The Creative Light of ABBA's "The Album"

By the time ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad) reached their fifth LP, The Album (1977) these Swedes were already global phenoms. In 1974, they would win the hugely popular Eurovision Music Contest with their smash hit "Waterloo" from their second record of the same name, securing a skeptical British music audience and a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit.

They'd continue to roll out creative and commercially acclaimed records with Abba (1975) and Arrival (1976) which were successful globally. The latter album really broke ABBA Stateside with the sparkling classic, "Dancing Queen." Andersson and Ulvaeus were the musical minds behind ABBA, but their works never would have shone as brightly without the melodic appeal of Agnetha and Frida's vocals. Until this point, ABBA had never been so adventurous on a single album.

The record was released on December 17th, 1977, conceived as a joint companion piece with the Lasse Halstrom directed mock-documentary ABBA the Movie. It also served as a springboard for Ulvaeus and Andersson to engage in their goal to make a musical. Three songs made it onto The Album that were made for "he Girl With the Golden Hair musical that detailed the successes and pitfalls of a young woman journeying to fame: "Thank You For the Music," "I Wonder (Departure)," and "I'm a Marionette.""Thank Your For the Music" originally not issued as a single, quickly became an ABBA mantra and a firm fan favorite. Agnetha's colorful, engaged vocalizing gave the song a sentimental disposition.

ABBA were also influenced by the sounds of American rock-pop groups Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles and went about mixing U.S. and European musical sensibilities to come up with something interesting. The results yieleded some of ABBA's strongest songs. The frolicsome punch of "Hole In Your Soul" was contagious with its juicy guitar licks and bouncy percussion. Agnetha and Frida joined together and worked in succession with the melody. Lyrically, the "music can solve your woes" perspective was taken as ABBA sang: "It's got to be rock 'n' roll to fill the hole in your soul." Rock purists surely guffawed at this notion coming from pop purveyors like ABBA, but the sentiment wasn't any less true.

On what could only be described as "Euro-R&B," "The Name of the Game," a strutting groove full of melancholy holds a special place in ABBA's history as one of two songs ABBA allowed to be sampled. ABBA has a strict "no sampling" rule, but when the (now-defunct) New York hip-hop outfit The Fugee's wanted to use the rhythm track from "Name," Ulvaeus and Anderrson were impressed by their knowledge of the song. They granted them permission making them, along with Madonna who tapped "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for her international hit "Hung Up," the only two artists cleared to sample ABBA.

Additional highlights included the coquette charm of "Take a Chance on Me," a clever blend of American guitar and bass rhythms married with European melodies. The probing mystique of the opener "Eagle." an intense, dizzying affair, lifted listeners from their perch with strange charm.

The Album gained platinum returns in its intended international market, the record placed at either number one or within the Top 10 regions in many European countries including England, Sweden, Canada, and Australia amongst others.

Both singles "Take a Chance On Me" and "The Name of the Game" added to ABBA's already growing string of British number one singles. The Album achieved gold status in the States, with "Take a Chance on Me" becoming their most popular selling single there. To date, the record has been re-released twice: in 2001 with the rest of the ABBA discography, and 2007 with an additional disc of outtakes and non-album tracks.

"Take a Chance on Me"
Directed by: Lasse Halstrom


The Album was the last overtly "light hearted" record they'd create, something critics often used against ABBA. They pushed forward as pop artisans with sexier, starker, at times desolate themes with albums such as Voulez-Vous (1979), Super Trouper (1980), and The Visitors (1981). The shift in mood owed to the paired off couples within the group divorcing, making the songwriting poignant and the recording sessions tenser. Yet, the music evolved into a richer pop tapestry.

On the whole, The Album was the perfect ABBA record at that junction. Their brand of story telling and (at times) quirky Swede pop appeal had finally been honed to near perfection. Five out of five stars.-QH

"Victoria Beckham": Looking Back

In October of 2001, Victoria Beckham was released. It was the last of three solo Spice Girl records to come forth that year, a collection of pop dusted in sophisticated, urban-lite diamante. It proved that Victoria Beckham was more than a pouting glamour puss and beneath her cool gaze was musical potential.

