Innocent And Uplifting Therapy, 28 Feb 2005

By	John Heaton (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This band were the first to take the promo video and use it as the primary method of showcasing their songs to the world. Other bands might have released classic video promos before them, most noticeably The Beatles with those weird videos for 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Penny Lane' among others dating back to the mid to late 1960s. But it was Abba who made this artform the norm. They didn't perform their new single on 'Top Of The Pops'. They just produced a marvellous video. And this was before MTV was even invented.

Their videos are not very sophisticated, by modern standards anyway. They were simple. But What An Impact they had at the time. And 30 years later they are even more irresistable. For several reasons. Their '70s clothing is obviously a highlight, and not as dated as you might think with massively flared trousers now returning triumphantly to the fashion parade. But fashion aside, these videos perfectly capture the glorious age which was the 1970s. When Abba were the biggest band in the world, when Bjorn Borg was Wimbledon champion for more than 300 consecutive weeks and Sweden could make a decent claim to be about the most important country on the Planet!

These collection of videos, especially on DVD with the related upgrade in sound quality are marvellously uplifting, almost without exception. Highlights are way too numerous to mention but if you need a few then quite apart from the all the hit singles on display here, we have superb promos for lesser known gems such as 'When I Kissed The Teacher' (Hilarious), 'Happy New Year' (Tear Jerking), and 'Eagle' (Serene). And even the lesser hits have such a charm and happiness about them: 'Bang A Boomerang' (1974) with Bjorn smiling wonderfully like a chesire cat throughout, 'I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do' (1975) with Bjorn and Benny on saxophone, and 'Head Over Heels' (1981) with Bjorn out shopping for clothes with Frida and Bored Out Of His Mind. I can relate to that!

And of the monster hits, perhaps the greatest videos are 'Knowing Me You Knowing You' (who can forget those heartbreaking farewells in the snow??), 'The Winner Takes It All' which is about as heartbreaking a record and video as that from Anyone. Then there is 'Chiquititta' with Frida almost cracking up with hysterics as the fake wind of that snowman landscape constantly blew her hair across her face! And the video for 'Name Of The Game' is so perfect, and heartfelt.

And if I haven't mentioned some it is simply because there are so many class videos here that it is difficult to fathom. 'One Of Us' is heartbreaking. 'The Day Before You Came' is a latter day Abba classic, with a video to match it, well ahead of its time. The final scene of their last single and video 'Under Attack' (1982) with the four of them walking out of that dark warehouse into a bright light is incredibly moving. And Sad.

The bonus tracks include a wonderful Spanish video for 'I Have a Dream'. Or whatever that is in Spanish. Never recorded in English, but I'll take the Spanish version and cherish it.

If you are an Abba fan and you (and your friends) need cheering up ever in this sometimes stressful and complicated world then there is No Better DVD out there. This band brought and bring such happiness to the world that it is about time it was officially recognised. Thank You! :-)

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