Ring Ring
Not issued in the U.S. until an early-'90s rerelease program, Abba's first album points toward the world-dominating pop of their later years. While the title cut has some vroom, others call for fine-tuning. TheNew Seekers-style anthem "People Need Love" offers the bizarre insistence that "People need love to make a good living"--atwhat?--and "Nina Pretty Ballerina" could be a pop song for toddlers. Not a bad thing, but not quite "Dancing Queen." And no, "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" isn't a Springsteenian saga of felonious misadventure, but a jingling remembrance of playground days. The 24-bit remastered sound of this edition (which includes a Swedish version of "Ring Ring" among its three bonus tracks) does suggest the careBenny AnderssonandBjorn Ulvaeuswere already taking with production. Their discs, however, would soon achieve the truly Abba-esque.--Rickey Wright