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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Voulez Vous, 1 Oct 2008
I really wasn't sure about this album when it was released. In fact I didn't buy it until a few years later. What were Abba thinking of going all disco? Well, the album has grown on me greatly even if I still don't think it is quite up to the standard of the albums that came either side of it.
This album does include a lot of hit songs and you can't deny the quality of songs like 'Chiquitita' and 'I Have A Dream', but the relentless beat of the 'disco' hits does wear a bit. 'Does You Mother Know', 'Voulez Vous' and 'Angel Eyes' would be seen as fantastic selections from any other groups back catalogue, but with Abba's standards these songs are lesser highlights of a glittering recording career.
The good thing about this album is that the non-single tracks on this album are as good as any of the tracks that were released as singles.
'If It Wasn't For The Nights' was originally to be the first single, but ended up not being selected at all. It's a great track with a great tune.
'Kisses Of Fire' and 'Lovers Live A Little Longer' are also great tracks that move away from the restrictions of a disco beat.
I also love 'The King Has Lost His Crown', partly because it's so different from the other tracks on this collection.
This is a good rather than great album and I was pleased that for their next album that Abba moved on from the disco sound.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Voulez-Vous? Mais oui!, 20 Nov 2000
By A Customer
For some odd reason the "Voulez-Vous" album is sometimes regarded as a blot on the Abba landscape. But why? This album contains some of Abba's finest moments and yielded five hit A-sides. Ever adaptable, they kept their finger on the pulse of the late 70s by dipping into the buzzing disco culture. Rather than completely immerse themselves in the genre, Abba merely borrowed some of the tools and tricks and applied them to their classic pop creations. "If It Wasn't For The Nights", an absolute highlight, is a perfect example of this marriage of dancefloor pizzazz to Abba's trademark piano-driven tunefulness (it really should have been a single). The disco feel is more strongly felt on the album's zingy title track which, 20 years later, still sounds fresh. Meanwhile, the sexy "Lovers" adds a touch of funk to the disco feel to spectacular effect. Like any Abba album, great tunes are the core. "Angeleyes" and "Chiquitita", of course are among Abba's all-time classics. The structure of the latter owes more to, perhaps, classical music than to pop and demonstrates the breadth of Andersson's and Ulvaeus' talent. Of course, younger pop fans will be familiar with "I Have A Dream" as performed by Westlife - but Abba's version appeared first on this album and was a big Christmas hit in 1979. However, because of the snobbery directed against disco, many excellent songs here have been stupidly overlooked. "The King Has Lost His Crown" is a prime example. With it's dreamy intro, Frida's gorgeous lead vocal and a melting string arrangement, this song could have been a hit single but, just like "If It Wasn't For The Nights", it remains a largely undiscovered album track. To these ears, only one track falls short of the mark and that is "Does Your Mother Know?" (a No.4 hit in 1979) and even that's still pretty popular. This remastered version of the album is augmented by the 1978 hit "Summer Night City" and "Lovelight", a B-side which actually sounds like an A-side.... These bonus tracks were recorded during the album sessions and work well with the set. Make no mistake, this is an excellent Abba album. At mid-price, it is definitely a worthwhile investment.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The "Blue" Album, 28 Jun 2004
I just came up with this title. Well, yes, ABBA hit another huge #1 album with ease and continued to earn enourmous amounts of money for Sweden. And in the process the decided to turn into the Bee Gees. There is no doubt in my mind that Benny had that group for inspiration here. And for the first time, ABBA actually took a second to think about the title that would represent the overall theme of the 10 songs. Well, almost.
As Good As New is a mixture of classic and disco music, charming, but not really potent. Agnetha's vocals are hugely important here and that's why this song is a favorite to many ABBA fans. Voulez-Vous? Well, no further comments here. I Have a Dream and Angel Eyes and King Has Lost His Crown slow things way down , especially KHLHC and sound like they belong on their last album, but nevertheless, I believe in these songs although I find Angel Eyes a bit irritating.
Does Your Mother Know is one of those songs with a potential to bring one's chart career to an abrupt end, but this didn't happen in ABBA's in spite of Björn's squeeky vocals. If It Wasn't For the Nights is extraordinary, should have been a single, beautiful semi-disco song with a strong tune. Chiquitita is another no-brainer, a worlwide known evergreen. Lovers is more experimental than any other song on this album, has interesting lyrics and works really well. I love the way it travels to the refrain. Kisses Of Fire is a perfect way to end this album, very much like As Good As New. Really fast (starts in the same fashion as the extended version of Summer Night City) and likable, but the weakest lyrics (VERY BEE GEES, no mistake!!!).
All in all, this is 9/10 for ABBA. They made no mistakes here and experimented with disco in another eyebrow-raising manner. They delivered every single time!
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