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Frida-Something's
Going On September 1982 Available internationally on Cd
The first solo album after
the divorces of ABBA's two couples. It's appearance was a clue
that ABBA was nearing the end of the road. The vinyl cover for
this album is the pinkest record cover you'll ever see.....
Somehow, Frida ended up with
Phil Collins
as her producer, just right before Phil became one of the largest
selling artists of 1980's. Frida decided she wanted Phil to produce
her solo album after hearing FACE VALUE. Frida shared Phil's
affinity for the American Soul group Earth ,Wind , and Fire and
like Frida , Phil marriage had just broken up. Unlike all the
other people who produced solo al about Phil was that he didn't
necessarily have any great affection for the music of ABBA. The
album was recorded in February and March 1982, just a few weeks
after the Visitors album came out-but before ABBA last recordings
were made in May and August of 1982..
SOMETHING'S GOING ON came
out a year after Phil's first solo hit-"In the Air Tonight'
was released. "In The Air tonight " featured the influential
drum sound that Phil had brought to the world partly through
the talents of engineer Hugh Padgham.That distinctive drum sound
was featured prominently in the title track of SOMETHING'S GOING
ON as well as on "Tell Me That's It Over"and other
tracks on this album. The up-tempo songs on this album tend to
emphasize Frida's great radio voice instead of allowing Frida
to be expressive.
The ballads here have aged
better. Frida's introduces Roxette's Per Gessle to the world
when she sings his song "Threnody'' based on a Dorothy Parker
poem. "Threnody" got some lovely guitar work by Darryl
Struemer. The song "The Way You Do" was written by
Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry. The synth pop tune "To Turn the
Stone" written by Giorgio Moredor/Pete Bellotte (Donna Summer's
songwriters) was Frida's favorite song on the album.
Frida recorded a lovely version of the Phil Collins' song "You
Know What I mean" . The track features some great harp work
by Skaila Kanga . "You What I Mean" was originally
on Phil's FACE VALUE album.
The record closes with a cheesy
duet between Phil and Frida called "Here We'll Stay"-
Phil and his label didn't think the song was very good and so
when this was was released as a single it was without Phil singing.
This record showed that ABBA
solo projects would have a tough row to hoe internationally.
the album did so-so in most markets and the title track (a song
that just screams -hit record) was a hit only in some markets,
Strangely ,the
title track did well in the United States where it proved to
be one of only 2 or three ABBA related records to make it onto
MTV. (which at the time was something new and exciting). The
video for" I Know there's Something Going on" seemed
to be surprisingly autobiographical since it's about a woman
finding out that her lover is seeing someone new. Frida's breakup
with Benny occurred right before this album was recorded.
The album cover is a drawn
portrait of Frida by Yves Poyet. On the inside sleeve there was
the photo on which it was based showing Frida with sharply cut
short dyed red hair. (one of the titles considered for the album
was "I see Red".None of the ABBA band played on this
album but most of sessions were recorded at Polar Studios in
Stockholm and engineered by Hugh padgham and Paris Edvinsson.
These are practically the only Frida recordings since 1969 not
to be produced or coproduced by Benny Andersson .This album was
reissued on CD in the USA in a remastered version which, unfortunately,
doesn't have any bonus tracks. But the 2005 Swedish remaster
feature bonus tracks..
Track listing for SOMETHING'S GOING ON
Side 1:
1.Tell Me It's Over (Stephen Bishop) 2.50
2.I See Red (Jim Rafferty) 4.32
3.I Got Something (Tomas Ledin) 4.05
4.Strangers (Jayne Bradbury/Dave Morris) 4.05
5.To Turn The Stone (Peter Bellotte/Giorgio Moroder) 5.25
Side 2:
1. I Know There's Something Going On (Russ Ballard) 5.25
2. Threnody (Dorothy Parker/Per Gessle) 4.16
3. Baby Don't You Cry No More (Rod Argent) 3.0
4. The Way You Do (Bryan Ferry) 3.35
5.You Know What I Mean (Phil Collins) 2.35
6. Here We'll Stay -duet with Phil Collins-(Tony Colton /Jean
Roussel) 2.3
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Frida
Shine September 1984 Available internationally on Cd
SHINE was pretty much ignored
by ABBA fans and non-Abba fans alike. Producer Steve Lillywhite
(U2, Big Country,Kirsty MacColl) fashioned a distinctive sound
for this album that resonates throughout the album. This albums white with fluorescent
pink and green cover seems a bit out of place in our world. I
like this cover but I am in the minority! This album was recorded
in Paris, France in February and March 1984. This was -the only
time that Frida has recorded an entire studio album outside of
Sweden.
