1. Super Trouper (Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead vocal-Frida 4.11 Recorded October 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing
Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson, Lead Guitar-Janne Schaffer
Bass Guitar-Mike Watson Percussion-Ake Sundqvist
Drums-Per
Lindvall
"Super Trouper" ,featuring the lovely Frida ,was ABBA's last British # 1 hit-and perhaps one
of the least distinctive songs of their #1 hits. A song about stage lighting, I don't know... This song is not overwhelming
but it's endearing, likable....and most importantly, it has a monster hook in the chorus.
2. The Winner Takes It All(Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead vocal-Agnetha 4.55 Recorded June 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Agnetha Faltskog,Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Backing Vocals-Bjorn
Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson ,Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Mike Watson Percussion-Ake Sundqvist
Drums-Ola
Brunkert ,String arrangements-Rutger Gunnarsson
"The Winner Takes It All" was the biggest hit from the album, it features a virtuoso performence
from Agnetha. It's a remarkably well written, if simple, song. It touches gingerly but effectively on Agnetha 's divorce from
Björn. For some reason, I tend to find it musically kind of boring-and thus it's not a personal favorite of mine.
3. On And On And On( Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Frida, Agnetha 3.40 Recorded February 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Lead &Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Backing
Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Backing Vocals-Keyboards-Benny Andersson Lead Guitar-Janne Schaffer
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Saxophones-Lars
Carlsson,Katjek Wotjciechowki, Janne Kling Drums-Ola Brunkert
On and On and On" is a rare thing -a ABBA song with more interesting lyrics than music. The
lyrics are a bit goofy but funny. Example- "So I took advantage of the fact that I am star, shook my hair ,and took a casual
stroll up to the bar"! On the chorus vocals, Onx3 obliquely reflects the influence of the Beach Boys ,one of Benny's favorite
groups. On x 3 was coupled on a 12 inch single in Great Britain with "Lay All Your On me" .
4. Andante, Andante (Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal -Frida 4.39 Recorded February 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Backing Vocals-Bjorn
Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
Frida sings "Andante, Andante' and I haven't been able to figure out what her style of
singing is-but she sounds like Julio Iglelias, Eartha Kitt,or Roy Orbison she's doing a vibrato or something. This song was also recorded in Spanish. Like so many of ABBA 's non-hit album track it is very listenable.
The backing vocals are unusual-they are very breathy and low...The song is rare in that Lasse's guitar carries most of the
melody rather then Benny's keyboards.
5. Me And I (Andersson-Ulvaeus) Lead
Vocal-Frida 4.54 Recorded September 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing
Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola
Brunkert. Percussion-Ake Sundqvist
"ME and I' is a rather clever & cheerful song about multiple personalities. Which Frida
carries off quite efficiently. "LALOM" and "Winner Takes It all " notwithstanding,it's seems that by this album that Frida
was finally getting her due when it came to vocal opportunities.
6. Happy New Year (Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Agnetha 4.23 Recorded February 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Agnetha Faltskog,Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Guitar &
Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Janne Schaffer
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
"Happy New Year" -Well, ABBA was too uptight to ever do a Christmas song-instead we get this,
and the darn thing was already a year old when it came out. It was released again at the end of 1999 in some markerts as a
not very successful millenium single. Still like so many ABBA tracks "HNY" is just a simply beautiful song and a shimmering
production. As usual-you need to listen to all the cool backing vocals-like on the " man-is a fool-dragging on feet of clay
"section.This song would not be out of place among Aggie's songs on The Visitors.. This song was also recorded in Spanish.
7.Our Last Summer(Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Frida 4.19 Recorded June 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing
Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar, Guitar solo., Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola
Brunkert, Percussion-Ake Sundqvist
I like "Our Last Summer" a lot. The lyric ( according to the PALM book)
is inspired on a actual
romance Björn had in Paris in the 1960's.
"Paris Restaurants ,Morning croissants" is the most evocative couplet in the ABBA repertoire.
This is ABBA song where you can actually get a mental picture from the lyrics.That said there is still some awkwardness in
the text. Frida sings the line ,"That was the time of the Flower Power", like she never met a hippie in her life. And how
about ... "A family man, a football fan and your name is Harry". Augh.
But you know, I wouldn't have been paying attention
if the lyric as a whole wasn't a very good one. Musically of course, the record is perfection , with dozens of cool l little
riffs ( each different then the next following one after an other, and cool low hum somehow can be heard in the chorus . Hear
also the way Frida raises her voice at the very end..
