ABBA: Yay or Nay?

[Segue Myles]

Also Earl, years before Ghost did that super hooky, darkly pop metal thing with atmosphere and crazy cheesy hooks...HIM took a Black Sabbath template, infused it with eighties metal hooks, and took tips from Edgar Allen Poe and some total self aware syrupy lyrics to create blockbuster albums like Venus Doom.

 

Check out Venus Doom. You may hate it but I think it's a total blast. HIM and Ghost would make a very interesting double bill.

 

Both bands have caused controversy and have rabid cult fanbases. One is Swedish, the other Finnish. Both have iconic frontman and both toy with cartoonish black humour that totally offends those who take things too literally.

[Segue Myles]

And if you think HIM are balls, frontman Ville Valo mocks his own music all the time.

 

But he is inspired by everything.

 

Celtic Frost

Black Sabbath

Paradise Lost

Cathedral

ABBA

Bon Jovi

Black metal

 

HIM are crazy! Full of shameless hooks, Sabbath flavoured heaviness and some of the most ridiculous romantic lyrics of all time.

 

You never quite know if you should take them seriously or giggle.

 

The bands that inspired them heavily praise them. For example, Cathedral are big fans of them and Ville and you would likely get along big time with your shared live of horror.

 

And you hate on them but I think you'd like Lacuna Coil more if you have them a chance. The last two albums are inspired by Italian horror soundtracks and they love many of the things you highly praise.

 

Goblin is one of the main inspirations for Broken Crown Halo. And Delirium is inspired by the stories of abandoned asylums they visited in their Italian home country and the album is mad. And was written and recorded during many Dario Argento binges.

[RUSHHEAD666]

ABBA are leagues ahead of Toto.

 

Not even gonna deny it.

 

yea but it's funny when cheese like abba get's patted on the back. but if you like Toto it's just leave now, lol

 

Mick

 

But ABBA are all round magic. They have something better than Toto it's not even comparable.

 

And both get a lot of flack so it's hardly like ABBA are a forum favourite.

 

But yeah I'd ditch Toto for ABBA and not regret it even slightly.

 

lol it's ok it really is.

 

just gave me a good laugh is all.

 

Because it is aa tad strange. to me.

 

Mick

There is nothing strange about it at all. Toto are just another american rock radio band with pretty faceless music. I love it. But they are quite generic.

 

ABBA created their own sound, had immediately recognisable harmonies, extremely complex at times octave changes, ridiculously memorable melodies, a gift for the light and a penchant for deeply revealing emotive lyrics. They could toy with any style at all and make it their own as if they were the trailblazers.

 

Listen to a song like Nina Pretty Ballerina and then...less than a decade later...the haunting, tribal, bleak and stark title track to The Visitors.

 

People may scoff but considering the success they had was IN SPITE of where they came from, to the degree they had it, leaves ABBA in a category of one. Like The Beatles, many bands have a comparablw sound, but no one comes close to that magic.

 

And Toto is a really poor example to compare them too. A bettwr example to my mind is Buckingham Nicks era Fleetwood Mac, as both bands were an influence on each other back in the day.

 

But yeah...ABBA don't represent double standards here. They are amongst the most respected bands in music history. Everyone from Opeth to Erasure it seems has revealed a love for them.

 

And they made it all sound so effortless.

 

Even a band you hate called GHOST covers ABBA!

 

I am seeing GHOST tonight in San Francisco! The Warfield! Can't wait! A Devil's Christmas!

 

Then Ghost is opening up for Maiden on the 5th! Oakland! SO PUMPED! I am taking my 80 year young dad to the gig!

 

My dad is METAL!

 

Believe or not but Ghost have slowly grown on me.

 

It took a while to click.

 

They have some really cool vibes that didn't stand out the first time.

 

My God, I mean my Devil!

 

I love that you and I can fight and lame yet still be cool!!

 

I love this Forum!

 

Myles!

 

It's true! Some bands and songs take a while to "grow" on you.

 

I mean confession time.

 

I hated "Appetite For Destruction" upon my first listening.

 

I thought GNR were a bunch of posers and fakes!

 

I actually returned the cassette to Rasputin's.

 

I got a credit slip for 70% LOL!

 

But a month later I bought "Appetite" again and fell in love with it!!!

 

I remember buying "Hysteria" by Def Leppard with a buddy of mine when it came out.

 

I had an Alpine cassette deck in my 1985 black MR2. I put in Hysteria hit the freeway about about 80 mph.

 

After "Women" my buddy and I were like WTF??

