After a quick strings, a funky disco beat and synths kick in to intro "As Good As New," which describes the spirit ABBA has since the merely great Album. A standout track.

The title track, another candidate for Studio 54, has as backing musicians members of the group Foxy, the pulsing bass and burst of horns in tune with the disco era. That's followed by Frida's vocal on the inspirational ballad "I Have A Dream," on that dream or fantasy that make life worth living.

Put on your dancing shoes for the next four songs. "Angeleyes," about a louse who likes to hypnotize young girls with those eyes, is sung from the POV of a former victim. "The King Has Lost His Crown," when he loses his new girl, so the song goes in this Frida-lead song.

I've always liked the catchiness of this tune, but ever since seeing Johnny English, hearing this elicits a snicker out of me. The single "Does Your Mother Know", sung by Bjorn, with its leading bass keyboards and rock guitar, on a young lady who may be out having a good time without her mother's knowledge. It's also the track Rowan Atkinson's character is doing a karaoke to in an embarrassing bathroom sequence, funny faces and all, played to the audience at the coronation scene in the movie. My favourite track here.

"If It Wasn't For The Nights" is just asking to be included on a Pure Disco or Best of Disco compilation with the strings and drums, and the theme of the nights being an escape after an unrewarding day, much like Tony Manero of Sat. Night Fever.

"Chiquitita" is one of Agnetha's better ballads, and was the song they did at the UNICEF benefit concert less than a week before the divorce announcement of Bjorn and Agnetha. The engaging measured rhythm in the chorus reminds me a bit of the Beatles' "Don't Pass Me By." The B-side, "Lovelight," is more upbeat.

Frida announces the medical claim that "Lovers (Live A Little Longer)," which gives lovers a chance to live twice in this swinging disco number. That's followed by the high energy "Kisses Of Fire."

The bouncy Bee-Gees' sounding "Summer Night City" was another song that didn't make it on the original release, odd, as it was a Top Ten hit in many countries. And if anything fits disco, it's yet another song originally left off Voulez-Vous. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" with its piercing flute sound, bass, and string-synths is perfect for those dancing shoes and poofed up Afros, as it was also included on the Pure Disco 2 compilation. It's what "Money Money Money" would be dressed up in disco instrumentation.

A marked improvement over The Album, and given the near year it took for the album, where for a while, every other song idea was rejected, Voulez-Vous stands out as one of ABBA's best albums, and I detect a more concentrated effort at perfection, and it shows.


Pop way beyond anything pop can do   November 28, 2005
André Félix-díaz Rojo (Mexico City)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I'm no ABBA fan -as you can tell by my other reviews, I'm a big Depeche Mode fan-, but I know a good record when I listen to it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my parents brought this back from Europe in 1981 and I would listen to it every sunday or so, but this record kicks major butt, and I love the remasterized version. These guys could do anything musically and turn it into brilliant pop tunes. I still don't know the reason ABBA is such an underestimated band amongst a lot of so-called-music-lovers. Voulez-Vous features rock (Does Your Mother Know?), disco done righty-right (title track), beautiful ballads (Chiquitita and Angeleyes) and even brilliant lyrics by today's pop standards. Please pay attention to the brutal production gimmicks of this think, guys. It will blow you away if you truly know what music is about. You will dance, you will sed a tear, and you will even sing along, which is something modern pop tracks don't allow to. This is too brilliant to be true.


Un álbum brillante   August 1, 2005
H. Machado (Tandil, Argentina)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Conociendo la discografía del grupo puedo decir que, en mi opinión, "Voulez Vous" es uno de sus mejores trabajos. En plena época disco lograron modernizar su sonido, adecuarlo a su tiempo, pero a la vez conservando un estilo clásico de pop, que provoca que cuando uno lo escucha 25 años después, aún es vigente y ha superado exitosamente el paso del tiempo. En cuanto a la selección de temas es impecable, cualquiera de los diez temas originales hubiera sido un seguro hit de haberse editado como single. Además de los clásicos más conocidos como Voulez Vous, Does your mother know, Chiquitita y I have a dream, el disco contiene canciones como If it wasn't for the nights, Kisses of fire o The king has lost his crown, que demuestran la esencia de ABBA: melodías fácilmente reconocibles combinadas con unos arreglos vocales impresionantes, además de la combinación perfecta entre las voces de Frida y Agnetha. Sin duda un excelente disco que muestra al grupo en uno de sus mejores momentos, y que quién quiera escuchar pop del bueno debe conocer.


