Buried in the mix!

According to engineer Michael B. Tretow, Benny was always the one most keen to fill every available space on the ABBA recordings. Ultimately, though, there is only so much the human ear is able to process!  Many ABBA songs contain extra layers of vocals and instrumental overdubs that became casualties of the mixing desk, because there just wasn’t enough room to give them the attention they deserve.

It is surprising just how much is laid down – and what casualties of the process are left wanting – after all is mixed down ready for release. Take the second verse of  “Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)” for example.  Listen beyond the obvious upfront vocal and backing track. You’ll hear electric guitarist Janne Schaffer playing a poignant solo beneath Agnetha’s lead.  Another is Lasse Wellander’s exquisite acoustic guitar playing  in the verses of “Dum Dum Diddle” that is all but smothered by the girls’ vocals. The guitar sparkles like gold here; his contribution to this song is justifiably singled out in the original liner notes.

Again in “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, there is a neat backing vocal courtesy of Agnetha just discernable in the chorus, but you rarely hear it reproduced when cover bands perform this song. It occurs over the phrase “time we’re through” and again on “have to go”. The extra vocal line descends one tone at a time, on each of the three words in each phrase. Listen also for the glockenspiel countermelody during the electric guitars’ twin-layered lead in the refrain. It is virtually inaudible in the studio recording of “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, but you can see it  take centre stage in the live version from the 1981 Dick Cavett Meets ABBA show, stylishly executed by percussionist Åke Sundqvist.

Just three of many gems … and there’s the odd bum note in a few! Check out verse one of “The Name Of The Game”: Benny’s synthesiser doubles Rutger Gunnarsson’s bass part in one of ABBA’s funkiest refrains. At the end of the phrase “it seems to me”, the synth note clashes with the bass. Unless you listen for it, you would never know. Channel separation reveals all …

Elaine Paige & angular ABBA melodies

Hi there!

I recently saw a performance of the diva of musical theatre, Elaine Paige, in my hometown of Brisbane.  It was a superb evening of entertainment, and I for one will be lining up for the special 40th Anniversary DVD, filmed live at the Sydney State Theatre.  Elaine delivered an extraordinary and almost flawless performance, and of course I eagerly anticipated her tribute to the music of Benny and Bjorn.

This arrived in the second half. The atmosphere was superbly set by a CHESS overture featuring the exotic Bangkok and the CHESS signature instrumental.  It was fascinating  to watch such a treasure trove of theatrical songs spanning forty odd years, and to hear how seamlessly Benny and Bjorn’s material slotted in to the groove.  It also revealed how deceptively challenging songs like  Someone Else’s Story and I Know Him So Well (the featured two) are to sing, particularly live.  Very angular melodies in both; little wonder Elaine needed more than a costume change to prepare for them.

This angular approach to melody writing (where the melody line leaps around quite considerably) is showcased in another CHESS song,  Nobody’s Side, where Florence’s vocal acrobatics in the verses served an important story-telling role in the form of a musical recitative.

Back in the ABBA days, angular writing permeates theatrical songs like Thank You For The Music and I Wonder (Departure) among others. For Agnetha, The Winner Takes It All and Happy New Year would also have demanded some considerable warm-up period before recording; both lead vocals contain sizeable leaps across two octaves.  So too for Frida,  the unashamedly thespian I Let The Music Speak. These songs are true performance vehicles for the ABBA women.

Who knows?  Like Elaine,  Agnetha and Frida may one day feel similarly inspired to celebrate a milestone in their entertainment careers … a 40th anniversary of their first recording together perhaps? If not, there are plenty more milestones waiting in the wings …

Best regards,

Chris