Abba - ABBA

Abba took a risk by launching this 1975 album (their second) with "Mamma Mia." How do you possibly follow that up? Simple--wait two songs and then zoom into "SOS," one of the best pop songs ever written. The rest of the album does not quite reach those dizzying heights, but it's strong nevertheless. Abba is all over the map, as if the band was still putting the finishing touches on its identity. Some songs, most notably "Hey, Hey Helen" and "Rock Me," are sustained by classic glam, Gary Glitter-like riffs. There's also the neoclassical, quasiprog instrumental "Intermezzo No. 1." This CD's two bonus tracks include the rather banal "Crazy World" (the B-side of the "Money, Money, Money" single) and the downright bizarre "Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special." The only cover Abba ever recorded, this medley was recorded in 1975 for a German charity album and was remixed in 1978 for the B-side of the "Summer Night City" single. --Elisabeth Vincentelli