Alright, I'm going in a different direction here. I'm of the mind that Abba's later material - specifically their last three LPs, Voulez Vouz, Super Trouper, and The Visitors - are their best material, with many tracks employing a more mature songwriting than the earlier stuff like S.O.S./Mama Mia/Dancing Queen/etc.
That's not a knock on the earlier stuff. They're some of the greatest pure pop songs around. I mean, I probably regard Abba higher than most here, and think that Ulvaeus and Andersson are one of the few songwriting teams that, in terms of pure melodic pop, should be in the same sentence as Lennon and McCartney. So it's not a knock on the earlier stuff. Dancing Queen is a classic for all time, after all. It's just that I think they went to another level with the later - and in many cases, slower - stuff, and really got away from the bubble-gum stuff.
1. The Winner Takes It All(Super Trouper)
A stunning piece. Lyrically, a number of the later songs fall in the breakup category, because both couples in the band had separated. This song is lyrically and melodically devastating, and the vocal is one of my favorite studio vocal performances. It just slays me. It's probably good it was never performed live, because I doubt she could match the studio performance on stage. Light years away from Waterloo. Absolutely nothing bubblegum about this. Is practically a standard now. Their greatest achievement imo.
2. One Of Us(The Visitors)
Another break up song, with a soaring chorus that really makes you feel the desperation of the situation.
3. When All Is Said And Done(The Visitors)
Yet another break up song with a gorgeous melody and an admirable message of non-blame.
4. The Visitors(The Visitors)
This title track of their last LP ventures into sonic exploration in a way Abba rarely had. Great atmospherics, the vocal's got a groove, and when the big keyboard melody finally comes in, it's damn near cinematic.
5. Summer Night City(non-album)
This was a non-album track recorded during the Voulez-Vous sessions. I've always thought it was one of the catchiest things they ever did, and have never understood why it wasn't bigger. It oozes sex and is the kind thing people could dance all night too. I think the rare male vocal in tandem with the lead vocal adds a lot as well. Apparently the group themselves don't like the track, but I have no idea why. It's classic.
Honorable mention:
6. The Way Old Friends Do(Super Trouper)
A live performance of a song that never was never recorded in the studio, it closed Super Trouper. A short(<3M), gorgeous, quiet, contemplative track.
7. Our Last Summer(Super Trouper)
This one appears to be a breakup song at first, but there's a verse late in the song that suggests the couple in question is in fact still together. It's really a song about nostalgically looking back on the early part of a romance, I think. Gorgeous melody, great vocal performance.
8. Knowing Me, Knowing You(Arrival)
The only track I'm singling out that wasn't on one of the last three albums, but it was maybe a harbinger. It is, you guessed it, a break up song. What can I say, sometimes the best material is borne of pain. Heavier guitar than your typical Abba track, catchy as hell, and as always, stellar vocal performance.
Dancing Queen, Gimme Gimme Gimme(A Man After Midnight), S.O.S., Mama Mia, etc, it's all good, but the later material is what I gravitate to more often.