 

Then "Rocket" came on. We were in shock. We thought it was garbage.

 

I was on the freeway man going 80 mph.

 

I rolled down my window, ejected the cassette and threw it out the window. The cassette tape was destroyed upon impact.

 

 

BUT!

 

A month later I bought Hysteria again and I liked it!

 

 

Damn! I am so fickle.

 

I don't give anything a chance.

 

 

"Take A Chance"

 

Love,

 

ABBA

 

 

ABBA RULES!

 

Yeah sorry for being such a jerk the other week lol. I've had an intense year and I've grown so attached to my favourite bands, when they get slighted it feels personal (I think we can all get like that when our heads in a bad place).

 

But yeah, Ghost are humorous. I took all the satanic stuff very literally and I still don't like it for personal reasons but I do like the weirdness of it all.

 

To see such organic music hit the mainstream is wonderful. And they have some killer hooks.

 

I'm won over but I'm not a big fan. But yeah it's a mystery to me why they left me so cold.

 

I did feel irritated though seeing Nightwish slagged off everywhere though...now that did seem personal hence my total pansy outburst (see earl...i know I can be a total ass and I will always raise my hand when I know I've been a tool).

 

Haha! No worries dude. I can be a dick too but at the end of the day I am a good guy. I knew there was something going on. No worries. Again, I always had your back. Life is not always a picnic and I get it. I give my ex wife 4750 a month. Not a happy camper and I am not rich. Life is not fair Myles.

 

So remember my friend. Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

I'm sorry I can't get into female goth metal. It has nothing to do with you. I just can't get into the genre.

 

I know they are all talented musicians. It's just not my cup of tea.

 

All good.

 

Don't worry man. Take care of you. That is the most important thing. This is just a forum where humans can come and type about whatever they want!

 

Ghost is just a melodic metal gimmick band.

 

 

Myles!

 

I waited by their tour bus until 3 am in the morning. They all came out after an after party. I didn't even recognize Forge. Papa! he came up to me in plain clothes and signed my poster.

 

I told Forge that Ghost is the new RUSH now that "my" band has been retired. He actually bowed to me and was so honored to be compared to RUSH.

 

He is a great guy and he found a niche. He is not a Satanist. Even RUSH was labeled a satanic band back in the day.

 

Myles, why do you think I am Rushhead666? It's my email address.

 

When I was a freshman in high school my mom and dad sent me to a Christian summer camp.

 

They had a slide show there one afternoon.

 

They showed all of us kids slides of Satanic album covers.

 

Sgt Peppers.

Number Of The Beast

Diary Of A Madman

Hotel California

Led Zep IV

Stevie Nicks Bella Donna

 

And then they showed RUSH 2112!

 

I was so mad!!! I knew in my heart that the red star was not some lame ass pentagram, but the Christians at this camp in Santa Cruz Ca were telling us that Rush was Satanic.

 

Was so mad.

 

I was only a freshman in high school. Rush was my everything.

 

I ran to my cabin after the slide show. I told my camp counselor that there was no way RUSH was a satanic rock band.

 

He said to me...

 

 

"Well Earl, if you add 2 + 1 +1 + 2 that equals 6! 666!!!!"

 

My young mind couldn't handle such rubbish so I cried.

 

It really pissed me off as a young Rush fan in 1982.

 

Alas I can't believe I am telling you this story.

 

I need to hit the hay but man, that camp never changed my mind.

 

Seeing RUSH in 1984 changed my life.

 

I never went back to that lame ass camp again.

 

So there you go!

 

I am Rushhead666 just because of some lame ass satanic album cover slide show I saw back in 1982!!

 

I am normal! Well not really..

 

Ok Myles.

 

I know you are a good guy.

 

Love you man.

 

I am out.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Also Earl, years before Ghost did that super hooky, darkly pop metal thing with atmosphere and crazy cheesy hooks...HIM took a Black Sabbath template, infused it with eighties metal hooks, and took tips from Edgar Allen Poe and some total self aware syrupy lyrics to create blockbuster albums like Venus Doom.

 

Check out Venus Doom. You may hate it but I think it's a total blast. HIM and Ghost would make a very interesting double bill.

 

Both bands have caused controversy and have rabid cult fanbases. One is Swedish, the other Finnish. Both have iconic frontman and both toy with cartoonish black humour that totally offends those who take things too literally.

 

Wait! I like HIM! Excellent band!

 

I will check out Venus Doom asap!

[RUSHHEAD666]

And if you think HIM are balls, frontman Ville Valo mocks his own music all the time.

