Abba: The lost factor.

[davideduardo]

Sean Ross writes about the return of Abba with their new release:

https://radioinsight.com/ross/215130/abba-vs-the-lost-factor/

I was living in Puerto Rico in the 70's, and there was nothing bigger than Abba in English language music; same across all Latin America. Yet Sean writes about the dearth of US airplay for this enormous world-wide phenomenon. I wonder why the US alone was less enthralled by Abba?

 

[TheBigA]

What I hear a lot is the lack of personality. ABBA represents the height of overly processed power pop from Europe. There was a lot of it being done in the 70s and a lot of it sounded the same.

 

[boombox4]

They had some hits here, Dancing Queen and maybe one or two other lesser ones. Weren't as big here as they were in Australia, I know that much. They filled stadiums there at one point. I couldn't see that happening here.

 

[Mikey Radio]

They may be as popular now if not moreso in at least some parts of the USA than they were back then. Both the musical and movie productions of Mamma Mia certainly helped. There have been a few ABBA tribute acts or impressionists come through here on occasion; at least one managed to pack a fairly large venue.

 

[KeithE4]

I don't know about anywhere else in the country, but in Chicago, on all four Top 40 stations (WIND, WLS, WCFL, and WDHF), ABBA was one of the most overplayed bands of the time.

 

[Kelly A]

What I hear a lot is the lack of personality. ABBA represents the height of overly processed power pop from Europe. There was a lot of it being done in the 70s and a lot of it sounded the same.

What they lacked in personality and originality, they made up with in good promotion and management. I never got the ABBA thing back in the day, nor do I with their virtual Time Tunnel return.

 

[landtuna]

I wonder why the US alone was less enthralled by Abba?

There was a huge backlash against the Disco sound here - something ABBA did a lot of and within the Disco genre there was some intense competition - example: BeeGees. I liked ABBA's sound but wasn't too fond of their "Las Vegas" show style. They did do some really outstanding non-Disco stuff which are still among my favorites: "Chiquitita" (especially the Spanish version) and "Fernando".

 

[davideduardo]

There was a huge backlash against the Disco sound here - something ABBA did a lot of

Having programmed a disco formatted station, I can tell you that ABBA was poison to the disco crowd. It was simply Europop, much in the manner of Bubblegum music in the US a half-decade before.

and within the Disco genre there was some intense competition - example: BeeGees.

The Bee Gees came very late in the disco era, which started most of us in programming believe with Hues Corporation's Rock the Boat in 1974. The Saturday Night Fever movie with the Bee Gees came out three years later, half-way through the disco craze that pretty much ended with "Funkytown" released in 1980.

I liked ABBA's sound but wasn't too fond of their "Las Vegas" show style. They did do some really outstanding non-Disco stuff which are still among my favorites: "Chiquitita" (especially the Spanish version) and "Fernando".

Again, their music was not "disco". It was just plain old pop in the tradition of 1910 Fruitgum Company or The Archies.

 

[TheBigA]

.... half-way through the disco craze that pretty much ended with "Funkytown" released in 1980.

Which was danceable music that wasn't disco. Plus it was American, made in Minneapolis, the same city that begot Prince.

 

[wildthangjim]

I was a teenager living in the US when ABBA's first US hit "Waterloo" came out. It certainly seems like I heard a lot of them on the radio back then. A quick review of wikipedia tells me that they had 14 top-40 hits in the US. Contrasting that with Australia mentioned above, where they had 16 top 10 singles. So, popular here, but less so than other places.

They may be more popular nowadays than they were then, thanks to the movies. My 21 year old daughter can sing along with all their songs.

 

[davideduardo]

Which was danceable music that wasn't disco. Plus it was American, made in Minneapolis, the same city that begot Prince.

Every disco programmer I know considered Lipps, Inc. to be a pure disco group. "Funky Town" was the second cut from the album, which is definitely disco.

Just listen to the instrumental intro... that was disco!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipps_Inc.ds where the article says the group was "disco and funk".

