Waterloo (album)

Recording sessions for Waterloo began on 24 September 1973 with the track "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)". This song was unusual in that it is the only ABBA track not to feature member Benny Andersson on keyboards, but instead featured American pianist John Rabbit Bundrick who was in Sweden at the time.[3] Bundrick, however, was not credited on the album. Three weeks later the next two songs ("Suzy-Hang-Around" and "My Mama Said") went into the studio. A recording sheet from the day credits the artist as "ABBA", the first time the name was ever used in writing, the group until now being called "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid", although their manager Stig Andersson had informally been calling them ABBA with the media for some time. The former of these songs marks the only time Benny Andersson sang lead on a track. Two more tracks were recorded on 17 October; "What About Livingstone" and "Honey Honey" – the latter being the second single released from the album in most countries. "King Kong Song" was recorded on 14 November, a song which members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus today single out as one of their weakest tracks.[3] This was also the date in which it was announced that ABBA were to appear at the Swedish selection for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. From that point, recording sessions speeded up and the rest of the tracks were recorded. Two songs were up for consideration for their Eurovision entry; "Waterloo" and "Hasta Mañana". The group preferred the former but felt the latter was a more safe bet. Ultimately they chose "Waterloo" as it was more the direction they wished to take the group. "Waterloo" and "Watch Out" were recorded on the same day – the songs that made up the lead single and its B-side.[3]

"Waterloo" swept to victory at the Swedish heats and the group represented Sweden in Brighton for the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. ABBA won the contest and "Waterloo" became not only a massive hit in Europe but all over the world (peaking at No.6 in the US for example).[2] In Sweden, the album had already been released and topped the Swedish album charts for 12 weeks, becoming one of the biggest-selling Swedish albums ever to that point. In the UK the album made No.28,[2] the first time a foreign Eurovision act had charted an album and it performed well in the rest of Europe.[3]

Reviews of the album were positive with Phonograph Record's Greg Shaw stating that it "might just turn out to be one of the classic début LPs of the '70s". Rolling Stone also gave the album a favourable review.[3] In a 3-star review, AllMusic said that it was "a beautiful album".

Waterloo was first released on CD in Sweden in 1988; a West German CD release followed in 1990 (later released internationally). The album has been reissued in digitally remastered form three times; first in 1997, then in 2001 and again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set. It was also released as a special 30th Anniversary edition in 2004, celebrating 30 years of the group's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest. The album was released yet again in 2014 as 40th anniversary edition with bonus tracks and bonus DVD. This version of the album re-entered the UK album charts.[4]

The cover features the sub-title "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida" although some editions replaced 'Agnetha' with 'Anna' – by which Agnetha Fältskog was known in some countries.[5]

• The international LP edition omits the Swedish version of Waterloo and moved the English version to the start of side one.
• The American LP edition utilises the international tracklisting but added the US remix of "Ring Ring" to the end of side two.
• The UK LP edition utilises the international tracklisting but added the original English version of "Ring Ring" to the end of side two.
• The 1990 edition issued by Polydor swapped the tracks "Watch Out" and "What About Livingstone?"
• The 2001 edition swaps the respective versions of the title track so that the CD begins with the English version.

• Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals (4), co-lead vocals (1, 5, 6, 7, 9), backing vocals
• Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead vocals (10), co-lead vocals (1, 5, 6. 7, 9), backing vocals
• Benny Andersson – piano, keyboards, moog synthesizer, mellotron, clavinet, lead vocals (11), co-lead vocals (3, 6), backing vocals
• Björn Ulvaeus – acoustic guitar, guitar, lead vocals (2, 3, 8), co-lead vocals (6, 7), backing vocals[6]

Additional musicians

• Ola Brunkert – drums
• Malando Gassama – congas and güiro on "Sitting in the Palmtree", tambourine on "Hasta manana"
• Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
• Janne Schaffer – electric guitars
• Per Sahlberg – percussion and bass on "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"[7]
• John "Rabbit" Bundrick – keyboards on "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" (not credited on the album sleeve)
• Christer Eklund – tenor saxophone on "Waterloo"[7]
• Sven-Olof Walldoff – string arrangement on "Honey, Honey"[7]

Production

• Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus – producers
• Michael B. Tretow – engineer
• Ola Lager – photography
• Ron Spaulding – original album design
• Jon Astley; Tim Young; Michael B. Tretow – remastering for the 1997 Remasters
• Jon Astley; Michael B. Tretow – remastered for the 2001 Remasters
• Henrik Jonsson – remastering for The Complete Studio Recordings box set

• Waterloo at Discogs (list of releases)