Abba Gold - Greatest Hits
For those who love Abba (and if you're reading this, chances are you do, even if you don't know it yet),ABBA Gold: Greatest Hitsrepresents a happy, joyous compilation of 19 of the Swedish supergroup's numerous videos (it omits 13 that were onAbba: The Definitive Collectionbut adds "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "I Have a Dream"). Granted, they all seem to have been filmed on the same soundstage (even the firelit "Fernando"), but they retain their appeal and infectious charm. Fans can thrill to these vintage clips, which provide an opportunity to rediscover who was the most natural in front of the camera (Agnetha), who was the best dancer (Anna-Frid, a.k.a. Frida), who was the most demure (Benny), and who was the worst lip-syncher (Bjorn--always Bjorn). Lassé Hallstrom, later an Oscar®-nominated filmmaker, directed most of the early videos, and it shows in their natural, no-fuss style; it wasn't until Abba tried to make the jump to '80s-style electronica that they faltered in both style and content. In addition to old standbys like "Waterloo" and "Take a Chance on Me," there's a 25-minute historical documentary and a 1992 version of the "Dancing Queen" video. To this we say: Thank you for the music--and the videos!--Mark Englehart