ABBA International: Svenska, Deutsche, Español, Français (Sampler)

Hello all,
For today's post, I have assembled a collection of ABBA songs in four languages other than English (Swedish, German, Spanish, and French).
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Included is every (or so I hope) non-English recording by ABBA of songs they had originally recorded in English.
In addition, ABBA recorded a few songs in Swedish only ("Åh, Vilka Tider" and birthday songs for Görel Hanser and Stig Anderson), and those are also included.
"Hej Gamle Man," credited to Björn & Benny but featuring backing vocals by Agnetha and Frida, was the quartet's first hit, and was also recorded in a German version included here.
Furthermore, the individual members of ABBA recorded a few ABBA songs in Swedish as solo artists. In fact, Frida's Swedish version of "Fernando" was the original recording of the song, and its success prompted ABBA to record an English version as a group.
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All ten tracks from ABBA's 1980 album "Gracias Por La Música" are included here (tracks 2-11 on disc 2). "Gracias Por La Música" is notable as the only full-length studio album that ABBA recorded in a language other than English (Spanish), and was intended to be the group's big breakthrough into the Latin American market. Not only did the album succeed, but the Spanish version of Chiquitita proved a very popular song in Spanish-speaking countries (such as Mexico, where it was a Number 1 single for 30 weeks!).
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Included are five songs performed by artists other than ABBA (four by Lena Andersson and one by Mireille Mathieu).
Although not a member of ABBA, Lena Andersson performed backing vocals in their 1977 tour (she can be seen in "ABBA-The Movie"). Her one Swedish- and three German-language recordings featured the original ABBA backing tracks and were intended as the "official" recordings of those songs in their respective languages, hence their inclusion. If I remember correctly, all four are from Youtube and vary in sound quality.
Mireille Mathieu was of course not an ABBA member, but her French-language recording of "The Winner Takes It All" is included as it was produced by Björn and Benny and includes Frida in the backing choir.
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UPDATE: I realise I don't have the French/Swedish medley of "Waterloo" in my iTunes library, so I overlooked it. When I have a chance to re-rip my CD copy of the TYFTM box set (which is currently stored in another city) I will update the download links to include it.
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Disc 1: Germanic Languages

Swedish:

01. Hej Gamle Man! (Björn & Benny, 1970)
02. Det Ken Ingen Doktor Hjälpa (Björn & Benny, 1971)
03. En Karusell (Björn & Benny, 1972)
- Swedish version of "Merry Go Round."
04. Åh, Vilka Tider (ABBA, 1973)
- The only officially-released song credited to all four members that was never recorded in English.
05. Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal) (ABBA, 1973)
06. Waterloo (ABBA, 1974)
07. Honey, Honey (ABBA, 1974)
08. Hasta Mañana (Lena Andersson, 1974)
- This recording featured the original ABBA backing track and was (presumably) Stig-produced.
09. S.O.S. (Agnetha Fältskog, 1975)
10. Fernando (Frida, 1975)
- This recording predates the English-language ABBA version.
11. Mina Ögon (Agnetha Fältskog, 1975)
- Swedish version of "Disillusion."
12. Sång Till Görel (ABBA, 1979)
- Recorded for Görel Hanser's 30th birthday; released as a private-issue one-sided single (Rare!).
13. Hovas Vittne (ABBA, 1981)
- Recorded for Stig Anderson's 50th birthday; released as a promo single for those attending the party (Rare!).
14. Tivedshambo (ABBA, 1986)
- Live vocal version of Stig's first hit, recorded 16 January 1986.
- This public broadcast was ABBA's first and only reformation after their "split" in 1986, making it both rare and historically significant.

German:

15. Hey Musikant! (Björn & Benny, 1973)
- German version of "Hej Gamle Man!"
16. Ring Ring (ABBA, 1973)
17. Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht (1974)
- German version of "Another Town, Another Train."
18. Waterloo (ABBA, 1974)
19. S.O.S. (Lena Andersson, 1975)
20. Hasta Mañana (Lena Andersson, 1975)
21. Fernando (...Und Der Himmel War Zum Greifen Nah) (Lena Andersson, 1976)
- Tracks 19-21 feature the original ABBA backing tracks and were (presumably) produced by Stig.

Disc 2: Romance Languages

Spanish:

01. Ring Ring (ABBA, 1973)
02. Gracias Por La Música (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Thank You For The Music."
03. La Reina Del Baile (Reina Danzante) (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Dancing Queen."
04. Al Andar (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Move On."
05. ¡Dáme! ¡Dáme! ¡Dáme! (Amor Esta Noche) (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)."
06. Fernando (ABBA, 1980)
07. Estoy Soñando (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "I Have A Dream."
08. ¡Mamma Mia! (ABBA, 1980)
09. Hasta Mañana (ABBA, 1980)
10. Conociéndome, Conociéndote (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You."
11. Chiquitita (ABBA, 1980)
12. Andante, Andante (ABBA, 1980)
13. Felicidad (ABBA, 1980)
- Spanish version of "Happy New Year."
14. No Hay A Quien Culpar (ABBA, 1981)
- Spanish version of "When All Is Said And Done."
15. Se Me Está Escapando (ABBA, 1981)
- Spanish version of "Slipping Through My Fingers."

