BBAF!

Date
May 9, 2012


Miracler
Chris von Sneidern


Location
San Francisco


CvS! It's been AGES.
I know! Far too long. Especially when you remember how much you loved the last one, in Dec. '10, Folk Songs from the Old Kit Bag. That mix is a perfect example of why I'm still doing The Prodge. Imagine not having been introduced to "Old Bourbon," or "All I Need Is You"! My life would be measurably smaller, and I'm not exaggerating. 


And y'all responded similarly, with, 'I listened to this sublime mix from start to finish, and thought of people who I would definitely be sharing it with. A loop indeed,' 'This mix hangs so well together, it feels like a soundtrack. Maybe to rainy winter? Love the first song. From there, each song drips gorgeously into the next, all the way through to the last,' 'This is such a great mix, distractingly lovely,' 'Good stuff Chris. Makes me feel like putting together a wood working shop, so I could blast this mix as I made a rocking horse. Or something,' 'Relaxing mix of songs, none of which I had. After the Revolution, brothers & sisters, we will play our campfire sitars under the stars,' 'Listened to this mix while working all night on a project. Hypnotic,' 'A nice, mellow, relaxing, slightly twisted mix. Well done!,' 'Years ago, I'd see Duncan Browne albums in the cutout bin. I was always curious about his music. Thanks to your mix, I'm a fan,' 'I really like this mix, I play it and am not sure which decade is bleeding into which, the soulful side of folk expressed, the JWH quite fine and present—Thanks,' 'Timeless might be over used, but here I will use it. Timeless,' 'This one's a beauty, Chris. Almost makes me wish it wasn't so sunny outside this week. The Strawbs song alone sent me down an internet rathole for about 3 hours. Thanks, pal,' 'This mix is really nice. It just washes over the soul and erases the jitters of a long day,' 'As always, I love your mixes. Keep them coming!,' and so on/forth.


Prior to that mix, CvS gave us the rich/moody song cycle I'd Rather Feel Normal Than Happy 2008 in Nov. '08. Now join me in the present, where we've been treated to an early summer confection that after the above comments could only be described as a change of pace. Let's look in.


Liner Notes by CvS: 
BBAF! Benny, Björn, Agnetha & Frida!

Welcome back to ABBA. You’ve been gone for a while. Here is a refresher- Benny Andersson is the taller, jollier one who pretty much always had a beard of some sort, and apparently, a drinking problem. Björn Ulvaeus is the little guy, maybe Sweden’s answer to Beach Boys’ Al Jardine, perhaps even shorter! Agnetha Fältskog is the blonde, and it’s true, she was married to Björn; she’s visibly upset while he reads a comic book, or whatever, on the Greatest Hits LP. Benny was married to the other one, Frida; they’re the ones kissing. Either way, they’re all long divorced, like Fleetwood Mac! Frida’s had a few hairstyles and colors, but my favorite was the brown/black with the white silky dress. Her name is Anni-Frid Lyngstad, so I guess the ABBA name is actually very clever, indeed.  If you visit Specchio on Mission St. in SF, you’ll see one ABBA member painted on each of the four restroom doors, and go check that out soon, ‘cos I think that restaurant is not long for this world.

The official logo, using the bold version of the News Gothic typeface, was designed by Rune Söderqvist. Like superstar groups, they had a logo that ended up on everything associated with them after the fact. I imagine the roadies went nutty, painting that backwards B thing on every road case and whatnot, like you do…when you’re thirteen.

In compiling this, I recently listened to all of their nine studio albums. I got about ¾ of the way through, lastly laboring through The Visitors and Super Trouper, but refusing to include any of that. Maybe it’s my age, but I don’t like synth pads and slick pianos that say “young republicans” to me. I may change.

So, selected for you is a mix of some deep cuts that I just felt needed another listen, and some of my favorites of their hits, but in other languages. You may have noticed, but some people, especially Europeans, just love to show off their ability to speak anything other than English! It’s pretty cute, especially in that Swedish accent, which makes even the most virile of men sound a bit fey.

I won’t give you a track-by-track account. However, I must say that “Crazy World” is pretty bizarre (so many questions I have!) and that trilogy of “Pick a Bale of Cotton…” is somewhere between awesome and shameful. It does bring to mind those ‘70s variety shows where nothing was outstanding, especially on the Christmas specials.  “Fernando” sung in Spanish makes it even better, and that version was actually the inspiration for this whole comp.

After all my irreverent comments, I must state that this is not a guilty pleasure, nor some smirking blast of irony. ABBA is totally fantastic- their songs, singing, and their very expensive-sounding production. I believe Polar studio might have been one of the best of its day.  You could burn yourself out on this fluff and stuff; it’s got a lot of sugar on top.

PS never mind the outfits.

Mix is UP. NEW-ish password is in your email.

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XOK