Greatest Hits | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 17 November 1975 | |||
Recorded | March 1972 – September 1975 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 48:00 | |||
Label | Polar (Sweden) Epic (UK) Atlantic (US) Universal Music (2006 reissue) | |||
Producer | ||||
ABBA chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Greatest Hits | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Scandinavia on 17 November 1975 [4] and in other parts of the world in 1976,notably the UK on 10 April,and on 18 September in the US and Canada. The 1976 version of the album included the band's most recent single "Fernando".
The album was released in response to similar ABBA compilation albums being issued at the time by record labels in other countries who had licensed ABBA's music for release in their own territories,and the threat of import sales of those compilations impacting upon ABBA's home market. This meant that the success of Greatest Hits was largely confined to Scandinavia and the UK,although the size of the latter market and the scale of its success there has ensured that Greatest Hits is one of ABBA's best-selling albums worldwide. The album was the best-selling album of 1976 in the UK,and the country's second-best selling album of the decade.
ABBA had won the Eurovision Song Contest in April 1974 with the song "Waterloo",which went on to be a major hit across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand. However,the immediate follow-up singles did not meet with the same success,and it wasn't until over a year later that "I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do","SOS" and "Mamma Mia" became worldwide hits and reignited interest in the band. To capitalise on this resurgence of interest,several labels around the world released their own licensed compilations of ABBA's singles up to and including "Mamma Mia" –these included a similarly-titled Greatest Hits by France's Disques Vogue,and The Best of ABBA ,released by West Germany's division of Polydor Records and by RCA Victor in Australia and New Zealand. To counteract the possibility of import sales from these records in Scandinavia,ABBA's record label Polar Music rush-released their own version of Greatest Hits. [4]
The tracks were taken from ABBA's first three studio albums, Ring Ring , Waterloo and ABBA ,and with the exception of "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" had all been released as singles somewhere in the world. Despite the title of the compilation,only half of the tracks had actually charted as hit singles in major territories. "Waterloo","SOS","Mamma Mia" and (later) "Fernando" were top 10 hits in the UK and several other countries,though only the first of these was a top 10 hit in the US. Other hits in multiple territories included "I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do" (a top 10 hit in several countries,a number one in Australia,and a top 20 hit in the US,though barely cracking the top 40 in the UK),"Honey,Honey" (a top 20 hit in several countries and a top 30 hit in the US),"Hasta Mañana" (a top 10 hit in South Africa and New Zealand and a top 20 hit in Australia),and "So Long" (a top 20 hit in Germany and a top 10 hit in Sweden and Denmark).
"Ring Ring" reached number one in Belgium and Sweden,and went top ten in a few other markets. "Nina,Pretty Ballerina" was an A side in only a few territories,reaching number 8 in Austria,"Another Town,Another Train" was a B side in most territories,but reached number 18 in Rhodesia. "People Need Love" was a radio hit in several US regions,but didn't chart higher than #114 nationally (on the Cash Box chart). "Bang-a-boomerang" was an A side in France,where it was a minor hit.
A few more songs had been issued as singles somewhere in the world,with I've Been Waiting For You reaching #49 in Australia and Love Isn't Easy (But it Sure Is Hard Enough) charting at #21 in Denmark. [ citation needed ]
The Swedish Radio hit parade was based on votes,not single sales. The group's first two singles,"People Need Love" and "He Is Your Brother",were hits on this Tio i Topp chart. In all,ABBA had nine songs in this chart,and the six that went as high as number three are included on the album.
Svensktoppen was a vote-based radio chart show for Swedish-language songs. ABBA had three number ones in this chart ("Ring Ring","Waterloo","Honey Honey") and a number 6 ("Åh,Vilka Tider"). Polar issued 'official' Swedish versions of "Bang-A-Boomerang" and "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" by Svenne &Lotta,both reached number 2 in this chart. Svenne &Lotta had hits with these songs in several markets. Other acts,including both Agnetha and Frida as solo performers,made Swedish-language versions of other ABBA songs;only "So Long" had not been a hit on the Svensktoppen chart,though "So Long" had been a hit on the Danish equivalent Dansktoppen.
