Gold: Greatest Hits

Overview

Prior to its release, all previously released ABBA compilations had been deleted and only the original studio albums (along with the 1986 live album) remained in print. Gold: Greatest Hits was well received by the music-buying public, and went on to be one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Gold: Greatest Hits has been re-released in various "special" or "remastered" releases:

Australasian editions

The 1992 and 1999 editions released in Australia and New Zealand (and some other territories in that area) had a modified track listing (see below) to include three local hits, replacing three other songs on the international edition.

The 2002 re-release was not released in Australia, while in New Zealand, the international edition was issued.

From 2008 onwards, only the international editions have been released in Australia and New Zealand.

Spanish versions

The original 1992 release had a slightly different track listing, replacing the English versions of Chiquitita and Fernando with the Spanish language versions.

Shortly after the release of Gold: Greatest Hits, a Spanish version of the album, titled Oro: Grandes Exitos was issued, followed later by Mas Oro: Mas Grandes Exitos.

Video and DVD

In 1992 a VHS video was released which included all tracks from the original album. During the 1990s, various regional variations on this video were issued, until Universal Music decided in 2003 to re-issue the video on VHS and DVD. The track listing was similar to the original album, with some added content: a 25-minute documentary produced in 1999, and the 1992 video of Dancing Queen. In 2010, the DVD was remastered with six bonus clips, including five "split-screen" versions of the clips to show which improvements were made by remastering the old videos. These "split-screen" clips were Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Money, Money, Money. The sixth bonus clip was an Australian cartoon version of Money, Money, Money. The 2010 edition did not include the 2003 Abba documentary or the 1992 version of Dancing Queen. This disk was available as a stand-alone DVD and as part of the 2010 'Special Edition' re-release.

Other variations

In 2002, Gold: Greatest Hits was released in mainland Europe (though not in the UK) with a bonus second disc. This included the following tracks:

The UK saw a 30th Anniversary Edition released in 2004 with a gold-coloured sleeve cover rather than the normal black sleeve. The original release included a DVD with 18 of the 19 songs from the CD, excluding "The Name of the Game". It was available also without the DVD.

Sales and charts

The album topped the UK Albums Chart on five separate occasions, sixteen years apart, first in 1992, then three times in 1999, and then again in 2008. Gold: Greatest Hits is the second highest selling album of all time in the United Kingdom, with sales of over 5.3 million copies.

In Germany, Gold: Greatest Hits has been certified five times Platinum for shipment of 2.5 million units. It has also been certified 10 times Platinum in Switzerland for sales of 500,000 units. In Sweden the album is listed as the sixth best-charting album as of October 2016. In Austria, the album is the fourth best selling album of all time. In Australia, the album is the third or fourth best selling album of all time.

Critical reception

Gold: Greatest Hits has been called one of the most influential compilation albums ever released. Music critic Elisabeth Vincentelli (New York Post; Time Out New York) credits the album for a critical revival of interest in ABBA's music after ten years of neglect following the band's 1982 break-up.

Former Rolling Stone Magazine writer Tom Moon included Gold: Greatest Hits among his 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, describing the tracks as "models of impeccable craft", adding that the album is "an excellent starter kit for those wanting to investigate the DNA of post-Beatles pop."

Track listings

Gold: Greatest Hits includes "Lay All Your Love on Me", which was a Top 10 hit only in the UK and Ireland, and "Thank You for the Music", which only had a limited release as a single. Only the Australasian release of the album (until 2008) included "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", which was a successful global hit for ABBA (except in the UK and Ireland). It does not feature "Summer Night City" which was a bigger hit globally than "Voulez-Vous" which was included.

Worldwide Edition (excluding Australian until 2008)

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

Australian version (until 2008)

All songs written by Andersson and Ulvaeus, except where noted.

2014 40th Anniversary Edition

Disc 1: (The original 1992 release; for track listing see above under "Worldwide edition")

Disc 2: Same as on More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits

Disc 3: The Golden B-sides

Personnel

Production