Pitchfork

Hearing this 2xCD greatest hits compilation (which combines the ubiquitous Abba Gold with the lesser-known More Abba Gold) makes me wonder about the Pitchfork demographic. The Swedish supergroup Abba are not the kind of unit whose music gets "rediscovered" by new generations of fans the way, say, '70s funk does. No question, the people who buy reissued Abba albums now are the people who heard and liked Abba back in the day. If you weren't there (read: you're less than 25 years old), this stuff sounds terrible-- nothing more than cold, calculated pop from the era before videos. For those of us who had some childhood in the "Me Decade," these well-crafted songs do what oldies are supposed to do: take you back to a fuzzy, warm, innocent time. I sense a generational rift afoot... Hmm, could be trouble.

On to the package itself. The Abba Gold disc has all the well-known hits-- love 'em or hate 'em, you've heard 'em all of before. "Dancing Queen," "Mama Mia," "The Winner Takes It All..." must I go on? All dominated late '70s radio and most have since appeared in films (most notably in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding) and advertisements galore. The More Abba Gold disc scrapes the bottom of the barrel for such a narrowly focused hit machine. But in truth, most of these songs are just as strong and catchy (and terrible, depending) as the legitimate hits.

All told, the two discs offer a generous 39 slabs of... something. And what that something is is for you to decide. Inspired golden greats or worthless pap? Cynical product or stellar craftsmanship? Hot snot in a champagne glass or a cold booger in a Dixie cup? For the hipster kids, the set rates a rock bottom 0.0. For the graying readers in our midst with a taste for pop perfection, it's an easy 10. So let's split the difference and get on with our lives. Anybody up for a hug?