8. The Piper; (Andersson-Ulvaeus) Lead
Vocal-Agnetha & Frida 3.26 Recorded February 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Lead& Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar
& Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar, Guitar solo -Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger
Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert ,Flutes-Janne Kling
"The Piper" is a pseudo folk tune. Though the idea for song came from the Stephen King book-
THE STAND. This record has a chorus singing on it-that almost sounds like their not overdubbed A&F vocals,but that is
how good A&F were. "The Piper" has some words in Latin . Is there a language that Björn doesn't know?
9. Lay All Your Love On Me; (Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Agnetha 4.33 Recorded September 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Agnetha Faltskog,Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Backing Vocals-Bjorn
Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
LAYLOM is a better record than anything on VOULEZ-VOUS. But is probably too hymnlike -to be
considered a good dance club record..The single was a hit in many American dance clubs but like so many of ABBA's later 45's
flopped on the American single chart. Strangely, this single wasn't really pushed in most territories.
10. The Way Old Friends Do (Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Agnetha & Frida 2.57 Recorded live probably November 8 , 1979 Wembley Arena, London
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Lead Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar &
Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Backing Vocals, Accordion.Keyboards-Benny Andersson, Keyboards-Anders Eljas
Lead Guitar-Lasse
Wellander, Guitar Mats Ronader
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola BrunkertPercussion-Ake Sundqvist
Super Trouper closes with "The Way Old Friends Do." The song always seemed a little contrived
to me which is annoying because it's has a good melody and seems
like a much better anthem/signature song than "Thank You
For The Music". On this album ,"Friends" is produced with a little much bombast. The gentle lyrics seem a little out of place
in the bombast The liner notes say that "Friends' was recorded live,but the track was added to in the studio which detracts
a bit from this songs 'spontaneity and sincerity. Perhaps should have done two versions-one version live with just A,B &
F singing along to Benny's accordion and a different version in the studio with some of no-holds barred bombast. But B&B
were probably trying to find a happy medium.. B&B obviously didn't have much faith in spontaneous heartfelt live recordings.
Extra tracks: 11. Elaine;( Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Frida& Agnetha Recorded February 1`980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Backing Vocals-Bjorn
Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
One non-album track from the Super Trouper sessions was used as the b-side to "The Winner Takes
It all" . That b-side was "Elaine" a synth pop song about a slightly paranoid person-that was supposedly inspired by a relative
of one the band members. . It's not a great song-but's it's fun to listen to, more fun than the depressing "Winner Takes It
All" .ABBA's B-sides were finally getting interesting!
12. Put On Your White Sombrero(Andersson-Ulvaeus)
Lead Vocal-Frida Recorded September 1980
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad ,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing
Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola
Brunkert
"Put on Your White Sombrero" , a great Spanish flavored song with a awkward if interesting
title &lyrics. The song was left of the Super Trouper album due to the lack of space-but oddly was not released even as
an b-side. The singing on this song is absolutely phenomenal probably the best background singing of ABBA's 1980's recordings. Some of the song's arrangement was recycled for use in the 1982
B-side "Cassandra" . Sombrero finally saw official release on the 1994 box set.
OTHER tracks recorded
"Burning My Bridges' is a pseudo - country song sung by Björn.("Bridges' has a great guitar
riff by Lasse Wellander ) "Bridges" would not be released officially till many years later when it showed up on ABBA's Box
set .
In addtion. Spanish Versions were recorded of "Happy New Year "and "Andante, Andante "
| OTHER VIEWS, EXCERPTS FROM PUBLISHED REVIEWS OF SUPER TROUPER. |
|
"Just Like Every other ABBA LP; a few sparklers and few duds, What's worrisome is the grandiose, romantic
sensibiltity exhibited by some of the turkeys, B&B want to class up the act! T'aint necessary (or heathly fellows!)"
-Jon Young in the Trouser Press.
"It would appear that B&B are reaching for higher things than pop/rock..they would now seem to be
aiming for Broadway musical potential and they just might make target"-Stereo Review. |
ABBA-Super Trouper (Remastered 2001) CD and limited edition Digipak
Features new liner notes by Carl Magnus Palm and two bonus tracks. So now, the
words Super Trouper and ABBA are on the bottom, of the cover yeah, that's worth 18 dollars.For this remastered edition "Gimme
! Gimme! Gimme!" was removed as a bonus track from Super Trouper and put onto VOULEZ-VOUS which stylistically and artistically
makes sense.
1. Super Trouper; 2. The Winner Takes It All; 3. On And On And On; 4. Andante, Andante;
5. Me And I; 6. Happy New Year; 7. Our Last Summer; 8. The Piper; 9. Lay All Your Love On Me; 10. The Way Old Friends Do;
Extra tracks: 11. Elaine; 12. Put On Your White Sombrero
