''The Definitive Collection'' is a 2001 compilation album of all the singles released by Swedish pop group

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 ...

. It consisted of two discs: the first featuring the singles from 1972 to 1979 ("

People Need Love "People Need Love" is the debut single recorded in March 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, at the time known as 'Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid'. The song was on the group's first album, '' Ring Ring'', released in 1973. Track listing # A. "P ...

" to "

Does Your Mother Know "Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single taken from their sixth album, '' Voulez-Vous''. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", which was also taken from the album. The song is notable for its emphasis on ma ...

"), and the second including the singles from 1979 to 1982 (" Voulez-Vous" to "

Under Attack "Under Attack" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in December 1982 as the second and final single from the compilation '' The Singles: The First Ten Years''. Background ABBA recorded "Under Attack" between 2 and 4 August 1982 at Pola ...

"), with the tracks being listed in chronological order. The main exception is the track "

Thank You for the Music "Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, '' The Album'' (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories ...

", which, despite being written and recorded in 1977, was in fact released as a single (primarily in the UK) in 1983 after the band had split up. It appears on disc two, along with two bonus tracks, " Ring Ring" (1974 UK single remix), and "Voulez-Vous" (1979 US promo extended remix). The Australian version of ''The Definitive Collection'' adds a further two bonus tracks: " Rock Me" and "

Hasta Mañana "Hasta Mañana" (Spanish for "Until tomorrow") is the fourth track on Swedish pop group ABBA's second studio album, '' Waterloo''. It was released in 1974 as the album's third and final single. Background Initially fearing that " Waterloo" migh ...

". The 1974 remix of "Ring Ring" is the first appearance on CD of this version mastered from the original master tape, after the UK single master tapes had been returned to

Polar Music Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. Background The first act that Polar Music signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity pr ...

by the former UK licensees, Epic Records. The track's previous appearance on CD, in a 1999 singles boxed set, was mastered from a vinyl single. ''The Definitive Collection'' is the only ABBA compilation to include all the UK single releases from 1973 to 1983. The four "unofficial" UK ABBA singles are included, these being the 1974 remix of "Ring Ring", " Angeleyes", "

Lay All Your Love on Me "Lay All Your Love on Me" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their seventh studio album, '' Super Trouper''. The song was released as the sixth and final single from the album in the summer of 1981. At the time, it was the ...

" and "Thank You for the Music". An "unofficial single" is one that was not released by ABBA's record label, Polar Music, in any Scandinavian country. A DVD also called ''The Definitive Collection'' was released in 2002, and features all of ABBA's videos, as well as five bonus videos and a picture gallery. In the US the 2-CD set was bundled with the DVD. In 2003, the album was ranked number 179 on ''

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 ...

'' magazine's list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, and coming in at number 303 in the 2020 edition. The album was re-released in 2012 as '' The Essential Collection'' with different artwork.

Track listing

All songs which are 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 ...

unless otherwise noted. Tracks 1-4 were originally released under the name "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid".

Disc one

Disc two

DVD

Personnel

Agnetha Fältskog Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She later achieved internatio ...

- lead vocals , co-lead vocals , backing vocals *

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...

- lead vocals , co-lead vocals , backing vocals *

- lead vocals , co-lead vocals acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

– synthesizer, keyboards, backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Definitive Collection, The 2001 greatest hits albums ABBA compilation albums Universal Music Group compilation albums Albums recorded at Polar Studios Albums produced by Björn Ulvaeus Albums produced by Benny Andersson