Amazon.com: For those who love Abba (and if you're reading this, chances are you do, even if you don't know it yet), Abba: The Definitive Collection represents a happy, joyous compilation of the Swedish supergroup's numerous videos. Granted, they all seem to have been filmed on the same soundstage (even the firelit "Fernando"), but they retain their appeal and infectious charm. Fans can thrill to these vintage clips, which provide an opportunity to rediscover who was the most natural in front of the camera (Agnetha), who was the best dancer (Anna-Frid, a.k.a. Frida), who was the most demure (Benny), and who was the worst lip-syncher (Bjorn--always Bjorn). Lassé Hallstrom, later an Oscar®-nominated filmmaker, directed most of the early videos, and it shows in their natural, no-fuss style; it wasn't until Abba tried to make the jump to '80s-style electronica that they faltered in both style and content. In addition to old standbys like "Waterloo" and "Take a Chance on Me," don't pass up the light-years-ahead-of-its time "The Day Before You Came," or the live performance of "Dancing Queen" (in period costume!) at the Royal Swedish Opera. To this we say: Thank you for the music--and the videos! --Mark Englehart
Sound Bites Lasting impressions of ABBA's 35 videos stem from a flawed, but favorable collection. A cursory glance at every video reveals careful attention to detail and above par visuals, especially given the primitive stages of video production during their era. Realizing their career span was from 1973-1981, they were ahead of the game in more than their syntho-techno sound. Noting that their last album was released the same year that MTV started and before Flock of Seagulls and Human League became popular, you begin to appreciate how ground-breaking they truly were. Don't expect Peter Gabriel-type experimentation, yet experiment is what they did.
ABBA's videos go through the whole gamut: Soft focus and sharp focus, stiff production with matching moves and fluid photography with flowing motion. Special effects alternate with still life scenes. Going out on a limb, I'd say their costumes were vibrant and alluring, way ahead of the stereotypically seventies' cheese curve. Sometimes the videos are effective; at others they're not.
Here are some of the highlights: (SPOILER ALERT: Without a plot, some may, nevertheless, want to stop here and make their own discoveries.)
1. "Waterloo," their groundbreaking first Euro hit is flashy fun. A white backdrop frames their bold costumes. The lip-synching is out of step, but they're only destined to improve. (Bjorn wears heavy make-up, and he looks like Liberace.) 8/10
2.) "Ring, Ring" is a "Waterloo" carry over. Glittery, sexy costumes. Lip-synching is corrected. 8/10
3.) "Mamma Mia" has great pop appeal, and the band makes an emotional commitment. More vibrant, the close ups of faces and musicianship are hallmark. 9/10
4.) "S.O.S." is artful and thoughtful. Sometimes stiff, sometimes flowing, but Agnetha is always engaging. 7/10
5.) "Boom-a-rang" is spirited and playful. Less stiff, more fun, and more natural. Significantly, Bjorn looks better without make-up. 9/10
6.) "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" is soft and sensual. Frida is especially spirited. 7/10
7.) "Fernando" is heartwarming. A camp-fire sing-a-long. Good simple ensemble. 9/10
8.) "Dancing Queen" features ABBA onstage. The dancers in the audience aren't the Swedish equivalent of `American Bandstand,' but Frida and Agnetha sure can bump and grind. 6/10
9.) "Money, Money, Money" employs solid imagery, a correct dramatic tone, excellent lighting, and it's all in synch with the beat. Perhaps their most professional video. 10/10
10.) "Knowing Me, Knowing You" is not as fluid, but it's structurally solid. Facial focus is done like they were competing with The Beatles' album covers. 6/10
11.) "That's Me" Great non-hit song. Siren looks to match voices. Leftovers from "Money, Money, Money" show rare formula, however. 7/10
12.) "The Name of the Game" Impromptu black and white scenes outshine the stagey color ones. Benny always looks like he's having fun. 8/10
13.) "Take a Chance on Me" Sometimes sexy, sometimes silly. `The Brady Bunch' photo ensemble? What were the producers thinking? 6/10
14.) "The Eagle" is visually inventive. Colorfully done in discothèque neon, not psychedelic. 7/10
15.) "One Man, One Woman" I love this maudlin song. Two faces form as one. I get it, but it gets garish in places. 5/10
16.) "Thank You for the Music" Stage performance like on daytime variety shows. Nice seeing kids singing in the audience though. A precursor of MTV 6/10
17.) "Summer Night City" needs to be more fluid, but the women are pros here. Alluringly sexy. At times blurry, but when it`s playful, it works. 6/10
18.) "Chiquitita" is friendly and festive, sweet and simple--a sharp focus reaction to the last video. 8/10
19.) "Does Your Mother Know?" Natural and exuberant. Bjorn takes the lead, and the supporting cast could be on `Swedish Bandstand' if there was such a show. 10/10
20.) "Volez Vous" an extension of "Does Your Mother Know?". More nightclubbing with the two leading ladies. 8/10
21.) "Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie," shows us the studio process. Insightful, fun, and never a stiff moment! 10/10
22.) "On and On and On" is a theatrical slide show. Not fluid, not a good experiment. Good subject matter, though. 4/10
