Everyone loves ABBA, whether they choose to admit it or not is another matter but take it from me. Anyone who says they dislike them is lying. I mean lets get things in perspective here, they pretty much owned the seventies in terms of making pop with a glistening sheen that has honestly stood the test of time. Such is their influence they inspired the musical Mamma Mia! which has been seen by more than 30 million people in over 160 cities worldwide.
Now the musical has made the transition to the big screen with some big names making up the numbers (unexpectedly in some cases as well) including Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. As with the stage play the film features seventeen of ABBA’s hits all sung by the cast members. Of course that means we get the obligatory sound track album and while I’m sure in the context of the film these versions of such pop gems work just fine, after all with a plot and visuals to draw your attention then you are to some degree suitably distracted from the finer details.
Sadly when you listen to the soundtrack on its own you can’t help but think of Saturday night karaoke down at the Dog & Duck. The cast might be game enough to take on such tracks as “Money. Money, Money”. “Dancing Queen”, “SOS”….you pretty much know the rest. Think of your favourite ABBA track and it will doubtless be here. Sadly when you compare these new interpretations in comparison to the originals it highlights a whole host of weaknesses. The likes of Meryl Streep and Julie Walters and Amanda Seyfried have a fair old crack at doing the songs justice, but you have to hear Pierce Brosnan’s efforts to believe how bad his efforts are. The man might have made a decent James Bond but when it comes to singing, frankly he sounds constipated.
Even the arrangements have a slight air of “working men’s club” about them. If you close your eyes you can almost picture a cheesy pub band all grins and gold lame suits leering out at you from the stage. Don’t get me wrong, these are still great songs and by all means go and check out the film but when it comes to listening to the songs at home do yourself a favour and stick with the originals.
