The ABBA Generation
The ABBA Generation is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group A-Teens. It was released on 25 August 1999 by Stockholm Records. The album is composed of cover versions of well-known ABBA songs. The album spawned four singles, "Mamma Mia", "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", "Super Trouper", and "Dancing Queen".
The ABBA Generation | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 August 1999 | |||
Recorded | January–March 1999 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:50 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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A-Teens chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
2000 North American edition | ||||
Singles from The ABBA Generation | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
The A.V. Club | (average)[2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
laut.de | |
Rolling Stone |
Despite its commercial success around the world, the album received overwhelmingly negative reviews from music critics. Giving the album three out of five stars, Alex Henderson of AllMusic said that the groups "versions of ABBA gems like "Take a Chance on Me", "Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen", and "Voulez-Vous" aren't brilliant, but they're enjoyable—and they show just how well the songs have held up over time." He concluded his review by saying, “All things considered, The ABBA Generation is a pleasing, if unremarkable, testament to the durability of ABBA's songs." In an average review for The A.V. Club, Steven Thompson wrote, "Pop music doesn't get more marginal than a collection of overdriven dance-pop covers, but The ABBA Generation succeeds on its own modest terms." David Hiltbrand of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, saying that the group "look and sound better than their supergroup heroes; even the music is spruced up, thanks to a cast of savvy Swedish producers." Writing for Rolling Stone, Arion Berger gave the album one and a half out of five stars, saying that "all the keyboard doodling and note-for-note diligence in Scandinavia wouldn't help these poseurs bring the pure-pop greatness of the real ABBA to life."
Track listing
All tracks written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except as noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mamma Mia" | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson | 3:47 |
2. | "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" | 3:57 | |
3. | "Super Trouper" | 3:52 | |
4. | "One of Us" | 3:55 | |
5. | "Voulez-Vous" | 3:42 | |
6. | "S.O.S." | 3:12 | |
7. | "Dancing Queen" | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 3:50 |
8. | "Take a Chance on Me" | 3:53 | |
9. | "Lay All Your Love on Me" | 4:03 | |
10. | "The Name of the Game" | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 4:22 |
11. | "Our Last Summer" | 4:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Mamma Mia" (Spanish Version) | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 3:43 |
13. | "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (Spanish Version) | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 4:28 |
13. | "Mamma Mia" (Jam Lab Remix) | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 3:56 |
14. | "Super Trouper" (Pinocchio Remix) | 5:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "A-Teens Mega Mix" | Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson | 7:36 |
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] | 2 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 2 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] | 2 |
French Albums (SNEP)[9] | 39 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 2 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[11] | 7 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 18 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] | 2 |
Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[14] | 19 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 12 |
UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 85 |
US Billboard 200[18] | 71 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2000) | Position |
---|---|
German Albums Chart[19] | 21 |
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF)[20] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[21] | Gold | 25,000* |
Chile[22] | — | 95,000 |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[23] | Platinum | 43,628[23] |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[24] | Gold | 75,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[25] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[26] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Poland (ZPAV)[27] | Platinum | 100,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[29] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[30] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[31] | Gold | 500,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[32] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Release history
References
- The ABBA Generation at AllMusic
- "The ABBA Generation · Music Review · The A.V. Club". avclub.com.
- "The ABBA Generation - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
- ""The Abba Generation" von A*Teens – laut.de – Album". laut.de.
- "RollingStone.com: Recordings: A*Teens, The Abba Generation, 1.5 Stars". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2001.
- "Austriancharts.at – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "A*Teens: The ABBA Generation" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Lescharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2000. 2. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 [Only hits: year by year, 1959–2002] (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 8480486392.
- "Swedishcharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "Swisscharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- "A Teens | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- "A*Teens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- "Argentinian album certifications – A teens". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "Austrian album certifications – A teens" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "Chilean Sales Spikes Credited To Festival". Billboard. 29 April 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "a-teens" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Type A teens in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Abba Generation in the box under TÍTULO
- "Dutch album certifications – A teens – Abba Generation" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Enter Abba Generation in the "Artiest of titel" box.
- "IFPI Norsk platebransje". ifpi.no. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- "Polish album certifications – A teens – Abba Generation" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- "Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 2000-2002" (PDF). Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano.
- "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (A teens; 'Abba Generation')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "American album certifications – teens – Abba Generation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 July 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "Aftonbladet nöje: A Teens: Våra framgångar är mycket tack vare ABBA". aftonbladet.se. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007.
- "iTunes - Music - The Abba Generation by A*Teens". iTunes.