ABBA - Gold

 I love the fact that when the Sex Pistols reformed for their Filthy Lucre tour (in 1996) they walked on stage to ABBAs Dancing Queen.  The idea was that they were showing what music was around in 1977 and how different and important the Sex Pistols were.  They wanted to show that they had to cut through the dross and mediocrity of the music industry at the time.  They were different.  They meant something.  They were real.    

 

The problem was that the audience of die-hard punks were singing every word of Dancing Queen back to the band.  They loved it! 

 

In the intervening years ABBA had become cool.  In many ways it was inevitable.  The songs are infectious.  The singing is flawless. (When putting on the Mamma Mia stage play, I gather that the cast of professional singers were finding it next to impossible to replicate the harmonies).  The ABBA catalogue can hold its own when put next to any other artist’s catalogue. This is wall to wall hits. 

ABBA’s appeal knows no bounds.  When an Australian conservative politician was asked to name his favourite band he said “well, you put some ABBA on at a party and everyone gets up and dances”.  This answer was met with a bit of scoffing (he could have chosen a much cooler band).  But you know what?  He was right.