The Best of ABBA

Last updated
The Best of ABBA
Best of abba.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedAugust 1975
Recorded1972–1975
Genre Pop
Length36:16
Label Polydor (Austria, Germany, India, Netherlands and Norway)
RCA owned by Sony Music Entertainment Australia (Australia and New Zealand)
Producer Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA chronology
ABBA
(1975)
The Best of ABBA
(1975)
Greatest Hits
(1975)

The Best of ABBA is a compilation greatest hits album by Swedish pop group ABBA, first released in August 1975 in the Netherlands. It was then released in West Germany, and then in Australia and New Zealand in November 1975, before being released in Austria and India in 1976. [1] [2] Despite not being released in Norway, imports led the album to chart. After import copies were being sold in Scandinavia, ABBA's Greatest Hits was rush-released there in November 1975. The album topped the charts in Australia, Austria and New Zealand, and went on to be certified 24× Platinum in New Zealand and 22× Platinum in Australia. The album is tied with Dire Straits' album Brothers in Arms for being the best-selling album in New Zealand. [3]

Contents

In Australia it spent 16 weeks at number one, and in New Zealand it topped the charts for 18 weeks. The Best of ABBA was one of the biggest selling vinyl albums in Australian history, selling over a million copies. At one stage RCA Records couldn’t keep up with the demand for the albums in the country's shops, and copies had to be pressed under licence by a rival record company. In both countries, this album charted better than all the other ABBA releases, and it also became the first ever album to be certified gold in Australia before it was even released.

The Best of ABBA was re-released in 1988 on vinyl and CD, but was only available for a short time.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, except where noted. [4]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Waterloo" 2:41
2."Ring Ring"
3:01
3."Honey, Honey" 2:52
4."Mamma Mia" 3:32
5."People Need Love"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
2:40
6."Nina, Pretty Ballerina"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
2:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" 3:15
2."SOS" 3:22
3."Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:12
4."Bang-A-Boomerang" 4:00
5."Hasta Mañana" 3:05
6."So Long"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:06
Total length:36:16

Personnel

Charts

Sales and certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [19] 22× Platinum1,210,000 [20]
Germany (BVMI) [21] Platinum500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [22] Gold10,000*
India50,000 [23]
Netherlands500,000 [24]
New Zealand (RMNZ) [3] 24× Platinum360,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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