STOOI([|OLl| SY]{DROI|I Fortieth anniversary of the album that changed pop music forever.

King Kong song,which appears to ABBA b€ the work of an åctualmaniac, WATERLOtl: bubblegum pop accompanied by DEI.UXE actual female screams. Wate oo EOITION constantlydisplays its era in oddly dated moments, such as watch out which, with its absurd "l'm gonna tame ln1974,pop you, wild thing" claim and kinky beät, musi€ had sounds more like The sweetthan returned to its roots - as music for anlthing else, while the cardboard teenagerc, reflected änd diluted by drums, Dictaphone-speaker guitär glam into shiny, empty copies of 1950s and ple€cy bass suggest it was recorded pop. At its best, it crossed over into in a Ryman's stockroom htherthan the rock (Bowie, Rory) and soul, which legendary Polar Studios. was enjoying orchest€l mäiesqr before Attimes,this is a collection of compressing itself into disco. At its novelty songs. Even the languorous worst, it was nutless soda pop sung by Hasta Maiana owes moreto Dawn's Tie fat m€n who appeared to havebe€n A Yellow Ribbon Round The ole oäk eating glitter from the bag and still had Tree to an)rthing else. "Where isthe some on theirface, But in 1974, a dreamwewere dreaming?" sighs a Swedish group composed oftwo voiceover, and the whole thing is the courtingcouples (who'd also been four sound of Sunday lunch andtricyclesin hu rdy-gurdy powered solo artists) the pa.k. And there are not words to dressed themselves in glamgear- describe What About LMngstone? - sparkly clothes, platform boots, glitter what about him, indeed? sury-Heng- on thei. cheekbones -and destroyed Around is a playground song with a a boringinternational TVshow with weird buzzing drone throughout, like e songthat wastothe midrTos what The Beach Boys described by awasp. Please Please Meand Pretty Vacant It! catchy but odd. And there's Honey, were to their rcspective eläs. Honey, classically daft earlyABBA Nobody knew at the time, but (two-word title, s€cond word the same the harmonic, monotone gallop as or rhymingwith thefirst) of ABBA'S Waterloo would, in afew galumphing on oompah rh)rthms. thrilled years, chang€ the shape of pop But there is greatness here,My ever after. Before ABBA, popular music Mama Said - geat iitteryfunk riff, was either informed by black music treatedvo€als,teen lyric ("T.ied to (Motown,The Beatles) or it was no sneak out without saying, with my good. After ABBA, pop music could be loudest record playing') has the European. ABBA - clean and classical, melancholy and ghostly vocals of blonde and continental, happy and sad the bestABBA, Gonna SingYou My -changed 70s music so thoroughly Lovesong is almost a power ballad, that they invented the'80s and five years before power ballads were the '90s at the same time. inv€nted with a lovelyvocal and Much ofthis was to come läter Wings-y Moog. Better was to come, (in particulårthe cool beauty oftheir but waterloo - also accompanied late-period records), but here, on by various remixed and differently 1974's album Waterloo,the future languag€d singles - is still is already planted. Not that you'd extraordinary. **** recognise theABBA of The Day Before DAVID QUANTICK YouCamein Sitting ln The Palmtree, Downloåd: My Mama Said I conna the whitest reggae songofall time, or Sing You My Lovesong I Waterloo t22 Q MAY 20t4 s€ &ipl -! ' *i*

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