''The ABBA Generation'' is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group
A-Teens
A-Teens (stylized as A★TEENS or A*Teens) were a Swedish pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed by Niklas Berg in 1998 originally as an ABBA tribute band called ABBA-Teens and was later renamed A-Teens. The band members were Marie Ser ...
. It was released on 25 August 1999 by
Stockholm Records. The album is composed of cover versions of well-known
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
songs. The album spawned four singles, "
Mamma Mia", "
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded in August 1979 in order to help promote their North American and European tour of that year, and was released on ABBA's '' Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' album ...
", "
Super Trouper", and "
Dancing Queen".
Critical reception
Despite its commercial success around the world, the album received overwhelmingly negative reviews from music critics. Giving the album three out of five stars, Alex Henderson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
said that the groups "versions of ABBA gems like "Take a Chance on Me", "Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen", and "Voulez-Vous" aren't brilliant, but they're enjoyable—and they show just how well the songs have held up over time." He concluded his review by saying, “All things considered, ''The ABBA Generation'' is a pleasing, if unremarkable, testament to the durability of ABBA's songs." In an average review for ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', Steven Thompson wrote, "Pop music doesn't get more marginal than a collection of overdriven dance-pop covers, but ''The ABBA Generation'' succeeds on its own modest terms." David Hiltbrand of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' gave the album a B+, saying that the group "look and sound better than their supergroup heroes; even the music is spruced up, thanks to a cast of savvy Swedish producers." Writing for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', Arion Berger gave the album one and a half out of five stars, saying that "all the keyboard doodling and note-for-note diligence in Scandinavia wouldn't help these poseurs bring the pure-pop greatness of the real ABBA to life."
Track listing
All tracks written by
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...
and
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals '' Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...
, except as noted.
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
Musicians
*Anneli Axon
*Anders Barrén
*Tee
*Image
*Ronald Malmberg
*Annika Sjölin
*Katarina Sjölin
Production
*Per Adebratt – vocal production
*Stefan Boman – engineer
*Tommy Ekman – vocal production
*Björn Engelmann – mastering
*Ole Evenrude — producer
*Tommy Gustavsson — programming
*Hartmann & Langhoff – producer
*Johan S. – producer
*Thomas Johansson — producer, vocal production
*Fredrik Larnemo – engineer
*Hugo Lira — programming
*Ronald Malmberg — producer, vocal production
*Christer Sandelin – vocal production
*Joakim Styrén – mixing, programming
Other personnel
*Niklas Berg – concept
*Todd Gallopo – design
*Anders Johansson – A&R
*Christer Mellström – product coordinator
*Mats Oscarsson – photos
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
* August 25, 1999
( Sweden)
* May 16, 2000
(USA
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abba Generation, The
A-Teens albums
1999 debut albums
ABBA tribute albums