In which The Curmudgeons take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on ABBA, one of the most endearing pop bands of its era. This Swedish quartet has taken its lumps from critics and snarky scenesters over the years, being labeled cheesy, or inauthentic, or too corny to be taken seriously. We think all of that flak nonsense. We love this band, who lit up the universe with their charming, smile-inducing, dance-up-a-storm hits. ABBA served up something for everyone--empathetic ballads, disco anthems, earnest love songs and way-too-happy-sounding pop nuggets about heartbreak and divorce. We defend them mightily on this episode, and also meditate on their wonderful run of singles over the course of the 1970s.
Enjoy the awesome music of ABBA by accessing our special Spotify playlist"
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4MtuWgQaSSSsunw5nKLDO3?si=68ab2ebe29a847f0
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:
(00:52 - 02:53) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for defense of ABBA
(03:07 - 16:48) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new music from Julia Mestre and Sam Fender
(16:47 - 43:46) - We snicker at lame, misguided critiques of ABBA and dispel five myths that aim to taint their legacy
(45:10 - 01:28:23) - We explore ABBA's origin story as a sort of Swedish supergroup, and then we analyze a string of extraordinary ABBA singles
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Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
