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ABBA: 40/40 The Best Selection

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Universal Music Japan are celebrating ABBA‘s 40th Anniversary in their own way with the release of a unique compilation 40/40 The Best Selection.

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As previously announced in Europe we are getting a new three-CD version of ABBA Gold which adds More ABBA Gold and a disc of B-sides to the classic 19-track compilation. Japan are arguably doing something more interesting since 40/40 The Best Selection has a track listing that was based on votes from over 9,000 Japanese fans.

Perhaps not unexpectedly Dancing Queen came top and while it’s still a very mainstream selection (see track listing below) the 40-track two-CD collection does at least include Slipping Through My Fingers which there was no place for across the three discs of the new ABBA Gold. The Japanese compilation has an attractive cover design is a SHM-CD (compatible with all CD players) and comes packaged in a jewel case.

ABBA 40/40 – The Best Selection is out now.



Disc 1

  • 1 DANCING QUEEN
  • 2 THAT’S ME
  • 3 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
  • 4 CHIQUITITA
  • 5 SOS
  • 6 GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT)
  • 7 SUPER TROUPER
  • 8 RING RING
  • 9 HONEY. HONEY
  • 10 SHE’S MY KIND OF GIRL
  • 11 TIGER
  • 12 EAGLE
  • 13 MOVE ON
  • 14 HEY. HEY HELEN
  • 15 OUR LAST SUMMER
  • 16 ONE OF US
  • 17 THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL
  • 18 SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS
  • 19 MY LOVE. MY LIFE
  • 20 HAPPY NEW YEAR

Disc 2

  • 1 WATERLOO
  • 2 MAMMA MIA
  • 3 MONEY. MONEY. MONEY
  • 4 I DO. I DO. I DO. I DO. I DO
  • 5 VOULEZ-VOUS
  • 6 SUMMER NIGHT CITY
  • 7 DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW
  • 8 ON AND ON AND ON
  • 9 WHEN I KISSED THE TEACHER
  • 10 FERNANDO
  • 11 KNOWING ME. KNOWING YOU
  • 12 ANGELEYES
  • 13 LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME
  • 14 THE NAME OF THE GAME
  • 15 UNDER ATTACK
  • 16 HASTA MANANA
  • 17 I HAVE A DREAM
  • 18 I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU
  • 19 ONE MAN. ONE WOMAN
  • 20 THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC

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13 Comments

13 thoughts on “ABBA: 40/40 The Best Selection

  1. It can be excused that Japanese ABBA Fans voted ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’ into the Track List of ’40/40′, as it was a No.7 Hit there in 1972. But it has nothing to do with ABBA in reality. It was recorded by Benny & Bjorn in 1969, & was released in 1970. It was a Japanese Hit in 1972 & ended up as the B-Side of ‘Ring Ring’ in Sweden. (1973). But Agnetha & Frida are not even on the Track. Which makes it astonishing that it has managed to find its way onto CD3 in the 40th Anniversary ABBA Gold, which has just been released. It is as if The Beatles ‘1’ was re-issued with a 2nd CD added, & ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ by Ringo Starr was on CD”! One day it would be good if Universal were to allow ABBA Fans outside Japan to vote for the Tracks on an ABBA Compilation. It is definite that ‘The Day Before You Came’ & ‘The Visitors’ would be voted onto such an ABBA release. And it is 100% certain that ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’ would not be voted onto it at all. For the simple reason that it is not an ABBA Track. Regarding ABBA Tracks getting a better re-master – I believe that when all of the ‘Deluxe’ Albums are re-issued, (in a Box Set), in November, all of them will have much better sound, due to them being re-mastered better than before. We will see…..

  2. I received “40/40” on Saturday. Haven’t listened to it yet but the packaging is nice as usual. Well,the tracklist:Seems to me that the japanese voters were not very familiar with the title track of ABBA’s last album or the brilliant “The Day Before You Came”. Two of their best songs not included here. I hope the mastering is decent.

  3. Thanks for the link, Mike. Very interesting reading. I was astounded to see NME rate it so highly, as they’re usually quite snobby. But glad to see it getting the props it deserves.

  4. I have all the regular cd’s, (in fact, way back a abba 10 years best of (not gold) was mine very very very very first bought cd, somewere way back in ’84-85), the 90’s remasters with the bonus tracks, the superdeluxe editions, the cd singles tin-box set, the 4 disc boxset with the cd with demo-outtakes, the best of 2cd with the long mono on-on-on on it. Remind me again why I should buy this (and the gold-reissue) over and over again? Is there nothing worth releasing left in the vaults?

  5. I just received this from CD Japan – Lovely sleeve design and the jewel is slightly deeper to accommodate a full lyric booklet.. You’re both right about ‘Day Before You Came’ – however this is still 100% better than the very shoddy ‘Gold’ reissue for the UK

  6. May I echo Justin’s assertion that Japanese fans need to have a strong word with themselves… no “The Day Before You Came”???

      1. Maybe in Japan the Blancmange version is held up as the definitive interpretation of The Day Before You Came….
        Sorry, just making mischief. I do love the blancmange version though.

  7. I won’t buy it, but not a bad mix for the 28 people out there that need another ABBA collection. All this tells me is that Japanese ABBA fans need to be regularly exposed to “Head Over Heels” and “The Day Before You Came” on repeat.

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