 

But he is inspired by everything.

 

Celtic Frost

Black Sabbath

Paradise Lost

Cathedral

ABBA

Bon Jovi

Black metal

 

HIM are crazy! Full of shameless hooks, Sabbath flavoured heaviness and some of the most ridiculous romantic lyrics of all time.

 

You never quite know if you should take them seriously or giggle.

 

The bands that inspired them heavily praise them. For example, Cathedral are big fans of them and Ville and you would likely get along big time with your shared live of horror.

 

And you hate on them but I think you'd like Lacuna Coil more if you have them a chance. The last two albums are inspired by Italian horror soundtracks and they love many of the things you highly praise.

 

Goblin is one of the main inspirations for Broken Crown Halo. And Delirium is inspired by the stories of abandoned asylums they visited in their Italian home country and the album is mad. And was written and recorded during many Dario Argento binges.

 

Dude!

 

You are killing me in a good way tonight! WOW!

 

GOBLIN is one of the greatest bands in the world!

 

YES!

 

HIM IS SOLID!!!!

 

I have all of HIS albums, but I have not seen HIM live yet! LOL!

[RUSHHEAD666]

Pat and I always thought that GHOST was like a hooky amazing evil Blue Oyster Cult.

 

God I love BOC.

 

Do you?

[Segue Myles]

Also Earl, years before Ghost did that super hooky, darkly pop metal thing with atmosphere and crazy cheesy hooks...HIM took a Black Sabbath template, infused it with eighties metal hooks, and took tips from Edgar Allen Poe and some total self aware syrupy lyrics to create blockbuster albums like Venus Doom.

 

Check out Venus Doom. You may hate it but I think it's a total blast. HIM and Ghost would make a very interesting double bill.

 

Both bands have caused controversy and have rabid cult fanbases. One is Swedish, the other Finnish. Both have iconic frontman and both toy with cartoonish black humour that totally offends those who take things too literally.

 

Wait! I like HIM! Excellent band!

 

I will check out Venus Doom asap!

 

HIM are a top five band for me and have always been so!

 

They followed Venus Doom up with their tribute to eighties AOR and synth pop Screamworks

 

Unpredictable band. Venus Doom was the unexpected, very heavy follow up to their pop smash Dark Light.

 

They never made it easy for their record labels to market them.

 

I'm seeing them at their final ever UK concert in December.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Shit man I am motivated to type all night long about music.

 

Time for beddy bye.

 

RUSH ON MYLES!

 

Glad we reconnected.

[Segue Myles]

Pat and I always thought that GHOST was like a hooky amazing evil Blue Oyster Cult.

 

God I love BOC.

 

Do you?

 

I love everytbing I've heard which is not much. The Reaper album ive heard.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Also Earl, years before Ghost did that super hooky, darkly pop metal thing with atmosphere and crazy cheesy hooks...HIM took a Black Sabbath template, infused it with eighties metal hooks, and took tips from Edgar Allen Poe and some total self aware syrupy lyrics to create blockbuster albums like Venus Doom.

 

Check out Venus Doom. You may hate it but I think it's a total blast. HIM and Ghost would make a very interesting double bill.

 

Both bands have caused controversy and have rabid cult fanbases. One is Swedish, the other Finnish. Both have iconic frontman and both toy with cartoonish black humour that totally offends those who take things too literally.

 

Wait! I like HIM! Excellent band!

 

I will check out Venus Doom asap!

 

HIM are a top five band for me and have always been so!

 

They followed Venus Doom up with their tribute to eighties AOR and synth pop Screamworks

 

Unpredictable band. Venus Doom was the unexpected, very heavy follow up to their pop smash Dark Light.

 

They never made it easy for their record labels to market them.

 

I'm seeing them at their final ever UK concert in December.

 

Myles!

 

Damn it! I must go to bed but you won't believe this! Well you might....LOL

 

I have the Dark Light steel book box set with the autographs and light pen inside! SEALED! LOL!

 

I'm Insane.

 

Love,

 

RATT

 

LOL

[Segue Myles]

Shit man I am motivated to type all night long about music.

 

Time for beddy bye.

 

RUSH ON MYLES!

 

Glad we reconnected.

 

Sorry we disconnected.

[Segue Myles]

Also Earl, years before Ghost did that super hooky, darkly pop metal thing with atmosphere and crazy cheesy hooks...HIM took a Black Sabbath template, infused it with eighties metal hooks, and took tips from Edgar Allen Poe and some total self aware syrupy lyrics to create blockbuster albums like Venus Doom.

