ABBA - The Singles: The First Fifty Years

ABBA channel the spirit of their 1982 ‘best of’, The Singles: The First Ten Years, with a new collection called The Singles: The First Fifty Years, which brings the story of the Swedish group right up to date. Admittedly, not much happened between 1982 and 2021, but nevertheless this perhaps pithily titled compilation features every ABBA single issued by Polar up until 1982, as well as the singles released from the group’s remarkable 2021 ‘comeback’ album, Voyage.

Issued in November 1982, The Singles: The First Ten Years was for a decade or the ABBA connoisseur’s hits collection of choice. ABBA’s Gold collection took over in 1992 and has never looked back, although The Singles The First Ten Years could always boast the inclusion of ‘The Day Before You Came’ and ‘Under Attack’ neither of which appear on Gold.

The Singles: The First Ten Years contained 23 tracks. However, on the new compilation The Singles: The First Fifty Years expands on the period between 1972 and 1982 with 10 extra tracks not on the 1982 compilation. They are:

    People Need Love
    He Is Your Brother
    Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
    Honey Honey
    Hasta Mañana*
    Eagle
    Angeleyes*
    Lay All Your Love On Me*
    Head Over Heels
    When All is Said and Done*

The asterisked tracks were not issued as Polar Music A-sides, but were singles in some countries back in the day (‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ was a double A-side with ‘Voulez-Vous’ in some places). If you add the five singles from Voyage to the songs from the original era, that gives you a 38-track compilation which is being issued as a 2CD set or a 4LP vinyl package. The vinyl set includes a 24-page illustrated booklet including liner notes and “unseen” band images, while the CD booklet runs to 28 pages with the same content.

        Tracklist:
        1972-1979
        People Need Love
        He Is Your Brother
        Ring Ring
        Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
        Waterloo
        Honey Honey
        Hasta Manana
        So Long
        I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
        S.O.S.
        Mamma Mia
        Fernando
        Dancing Queen
        Money Money Money
        Knowing Me Knowing You
        The Name of the Game
        Take a Chance On Me
        Eagle
        Summer Night City
        Chiquitita
        Does Your Mother Know
        1979-2022
        Voulez-Vous
        Angeleyes
        Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)
        I Have a Dream
        The Winner Takes It All
        Super Trouper
        Lay All Your Love On Me
        One of Us
        Head Over Heels
        When All is Said and Done
        The Day Before You Came
        Under Attack
        I Still Have Faith in You
        Don’t Shut Me Down
        Just a Notion
        Little Things
        No Doubt About It