 

[TheBigA]

where the article says the group was "disco and funk".

Yes it says "disco and funk," which is to differentiate it from purely disco.

This was a point where being called "disco" was the kiss of death. So it rocked harder than 70s disco.

In the same way that MJ's Rock With You was disco, in the use of strings, but was also transitioning into phase 2.

The guitarist in Lipps Inc transitioned to produce Fine Young Cannibals. That was Phase 2.

 

[Cordelia Chase]

I think I remember reading somewhere that during one of their tours, ABBA didn't book a lot of dates in the southern states because they were not as popular here. Were they marketed toward teenagers or were they AC? They were popular when I was a tween and teen and none of my peers ever talked about them. I don't even recall seeing posters placed at record stores.

 

[davideduardo]

Yes it says "disco and funk," which is to differentiate it from purely disco.

Remember, that is a Wikipedia article, accurate about half the time. In this case, all the hit by that group were pure disco. This was truly a one-hit wonder, and the single hit was pure disco.

This was a point where being called "disco" was the kiss of death. So it rocked harder than 70s disco.

It was the last of the disco hits, noted by just about every musicologist as such. It was a benchmark song, just as "Rock the Boat" was the symbol of the start of the disco era.

In the same way that MJ's Rock With You was disco, in the use of strings, but was also transitioning into phase 2.

The guitarist in Lipps Inc transitioned to produce Fine Young Cannibals. That was Phase 2.

But after Funky Town, disco was dead nearly everywhere as a format and a genre. It came back, some years later, as "dance", fueled by European product. Interestingly, disco did live on in Latin America a few years after 'KTU changed format, but as production declined and the "composed" groups fell apart, there was not enough new music and there were only so many times a day you could play "Last Dance".

 

[TheBigA]

Remember, that is a Wikipedia article, accurate about half the time.

So you're telling me the only half that's accurate is the half that supports your opinion?

 

[seatownmedia]

Always remember Abba is the same backwards and forwards. I bring this up because this group has amazing staying power. They were huge internationally in their time. They sold more records in the UK with their greatest hits lp than the Beatles did with sgt. peppers. Puts them at number two all time behind Queens greatest hits.

 

[davideduardo]

So you're telling me the only half that's accurate is the half that supports your opinion?

It's not just my opinion... it is the opinion of every disco programmer I had contact with from Wanda Ramos to Joel Salkowitz.

In any case, they only had one hit that was any higher than somewhere around 70th on the Billboard charts, and it was pure disco. All the post-Funky Town releases were disco until it was obvious that the genre was dead and then they moved on trying other styles, quite void of success.

 

[Cordelia Chase]

Always remember Abba is the same backwards and forwards. I bring this up because this group has amazing staying power. They were huge internationally in their time. They sold more records in the UK with their greatest hits lp than the Beatles did with sgt. peppers. Puts them at number two all time behind Queens greatest hits.

Doesn't this kind of remind you of a similar situation with artist Cliff Richard? He was wildly popular in the UK and several other places, but only a few of his songs got airplay over here. Same case with a Euro-Disco duo called Modern Talking: they were very popular in their native Germany, the USSR and some other Eastern European countries. The key word here is "disco" which likely explains why they are largely unheard of in the US. Also kind of reminds me of soccer (lol.)

 

[kevtronics]

Doesn't this kind of remind you of a similar situation with artist Cliff Richard? He was wildly popular in the UK and several other places, but only a few of his songs got airplay over here.

Cliff Richard was the "British Elvis". We had the real Elvis here, so we didn't need Cliff.

Same case with a Euro-Disco duo called Modern Talking: they were very popular in their native Germany, the USSR and some other Eastern European countries.

I heard their song "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" playing in the supermarket once. I thought it was a woman singing...

 

[CTListener]

Cliff Richard was the "British Elvis". We had the real Elvis here, so we didn't need Cliff.

And his biggest US hits were quite late in his career -- "We Don't Talk Anymore" and "Devil Woman" -- by which time his style had changed significantly.