Disco de ABBA: “Super Trouper [Remaster]”

Ever since I bought a turntable, a whole new realm of cheap music that I would never have dared paid a rediculous CD price for (or thought of buying in the first place) opened up to me.

Looking through some used album bins, I found some ABBA stuff, and hey, for a dollar a piece there's no reason not to buy them! So I picked them up, laughed at myself, and brought them home and listened.

I bought The Album and Arrival, besides one or two good album cuts they were just all about the hits. "Eh, just what I expected, a singles band with mediocre albums" I thought to myself. Then for some unexplained reason, I bought Super Trouper. There was just something about the oh-so-glamourous cover I guess.

So I drop the needle, and "Super Trouper" starts, which I already knew but never cared much for. For some weird reason, it sounded really good! Then "Winner Takes It All," which I've never heard before, completely nailed me with that incredible, emotive vocal performance. By the time I got around to the chorus of "On And On And On" and found myself dancing furiously as only a white guy can furiously dance I knew I was in the presence of one incredibly stupid-fun album.

By the time I got through the joyously pompous synth-brass blasts of "Me And I," the reflective ballad "Happy New Year," the quasi-Gentle Giant recorder breaks of the absurd track "The Piper" up through the over-the-top closing piece "The Way Old Friends Do" I came to the conclusion that I had just experienced one of the most rediculously entertaining albums I've heard for a while.

There isn't a single song on this album that I don't enjoy immensely, with the exception of "Our Last Summer" which I think kind of kills the otherwise perfect flow of the album. The other ABBA albums I have (Arrival, The Album, and Voulez Vous) are nowhere close as far as having the tremendous hooks, variety, and entertainment value that Super Trouper offers.

I never thought I'd see the day, but my Yes, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson albums sit comfortably and proudly next to ABBA albums, Super Trouper in particular. Get it today!

Admittedly, Super Trouper has always been my least favorite ABBA album, being too much in the adult-contemporary vein or something like that. Anyhoo, I still eagerly anticipated the release of this Deluxe Edition, as I've purchased all of the others to this point, and they have been fantastic. Mind you I'm not knocking content on the Super Trouper release AT ALL. I think the CD remastering is fine, and the DVD has some very good material on it (although there could've been more, but there can ALWAYS be more); no, the problem here is the bad packaging. The "Deluxe Edition" sticker runs over both sides and you must remove it in order to open the gatefold. When you remove the sticker, the glue residue remains. Also, the booklet insert (or at least mine) appears to have gotten absolutely crammed into the slip-cover, and therefore the first several pages are bent and folded, which is unnacceptable. Both CD and DVD had visible fingerprints and small, inconsequential but still visible scratches from the manufacturer. None of this affects content or playback, but when you're expecting a "deluxe" edition...? Makes this something of a disappointment, considering the previous three releases have been basically pristine and of very high quality.

Abba is a group who never truly had a bad album, but they crossed all boundaries with their 1980 release Super Trouper. Toning down the disco-pop from Voulez-Vous and replacing it with a more sophisticated adult new wave pop beat. Abba saved themselves from the disco backlash (although their best disco song, LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME, is featured in this collection)with these set of songs. The Winner Takes It All was the first single released. A tear-jerking ballad about divorce, became Abba's fourth and final US top 10 single (yep, it seems like they had more...), the song is so highly emotional that anyone who has heard it must admit it's power. SuperTrouper is the first song and second US single, a pleasant record although not a great. Our Last Summer is an incredible ballad. Happy New Year is also beautiful. Me & I is an irresistably fun new wave record about cloning (or multiple personalities, however you look at it). The Piper is very Irish sounding and cute. Andante Andante is also a gorgeous soft song. This album is the definitive Abba album.

Super Trouper is to Abba what Sergeant Pepper was to the Beatles ... the pinnacle of a terrific group's career. This was the first album entirely produced in their Polar music studio and the unity shows ... there isn't a misstep in any song and lyrically, they no longer sounded like they weren't sure what they were singing about. "Happy New Year" & "Andante Andante" are wonderful stand-outs.

It could be another suitable title for this album, by far the best work of the group ever. Songs like "The winner takes it all" and "Lay all your love on me" are masterpieces. Inspiration is a great gift that allows one to capture a moment or, in the case of music artists, even a generation. This was ABBA's moment and it's captured beautifully here.