Frida had originally considered
on recording an album with Daniel Balavoine (who she had worked
with ABRACADABRA) or perhaps working again with Phil Collins
but supposedly "Executive Producer" Stig Anderson nixed
these ideas and rushed her into completing this album. She listened
to Stig since, of the four ABBA members, Frida was the most loyal
to Stig. Still it's hard to see how she ended up with the then
very hip Steve Lillywhite, as producer.. Although Frida started
in 1960's a as jazz singer and has never seemed overly famililar
with the rock music-she somehow managed to relatively hip to
the rock scene on her solo records....
Frida's voice does strange
things to
many of the songs here . This was becoming a pattern on her 1980's
work -"Me and I", "The Visitors", "You
Owe Me One" and some tracks on the SOMETHING GOING ON album
feature something other than her normal voice- the sound almost
of a female computer . In any case it's not always easy to be
expressive when you have to sing like that much of the time but
for the most part this weird voice is still fun to listen to.
People tend to disagree as to
which songs they like on this album, none of the songs are universally
loved.
Among the more interesting
songs here are
B&B's "Slowly" -which was the only B&B song
to appear on any of the girls post 1976 albums. I like the ballad
that Big Country's Stuart Adamson wrote for the album called
"The Heart of The Country " The less ballady numbers
on side one all have the full mechanical sound of "The Face"
-it has a great hook or two notably the point where the background
singers sing "It wouldn't mean a thing". SHINE seems
to be less about Frida than her other solo albums ...
I wasn't overwhelmed by the
title track, which was issued as a single in some markets. For
the first time in her career,
and at the suggestion of Phil Collins, Frida wrote or cowrote
approximately 10 songs for the album. Indeed, she even worked
on demos of some of songs in 198 with her son from her first
marriage-Hans Fredicksson. . But ultimately only two of her songs
were actually released ( "That's Tough" & 'Don't
Do It") . "That's Tough" did not make it on to
SHINE but it became a non album B-side ."Don't do It"'
was a lovely ballad that did make it on the album.
The best song on SHINE may
be the closer. Frida counts in slowly to "Comfort Me' and
takes her time coming to the last verses where she speaks the
words. Lillywhite's carefully assembled sound environment is
there but on " Comfort me" Frida, the human being is
there too.
Steve Lillywhite's utilizes
a coterie of British musicians/writer/ backing singers including
Mark Brzezski of Big Country, Simon Climie and the Kirsty MacColl.Kirsty
cowrote four of the songs recorded during the sessions and was
also Steve Lillywhite 's girlfriend.. Remarkably ,ABBA bassist,
Rutger Gunnarsson slips in a guest appearance on bass on two
tracks. Thus, he became the only instrumentalist to work on Post-
ABBA solo work by every former ABBA member.
This album was not released
in the United States. I remember being one of the first ABBA
releated albums that I was able to buy in the USA as a import...
I remember sitting in my college
apartment during the winter break of 1984-1985 listening to this
album and to CHESS whcih had been released around the same time...
On this album Frida has medium
short red hair. After the promotion was done for this album,
Frida lowered her profile ( as they say) and opted out of trying
to become a solo star. Frida did record ,on occasion, between
1984- 1996 , primarily dueting with other artists for the Swedish
markert. It was to be nearly twelve years before she would make
another album.
This album seems cursed in
- January 1986 songwriter Daniel Balavoine was killed in a helicopter
crash. Sadly,in recent years two more songwriters on this album
have died tragically. Kirsty MacColl died in a boating accident
and Stuart Adamson commited suicide.
Track listing for SHINE album
Side 1:
1.Shine (Kevin Jarvis,Guy Fletcher, Jeremy Bird)4.39
2. One Little Lie (Simon Climie & Kirsty MacColl)3.44
3. The Face (Daniel Balavoine & Kirsty Mac Coll ) 3.50
4. Twist In The Dark (Andde Leek) 3.43
5. Slowly (Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus) 4.18
Side 2:
1. Heart Of the Country (Stuart Adamson) 4.38
2. Come to me (I am Woman) (Eddie Howell & David Dundas)
5.04
3. Chemistry Tonight (Glenister, Climie & Mac Coll) 4.56
4. Don't Do It ( Anni-frid Lyngstad) 4.37
5. Comfort Me (Peter Glenister) 4.28
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