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Product Description
Review
To the majority of UK residents Göran Bror Benny Andersson , one of the 'B's in ABBA has been a man whose reputation as a music maker ended somewhere around the era of Chess, although of course his role as co-ecutive producer (along with his most famous wrtiting partner Bjorn Ulvaeus) of the musical Mama Mia! has kept his biggest legacy alive and well. But to fans and Swedes he's a busy man, not least with his 16-piece Benny Andersson Orkester wherein he's been combining a love of Swedish ( and European) folk, big bands, early jazz and Bach to spectacular, if idiosyncratic, effect. Story Of A Heart, with its combination of older BOA material and new compositions is designed to bring his CV up to date for non-Scandinavians.
To those not aware of Benny's folk roots this album may come as a bit of a surprise (his first major success was with The Hep Stars, a huge pop act in Sweden who combined his love of traditional music and rock 'n' roll). Songs from his back catalogue like Glasgow Boogie, Jehu or Tyrolean Schottische combine celtic forms with jolly brass and wheezing accordions and Trolska demonstrates his love of his nation's native music. It's life-affirming, purely instrumental fare, and a far cry from his more famous material. Elsewhere we're offered Debussy-like cinematic beauty in the piano meditation of Song From The Second Floor.
But Story Of A Heart's USP is undoubtedly the title track; the first song he's written with Bjorn in 15 years and sung by Swedish star, Helen Sjöholm. It's a slice of pure B&B magic, albeit a little too slick and sweet for some palates. But it was ever thus with ABBA, who often navigated the grey area betwixt cheese and chart perfection. Elsewhere both Helen and former Chess star Tommy Körberg deliver more pop tunes which mainly fall into the style of 20s blues or 50s rock 'n' roll ballads (You Are My Man, Fait Accompli and (If This IS) Our Last Dance), delivered confidently with musical theatre at their heart.
It's an odd mixture of styles that will neither appeal to hardcore musicologists or ABBA fans, but it does showcase a man whose talents are both eclectic and accomplished. --Chris Jones
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
THE BENNY ANDERSSON BAND Story Of A Heart (2009 US 14-track CD album featuring a group of 16 exceptional musicians and singers who share Bennys passion for the Swedish folk tradition not to mention Big Band Bach polka waltzes Celtic folk Fifties standards - and straight-ahead pop music. The album captures highlights from the three albums released in Sweden by the Benny Andersson Band along with some brand new tracks. Complete with picture sleeve and still sealed in the originalstickered shrinkwrap)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a random mix,
By Paul_UK (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Story Of A Heart (Audio CD)
If you buy this CD on the basis of the title track (which is receiving a fair amount of radio play) and expect the rest of the album to be similar, you may be disappointed. "Story Of A Heart" is the most Abba-like track on the CD by some way.
That's not to say the rest of the CD is bad, it is actually an interesting mix of a variety of styles, but it may not be what you expect or were hoping for. Listen to the samples here before buying and make your decision based on that.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What an eclectic album!,
By Carole "Nemo" (Essex, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Story Of A Heart (Audio CD)
Heard the title track on radio last week and ordered the album. It's not what I expected and if you only like the Abba sound and don't like folk music this album probably won't be to your taste. It is Swedish folk - meets Abba - meets Chess - meets pop - meets big band. Each track is unique - there is no one sound. I think Helen Sjoholm must sing the title track (the CD has no information with it other than the names of the band) and her voice is awesome. Both tuba and accordion feature on more than one track and some other less usual instruments are also played - bouzouki, mandolin, crumhorn. A very eclectic album and I love it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
misleading,
By
This review is from: Story Of A Heart (Audio CD)
Definately not what i was expecting , i wasn,t expecting ABBA but the single ''story of a heart '' and title of the cd would suggest that the content may follow the theme of the single and indeed there are about five tracks which contain songs by the lady with the awesome vocals but i havn,t quite worked out how the other random mix of music knits this cd together , its being described as swedish folk music and gypsy romp but it could also be described as beer keller , morris dancing music , i,m trying hard to get it and may have to delve deep into the swedish folk music scene of yester year to understand its origin , a little knowledge is always a good thing ...
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