 

Check out Venus Doom. You may hate it but I think it's a total blast. HIM and Ghost would make a very interesting double bill.

 

Both bands have caused controversy and have rabid cult fanbases. One is Swedish, the other Finnish. Both have iconic frontman and both toy with cartoonish black humour that totally offends those who take things too literally.

 

Wait! I like HIM! Excellent band!

 

I will check out Venus Doom asap!

 

HIM are a top five band for me and have always been so!

 

They followed Venus Doom up with their tribute to eighties AOR and synth pop Screamworks

 

Unpredictable band. Venus Doom was the unexpected, very heavy follow up to their pop smash Dark Light.

 

They never made it easy for their record labels to market them.

 

I'm seeing them at their final ever UK concert in December.

 

Myles!

 

Damn it! I must go to bed but you won't believe this! Well you might....LOL

 

I have the Dark Light steel book box set with the autographs and light pen inside! SEALED! LOL!

 

I'm Insane.

 

Love,

 

RATT

 

LOL

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY YEARS I'VE SPENT TRYING TO GET ONE OF THOSE?!?!?!?!

[RUSHHEAD666]

Pat and I always thought that GHOST was like a hooky amazing evil Blue Oyster Cult.

 

God I love BOC.

 

Do you?

 

I love everytbing I've heard which is not much. The Reaper album ive heard.

 

That is just a hit.

 

Jesus! Go explore all of BOC from their self titled metal classic to "Club Ninja."

 

But you must get "Fire Of Unknown Origin" asap.

 

That album changed my young life back in 1981.......

 

 

Get all of the old Alan Parsons Project too.

 

"I ROBOT" will blow your mind.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Shit man I am motivated to type all night long about music.

 

Time for beddy bye.

 

RUSH ON MYLES!

 

Glad we reconnected.

 

Sorry we disconnected.

 

It's ok. We are no longer a bad Queensryche song. LOL!

 

No worries mate.

 

Enjoy the exploration of endless music.

 

I know you are a good dude. We are good.

Edited July 2, 2017 by RUSHHEAD666

[willowroolz]

Definite yay. They were the soundtrack of my childhood.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Definite yay. They were the soundtrack of my childhood.

 

ABBASOULTEY! LOL!!!!!

 

My parents had the "ABBA" self titled gem on 8 track when I was a kid.

 

"Eagle" is so prog pop. EPIC.

 

That record is perfect.

 

Genius.

[RUSHHEAD666]

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was also on 8 Track in my parents car! LOL! Changed my life.

 

No wonder I am who I am!

 

My amazing parents shaped my young mind!!

 

It's all their fault I'm a music madman addict!

 

On that note I am off to dreamland.

 

Signed,

 

"Middletown Dreams"

[RUSHHEAD666]

Shit I'm off topic again!

 

"I Have A Dream"

 

Love,

 

 

ABBA

[Segue Myles]

Definite yay. They were the soundtrack of my childhood.

 

ABBASOULTEY! LOL!!!!!

 

My parents had the "ABBA" self titled gem on 8 track when I was a kid.

 

"Eagle" is so prog pop. EPIC.

 

That record is perfect.

 

Genius.

 

ABBA never tried to be prog. But they wrote many really complex pop songs, some songs had dozens of different outtakes in various genres as they pushed themselves to get it right.

 

And Eagle sure as hell is one of their best.

 

But for me ABBA really outdid themselves on the final album, which I've always said sounds like something The Cure must have listened too for their later eighties fare.

 

And the thing I love about ABBA is how in the early years, their lack of confidence in English lyrics was compensated for by a joyous devotion to memorable phrases and snappy, often silly alliterative lyrics.

 

But as their grasp of English increased, so did their emotional boldness and they wrote some of the most direct and sincere songs about heartbreak ever written.

 

As much as I love Fleetwood Mac, nothing on Rumours matches:

 

Knowing Me, Knowing You

One Man, One Woman

The Name Of The Game

Angeleyes

The Winner Takes It All

Lay All Your Love On Me

Our Last Summer

The Visitors

One Of Us

When All Is Said And Done

Like An Angel Passing Through My Room

The Day Before You Came

 

ABBA are one of the most revered bands in pop because in so many ways they set the bar higher than anyone else, and they did so by always striving to be themselves, no matter what style they attempted.

 

And the backing track to The Name Of The Game is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. An extraordinarily underrated song, even of it is a major favourite.

[Segue Myles]

And some facts about ABBA many may not realise.

 

They started by accident.