While it never reached the successes of her former band mates solo endeavors, Victoria Beckham has held up seven years later as a proper pop album. It also is a portrait of an avenue that wasn't truly taken, it showed Beckham doing what brought her to fame initially: being a fantastic pop star.

The History
Beckham first embarked on her solo journey with Dane Bowers and The Truesteppers on "Out of Your Mind" (U.K. #2) the year prior. The hectic two-step cut was released a few months before the third (and final) Spice Girls LP, Forever (2000). Forever demonstrated that Beckham's range as a pop singer had expanded. Her congenial champagne vocals were more potent, strengthened by the two previous years of live touring with the Spice Girls. After the diminutive triumph of Forever and a quiet dismantling of the group, Beckham began writing for her soon to be self-titled record.

The Record
Beckham often stated that she was more influenced by the soul sounds of Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson. The producers and writers collected to work with Beckham sought to bring her sensible, English pop perspective to a level urban mode.

Steve Kipner and Andrew Frampton (collectively Sonic Graffiti), Harvey Mason Jr. (from the Darkchild fold), Soulshock & Karlin, and Dane Bowers were the individuals who worked over the Victoria Beckham project. Beckham herself wrote, or co-wrote,11 of the 12 tracks found on the LP. Lyrically, the songs painted Beckham as a stylish maven from "round the way." Whether or not this was believable was a matter of musical taste, but she pulled it off without any hitches mostly.

The album, with the exception of the drab "Unconditional Love" and "Watcha Talkin' Bout," was a superb vision of musical clarity in bringing across the sound and feel Beckham and said collaborators wished for. Stately attitude was exacted keenly on the lead single "Not Such An Innocent Girl." Vocally, it came off as a strong, not overwrought, nimble slice of pop.

The coruscating swiftness of "Midnight Fantasy" revealed further phonic layers upon each subsequent listen. Metropolitan pop jabs in the form of the spry "Like That" and fresh flashiness in "I Wish" held the listeners attention. The smooth-spoken love token of "A Mind of Its Own" flowed into the grandeur of "I.O.U." beautifully, Beckham's balladeer abilities proved capable. As a whole, the album had many more hits than misses.

The Impact
Released through Virgin Records, Beckham's home as a Spice Girl, the album was met with mixed to positive reviews in the U.K. music press. If anything, it seemed that critics didn't care for Beckham as a celebrity and took that bias to the record. Spice Girls fans were generally pleased with the outcome of the final product, the record placed at #10 on the U.K. Album Chart. It went on to move 52,016 copies in Britain overall, a commercial roadblock to be sure. More would be made over the supposed "chart battle" between Beckham and fellow Blend favorite, Kylie Minogue. Minogue herself was enjoying a commercial resurgence with her Light Years (2000) album and gained additional ground with the release of the modern pop classic, "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Both "Head" and "Girl" would go toe to toe as Minogue and Beckham blazed through huge promotional shows and appearances. Despite Beckham's best efforts, Minogue's "Head" took the pole position (#1) while "Girl" slinked into the tasteful Top 10 realm (#6) on the U.K. Singles Chart.


The second, and final, single came with the soft "A Mind of Its Own" in early 2002. Even with the critically lauded acoustic performances Beckham did for promotion, it placed at the exact same position her previous single did. While the album secured two successful Top 10 hits, Virgin felt Victoria Beckham hadn't moved enough copies. Retained as a Spice Girl, Victoria was released as a solo artist from her contract.

 Her impending, second pregnancy also hastened her exit. Signing to the Universal Records subsidiary Telstar Records, her comeback single, the double A-Side "Let Your Head Go" and "This Groove" dropped in at #3 on the U.K. Singles Chart. "This Groove" had a chorus sampled from the System classic, "Don't Disturb This Groove." One song continued in the same sound direction of her solo record, while "Let Your Head Go" mined a general  dance formula. The single gave Beckham the distinction of being the only Spice Girl solo without a number one single, but the only one with all her singles placing within the Top 10 in the U.K.