French:

16. Waterloo (ABBA, 1974)
17. Bravo, Tu As Gagné (Mireille Mathieu, 1981)
- French version of "The Winner Takes It All," produced by Björn and Benny with Frida in the backing choir.

Multilingual:

18. Ring Ring (ABBA, 1973)
- Medley of Swedish, Spanish, and German versions from the "Thank You For The Music" box set in 1994.
Bonus:
19. Tivedshambo (ABBA, 1981)
- Instrumental recording of Stig Anderson's first hit, included as the B-Side of the "Hovas Vittne" promo single.

Get Disc 1 here and Disc 2 here!

P.S. You can get a collection of ABBA covers in French here.

Enjoy!
And, as always, any comments are much appreciated. :)

A Few ABBA-Related Downloads

Hello all,
Just a quick post for today. I'd like to highlight a few ABBA-related downloads from around the internet.
As many of these are bootlegs, in some cases the sound quality is quite poor, I wouldn't recommend any of these if you are only a casual fan. Start with the officially-released studio albums, and if they leave you wanting more, by all means... :)

The "ABBA Just Like That" blog has a post chock-full of ABBA bootlegs. My favourites are:
- Live in London (from the original BBC Transcription Disc; GREAT sound quality)
- The Polar Music Vaults, Vol. 1 & 2 (full of rarities in GREAT sound quality)
- "Sång Til Görel" and "Hovas Vittne," both of which are VERY rare
- Live in Japan
- Live in Milwaukee (wonderful sound for a bootleg fan recording, and full of energy)
- Live in Sydney
- Agnetha 12" Remixes
- Odds & Ends

You can find a review of ABBA covers in French at "Reprises des Chansons d'ABBA en Français," and if you scroll down the page you can download an album containing most of the songs. Some of the renditions are ABBAsolutely splendid (others less so, but such can be expected).

At the "bTd ABBA MIDI Archive" you can find a good number of MIDI files of ABBA songs.

Also, Mikory's ABBA Blog is updated daily with an "ABBA Pic of the Day" and other interesting posts.

Finally, you are more than welcome to check out my ABBA posts:
- Random ABBA Info
- ABBA-esque Sampler

Have an ABBAsolutely awesome day :)
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And, as a bonus, here is a video of Mireille Mathieu singing (lip-sync) "Bravo, Tu As Gagné," the French version of "The Winner Takes It All."

Random Facts/Observations about France and the French

Here are some random things I have noticed about France and the French, in no particular order:

- People eat tomatoes as if they were apples or oranges
- Both pedestrians and drivers are super aggressive, constantly battling it out for right-of-way
- People actually ride public transportation here
- You are expected to bring your own (re-usable) shopping bags to the store… Most chain stores charge 0.03€ per bag if you need disposable plastic bags, although most also sell re-usable shopping bags for 1-2€
- Milk is sterilised and sold at room temperature... You don't chill it until you are ready to use it... When at room temp, its shelf life is at least a couple of months...
- The university system is very different here (I will devote a full post on this at some point)
- The Post Office is also a bank
- Air conditioning is not nearly as common here as in the US, mainly because buildings tend to be much older… Air conditioned businesses will usually have a sign telling you they are “climatisé,” because it is pretty rare
- Cars here are tiny
- Wine and beer are super cheap here, as are cheeses
- Burgers here absolutely suck
- French people do not speak as loudly as Americans, not even on the phone… In fact, Americans have a (well-deserved) reputation of being extremely loud and unpolished
- Waiters and Shopkeepers are more than willing to argue with you or be catty/rude… The concept that the “customer is always right” does NOT exist here
- In many smaller restaurants or bakeries, you have to pay extra to eat at the restaurant rather than take food to go… However, once you have bought something, you may sit there as long as you want (until the place closes, of course), because you have essentially rented your seat
- Although many foods here are fatty and high in calories, food is less likely to be processed, and portions are much smaller, so people tend to be much healthier here (and obesity is much less common)
- Outlets/Plugs are quite a bit bigger here than in the USA, and you need an adaptor to use American stuff here
- The toilet is in a room separate from the shower and sink... This room is called a "WC" (short for "Water Closet")
- Most toilets have two buttons for flushing, depending on how much water is needed

OK, all for now…