On the North American version of the album "Hasta Mañana" was omitted and the other tracks were reordered. In Australia,where several of the tracks had reached number one,the release of Greatest Hits was beaten to the market by the RCA Victor compilation The Best of ABBA,precluding a release there for years. Nevertheless,the official greatest hits package was an enormous success. Even Rolling Stone ,often one of ABBA's harshest critics in the US,declared of the album,"Anyone who could listen to this record five times and not wind up humming half the songs is an android". [5]
Polar's version of Greatest Hits reached number one in Sweden and in Norway, [6] [7] but lost out in sales over much of the rest of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand to the already released rival compilations. However,it had no competition in the UK and in North America,and the UK version of the album was released in April 1976. In the five-month period between the releases of the Scandinavian and UK versions of Greatest Hits,ABBA had achieved their second consecutive (and third overall) UK number-one single with "Fernando",and this song was added to the UK version of the album,as well as to a reissued version in Norway and Denmark. The release of Greatest Hits coincided with the start of ABBA's huge popularity in the UK during the latter half of the 1970s,becoming the first of eight consecutive number-one albums for the group. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart and went on to become the best-selling album of 1976 [8] and the second best-selling album of the 1970s. [9] As of July 2016 it is the 46th best-selling album of all time in the UK, [10] with sales of over 2.6 million. [11]
Greatest Hits was released in the US and in Canada in September 1976,but sales of the record did not peak until April 1977,when the song "Dancing Queen" reached number one in both countries. "Dancing Queen" was not included on Greatest Hits,but it was the lead single from the new studio album Arrival and it had generated interest in ABBA's back catalogue. Greatest Hits has been certified platinum in the US [12] and quintuple platinum in Canada. [13]
The album was issued with two different gatefold covers,depending upon the territory. The painting on the original Scandinavian release was by artist Hans Arnold and had originally been awarded as a prize by Swedish magazine VeckoRevyn to celebrate ABBA being voted "Artists of the Year". [4] The artwork was also used on the European-wide "30th Anniversary Edition" CD reissue,in a miniature replica gatefold album sleeve.
In the UK,North America and some other territories,the cover features a photograph taken by Bengt H. Malmqvist of the group sitting on a park bench on an autumn day. [14] Benny and Frida are kissing,while Björn reads a paper and Agnetha looks straight into the camera. The image was used as the inner gatefold picture on the Scandinavian versions. It was also used on the US CD reissue by Atlantic Records in the 1980s,but without the track listing on the front.
The British/American version of the album sleeve appears in the popular 2015 science-fiction film The Martian ,when the husband of the disco-loving ship commander Melissa Lewis reveals on a video link that he has found an original vinyl copy of the album. The track "Waterloo" also features prominently on the film's soundtrack. [15]
All tracks written by Benny Andersson,Stig Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus,except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "SOS" | 3:22 | |
2. | "He Is Your Brother" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:17 |
3. | "Ring Ring" | Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody | 3:03 |
4. | "Hasta Mañana" | 3:09 | |
5. | "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 2:52 |
6. | "Honey, Honey" | 2:55 | |
7. | "So Long" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:06 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | 3:15 | |
2. | "People Need Love" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 2:43 |
3. | "Bang-A-Boomerang" | 3:02 | |
4. | "Another Town, Another Train" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:10 |
5. | "Mamma Mia" | 3:32 | |
6. | "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:05 |
7. | "Waterloo" | 2:42 | |
8. | "Fernando" (1976 reissue only) | 4:15 |
All tracks written by Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "SOS" | 3:22 | |
2. | "He Is Your Brother" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:17 |
3. | "Ring Ring" | Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody | 3:03 |
4. | "Another Town, Another Train" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:10 |
5. | "Honey, Honey" | 2:55 | |
6. | "So Long" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:06 |
7. | "Mamma Mia" | 3:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" | 3:15 | |
2. | "People Need Love" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 2:43 |
3. | "Waterloo" | 2:42 | |
4. | "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 2:52 |
5. | "Bang-A-Boomerang" | 3:02 | |
6. | "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" | Andersson, Ulvaeus | 3:05 |
7. | "Fernando" | 4:15 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia | — | 900,000 [23] |
Canada (Music Canada) [13] | 5× Platinum | 600,000 [24] |
Denmark | — | 250,000 [25] |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [26] | Platinum | 64,875 [26] |
France | — | 100,000 [27] |
Germany (BVMI) [28] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Greece (IFPI Greece) [29] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [30] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Ireland | — | 200,000 [31] |
Israel [32] | Gold | 20,000 [33] |
Japan | — | 330,000 [34] |
Malta | — | 3,000 [35] |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [36] | Gold | 25,000* |
Sweden (GLF) [37] | Platinum | 293,163 [38] |
Taiwan | — | 4,500 [39] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] | 8× Platinum | 2,606,000 [11] |
United States (RIAA) [12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Yugoslavia [41] | Gold | 35,000 [41] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 6,000,000 [23] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
ABBA are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1982, and in 2022.
