ABBA Album: “Waterloo”

This second album is the very best it can be. Full of love and warmth, it will make anyone who listens to it feel like they belong. ABBA is the best music group I have ever heard. No matter how many times you listen to this, it will never grow old. Whether it's the emotional "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" and "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong" or the danceable "Waterloo" and "Honey, Honey" , this album offers a variety of wonderful songs. You won't be able to sit still when you hear the beat on "King Kong Song." The lyrics to that song may be silly, but ABBA is doing what they do best: making perfect music. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this classic piece of art. It is worth every dime!

ABBA'S HAPPIEST ALBUM

BEST SONG: DANCE (WHILE THE MUSIC STILL GOES ON)

WORST SONG: MY MAMMA SAID

ABBA is the most important pop band of all time, and this CD is one of the best of the group. Their second album is full of beautiful melodies and a lot of amazing arrangements, in memorable songs like 'Hasta Mañana", "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)", "Waterloo", and "My Mamma Said".

All the record is great, and you can hear and see how they were beyond the times, doing sometimes disco music in 1974, and without the motown influence, or some pre-discoteque kind of music. They were unique, very original, and this CD shows the begginig of the legend, a mature band in compositions, arrangements and ideas, even in this early stage of their career.

That is definitely "a must" to every fan of pop music and good music.

Let's just smile politely and say that Waterloo is a fun album. The band is terrific, but their 1st outing after winning the Eurovision contest in 74 is marred by inconsistency (the guys sing way too many of the songs) and forgettable tunes (Watch out, My Mamma Said). It sounds too imitative of other influences. It isn't until the next album that the pieces come together. Suzy Hang Around is pretty good, as is Gonna Sing You My Love Song. Pretty good. Hey, it's a fun album.

Having been a longtime ABBA fan since back in my highschool days (I'm now 42), I was delighted to receive the Waterloo CD from my husband for Christmas, one of the only albums I did not own. My excitement turned to disappointment as I listened to it for the first time. I've never heard an ABBA song I have not liked until this album. "Sitting in the Palmtree," "King Kong Song," "My Mama Said," and "Watch Out" are nothing like any other ABBA song I've heard. The musical styles are inconsistent and the lyrics don't make any sense. Too much of the guys singing and not enough of the girls' leads make them sound like a different group altogether.

Not to be totally negative, however, I would recommend this CD just for the good songs. Of course, Waterloo came from this album and Ring Ring is included, as well as Honey, Honey(not as well known but as good of a song too). Also loved Hasta Manana, Dance(While the Music Still Goes On), and What About Livingstone.

Overall, a must for any ABBA fan collections, but don't expect the quality of each and every song like their later years.

I never bought this album in my vinyl days, content with the tracks that were included on their first Greatest hits album, though I did buy it on CD. As with the Ring ring album, the selection of songs to be included on Greatest hits was spot on. The four selected (Waterloo, Hasta manana, Honey honey and Dance while the music still goes on) are easily the best tracks on this album. Not that there's anything wrong with the other songs here, just that the other four are exceptional.

The title track is by far the best known - this up-tempo song easily won the Eurovision song contest and quickly topped the British chart. It also topped the charts in many other countries and was also a top ten hit in America.

Hasta manana was considered as an alternative to Waterloo for Eurovision. It might have won, but it is unlikely that it would have been as big a hit as Waterloo turned out to be. Indeed, I'm not even sure if it was ever released as a single - but it is an enjoyable song.

Honey honey was a top thirty hit for Abba in America, but Sweet dreams (a duo featuring ex-Pickettywitch singer Polly Browne) covered the song and had a top ten hit with it in Britain. Apart from Dance while the music still goes on, perhaps the best of the rest are My mama said and Gonna sing you my love song.

As with so many of Abba's albums, this is generally upbeat. Despite several wonderful songs, it is not as strong as several of their later albums. This is one for Abba's committed fans like me - and there are plenty of those around the world to ensure steady sales for years to come.