ABBA: In Concert (DVD), Polydor / Umgd, Music & Performance

2004 release of the document of the Swedish supergroup's final concert tour from 1979, recorded at Wembley Arena. Includes filmed interviews with the men behind the scenes (director Urban Lasson and tour producer Thomas Johansson), a picture gallery including the original tour program, the movie trailer, a trailer for the 5th anniversary of the musical "Mamma Mia", a 28 page booklet, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and subtitles.

ABBA undertook only their second international tour in the late summer of 1979, first playing North America and then in Europe during September, October, and November. They took along a film crew, and the result was a TV special, ABBA in Concert, eventually released as a home video on VHS tape. This DVD edition adds some bonus material, but the bulk of it is still the original video as released commercially, with a running time of 51:28. The first 11 of those minutes are taken up with footage shot on tour (but not on-stage) in North America, a collage of hotel and airplane shots of the bandmembers, under which snippets of their music are played. The song list shows "Waterloo," "Eagle," and "Take a Chance on Me," but none of these songs are heard in their entirety, and excerpts from others are heard as well. The remaining 40 minutes are taken up by concert footage shot at the Wembley Arena in London as ABBA plays nine songs, all of them taken from their fourth, fifth, and sixth albums, Arrival, ABBA -- The Album, and Voulez-Vous. Much of this music is set to a disco beat, the exceptions being the ballads "Chiquitita" and "I Have a Dream," the latter accompanied by a children's choir, whose rehearsal is intercut with the performance. The DVD includes three bonus tracks: "The Way Old Friends Do" was part of the film when it was shown on TV, but eliminated from the home video; there is a version of "I Have a Dream" without the rehearsal; and in the only instance of actual newly released musical material, a performance of "Thank You for the Music" has been assembled from some surviving footage. But the lengthiest bonuses are a 21-minute interview with ABBA's tour producer and a 15-minute interview with the film's director, both newly recorded. One might have hoped for more. Apparently, the group's entire two-hour concert was filmed, and it would have been nice to have had that instead of just repeating the home video with a few extras. (The apparent difficulty in putting together footage for "Thank You for the Music," however, suggests that much of the film may not exist anymore.) At the show, for example, group member Agnetha F?ltskog played and sang her unreleased composition "I'm Still Alive"; it's still unreleased. ABBA in Concert gives viewers a sense of what an ABBA concert was like. Maybe someday they'll get to see a complete show. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Performer	Abba
Music genre	Pop
Music release type	Live Performance
Media format	DVD
Original release date	2004
Edition	Standard
Language	English
Number of tracks	13
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	ABBA
Track listing	Waterloo,Eagle,Take A Chance On Me,Voulez-Vous,Chiquitita,I Have A Dream,Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),Knowing Me Knowing You,Summer Night City,Dancing Queen,Does Your Mother Know?,Hole In Your Soul,Way Old Friends Do,I Have A Dream,Thank You For The Music
Record label	Polydor / Umgd
Target audience	Family
Composer	Björn Ulvaeus|Benny Andersson|Agnetha Fältskog|Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Songwriter	Abba
Music producer	Urban Lasson
Number in series	1
Occasion	Anytime
Track name	Waterloo (Live), Eagle (Live), Take A Chance On Me (Live), Voulez-Vous (Live), Chiquitita (Live), I Have A Dream (Live), Gimme Gimme Gimme (Live), Knowing Me Knowing You (Live), Summer Night City (Live), Dancing Queen (Live), Does Your Mother Know (Live), Hole In Your Soul (Live), Way Old Friends Do (Live), I Have A Dream (Unedited Live Version), Thank You For The Music (Live), Intervjuer, Trailers, Booklet & Stillbildsdel, Mamma Mia Trailer
Duration	100 min
Digital audio file format	DVD-A
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N