ABBA was a pop music group formed in Stockholm, Sweden in November 1970. The band consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), Bjцrn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Agnetha Fдltskog. (See also Bjцrn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson, as well as Bennys previous band Hep Stars.) They topped the charts worldwide from 1972 to 1982 with eight studio albums, achieving twenty-six #1 singles and numerous awards. They also won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo.

Is there anything that simply screams the 1970s most indelible pop cultural clichesthe sunny romanticism, perfect vocal hooks, feathered hair, stacked heels, and flared sateen britchesmore than the Swedish pop phenomenon Abba? And while many a pundit snootily dismissed them during their prime as some sort of prefabricated aberration, their worldwide popularity peaked somewhere just south of Beatlesmania. Indeed, Abbas music was as finely tooled and crafted as anything to come from a Volvo or IKEA factoryif occasionally more economically potent. This doubledisc, 37track anthology comes neatly on the heels of Mama Mia!, the smash, if unlikely, Broadway show based on the bands hits, and documents every single released by the bands Polar label in their home country as well as key tracks released internationally.