I've always loved ABBA, but I've fallen for them all over again in the past week and I think they might just be my favourite band. I've been listening to them non-stop, and I wanted to get other orgers' thoughts on them.

In particular, I've really been exploring The Visitors, which is now my favourite ABBA album. This is such a perfect final studio effort from ABBA. By the time of its release in November 1981, both couples in the group had split, although they had agreed to continue pursuing musical ventures together. The album contains some of their most mature songwriting, best exemplified by the haunting lead single and breakup lament "One of Us". The Visitors underperformed in the US, where it only reached #29, but it did reach #1 in the UK and other major European territories.

It's interesting that they experienced such a renaissance in the 1990's with the release of ABBA Gold - after they stopped recorded in the 1980's, they seemed almost forgotten for a period.

So, what does everyone think about ABBA? What's your favourite song/favourite album?

[Edited 7/1/12 13:40pm]

I grew up on ABBA's music. I watched them win Eurovision'74

So I can't point out a favourite album. I loved every song out of every album. They meant pop perfection to me.

Those were the days when you didn't know that a new album was being released. So when you were at the record store and spotted a new album by your favourite artist your heart would stop for a second. I know probably no one here will know what I'm talking about

I fell for Agnetha when I was around 7 or 8... Dancing Queen was my fav song then: heavy airplay everywhere.

When I grew up, my father bought me almost every ABBA casset available in the market (I must say they were bootlegs from Singapore- GMI).

Later I started buying their vinyls (which my mom gave away when I moved out).

Voulez Vous was my favorite LP until The Visitors was released. It was a weird sound coming from ABBA, almost electronic (the song title).

In between those albums ABBA released "Gracias Por La Música", a Greatest Hits in my native language, Spanish, lots of videos from it. I was like crazy with thiose 10 tracks!!

I must say that ABBA's lyrics in Spanish are the closest in content to their original songs in English (14 in total). Not even Gloria Estefan cares much about the "adaptation" she makes from English into Spanish.

Now, not my fav group of all times, but they'll always have a special place in my heart.

The Visitors, my favorite album. Definitely.

My favorite tracks, are probably from their compilation after The visitors:

The Day Before You Came and Cassandra, its -side (a beautiful story about that mythological character.)

ABBA: great harmonies, beautiful voices, catchy songs and there's no a single song similar to another. I could never make a medley.

PS: I recovered every LP I had around 2 months ago. Yes. The person who received my mom's "donation" (around 50 LP's), brought them back to me...

Isn't it nice??

My top 6 favorite songs that I listen to the most:

Dancing Queen

Voulez-Vous

The Name of the Game
Take a Chance on Me
Summer Night City

Knowing Me, Knowing You

Love them!

That's all, thank you.

I went through a long period of ABBA hating. It probably had something to do with the fact that most of the turn of the millennium annoying teen pop acts worshipped them. Oh well, I don't think Benny and Bjorn and co can really be held responsible for some of the crap they inspired. That would be like blaming Grandmaster Flash for the rise of 50 cent, or John Logie Baird for the advent of Jersey Shore, or.... erm... okay this analogy is wearing thin.

Now I'm older, and no longer scared of being accused of being gay for liking ABBA, I feel safe in coming out and saying that I think they did a lot of quite amzaing stuff. The songcraft in their best songs is astonishing.

Been jamming 'The Visitors ' album a lot lately. Speaking of amazing songcraft, check out shifting arrnagements of this little beauty - Has there ever been a more perfectly judged fanfare in a popular song? (skip to 2:58 if you are impatient):

Relatively new ABBA fan here. I've had Gold for forever like many people, but only got the albums box set and heard them all in their entirety for the first time a year or two ago.

My top ten ABBA tracks posted in last year's thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/362777

1. Dancing Queen

2. Knowing Me, Knowing You

3. Waterloo

4. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

5. Hey Hey Helen

6. The Visitors

7. SOS

8. Mamma Mia

9. Ring Ring

10. The Winner Takes It All