http://www.knoxnews.com/knoxville/music/tuned-in-review-live-proves-abbas-strengths-beyond-studio_53794019
‘Tuned In' review: ‘Live' proves ABBA's strengths beyond studio
ABBA is the most influential pop band in history when it comes to crafting insanely catchy songs, but modern performers could also learn from the Swedish group's live shows.
Not much is said about ABBA’s concerts because they rarely did them. Today the presumption is that bands that don’t play live are incapable of replicating their studio music on a stage. However, ABBA didn’t perform live because they didn’t see the need - that’s a luxury you earn when you sell 380 million albums.
Still, “Live at Wembley Arena,” recorded in London in 1979 when ABBA was promoting its “Voulez-Vous” album, shows that the quartet mastered the stage. Lead vocalists Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyngstad were pre-Auto-Tune dynamos, in tandem and as individuals, and songwriters/musicians/supporting vocalists Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were unparalleled at structuring a show – not surprising, since they went on to create the musicals “Mamma Mia!” and “Chess.”
“Live at Wembley Arena” showcases the band’s sophisticated sound by way of stately arrangements (“Fernando,” “I Have a Dream,” “SOS”), intimate elegance (“Thank You for the Music,” “Chiquitita”), theatrics (“Money, Money, Money,” “Voulez-Vous,” “Eagle”) and full-blown dance momentum (“Take a Chance on Me,” “Does Your Mother Know”).
But there’s not so much polish that the sound feels as precise as a fussed-over studio concoction. There’s grit in “The Name of the Game,” for example, and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is infused with loose, funk/jazz energy. Meanwhile, the vocalists veer off script, with Faltskog throwing extra emotion into “As Good As New” and Lyngstad showing off a soulful side on “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”
Fans who are used to the calculated ABBA studio sound might be shocked at how easily the band rolls through (minor) imperfections on “Live at Wembley Arena,” but they’ll probably appreciate the group even more because of it.
If only this would inspire more effort from today’s pop artists who lip sync and use pre-recorded “backing” tracks …
Still, “Live at Wembley Arena,” recorded in London in 1979 when ABBA was promoting its “Voulez-Vous” album, shows that the quartet mastered the stage. Lead vocalists Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyngstad were pre-Auto-Tune dynamos, in tandem and as individuals, and songwriters/musicians/supporting vocalists Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson were unparalleled at structuring a show – not surprising, since they went on to create the musicals “Mamma Mia!” and “Chess.”
“Live at Wembley Arena” showcases the band’s sophisticated sound by way of stately arrangements (“Fernando,” “I Have a Dream,” “SOS”), intimate elegance (“Thank You for the Music,” “Chiquitita”), theatrics (“Money, Money, Money,” “Voulez-Vous,” “Eagle”) and full-blown dance momentum (“Take a Chance on Me,” “Does Your Mother Know”).
But there’s not so much polish that the sound feels as precise as a fussed-over studio concoction. There’s grit in “The Name of the Game,” for example, and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is infused with loose, funk/jazz energy. Meanwhile, the vocalists veer off script, with Faltskog throwing extra emotion into “As Good As New” and Lyngstad showing off a soulful side on “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”
Fans who are used to the calculated ABBA studio sound might be shocked at how easily the band rolls through (minor) imperfections on “Live at Wembley Arena,” but they’ll probably appreciate the group even more because of it.
If only this would inspire more effort from today’s pop artists who lip sync and use pre-recorded “backing” tracks …
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