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Abba
Waterloo - Polar 1971:
Tracks: 1. Waterloo / 2. Sitting In The Palmtree / 3. King Kong Song / 4. Hasta Manana / 5. My Mama Said / 6. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On) / 7. Honey, Honey/ 8. Watch Out / 9. What About Livingstone / 10. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong / 11. Suzy-Hang-Around / 12. Ring, Ring (US Remix) / 13. Waterloo (In Swedish) / 14. Honey Honey (In Swedish)
Comments:
Abba's second album from 1974 is in many as a natural sequel to the debut "Ring Ring" from 1973. The recipe is much the same: a handful of fine singles "Waterloo" (not least), "Honey Honey" and "Hasta Maņana" supplemented with a mixed bag of popsongs.
Among the lesser-known album-tracks there are some fine gems, not least "Dance While the Music Still Goes On." This song could certainly have done as a single, and it was indeed also included on the group's first compilation album. If I had had a say, I probably would have replaced the male lead vocals with a lead from one of the girls.
Among the other less prominent songs I would like to highlight "My Mama Said", which has a nice funky beat. "Gonna Sing You a Love Song" might seem a bit trite, but I think that the chorus has some very fine vocal harmonies that lift the song out of anonymity. On the upbeat "Suzy Hang Around" there great sounding guitars, and the song that is somewhat atypical of the group is actually a little gem - again I would have liked to hear the song sung by one of the girls.
In the "heavy" end there are also tracks for oblivion. There are attempts at glam rock with "King Kong Song" (terrible) and "Watch Out". "What About Livingstone?" is boring and sounds like an outtake from the first album, while "Sitting in the Palmtree" is only slightly better.
The album was to follow up on the big breakthrough with the single "Waterloo," and does so quite solidly. However, there is not much to suggest that the group over the next 5-6 yearswould become one of history's greatest pop groups.
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