Thank You For The Music [Box set]

This package has probably the most played CDs in our house (so much that certain tracks are now sticking) and, unlike some who have reviewed this set before now, we aren't die hards but we sure love this box. The reason for its continual use is simple: bloody great pop music arranged & performed beautifully with a quality that hasn't dimmed in the years since we first heard them (yes, we are that old).

I urge those who have been pining to own some ABBA in their life to get this over ABBA Gold 1+2 or 'The Definitive Collection'. All three of those sets ignore some excellent album material but this box doesn't (stop sniggering at the back they did have some good LP-only songs - for example the sublime 'Eagle', 'The Visitors', 'Like An Angel...' and 'Honey Honey').

Of course, ALL (and I mean ALL) the singles are here and it's nice to see few difficult-to-find B-sides and unreleased tracks such as the lovely 'Cassandra' and 'Just Like That'. The book is a splendid collection of reflective essays from those around the ABBA circle along with a lot of the fantastic iconographical images from their time.

Only downside for me is the exclusion of 4 great songs - 'Bang-A-Boomerang', 'Rock Me', 'Happy New Year' and the studio version of 'Slipping Through My Fingers'. But this is a small gripe considering the love and hard graft put into this excellent box which has absolutely every other classic song by the Super Swedes.

Earlier this year, inspired by our love of ABBA we went to visit Stockholm for a short break - coincidentally 5 days after the 30th Anniversary of their win at the Swedish heats of ESC. After watching their videos for more than 20 years it seemed like deja-vu walking around the streets of the Gamle Stan (that's Old Town to you folks). It's a great city and one wonders what would have happened if Olivia Newton-John had won the 1974 ESC instead? Would I be reeling over the delights of the HMS Patricia nightclub in the harbour? Or the beautiful parliament building? Probably not. So (here comes the cliche) THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, ABBA! And for giving wonderful Stockholm to me!