The Singles: The First Ten Years

The Singles: The First Ten Years
Compilation album by ABBA
Released 8 November 1982
Recorded March 1972 – August 1982
Genre Pop
Length 92:48
Label Polar (Sweden)
Epic (UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy)
Atlantic (US and Canada)
Polydor (Germany and Netherlands)
Vogue (France)
RCA (Australia and New Zealand)
Sunshine (South Africa)
Producer
ABBA chronology
The Visitors
(1981)The Visitors1981		 The Singles: The First Ten Years
(1982)		 ABBA Live
(1986)ABBA Live1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

The Singles: The First Ten Years is a double compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in November 1982.

History

1982 was ABBA’s final year together as a group. They had originally intended to record a new studio album, like they had done almost every year since they first came together. But as the four members felt the energy run out of the group, they shelved these plans and instead decided to release a double album collection of their singles from 1972 to 1982.

The album contained most of the band's hit singles from their ten years together as recording artists, and included two new tracks: "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack". The Singles: The First Ten Years was released on CD in Canada only (no US release) by Atlantic Records in 1987, but was quickly deleted in 1988 when Atlantic's rights to the catalog expired.[3] In 2001, the album was replaced by The Definitive Collection. The Singles: The First Ten Years does not include non-UK singles such as "Honey, Honey", "Eagle" or "When All Is Said and Done", and it also excludes several of ABBA's UK single hits including the 1974 remix of "Ring Ring", "Angeleyes", "Head over Heels", and the 12" single hit "Lay All Your Love on Me". The album features a 3:58 edited version of "The Name of the Game" instead of the full 4:51 version; this edit (which omits the second verse) was released as a promotional single in the USA in 1977 and was mistakenly included on this compilation.[4]

In the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995), the compilation was ranked 80th on the book's list of the "Top 100 Alternative Albums".[5]

Reception

Rolling Stone: "This twenty-three song collection (singles plus two new cuts) confirms what a lucky few in the US have known for some time – ABBA is the greatest pop band of the last ten years. There are more infectious melodies, grabby hooks, and danceable drum beats on one side of this two-disc set than in most artists' entire catalogs... The Singles provides an ideal introduction to this talented and highly influential band".

Los Angeles Times: "Special-merit release... ABBA create seductive, richly emotional records that put openly sentimental melodies against a nagging instrumental tension...The group's best tracks are mini – masterpieces of the pop form."

New Musical Express: "This isn't the entire history of pop over the last ten years, but its documentation of the group who altered the course of pop more than anyone else – anyone – is flawless... It resulted in a seam of unbroken, highly individual pop music that in lifespan terms is still unmatched by any rival..."

New York Times: "Abba – The Singles" is a testament to the unstoppable power of the catchy tune"

Track listing

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

Disc 1

Side A

  1. "Ring Ring" (written by Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody) – 3:04
  2. "Waterloo" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:42
  3. "So Long" – 3:05
  4. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:16
  5. "SOS" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:22
  6. "Mamma Mia" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:31
  7. "Fernando" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:12

Side B

  1. "Dancing Queen" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:50
  2. "Money, Money, Money" – 3:06
  3. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:02
  4. "The Name of the Game" (US Promo Edit) (written by Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:58
  5. "Take a Chance on Me" – 4:06
  6. "Summer Night City" – 3:34

Disc 2

Side A

  1. "Chiquitita" – 5:26
  2. "Does Your Mother Know" – 3:14
  3. "Voulez-Vous" – 5:08
  4. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" – 4:49
  5. "I Have a Dream" – 4:44

Side B

  1. "The Winner Takes It All" – 4:55
  2. "Super Trouper" – 4:13
  3. "One of Us" – 3:55
  4. "The Day Before You Came" – 5:50
  5. "Under Attack" – 3:47

Personnel

ABBA

Additional personnel

  • Ulf Andersson — saxophone
  • Ola Brunkert — drums
  • Lars Carlsson — horn
  • Christer Eklund — saxophone
  • Malando Gassama — percussion
  • Anders Glenmark — guitar
  • Rutger Gunnarsson — bass
  • Roger Palm — drums
  • Janne Schaffer — guitar
  • Åke Sundqvist — percussion
  • Mike Watson — bass
  • Lasse Wellander — guitar

Production

  • Benny Andersson – producer, arranger
  • Björn Ulvaeus – producer, arranger
  • Michael Tretow – engineer

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ William Ruhlmann. "The Singles: The First Ten Years". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Archived December 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ https://abbaoncd.wordpress.com/north-american-cds/canadian-cds/
  4. ↑ The Name of the Game
  5. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  6. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 – 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – The Singles – The First Ten Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – ABBA – The Singles – The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – The Singles – The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – The Singles – The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  12. ↑ "ABBA | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ "ABBA Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'The Singles – The First Ten Years')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  15. ↑ "British album certifications – ABBA – The Singles: The First Ten Years". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Singles: The First Ten Years in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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