"Mamma Mia" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is the opening track on the group's third album, the self-titled ABBA (1975). The song was released in September 1975 as its sixth single. The song's name is derived from Italian, where it is an interjection used in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement. It corresponds to the English interjection "my, my!" but literally means "my mom". The song was ABBA's first number one in the UK since "Waterloo" in 1974.
"Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the song. "Dancing Queen" was released as a single in Sweden on 15 August 1976, followed by a UK release and the rest of Europe a few days later. It was a worldwide hit. It became ABBA's only number one hit in the United States, and topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, West Germany and the Soviet Union. "Dancing Queen" also reached the top five in many other countries.
ABBA is the third studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released on 21 April 1975 through Polar Music and featured the hits "SOS", "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia".
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, released worldwide on 26 October 1981. The album consisted of Queen's biggest hits since their first chart appearance in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye", up to their 1980 hit "Flash". There was no universal track listing or cover art for the album, and each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles had been released there and which were successful. In 1992, the US version of the album Classic Queen was released following the band's rekindled popularity in the nation.
Arrival is the fourth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 11 October 1976 by Polar Records. It became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date, producing three of their biggest hits: "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You". The track "Fernando", which had been recently released as a single in March 1976, was included on the Australian and New Zealand versions of the album. Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on 29 October 1979 to coincide with their tour of North America and Europe. It was ABBA's second chart-topping album of the year, the first being Voulez-Vous, and contained the brand new single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", recorded in August 1979.
The discography of Swedish pop music group ABBA consists of nine studio albums, two live albums, seven compilation albums, four box sets, five video albums, 50 singles, and 43 music videos. To date, ABBA has sold 150 million records worldwide becoming one of the best-selling music artists in history. They have scored 9 No. 1 singles and 10 No. 1 albums in the UK, becoming the most successful Swedish act of all time on the Official Charts.
"SOS" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in June 1975 as the fifth single from their self-titled 1975 album.
"Fernando" is a song written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, from the Swedish musical group ABBA. The song was written for their fellow group member Anni-Frid Lyngstad and was included on her 1975 album Frida ensam.
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). It became a UK number one, topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in November 1977.
"Chiquitita" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from Voulez-Vous (1979), the group's sixth album. Agnetha Fältskog performs the lead vocals. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed these plans were abandoned, and it remained an album track.
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 21 September 1992 through PolyGram, making it the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music, and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue.
"I Have a Dream" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in December 1979 as the sixth and final single from the group's sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous. Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang lead vocals. It was a major hit, topping the charts in many countries and peaking at No. 2 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1979. Twenty years later, Irish pop group Westlife released a version that reached No. 1 in the UK over the Christmas week of 1999.
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in February 1977 as the third single from the group's fourth album, Arrival (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with Anni-Frid Lyngstad singing the lead vocals. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1".
"Voulez-Vous" is a 1979 song by the Swedish group ABBA, written and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad shared the lead vocals. It is the second track on the group's 1979 album of the same name. In the UK and Ireland, "Voulez-Vous" was released as a double A-side, though nearly everywhere else, "Voulez-Vous" was a single A-side. The double A side single is, as of September 2021, ABBA's 13th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.
"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, The Album (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Australia. In South Africa where it peaked at number 2 in August 1978 and became the eighteenth best-selling single of that year.
On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979. It was her fourth consecutive double album, and also made her the first person ever to take three consecutive double albums to the number one spot on the U.S. album chart. This would become Summer's third multi-platinum album to date.
Number Ones is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA, released by Polar Music in 2006.
Thank You for the Music is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in November 1983 in the United Kingdom by the record company Epic. The compilation features 14 tracks, including the singles "I Have a Dream", "Chiquitita" and "The Day Before You Came". It also contains the Spanish version of "Fernando", which was the first time this version was released in the UK.
Global sales were well over 6,000,000 ... Australian sales of this albums were over 900,000
israel gold 20,000 billboard.