Waterloo (album)

Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the first released internationally. It was originally released in Sweden on 4 March 1974 through Polar Music. The album's title track won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and became a worldwide smash-hit, launching the group's career.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Overview  ==Overview[ edit] == 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.
 * 2 Track listing[2]
 * 2.1 CD Version
 * 3 CD re-issues, bonus tracks
 * 4 Singles
 * 5 Reception
 * 6 Personnel
 * 6.1 Additional musicians
 * 6.2 Production
 * 7 Chart positions
 * 7.1 Album
 * 7.2 40th Anniversary Edition
 * 7.3 Singles
 * 8 Certifications
 * 9 References
 * 10 External links

The original 1974 Polar Music edition of the album opens with the Swedish version of the title track and closes with the English-language version. The American version of the album, released through Atlantic Records, closes with a 1974 remix of "Ring Ring". In the United Kingdom/Ireland and several other European markets, the original 1973 version of "Ring Ring" was added as track 6 on side 2. The cover features the sub-title "Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida" although some editions replaced 'Agnetha' with 'Anna' – by which Agnetha Fältskog was known in some countries.[1]

Waterloo peaked at the top of the charts in Sweden and Norway, charting highly in many other countries as well. In 2004, it was certified platinum in Germany, thirty years after its release.

Waterloo was the group's first album released in most countries outside Scandinavia, and the first to be credited to "ABBA" (the band was originally referred to as "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid". However, to avoid confusion, they were called "ABBA (Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida)". The "Honey, Honey" single was the first release to refer to the group as ABBA and nothing else.

Although it was featured on Greatest Hits and The Best of ABBA, track "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" was never released as a single A-side. It was the first track to be recorded for the Waterlooalbum on 24 September 1973 at Metronome Studio, and was inspired by Phil Spector hits of the early 1960s. ==Track listing[2] [ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;">All songs written and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted. ===CD Version<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==CD re-issues, bonus tracks<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Singles<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;">The album contained four singles:
 * (P) 1974 Polar Music International AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
 * The original album release of Waterloo in 1974 with Polar.
 * Waterloo was remastered and reissued in 1997 with the same track listing as the original vinyl records. Note that the original Polydor CD issued in 1990 swapped the tracks "Watch Out" and "What About Livingstone?". The 1997 remaster followed this anomaly.
 * Waterloo was remastered and reissued in 2001 with two bonus tracks not found on previous releases. It also swaps the respective versions of the title track so that the CD begins with the English version. The track listing goes (in order):
 * Waterloo – 30th Anniversary Edition contained several bonus tracks and a bonus DVD that included the following tracks (in order on disc):
 * Waterloo was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of the box set of The Complete Studio Recordings with several bonus tracks, including (in order on disc):
 * Waterloo was reissued once again in 2008 as part of the box set of The Albums, but without any of the previously released bonus tracks.
 * Waterloo – 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition was released on 7 April 2014 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group's victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The track listing is as follows:

==Reception<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Personnel<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Additional musicians<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Production<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Chart positions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Album<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===40th Anniversary Edition<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Singles<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Certifications<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * 1) "Waterloo"/"Watch Out" (March 1974)
 * 2) "Honey Honey"/"King Kong Song" (April 1974)
 * 3) "Honey Honey"/"Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" (September 1974) (Australia only)
 * 4) "Hasta Mañana"/"Watch Out" (October 1974)
 * Benny Andersson – piano, keyboards, vocals, moog synthesizer, mellotron
 * Agnetha Fältskog – vocals
 * Anni-Frid Lyngstad – vocals
 * Björn Ulvaeus – acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals
 * Ola Brunkert – drums
 * Christer Eklund – tenor saxophone on "Waterloo"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scott.2C_Robert_2002_p.38_4-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.909090995788574px;">[4]
 * Malando Gassama – percussion, conga on "Sitting in the Palmtree"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scott.2C_Robert_2002_p.38_4-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.909090995788574px;">[4]
 * Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
 * Per Sahlberg – bass on "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scott.2C_Robert_2002_p.38_4-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.909090995788574px;">[4]
 * Janne Schaffer – guitar
 * Sven-Olof Walldoff – string arrangement on "Honey, Honey"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scott.2C_Robert_2002_p.38_4-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.909090995788574px;">[4]
 * 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