ABBA back in chart action!
ABBA’s Gold hits the coveted No.1 spot in the US catalog chart and reaches No.5 in the UK Album chart this week. The Mamma Mia! soundtrack has placed No.1 in Australia (Gold re-entered the Australian album chart at No.4) and is in the top spot too on the UK compliation chart.
Universal Music Press Release:
Following the success of the feature film "Mamma Mia!" which opened in theatres this past weekend, "ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits," the compilation CD released by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1992 has hit #1 on the national catalog chart. The announcement was made today by Bruce Resnikoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).
The hit songs on "ABBA Gold" were recorded between 1973 – 1981, and the album has long been the best seller of all ABBA releases. Currently, it is one of the Top 40 best selling albums of all time worldwide, with sales topping 26 million. The album contains popular ABBA hits such as "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "The Winner Takes It All," "S.O.S.," "Fernando," "Voulez-Vous," and "Waterloo."
"ABBA Gold’s #1 chart position this week speaks to the everlasting popularity of the group and their music," stated Resnikoff. "This resurgence in interest shows that their music can stand the test of time over and over."
UK’s NME magazine:
Mamma Mia soundtrack is UK’s biggest selling album
ABBA have returned to dominance in the UK charts today (July 20) in the wake of their Mamma Mia movie.
The film’s soundtrack album was the biggest-selling album, in the UK this week, the first time a soundtrack has outsold all studio albums on the chart since the Bridget Jones soundtrack in 2001.
However, while the soundtrack sold more, chart regulations ensure that in the official albums chart, Basshunter holds the number one position with ‘Now You’re Gone’.
Their greatest hits compilation, ‘GOLD’, has also returned to the albums top ten for the first time in four years, at number five.
Meanwhile, ABBA songs that figure in the movie have also reappeared in the singles chart on the strength of download sales. ‘Mamma Mia’ appears at number 57, with ‘Dancing Queen’ at 82, ‘The Winner Takes It All’ at 113, ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’ at 126, ‘Honey Honey’ at 117, ‘Waterloo’ at 185 and ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ at 195.
Billboard Magazine:
It’s amazing that even before the movie’s opening date, the album debuts on The Billboard 200 at No. 7, charting higher than any ABBA album.
Between 1974 and 1993, 11 titles by he Swedish quartet debuted on the Billboard album chart, and none went higher than No. 14. The last of those 11 albums was "ABBA Gold" which only went to No. 63, though it did have the longest run of any ABBA album in America, remaining on the tally for 104 weeks. It was then removed to the Top Pop Catalog Albums survey, where this week, in its 338th frame, it achieves a new peak position, flying 18-6. That bests the previous peak of No. 7, achieved the week of Sept. 13, 2003. It is the highest position ever held by any ABBA album on any Billboard chart, though that could change next week when both "Mamma Mia!" and "ABBA Gold" should improve their positions on their respective charts.
Here is a summary of ABBA’s album history in the U.S., with titles listed in order of peak position:
- No. 14: "The Album" (1978)
- No. 17: "Super Trouper" (1981)
- No. 19: "Voulez-Vous" (1979)
- No. 20: "Arrival" (1977)
- No. 29: "The Visitors" (1982)
- No. 46: "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" (1980)
- No. 48: "Greatest Hits" (1976)
- No. 62: "The Singles (The First Ten Years)" (1983)
- No. 63: "ABBA Gold" (1993)
- No. 145: "Waterloo" (1974)
- No. 174: "Abba" (1975)
Universal Press Release; Billboard Chart Beat; NME; Aria Charts (Australia)
Mamma Mia, Here Abba Go Again
by Paul Cashmere – July 22 2008
The Mamma Mia movie has resurrected Abba fever on the Australian chart this week.
Abba music sits are numbers 1, 4, 43, 49 and 54 on the album chart and at number 12 on the DVD chart.
Number one is the `Mamma Mia` soundtrack that sold 14,122 units last week and pushed Coldplay `Viva La Vida` into number two spot.
The other Abba albums are all various compilations, `Abba Gold`, `18 Hits`, `Abba Number Ones` and `More Abba Gold`.
The Abba Gold DVD is the one on the DVD chart.
`Mamma Mia` was the box-office smash in Australia up until last weekend with Heath Ledger stole the crown in `The Dark Knight`.
However, The Joker isn`t as much fun to sing along too as an Abba tune. `The Dark Knight` soundtrack came in at number 90 on 533 sales.
http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=5720
ARIA charts of 21 July 2008
Albums
1: Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack (last week 4)
4. ABBA Gold – Greatest Hits
43. ABBA 18 Hits (45)
48. ABBA Number Ones (95)
54. More ABBA Gold
Music DVD
12. ABBA Gold – Greatest Hits
25. ABBA Number Ones
Singles
48. Mamma Mia (99)
58. Dancing Queen
64. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
70. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) – movie cast
It is great news, but it seems a shame that UNICEF will not be taking a share of the royalties from the huge sales of the Mamma Mia soundtrack–I hope there were no ‘corporate politics’ behind the decision not to include Chiquitita on the soundtrack..
Just a hunch, Phil, but with Benny pulling all the strings as far as the music is concerned, I would expect that all decisions made regarding every aspect of the Mamma Mia! soundtrack were purely artistic.
Perhaps Chiquitita and what sounds like BAO performing Does Your Mother Know plus other linking passages from the film might turn up in a mooted 2CD special edition of the soundtrack?
Here’s to the thought of a 2CD package Icey!
At the risk of going slightly off-topic, Phil’s post reminded me that, even today, sales of ‘Chiquitita’ on any given compilation raises money for UNICEF. Some of the other artists at that 1979 New York UNICEF concert donated rather obscure tracks to the charity. I’m proud that Abba donated what was a sure-fire, guaranteed, hit.
Gary
UPDATE: Gold is now No. 2 in the UK Album charts.
Im guessing there will be a double limited edition soundtrack released with the DVD at Christmas time. I love what you hear of Chiquitita in the movie and hope it will be on that.
The other question is why is The Name of The Game on the soundtrack? I also dont remember the new verse of When All Is Said and Done in the movie.
They have culled a lot of the songs used from the stage musical but Im sure a few of them were recorded before being cut.
Im sure theres more to come.
Does anyone know why the soundtrack was excluded from being No.1 on the album charts when it sold more than Basshunter? I was under the impression that as it is not a various artists compilation but all song specially recorded for the film then it would qualify.
Kleinhond, in January 1989 it was decided to exclude ‘Various Artist’ Albums from the Main/
Artist UK Album Chart.
They decided to include Film Soundtracks in
this new ‘Rule’.(It was Gallup who then compiled
the UK Charts).
In 1994, The Official UK Charts Company,
(The OCC), began compiling the UK Charts,
& they decided to keep to the January 1989
Chart Rules, about Albums.
In 1996, The OCC allowed ‘Evita’ into the
Main Album Chart, as it was credited to ‘Madonna
& Variuos Artists’. (It was a No.1 Album in
early 1997).
In 1998 they allowed ‘Titanic’ into the Main
Album Chart, as it was credited to James Horner.
That too was a No.1 Album.
However, ‘Mamma Mia!’ is not credited to any
one Act, & therefore The OCC regard it as a
Various Artist Film Soundtrack.
That is why it was only allowed to enter the
UK Compilation Chart, where it was No.1 for 2
Weeks, & is now No.2. Had it been credited
to Meryl Streep & Various Artists, it would have
been allowed into the Main UK Album Chart.
Thanks Colin, do you know what position in the main chart MM OST would have reached had it been eligible?