25th Anniversary Singles Collection

• Artist: ABBA
• Rating:
• Release Date: December 07, 1999
• Total Time: 211:11
• Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
• Genre: Rock

Review

Assuming that one is either the biggest '70s nostalgia buff in the world, or the most hardcore ABBA fan there is, this slipcased 27-CD set is for you -- all of the group's official singles, complete with re-creations of their picture sleeves, two songs per disc. It's not the most efficient use of the CD format or the easiest way to listen to the group's AM radio history as it manifested itself around the world, but as an added lure, each song has been remixed in 24-bit digital sound from the original multi-tracks, thus giving the set an added sonic luster. The remixes are, indeed, fascinating from a technical standpoint as well as very pleasing to the ear, offering a rich, spacious sound. The volume is boosted modestly, but the real difference in these remixes lies in the breadth of sound, rather than its power. In a sense, the mixes have been reshaped to modern sound systems' needs and capabilities. The earliest songs simply sound very good, but by the group's first major Swedish hit, the remixes start to sound extraordinary, as the quartet begins flexing its vocal muscles, pumping up the guitars and the timbre of the voices. The remixes clarify a lot of musical material that was only suggested subliminally on the original vinyl without compromising the integrity of the original hits' respective sounds. The result on the later singles is that they a transformed into a series of miniature Euro-pop/dance "symphonies," in which the whole is bigger than the sum of the parts. The packaging is surprisingly compact and efficient for a 27-disc set, but only a hardcore fan is going to cherish all of the picture-sleeve reproductions; most of the images from the middle and later years show the quartet in different nondescript poses facing the camera, where the early sleeves are fascinating as a cultural document. But a lot of the music is beautifully crafted, and about as crisp as it will ever sound. (European import) ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
People Need Love	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(2:47)
Merry-Go-Round	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:26)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Ring Ring	Neil Sedaka, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, Phil Cody	ABBA	(3:06)
Rock 'N' Roll Band	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:11)

CD 3

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Waterloo [English Version]	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(2:48)
Watch Out	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:47)

CD 4

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Honey, Honey	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(2:59)
Ring Ring	Neil Sedaka, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, Phil Cody	ABBA	(3:10)

CD 5

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
So Long	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:08)
I've Been Waiting for You	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:42)

CD 6

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:18)
Rock Me	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:06)

CD 7

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
S.O.S.	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:25)
Man in the Middle	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:02)

CD 8

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Mamma Mia	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:34)
Intermezzo No. 1	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:47)

CD 9

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Fernando	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(4:17)
Tropical Loveland	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:05)

CD 10

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Dancing Queen	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:52)
That's Me	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(3:17)

CD 11

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Money, Money, Money	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:09)
Crazy World	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:48)

CD 12

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Knowing Me, Knowing You	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(4:04)
Happy Hawaii	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(4:25)

CD 13

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Name of the Game	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(4:55)
I Wonder (Departure)	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson	ABBA	(4:32)

CD 14

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Take a Chance on Me	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:09)
I'm a Marionette	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:05)

CD 15

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Eagle	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:31)
Thank You for the Music	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:51)

CD 16

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Summer Night City	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:37)
Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Traditional	ABBA	(4:23)

CD 17

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Chiquitita	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(5:28)
Lovelight	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:32)

CD 18

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Does Your Mother Know	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:17)
Kisses of Fire	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:18)

CD 19

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Voulez-Vous	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(5:14)
Angeleyes	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:49)

CD 20

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:52)
The King Has Lost His Crown	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:34)

CD 21

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I Have a Dream	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:46)
Take a Chance on Me [Live]	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:28)

CD 22

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Winner Takes It All	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:55)
Elaine	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:46)

CD 23

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Super Trouper	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:15)
The Piper	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:29)

CD 24

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
One of Us	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:58)
Should I Laugh or Cry	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:28)

CD 25

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Head Over Heels	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:48)
The Visitors	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(5:47)

CD 26

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Day Before You Came	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(5:54)
Cassandra	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(4:55)

CD 27

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Under Attack	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:51)
You Owe Me One	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	ABBA	(3:31)

Credits

ABBA (Main Performer)