If it seems as though the familiar
ABBA sound isn't present on this album, that's because there was no entity known as
ABBA at the time that the earliest sides here were recorded. Growing out of an attempt by
Benny Andersson and
Bjorn Ulvaeus to record together with their respective companions,
Agnetha Faltskog and
Frida "Anni-Frid" Lyngstad, the first side cut here,
"People Need Love," featured the two men singing just as prominently as the women, and was credited to
Bjorn and Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. It was only after its release and the cutting of a further single,
"Ring, Ring," that the more familiar sound of the quartet began to coalesce, along with the idea of a permanent professional association. Unreleased in the United States until 1995, this album is more of a generic
European pop release than an
ABBA release; the music has several unusual attributes, including
Andersson and
Ulvaeus singing lead on several cuts, and also one original song, the moody
ballad "Disillusion," co-authored by
Agnetha Faltskog. Most of what's here is pleasantly upbeat
Europop, with unusually good playing and a lot of spirit, all showing the influence of mainstream American and
British pop/rock, including the late-era
Beatles and early
Elton John, and on the title-track, a
Phil Spector-proportioned production.
Ring Ring was reissued in October of 2001 with extensive notes, state-of-the-art sound, and three bonus tracks: the single B-sides
"Merry-Go-Round" and
"Santa Rosa" (a smooth piece of California-style
rock in the mold of the early
Eagles) and the Swedish version of
"Ring, Ring" (which charted number one in Sweden to the English version's number two spot). ~ Bruce Eder