Abba's Best Original Studio Album   November 15, 2005
DAJ (New York, NY)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I own all the Abba albums, and this one, recorded at the very peak of their popularity in the late 70's, shows all the reasons why they were the kings and queens of pop.

Abba is often considered by those who don't know them as a "disco" group. The truth is that this is the only album where Abba tried out disco, with stunning results. "Voulez-vous" is quite simply one of the greatest disco singles ever recorded. It masterfully tells the story of a pick-up in a disco, and lyrically it blows most other disco songs out of the water. And the bonus track "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," released as a single in support of the now unavailable "Greatest Hits Vol 2" is equally good. Madonna knows a good hook when she hears one, and borrowed one of the all-time great ones from "Gimmie" for "Hung Up."

The rest of the album moves deftly through the European music styles that form the backbone of most Abba music. Folk ballads (Chiquitita and I have a dream), country meets a motown backbeat in "Angeleys," the sultry pop sophistication of "The King Has Lost His Crown," the hooked-on-classics opening of "As Good As New." This is Abba songwriting and studio craft at its finest.


Exhilarating & Lasting Pop/Disco Gems.   January 3, 2004
E. Valero (Woodbridge, Ontario Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I've been an ABBA fan since 1980 when they released their spanish LP titled GRACIAS POR LA MUSICA. My mom had purchased that LP but I took sole possession of it. You can't really blame me though because the songs included were absolutely fabulous. The girls sang so well in spanish that for 2 years I thought ABBA was a latin group. Fast forward 2 years later and I saw this album up on a department store glass showcase. A couple of violent tugs at my mom's coat and the record was mine.

Many have classified ABBA as pure disco but this is the closest they ever got to that particular music genre. Their other albums were mostly pop with maybe a few disco flavoured tunes thrown in. Whether you're a fan of disco or not, VOULEZ-VOUS is music to the ears. The songs offered are all catchy, complicated SUPERTUNES with exquisite vocals and tight intricate harmonies. Agnetha and Frida never sounded better. The contrast between their voices is clearly evident in this album. Frida's sultry and sexy lower register is at it's vocal best in THE KING HAS LOST HIS CROWN and LOVERS (LIVE A LITTLE LONGER). Agnetha's voice is at it's most stunning in AS GOOD AS NEW. Her high pitched belt is energetic, lively and unique. Not many singers can belt out those high notes but Agnetha makes it look so easy. Her vocal work in CHIQUITITA is also outstanding. She starts off soft but digs in to the chorus with all her might. One of my favourite songs on this album is the appealing IF IT WASNT'T FOR THE NIGHTS. The song itself is completely over the top in every conceivable way but it's irresistable nontheless. This song is definately one of the albums showstoppers and showcases the raw talent of both singers. Although they're both singing in unison for the most part during the verse, we still get to hear the delightful contrast between the 2 star vocalists- Frida's Mezzo-pop is lovely & soulfull while Agnetha impresses with her "OHHHH baby I miss you so/I know I'm never gonna make it...." and her "OOHHHH, so bad!". And during the chorus, Agnetha is specially delightful, althought her voice might be a bit too strong and loud for those who are not use to superstar calibre singing. The song is outstanding and I still can't get over the fact that it was never released as a single. It may have been a little too long for radio play but that could have been easily remedied by skillful editing.

VOULEZ-VOUS (the album) did BIG business internationally. It reached #4 on the Album charts here in Canada, it reached #1 in the UK and made the TOP 20 in the US.

The first single SUMMER NIGHT CITY was not included in this album originally. The song was released in 1978 (before VOULEZ-VOUS was released) and peaked in the TOP 5 in the UK and the TOP 40 in Canada. Sadly it was never released as a single in the US- I have no idea why. It's not my favourite song but it's definately superior to alot of the stuff released at the time. The singles released from the album also did well. In the UK- VOULEZ-VOUS, ANGELEYES, CHIQUITITA, DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW and I HAVE A DREAM all reached the TOP 5 and another single released that year (1979) GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE peaked at #3- however that single was not included in this album originally either. It's included on this CD, along with LOVELIGHT (CHIQUITITA'S B-side) and SUMMER NIGHT CITY as bonus tracks.

In North America, the songs did fairly well also, DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW reached #8 in Canada and #19 in the US. CHIQUITITA reached #17 in Canada and #29 in the US. ANGELEYES (CAN #39, US #64) & VOULEZ-VOUS (CAN #42, US #80)were both minor hits and the other singles, GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE and I HAVE A DREAM were never released as singles in North America.

Vibrant, melodic, glamourous, joyous & exiting, VOULEZ-VOUS is ABBA at it's hypnotic & charming best. True music lovers will not be disappointed.