I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO
NOT LIKE ABBA
Very good article:
https://isiria.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/i-hate-abba/
Of course we won't argue about ABBA or any other artist. Taste in music is rather hard to explain. Maybe some people are allergic to pop songs. However I should note that the article is not good at all. If you remove the direct references to ABBA and the titles of their songs, he could be referring to any big pop band ever existed, dare I say even the Beatles (since he is so keen to compare them with) and the Stones, the Kinks and the Who. Even the Velvet underground, despite the fact that none of these groups are considered pop any longer, they were THE pop acts back in their heyday.Simply there was no disco back then. So this is another thing that he is not considering. What we consider pop, throughout the decades. He also name checks Ramones and Status quo, two bands that were not as popular as ABBA, having a more concentrated audience because of the type of music they played, which was in fact pop with an edge (3 chord punk the Ramones and 5 chord boogie Status, but after their 3rd record). So he also dislikes Ramones and Status quo. Phil Spector went on to produce songs for the Ramones, thinking they are the next big pop thing. He was wrong, their sales were adequate to sustain a record contract but not like ABBA. Somehow they were more influential than ABBA, but because of the same flaws they had with ABBA! And this is exactly the point. A pop song has flaws. Many flaws, in order to be liked by many people. Simplistic lyrics, kitsch outfits, instant and repeated hooks, over the top production, etc. Maybe we should reconsider Pink Floyd's work after Meddley, too and blame David Bowie for all his records after Honky Dory.
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We have been informed in a previous post that "ABBA are a better band than DS" so perhaps the whole issue really lies with the criteria needed for entry in the first place. According to Wiki:
"Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."
In that case then popularity counts for a whole lot more than quality IMHO. Why did they have a fan vote in the first instance if popularity was not a criteria? A band never off the radio or TV is surely destined for this scrapyard of fame. Good lyrics and musicianship has nothing to do with it. IMO it has more to do with having radio-friendly singles and making lots of TV appearances.
