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The ABBA Generation

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The ABBA Generation
Studio album by
A-Teens
Released25 August 1999
RecordedJanuary–March 1999
Studio
Genre
Length42:50
Label
Producer
  • Ole Evenrude
  • Johan S
  • Thomas Johansson
  • Ronald Malmberg
  • Hartmann
  • Langhoff
A-Teens chronology
The ABBA Generation
(1999) 		The ABBA Generation Remix
(2001)
Alternative cover
2000 North American edition
Singles from The ABBA Generation
  1. "Mamma Mia"
    Released: 30 April 1999
  2. "Super Trouper"
    Released: 2 August 1999
  3. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
    Released: 25 October 1999
  4. "Dancing Queen"
    Released: 7 March 2000

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 album reached number one in Sweden and Argentina. In the United States, the album peaked at seventy-one on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and was certified Gold.[1]

Background

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In 1998, Marie, Sara, Dhani, and Amit came together to form the ABBA-Teens and began recording their debut album which would consist entirely of covers of ABBA songs. Their first single, "Mamma Mia", was first released in April 1999 in their native Sweden where it stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks. Following this release, the group's name was changed to the A-Teens to avoid litigation.[2][3] "Mamma Mia" was released internationally following their name change and topped the charts in over ten countries.[citation needed]

Further singles from the album were hits in Sweden: "Super Trouper" peaked at number two and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) peaked at number ten; both songs charted moderately worldwide. "Happy New Year" was released as a standalone single in Sweden at the end of 1999 and peaked at number four.

In March 2000, the group released the single "Dancing Queen". The single reached ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone, being certified Gold.[citation needed] Coinciding with this release, the band embarked on a promotional tour of the United States and was an opening act for the Britney Spears tour later that summer.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Baltimore Sun[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[6]
laut.de[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

Despite its commercial success around the world, the album received generally negative reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson of AllMusic said that the group's "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."[10]

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

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All tracks written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except as noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mamma Mia"Andersson, Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson3:47
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, Anderson3:50
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, Anderson4:22
11."Our Last Summer" 4:28
Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Mamma Mia" (Versión en español)Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson3:43
13."¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame! (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!)" (Versión en español)Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson, Buddy McCluskey, Mary McCluskey3:54
Japan edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Knowing Me, Knowing You"Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson4:28
13."Mamma Mia" (Jam Lab Remix)Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson3:56
14."Super Trouper" (Pinocchio Remix) 5:08
US Target edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."A-Teens Mega Mix"Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson7:36

Personnel

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Adapted from the album liner notes.

Musicians

  • Anneli Axon
  • Anders Barrén
  • Tee
  • Image
  • Ronald Malmberg
  • Annika Sjölin
  • Katarina Sjölin

Production

  • Per Adebratt – vocal production
  • Stefan Boman – engineer
  • Tommy Ekman – vocal production
  • Björn Engelmann – mastering
  • Ole Evenrude — producer
  • Tommy Gustavsson — programming
  • Hartmann & Langhoff – producer
  • Johan S. – producer
  • Thomas Johansson — producer, vocal production
  • Fredrik Larnemo – engineer
  • Hugo Lira — programming
  • Ronald Malmberg — producer, vocal production
  • Christer Sandelin – vocal production
  • Joakim Styrén – mixing, programming

Other personnel

  • Niklas Berg – concept
  • Todd Gallopo – design
  • Anders Johansson – A&R
  • Christer Mellström – product coordinator
  • Mats Oscarsson – photos

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[31] Platinum 60,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[32] Gold 25,000*
Chile — 95,000[33]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[34] Platinum 43,628[34]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[35] Gold 75,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[36] Platinum 100,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[37] Platinum 50,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[39] Platinum 148,000[38]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[41] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 582,000[43]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[45] Platinum 1,000,000*
Worldwide — 3,000,000[46]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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References

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  1. ^ RIAA: Gold Certificate for "The ABBA Generation" 29 September 2000 Archived 19 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Douglas Wolk (8 May 2000). "How Swede It Is". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  3. ^ "An Oral History Of The A*Teens, The ABBA Cover Band That Defined Y2K Pop". MTV. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  4. ^ "A-Teens - Interview @ Designer Magazine". Designer Magazine. 2001. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  5. ^ The ABBA Generation at AllMusic
  6. ^ "The ABBA Generation - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
  7. ^ ""The Abba Generation" von A*Teens – laut.de – Album". laut.de.
  8. ^ "RollingStone.com: Recordings: A*Teens, The Abba Generation, 1.5 Stars". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2001.
  9. ^ J. D. Considine (May 25, 2000). "The Abba Generation". The Baltimore. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013.
  10. ^ "The ABBA Generation · Music Review · The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. 11 May 2000.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  14. ^ "A*Teens: The ABBA Generation" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  17. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2000. 2. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  18. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – A*Teens – The ABBA Generation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  23. ^ "A Teens | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  24. ^ "A*Teens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  25. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2000". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 2000" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52. 23 December 2000. p. 9. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  31. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – A teens". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  32. ^ "Austrian album certifications – A teens" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  33. ^ "Chilean Sales Spikes Credited To Festival". Billboard. 29 April 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  34. ^ a b "a-teens" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  35. ^ "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 the TÍTULO column heading.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  38. ^ Zelortini, Fernando (February 4, 2000). "Bestseller". Jornal do Commercio (in Portuguese): 23. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  39. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1999 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  40. ^ "Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 2000-2002" (PDF). Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano.
  41. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  42. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Abba Generation')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  43. ^ Taylor, Chuck (12 May 2001). "Preteens a lucrative, if vulnerable, market". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 5. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – teens – Abba Generation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  45. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  46. ^ Singer, Kristi (July 27, 2001). "Teen group leaves ABBA behind". Morning Star. p. 10. ProQuest 285474475. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  47. ^ "Aftonbladet nöje: A Teens: Våra framgångar är mycket tack vare ABBA". aftonbladet.se. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007.
  48. ^ "iTunes - Music - The Abba Generation by A*Teens". iTunes.
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