Was ABBA actually good?

[Alade]

I'll have to consult some older members of the escapist here, or at least people who have immense knowledge of music in the 20th century, which I do not.

Recently while talking about old bands with a friend of mine, we came across the subject of ABBA, I told him that I heard from some older people (mostly female relatives) that they were pretty good. To that he responded that they were simply the Jonas brothers/Justin Bieber of their time, that their music was very bad when observed critically but had a huge fandom.

So, what does the escapist say? Were they good or bad (from a critical view)?

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Good is highly relative. When you compare them to their competition in pop music at the time they probably were good, and that is a really, really depressing thought.

 

[Pandalisk]

<3

i've always liked songs from those days, dont really mind the songs from these days ethier, its all good.

 

[maturin]

Vladimir Putin thinks so.

 

[Dags90]

Vladimir Putin thinks so.

As does Newt Gingrich. When everyone found out that his ringtone was "Dancing Queen", it actually made it onto the news cycle.

 

[Ladette]

People are welcome to think otherwise, but I think they're horrible and on par with the worst singers of today.

Stupid lyrics, crappy beats, and I didn't think the singers were that talented.

 

[Woodsey]

If someone told me music today is shit, and then cited ABBA for the "good old days", I would laugh in their face.

 

[octafish]

ABBA (Specifically Benny and Bjorn) were pop geniuses, the hooks they wrote are so freaking catchy, there is a reason they are still popular today. You don't have to like their music but they were talented musicians and songwriters whose light pop sounds belie the craft put into the songs. I can't find it but there is a great interview with Lemmy where he praises the songwriting of ABBA, and if Lemmy says it you know it is true.

 

[BonsaiK]

I'll have to consult some older members of the escapist here, or at least people who have immense knowledge of music in the 20th century, which I do not.

Recently while talking about old bands with a friend of mine, we came across the subject of ABBA, I told him that I heard from some older people (mostly female relatives) that they were pretty good. To that he responded that they were simply the Jonas brothers/Justin Bieber of their time, that their music was very bad when observed critically but had a huge fandom.

So, what does the escapist say? Were they good or bad (from a critical view)?

Critically, they got bad reviews, just like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath at the time. Of course, just like those bands, nobody cared what the critics thought and people made up their own mind whether they liked it or not.

Personally I think ABBA are great. They've always been huge in Australia. When I first heard Britney Spears I liked it too because those first two Britney albums are just her doing ABBA her own way, it's a copy right down to the vocal harmonisation. Not a bad thing though - imitation, flattery and all that.

 

[PolarBearClub]

ABBA are responsible for the musical/film Mamma Mia!

For that single reason alone, no.

 

[Phoenixlight]

I thought ABBA was an acronym for something until I saw the image for the youtube video in the 3rd post. I don't really like that sort of music but they seem to be fairly well liked.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The question is purely subjective, isn't it? Everyone tends to have different ideas on what constitutes "good".

 

[ChaoticKraus]

Insult ABBA in Sweden and you'll probably end up being lynched by an angry mob.

Personally i think they had some of the most well-written and catchiest songs i've ever heard so i appreciate them even though it's not really my kind of music.

 

[Aris Khandr]

ABBA's greatest hits CD was the second CD I ever owned. So yeah, I think they're pretty great. But I like a lot of foreign disco. Boney M and Dschinghis Khan are also wonderful to listen to. It isn't always the most serious music, but you can tell the people making it are having a lot of fun.

 

[StriderShinryu]

They wrote extremely catchy pure pop music that still influences pop to this day. They also had a great sense of melody and harmony.

It`s really tough to say if they were `good` or not as that`s more a question of opinion, but there`s little question as to whether or not they are one of the seminal pop bands of all time. Also, the Bieber comparison doesn`t really hold water as Abba was an entirely self made group. Prior to them, no one else had really done exactly what they did before and unlike Bieber they weren`t simply someone else`s tool.

 

[Artina89]

I was never that into them, preferring bands like Voltaire, Queen, Led zeppelin and so on, but my mum loves them, she usually has it playing if she is cleaning. It is a lot of fun watching my mum dance around the house to "Voulez vous", which suprised me that she didn't like "Mamma mia" that much, but I think that is because she doesn't like musicals that much.

 

[OldAccount]

Ugh...I worked in a shoe store for almost a year and the goddamn sound track that looped over the speaker system was 75% ABBA. Needless to say I want them all dead.

I can just see the asshole marketing executive.

-"All right so we'll have a nice mix of soft rock to help our customers relax...Also we need every ABBA song."

-"Sir, Not everybody likes ABBA. Maybe just one or t..."

SLAP!

-"Every. Single. ABBA. Song."

 

[Evilsanta]

Tell any one here in Sweden that they are bad and you will end up in a back alley somewhere. Or at the bottom at the nearest lake/harbor.

OT: I think some of there songs are good. Though isn't this a subjective question?

 

[RivFader86]

I would say yes....i don't like the music and i don't have enough knowledge of music theory to comment on the songs in an objective manner...but they stick in your head (whether you like them or not) which means they did something right ;P