Abba

[dibble1]

As I get older I appreciate how good Abba were. My question is did they make it as big in the States as they became here (Great Britain)???

[bibblebub]

the discography in Wikipedia show how all their releases did in various national charts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABBA_discography

[andy-hughes]

I always say the same thing when people talk about how great Abba were - and indeed are.

They were a peerless pop group, writing some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded.

But ...

At the time they were so good - their reputation was slightly worse than that of Westlife on a bad day!

Abba's reputation sucked like a swamp full of vacuum cleaners on the planet Suck.

But as always, history remembers kindly, and people who were not there at the time like to imagine that Abba were rightly recognised for the pop titans they clearly were - but I was there at the time - and they were not!!

[andy-hughes]

Fair enough jordyboy.

As I recall, tribal lines were strongly drawn in those days - the Soul Boys would have ignored Abba, but their condemnation would have come from the Progressive Rock contingent, for whom Abba's feather cuts and stack heeled boots and satin blouses (and that was just the men!) were like a cross to a vampire!

I was a massive rock fan, but I still adored Abba, and received an appropriate amount of teasing for it!

[ichkeria]

I was also there st the time and as I recall Abba's reputation was pretty good.
Obviously it would not have been good in publications like NME, but I remember my older cousin, who liked to think of himself as pretty cool, raving about Dancing Queen :-)

Will there be be musicals written about One Direction in years to come I ask you :-)

[andy-hughes]

ichkeria - //Will there be be musicals written about One Direction in years to come I ask you :-) //

Unlikely - but that is because music, and more importantly the culture of which music is a part of, has changed and is ever-changing.

You only have to look at the decline in record sales - the combined sales of Westlife's fourteen Number One singles do not touch the revenue from any one of The Beatles' chart toppers.

Pop was always disposable and manufactured - nothing has really changed.

[Canary42]

I was "there at the time" and loved Abba, but realised that there was a large body of opinion who "despised and denigrated" them.

But that was no different from certain previous pop stars (e.g. The Carpenters) who weren't what we would now call "on message" for the times.

[Cloverjo]

I am of that time too. I remember being happy to be known as an Abba fan when I was very young; they became a bit embarrassing in my early teens, but then cool again in my late teens and it was fine to rush onto the dance floor to Dancing Queen.

[baza]

I fancied the dark haired lady.

[pixie374]

It's probably the same now. They're marmite. I suspect more people like them than admit to it, because it isn't cool to.

[dibble1]

Many thanks all. I enjoyed reading your responses immensely!

[PankySmooch]

I doubt they were at the time but they are one of those groups that will never fade away regardless how many people like them

[Baldric]

I was a RM for much of the time Abba were doing their thing.
I thought they were great, they got people on the dance floor which was great if home on leave, exactly what was needed, a lack of inhibitions was a great help in those days. Still got it actually.

[Northernpopquiz]

They were one of the finest Pop groups of their generation, amazingly it took a Eurovision winning song to get them noticed in the UK, and from then on for a good 8 years were at the top just about everywhere. 10 top 20 hits in the States doesn't compare with their return in the UK, in Australia (even bigger than in the UK) or the rest of Europe but they did crack America unlike the aforementioned Quo or the glam bands. I'll never understand why they were derided, for me Ulvaeus and Andersson wrote some of the finest songs ever. Check out the albums 'Arrival', 'The Album' and 'Voulez Vous' for track after track of quality songs. There are many that would have been hit singles had they been released as such. A few personal faves 'Dum Dum Diddle', 'As Good as New' and 'If it Wasn't For The Nights'. I love 'em!!