Things you hate IV

Kraftwork’s band members’ corpses could be put on stage with little impact on the live spectacle.

 

Few artists have ever utilised melody to such incredible effect. Dancing Queen glides through its verses, effortlessly moves through the bridge and builds to soar through an epiphany of a chorus that still sends a shiver down the spine.

The lyrics are dreadful bilge though. Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah! But who cares?

 

Blimey. Thank you, Tony Parsons.

 

People who talk bad about Stevie Winwood.

 

Also Super Trouper and Lay All Your Love on Me from about the same period. BTW, The Winner Takes It All is in the key of G flat major - very sophisticated for a pop song.

Generally, I think their best stuff comes from their later period, but obviously Knowing Me, Knowing You and Dancing Queen are classics and I Have a Dream and Fernando are quite underrated.

 

Someone has to do it.

 

His brother is a Hornet.

 

I never said he comes from a bad family.

 

I'm just going to put it down to ignorance of Steve's work. There can't be any other explanation.

 

I have to say he seemed an odd choice to bracket with Stock Aitken Waterman and Chris de Burgh.

 

True. I’m only aware of his dreary run of singles which maybe are not representative. All I’m saying is that radio friendly in the 80s was generally hideous.

But I take it back, as it is annoying when people make partial and prejudicial takes about music others hold dear.

 

Just listened to that for the first time in yonks and I'd forgotten how good that song is. It has a dark vibe to it that you don't tend to associate with ABBA.

That song and Lay Your Love on Me are essential for trying to convert people who dismiss ABBA as nothing more than bubble gum pop. Even the more upbeat Super Trouper is quite deep, with its Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies and the theme of superstardom causing disconnect and loneliness.

I think they were better as a singles than album band (like the Beach Boys to a lesser extent, Pet Sounds apart) as their album-only tracks were quite uneven.

 

Nah, it's fine. I presumed that given your age, you'd have experienced Traffic, Spencer Davis Group and Blind Faith as well as Stevie's blue eyed soul of the 80s.

 

Written by the male member of a couple splitting up for the female member to sing ie it's his words, but they are written from her perspective.

'The Day Before You Came' is quite dark - well, enigmatic - too. Who or what is 'you'? We presume it is a lover, but it could be any sort of life-changing person or event. We never find out.

 

See post above, HH! It's a great song and not one of their better known.

 

I'm pleased that someone else likes it because most people look blank when I mention it.

Do you know this cover? (I like the dog and the early 80s British Rail rolling stock).

 

But I’m only 23.

 

You've been posting on here since you were about 6 then.

 

Anyway, I don’t wish to run down music people hold dear. I just believe the mid to late 80s was a torrid time for radio playlists.

 

Come on, who could forget Red Box, Matt Bianco, the Blow Monkeys and Go West?

 

Dont worry, you haven't made it onto my beefs list for this.

For countless other things, but not this.

 

Someone disinclined to masochism?

 

Corruption like this. The former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre is obviously unfit to be OFCOM boss, but what does that matter to his mates with the power?

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2...ul-dacre-for-ofcom-job?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

Klaxon! Politics!

 

A group that's well over 40 years old and yet still manages to be streamed the most on Spotify by the 18-24 bracket is clearly in very rarified company.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that don't care for ABBA's music, but anyone who doesn't recognise they are a phenomenally successful and influential group to have the longevity they have had is almost certainly not looking at their musical legacy objectively.

 

I was a bit worried that ABBA might be running a risk of staining their reputation if they made listeners too disappointed.

 

Like HH24 has said, early indications are that people are actually impressed with the new stuff.

Having said that, even if it flopped spectacularly I don't think it would have impacted them much in the long run. The vast majority of musical acts have produced subpar or poor work at some point (especially the groups spanning multiple decades).

I suspect if the new stuff doesn't pass the longevity test people will just shrug and focus on the older material. It won't get any worse just because the new stuff doesn't measure up.

 

Damn you. I thought I’d got that under the radar.

 

Hmmm red box ??