why pop music no longer sounds like this. I hear MIA taking a dump on The Clash or Lady Gaga throwing around slutty dance beats and I want to push my fingers into my ears so deep that I can swirl them around in my brain. However, despite the general sunniness and easy accessibility, I can't dredge up any hard feelings about Abba. Is it because I grew up with this music? Well, not necessarily: my parents owned a lot of music that I wouldn't be caught dead listening to on a voluntary basis. In fact, to say that my parents weren't particularly good music collectors is an understatement - honestly, who claims to love music while only owning two Beatles compilation albums?

I think the secret ingredient is credibility: the four members of Abba wrote their own songs and knew how to play actual music instruments. And while anyone can write a song, crafting a good song that is still listenable ten of twenty years from it's inception is difficult. It is a shame that the group only hit big in the United States with "Dancing Queen" as they had many album cuts which were just as worthy as their singles.

Of course, this is not to deny that they were pop stars. But I get the feeling they were pop stars in the Warholian sense: making good art as an extension and integration of practising good business. I could be wrong, but what does it matter? I still like the songs.