Likely crestfallen with the lack of sales success with her debut, her second album was shelved indefinitely. Some of the songs have leaked, making their way onto other Victoria Beckham related projects (The Real Beckhams DVD), or have been covered by another artist. Beyoncé landed the song "Resentment," an outtake from Beckham's aborted second player, for her album B-Day (2006).

"Not Such An Innocent Girl"
Directed By: Jake Nava


Known for being a singer first than a fashionista or model, Beckham donned her poppy stilettos for The Return of the Spice Girls Tour and greatest hits record, which I saw February 6th, 2008 in New York City. Beckham displayed her vocal and dance skills, but when her solo turn came during the show, she choose to work the runway instead of the mic. As a longtime U.S. Spice Girls enthusiast, I experienced Victoria Beckham, pre-Youtube, through digital and imported means. I've seen her offer her best musically, and while doubtful now, I hope she may show others this side of herself more in the not too distant future. Three and a half stars out of five.-QH

[Editor's Note: This is an import record which is still in print. It retails between $16-22. It is also available now through the American iTunes website.-QH]

What If? The Vanessa Williams Dream Compilation

Vanessa Williams, known for her multi-tasking approach as a singer, actress, and model. Yet the versatility of her music makes Williams a fantastic. Not since Diana Ross have we had a singer that could span jazz, pop, and R&B so effortlessly and effectively.

Unfortunately, Williams' music seems to be misplaced in the limbo of a cult following today. Shifting a respectable amount of records has allowed Williams to make music, even if her other entertainment endeavors overshadow it.

Her first official collection The First Ten Years (1998) only skimmed the surface of Williams' work. On that set there are several missing key singles from her first four studio albums. As with most singers from the late 1980's and early 1990's, Williams achieved placement on a variety of musical charts:
Adult Contemporary, Pop, R&B, and Dance.  Excluding her two Christmas records, Williams followed her compilation with her first "standards" record Everlasting Love (2005).

There is plenty of material in Williams' backlog to be covered on a newly minted "best of" collection at this point. Also, with her continually flourishing acting career, a cross-pollination of audiences could introduce her work to an entirely new generation. I've imagined, and hope that her former labels (Wing, Mercury, and Lava) will too eventually, an improved compilation of her major hits and lesser known songs.

Split into two parts: "The Grooves" and "The Slow Jams," everything is showcased properly.
I initially went for chronological order, but figured that mixing it up would strengthen how Williams' work has held up in quality despite the passing of any musical trend or production values. The songs that are included here will be in the single edit forms as played on radio.

The Grooves
"The Comfort Zone" (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)
"The Way That You Love" (Single Edit) (from The Sweetest Days, 1994)
"Everlasting Love" (from Everlasting Love, 2005)
"Work to Do" (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)
"The Right Stuff" (from The Right Stuff, 1988)
"Running Back to You" (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)
"Happiness" (Single Edit) (from Next, 1997)
"(He's Got) The Look" (from The Right Stuff, 1988)
"Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout?" (from Next, 1997)
"Betcha Never" (from The Sweetest Days, 1994)

The Slow Jams
"Dreamin'" (from The Right Stuff, 1988)
"Just For Tonite" (Single Edit) (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)
"What Do I Tell My Heart?" (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)
"Love Is" with Brian McKnight (from Beverly Hills 90210 Soundtrack, 1993)
"Darlin' I" (from The Right Stuff, 1988)
"You Are Everything" (from Everlasting Love, 2005)
"Where Do We Go From Here?" (from The First Ten Years, 1998)
"You Can't Run" (from The Sweetest Days, 1994)
"Oh, How the Years Go By" (from Next, 1997)
"The Sweetest Days" (from The Sweetest Days, 1994)
"Colors of the Wind" (from Pocahontas Soundtrack, 1995 )
"Save the Best For Last" (from The Comfort Zone, 1991)

Considering how some record labels shamelessly cash in on singers when it is viable, this is project could be awesome if done correctly. With the right amount of care, love, research (liner notes and pictures) a Vanessa Williams retrospective would satisfy her longtime fans and her newly won ones.-QH