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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Debut album has some great songs, 23 Feb 2003
Nobody could claim that this is the best Abba album, but it is much better than some would have you believe. Indeed I prefer it to a couple of their later albums.
The title track was a hit in several European countries but not the UK, so this album never got a British release on vinyl. That is a pity, because the songs here are of a remarkably high quality. Five of them appeared on the first Greatest hits album - Ring ring, Another town another train, People need love, Nina pretty ballerina and He is your brother - every one of them superb. It might all have been different if Ring ring had been Sweden's entry in the 1973 Eurovision song contest. It came third in the qualifying contest. The Swedish public thought it should have been their entry. Voting rules were changed and Abba won for Sweden a year later with Waterloo.
Benny and Bjorn both started in Swedish folk groups, while Agnetha and Frida were Swedish pop stars, although Frida was actually born in Norway. At the time of its original release in Sweden, the name Abba had not been invented. This album provides a fascinating insight into the early development of the band. She's my kind of girl just features Benny and Bjorn. People need love features Benny and Bjorn with Svenska Flicka, but Svenska Flicka are actually Agnetha and Frida, so this (it would seem) was the first recording featuring all the Abba members, before the name existed.
This is a great album for Abba fans to have, but anybody not already familiar with their music should try some of their later albums first - I particularly recommend Arrival, The Album and Super trouper - before worrying about this.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good debut!, 29 Jul 2005
This is Abba before Waterloo came along and changed everything! Certainly, a very happy, clappy sound to this album and quite different to their later work; several songs on this would be almost unrecognisable compared to the Abba sound we all know and love. The title track itself, Ring Ring, has got to be one of the catchiest pop songs of all time and to my ears is an absolute gem of a pop song; had it entered the 1973 Eurovision song contest I've no doubt it would have been a runaway winner. Other songs to listen out for are Another Town Another Train, Rock n Roll Band and People Need Love. I Am Just A Girl is the sort of song that Radio 2 would have played way back in the Seventies; very smooth and laid back but great nonetheless. The bonus tracks add to the overall sound of the album, so I don't have any hesitation in recommending Ring Ring; just don't expect anything along the lines of Arrival etc. You also have the Swedish version of Ring Ring here; does anyone fancy trying to learn the words to that? Not Abba's best album by any stretch, but I wouldn't be without it.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light and enjoyable., 15 Feb 2005
By A Customer
It's hard to dislike this album. Okay, so there aren't the customary handful of hits and some of the tracks are peculiar, but the melodies of many songs give the very essence of ABBA ie the harmonies and tunes blend perfectly. This was the last ABBA cd I bought, and that was only as to complete the collection, but I wish I'd bought it years ago. The title track is excellent of course, but others like She's My Kind Of Girl, People Need Love, Nina, I Am Just A Girl are all rarely-heard gems. Yes, it is for the fans only, but what's wrong with that?
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