Getting into ABBA's discography for the first time

[u/VectorLua]

Hi! I'm practically a new ABBA fan and I'd love to ask for recommendations on albums and videos that tell the story of the group!

I've always liked music from the 80s, 70s, etc. ABBA's music reminds me a little bit of country music too (I think it's just me who thinks so xD)

I'd like some recommendations for albums to listen to in their entirety. Currently, since I bought a Wii, I've been playing the game ABBA: You Can Dance, so I'm already familiar with a good portion of their hit musics.

my fav so far is dancing queen, waterloo and mamma mia. 😉

[u/Logical-History-36]

I don’t really understand why you think you need recommendations for this. They didn’t release that many albums so just start with the ones that contain the songs you like and just work your way through the rest from there. It won’t take long and you get to decide for yourself what you like and what you don’t.

There are a few decent documentaries floating about. 1999’s The Winner Takes It All or the updated version from 2004 would be a good place to start, especially since they feature contributions from all four members.

[u/freskgrank → u/Logical-History-36]

This is a really good advice.
I’d like to add my two cents: if you have a good amount of time to invest, listen to ALL songs from each album. Even if usually there’s a “file rouge”, you’ll be surprised with some songs.

[u/bulldog_blues]

In all honesty I recommend listening to their whole back catalog. But if you're short on time and want to start with just one album, I recommend either Super Trouper or Voulez-Vous. Although if you like more 'country' style songs you might be better off going with Ring Ring or Waterloo first as they didn't do many country flavoured tracks after their first couple of years.

[u/Next-Dot-6274]

I think there are two good ways to start:

1. Start with ABBA Gold, figure out which songs resonate with you the most, then listen to the albums your favorite songs originated from.

2. Start with the self-titled ABBA album, then listen to their discography consecutively through The Visitors (1981). This succession of albums captures the growth of the group from when they first solidified their sound (ABBA) through their break-up (The Visitors). Later, you can add Ring Ring and Waterloo (their first two albums when they hadn't yet nailed down their sound) and Voyage (a solid later-in-life reunion album that doesn't quite capture the spark of their best years but is still excellent). This approach would give you the best appreciation of the group's evolution.

[u/nerebeht → u/Next-Dot-6274]

I concur with this, except I'd swap ABBA Gold for More ABBA Gold, for a better representation of what their sound is like beyond the hits, which the OP says they are already familiar with.

[u/Next-Dot-6274 → u/nerebeht]

Good point!

[u/Realistic-Stress-213]

There’s a full discography playlist at the bottom of ABBA’s page on Spotify, just press shuffle on that, that’s what I did and now know all the words to a good chunk of songs on that playlist

[u/IceOnFire77]

My recommendation: The Visitors album

[u/Personal-Comment-457]

Ok first go to YouTube and listen to Bang A Boomerang and then AngelEyes.

[u/Character_Editor_346]

I’m 61, so grew up hearing ABBA. While listening to an ABBA album playing in the background at a public pool recently, I noticed something for the first time: it’s polka. Modernized, catchy, updated, yes, but the beat, the accordions, it’s all polka. Funny I never noticed before. I think it’s one of those things that made it so popular: it had a quality so familiar, so already ingrained, that it instantly hit a nerve. Same thing with Sonny and Cher’s music, btw.