Something's Going On

Something really was going on......when a newly divorced Frida went into the studio with a certain Phil Collins!

The result was a rocky, enjoyable and gutsy attempt to sound as little like Abba as possible but still do her voice and style justice.

Tracks like Turn the Stone and the even better title track are 10/10 and should have has huge sales for her. Threnody, written by Per Gessel, later of Roxette fame, is fab, I See Red is cheesy but fun, the opener Tell Me is a great rocker and the Frida/ Phil duet Here We'll Stay sounds like it should be on Genesis's Duke!!!

Overall, a great album with a few dull moments here and there.

Not as good as her 1984 album "Shine", but good for different reasons.

Any Abba fan should check it out but DON'T expect it to be like listening to another Abba album. Judge it on its own merits, I did and love it!

I remember getting this album in 1982 when it was first released. Having been an Abba fan since 1973 I was usure what to expect and I remember being a little unsure of the end result. Now some 28 years later I can absolutely say I love this album and totally get what the fabulous Frida Lyngstad was trying to achieve with her own shot at things.
The first single I Know There's Something Going On is punchy and catchy and should have been a much bigger hit than it was. Other highlights are Tomas Ledins - I Got Something , Tell Me It's Over by stephen Bishop and Frida's take on the Phil Collins song You Know What I Mean - all brilliant though nothing like the music Frida recorded with Abba - and why should it be.
With elements of rock , jazz , reggae and pop Frida wraps her wonderful voice round all of these songs with ease. Why not give this album another shot.

Frida's first English-language solo album and musical catharsis is quite the stunner. With millions of fans used to a very pop repertoire, it was a brave move to step so deliberately away from the ABBA sound.

Opening track, Tell Me It's Over, clocks in at just under three minutes but serves brilliantly as Frida's manifesto. The intro itself - a volley of snares and crunchy guitar - is the musical equivalent of "we're not in Kansas any more." Frida's gutsy vocal encompasses anger, sarcasm and fortitude. Some fantastic brass figures and some great BVs from Frida and producer Phil Collins up the ante. In the same league as the impressive title track - an international smash - this could have consolidated Frida's commercial impact, particularly in the States, had it been released as a single.

I See Red's reggae groove is another hit-that-got-away. A mellower vocal and lyrics bemoaning the state of the world maintain a more muted pulse of anger. I Got Something completes a hat-trick of goodies. Not by any means a single, the track is, nevertheless, a perfect showcase for Frida. In the verses she is seductive, a dangerous siren leading the errant lover on. Then comes the eloquent "up yours" of a chorus, where the guy is reminded of all he threw away. Baby Don't You Cry No More harks back to her preABBA jazz career and could also have wowed American singles buyers. You Know What I Mean is a delicate heartbreaker that remains one of the most beautiful performances of Frida's career. Here We'll Stay - a breezy, lovey-dovey duet with Collins - clashes with the darkness of the preceding 10 tracks. A fine song in itself, it should have been issued as a stand-alone single. The first ten tracks are the real album, the catharsis.

Despite the calibre of the songwriters - the credits read like a veritable who's who of the era's finest - some of the material is oddly underwhelming. Frida herself has said that she feels the album is not quite what it could have been and partly blames her own shyness in dealing with Phil Collins (check out the documentary on the making of the album on Frida's DVD - Collins and co virtually ignore her). To her credit, Frida rises above the limitations of the material and delivers in spades. In all, the playing and the singing are top-notch. The sound on this remastered version is fantastic and the 7" bonus cuts are very welcome.