23.) "The Winner Takes It All" Pensive yet spirited. Scenic, too. They've got the cameras and acting skills on their side. 7/10
24.) "Super Trooper" looks like a `Dynasty' episode at times. The carnival scenes are shot perfectly. 7/10
25.) "Happy New Year" Great color ensemble. Pensive, sage, and celebratory. Video camera work in the MTV era. 9/10
26.) "All Is Said and Done" soft and clear shots. Unremarkable, lazy video. 5/10
27.) "One of Us" Clearest video. Thoughtful, but not inventive enough. 6/10
28.) "Head over Heels" tells a tale. Bjorn gets best actor. Funny, Playful, and Effective. 10/10
29.) "The Day Before You Came" is artsy, well-framed, and foreshadows Agnetha's solo career. 8/10
30.) "Under Attack" is filmed nicely like a detective noir, but is partly unrealized. 6/10
31.) "When I Kissed the Teacher" backs up to `The Arrival' era (1976). Solid concept, but a little stiff. 6/10
32.) "I Have a Dream" is done in Swedish. Never take their English speaking hits for granted. Beautiful native rendition. 8/10
33.) "Happy New Year" alternative Swedish version. 9/10 34.) "All Is Said and Done" alternative Spanish version! 6/10
35.) "Dancing Queen" the royal version. Is that Queen Elizabeth in the audience or the Swedish royalty? The powder wigs make the affair stiff, but the group is properly relaxed. They did need to redo the original, but they could have done something better than this. 6/10
Overall, do check this collection out. You'll enjoy listening to and watching these vintage videos.
Great videos from the pioneers of the format It doesn't really matter what you think of ABBA personally - whether you're a mega fan, or you find them cheesy and annoying - because there's no denying their wide-ranging influence on popular music, and in this case, music videos. ABBA was really the first group to learn that music videos could be a potent promotional tool. Since they got their start in their native Sweden, world tours to promote their early albums was out of the question. Instead, they pioneered the music video, and it sure paid off.
If their videos seem to be pure kitsch or at best, hopelessly cliched, it's only because they *created* all the conventions that we saw in so many classic music videos. Over the course of 136 minutes, we see such a range of styles that it's just obvious why they were so influential.
There are a number of ABBA video collections, but "The Definitive Collection" is the only complete collection and it is, of course, the one to buy. ABBA is one of those groups that you either love to love, or love to hate. Either way, these are classic videos for classic songs. I highly recommend this DVD to any fan of popular music.
Fantastic ABBA collection/Great sound/Great Video If you are an ABBA fan, you must see and hear this video of MTV type videos, long before there was an MTV. They were way ahead of their time and produced this hit collection of video super hits. Must see.
Why did this go out of print? This is the best video compilation they've released, and I guess this is now a "collectible"? Or are they revamping this to include "Lay All Your Love on Me", "I Have a Dream" (although the Spanish version is included and sounds pretty cool) and "Voulez-Vous"?
Some of the songs haven't been on greatest hits packages, so the songs might be new to people.
I have no idea why they need to have 2-3 "best ofs" on DVD...It makes me wonder why they didn't do an "Ultimate Collection" Box Set.
With "KISSology" 1-3 and AC/DC "Plug It In" doing really well, I think ABBA putting out a DVD of their TV appearances around the world (including pre-ABBA footage of the 4 of them in their different groups), of which there are many, and allows for multiple versions of the same song... it's more about the TV appearances, the interviews, and what they were wearing than the music.
This is just about the music an how ahead of the game they were when it came to music video. In one of the documentaries, they talked about Agnetha's fear of flying, for better or worse, it led to a ton of promo videos being shot, and capturing the group from beginning to end.
I like this one because it plays as a video album with no talking in between and can play it just to listen to.
The negatives are just that they shot videos on a shoestring, so there is some grain, some lip syncing that doesn't match up, but they're minor details. I'm sure ABBA cringe in horror at how they looked in a couple of the clips, but with "Mamma Mia" being one of the most successful musicals to date, it's minor.
If they do revamp this, it would be good if they had ABBA and Lasse Hallstrom's (whose "The Hoax" with Richard Gere is out on DVD as of this writing) commentary and maybe a bonus of outtakes, bloopers and behind the scenes, and maybe even a short film on Hallstrom himself.
Essential purchase for ABBA fans old and new, fans of the musical (soon to be movie) "Mamma Mia" and the film "Muriel's Wedding", and 70s pop music. Plus these are mostly great songs that hold up well. Few groups have been able to cross over internationally the way they did. We can talk about how great Led Zep or the Beatles were, but ABBA should be considered peers...in my opinion, Bee Gees and ABBA are underrated in the knack for crafting memorable songs. They rarely went looking for outside songwriters.
I love it. I love this group. I'm glad a DVD version of their songs is available. I bought this for my mom first, but then I decided to get my own copy as well.
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