 

Two couples on holiday. The girls sing Happy Birthday. It sounds good. They think about recording together.

 

Prior to this:

 

Agnetha Faltskog was a Swedish pop megastar. She had self-penned her biggest hits area young age, had enormous success outside of Sweden and was a major star.

 

Bjorn Ulvaeus was one of the most respected musicians and songwriters in Sweden, having had big success in his folk group The Hootenany Singers. He met Agnetha on the set of a tv show.

 

Benny Andersson was a rock star. He was in a hugely popular band in the sixties called The Hep Stars, often referred too as the Swedish Beatles. So successful was his career they even made a movie set in Africa that was a hit.

 

Then their is Anni-Frid Lyngstad, a jazz singer who, whilst not having had major commercial success such as being enjoyed by Agnetha, all the same she was highly respected and had a string of well revlcieved albums and singles under her belt. I can't remember how she met Benny but at that point he and Bjorn were already best friends and writing music together.

 

The girls were initially back up singers.

 

By the time Ring Ring was released, things were falling into place but at that point the girls still pursued their solo careers and the songs were quite lightweight, as they were written more for the local pop charts and folk pop circuit.

 

But the more they recognised the beauty of the girls voices together the stronger the songwriting became.

 

ABBA are an unlikely tale. Had they never formed the members themselves would all have done very well for themselves. No one at all could have foreseen what was to come.

 

And being a Swedish group they had no prior band from Europe to follow towards success. They wrote the rulebook, they took on the world by writing such killer songs radio played them regardless of where they came from.

 

For example, they had a hit with Hen Gamle Man in Japan in, I think, 1972 (before they were properly ABBA) and that song is in Swedish.

 

Then Waterloo was a hit in the US. Sounds unsurprising considering Europe was in their grip due to Eurovision success but...the thing is...the US didn't know anytbing about that contest and the radio played it to death.

 

Then after Waterloo their popularity briefly waned up until SOS and Mama Mia hit the charts and then with Arrival they finally perfected the sound the three previous albums were striving towards and then they made the world their oyster.

 

ABBA are not a fairy tale success. They were four highly experienced singer/songwriters who formed this little group thinking at first it was just another musical project.

 

It wasn't planned. Unlike today when pop groups are assembled by record labels, this band was formed out of sheer dumb luck: two highly respected and sought after Scandinavian folk musicians met and fell in love with two of the most highly acclaimed and successful Scandinavian vocalists and together they formed a sound that won over the world, against all odds.

 

And they never used outside songwriters, aside from their manager Stig Andersson who was always referred too as the unnofical fifth member of the group.

[thirteen]

Voted Yay. Great song craft.

 

 

But you must get "Fire Of Unknown Origin" asap.

Yep it's a great album indeed. Not a single clunker on the album IMO.

Looking at my original Fire Of Unknown Origin vinyl right now. Those priest-children things still look freaky lol.

 

Signed,

Joan Crawford

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Abba dealt with the dark side of love better than most, tunes that could make you weep with longing.

 

And they were prog when they needed to be.

[Segue Myles]

Abba dealt with the dark side of love better than most, tunes that could make you weep with longing.

 

And they were prog when they needed to be.

 

I always sense though that the "prog" leanings were not intentional.

 

They were folk musicians inspired by jazz, schlager music, country and sixties rock bands like Beatles, Kinks (as well as at the time commercial behemoths like Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, and others).

 

So when the music was complex, they took it where the music lead them, not intentionally to please a certain crowd.

 

The fact they do so is so deceptive and why I think so many fail to hear the genius in their recordings. What sounds like melodic jingles to many is actually the craft of perfectionists always searching for the perfect song, and they are still very open about the recordings they deem disappointing.

 

Some are amongst my favourites:

 

Angeleyes

Summer Night City

Does Your Mother Know

Just Like That

Rock Me

That's Me

So Long

 

ABBA for the most part also wrote the songs in isolation at home, on am isolated island, and then experimented later in the studio.

 

They definitely were some of the greatest talents of the seventies. Just because the music lacks a harder sound, or side long epics, or pretentious concepts does not change the fact that the music they wrote could not have come from anybody else.

 

I say and have often said that the closest band to them was Fleetwood Mac. And it's a comparison made often over the decades. But even then both were very different.

 

I am passionate about ABBA. They created timeless music that lasts forever. Not many bands have that appeal.

[Lurkst]

Absolutely yay, perhaps the perfect pop band.

[blueschica]

Voted yay, soundtrack when I was growing up. I still enjoy them!