Album: ABBA
Artist: ABBA
Year: 1975

1. Mamma Mia
2. Hey, Hey Helen
3. Tropical Loveland
4. SOS
5. Man in the Middle
6. Bang-A-Boomerang
7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
8. Rock Me
9. Intermezzo No. 1
10. I’ve Been Waiting For You
11. So Long

I was introduced to ABBA’s music as a kid and they were probably the first non-children’s band I ever sang along to. While many of their songs from a lyrical standpoint don’t rise above your run-of-the-mill pop band, they rose above it by having great harmonies and some excellent guitar and piano work by Benny and Bjorn.

The popular songs from their self-titled album are Mamma Mia, SOS, and Rock Me, which I remember singing out loud as a kid and still love to do now. Two of the pleasant surprises from this album are Hey, Hey Helen (about a women leaving her abusive husband) and Tropical Loveland about…a tropical loveland, but it’s a very catchy tune. But easily the hidden gem here is Intermezzo No 1, a rockin’ instrumental that really shows off Benny’s talents and makes me long for an Intermezzo No 2.

My favorite ABBA songs are on other albums (Knowing Me, Knowing You; Take a Chance on Me; One of Us) but their self-titled album is the most consistent from beginning to end.