Take a chance on me - Abba

Finding different versions of Abba singles has become a minor obsession, but that's because it's so interesting to see the various versions that were made during the Seventies. Sleeves seemed to vary a lot, depending on the country where the single was made. In France Abba was signed to Melba Disques at one point, and they were very creative with their sleeves. For 'Take a chance on me' they used the same photograph that was used elsewhere in Europe, but the layout of the sleeve was remarkably different. I think it was smart to put the title of the single on the top, but I wonder why the B-side was announced so prominently beneath the 'Abba' logo.

When you compare the design with the one on the German sleeve (which I bought some time ago) you can see what I mean. In this design the A-side title appears within the rectangle. It's just awkward that most of the photograph is covered in this design.

My collection: 7" single no. 7835 / no. 7103
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025 / Record fair, Utrecht, 2023
Tracks: 'Take a chance on me' / 'I'm a marionette' 

The winner takes it all - Abba

The story of 'The winner takes it all' was told on this blog in 2008. I wanted to buy the single during a holiday in Vienna when I was just nine years old, but I was talked out of it. I bought the Dutch pressing of the single a few months later for half price. 

But the story continues! I bought the Austrian pressing last week, during my stay in Vienna. And so it all comes full circle, after 45 years. That's pretty impressive. Even more impressive: this is by far the most colourful version of the sleeve. The blue is deeper than on any other sleeve pressed in Europe.

A good example of this is the French edition, which I bought last year. Instead of the Polydor logo the Vogue logo appears in the bottom left corner, but the photographs look dull and greyish.

My collection: 7" single no. 7797 / no. 7377
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025 / Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'The winner takes it all' / 'Elaine' 

S.O.S. - Abba

I could continue my collection of Abba singles with this Austrian pressing of 'S.O.S.', an early single by Abba released in 1975. It's one of my favourite tracks from the band, and this sleeve was again notably different from the Dutch, French, German and Japanese versions.

I remember visiting Moses Records nine years ago, but I don't remember that there was this little corner with singles sorted by artists. The main singles department was in a separate room of the store, and that's where I bought the other singles during my visit this year. It was interesting that nothing seemed to have changed in all those years - although the owner said that he had thousands of singles stored somewhere else, so the amount of singles in store may have been the same, but there were definitely other titles on offer this time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7786
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'S.O.S.' / 'Man in the middle' 

So long - Abba

Since I have been on the prowl for different versions of Abba singles recently, it was lovely to end up in Vienna and find a few Austrian pressings with different sleeves last week. It turns out that the record company in Austria had a knack for creating beautiful, colourful sleeves that were much more beautiful than the ones in Germany and the Netherlands.

Take for instance this version of 'So long'. The sleeve looks as new, which is a credit to the record store owner I guess, and the layout of this sleeve is simply stunning. I was very happy with this new addition.

My collection: 7" single no. 7785
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'So long' / 'I've been waiting for you' 

Voulez-vous - Abba

If you're confused about this sleeve, then I can help you. It is indeed the photograph that was used for the single 'Does your mother know', but it features 'Voulez-vous' on the A-side, and 'Kisses of fire' on the B-side - originally the B-side of 'Does your mother know' (and a track from the album Voulez-vous). 

Why did the Japanese choose to replace the track 'Does your mother know' on this single? I don't know. I do know that it's this kind of variation that I really like. And it's a nice addition to my subcollection of Japanese Abba singles of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 7774
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 October 2025
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous' / 'Kisses of fire' 

The name of the game - Abba

While I am still trying to catalogue several Abba singles that didn't yet make it to this blog while I've had them for years, I am also still buying different variations of Abba singles these days. And so, as luck would have it, I bought an Abba single yesterday which I can easily pair to one I've had much longer.

The single is 'The name of the game'. It's one of my favourite Abba songs (which, I will grant you, there are many of), but all too often the song has been butchered on CD releases. The vinyl singles presented here contain a version that almost reaches the five minute mark, but on various CD's the song skips an entire second verse. 

The German edition, pictured above, has a light blue stripe across the photograph. It is this version which is replicated in the CD singles box set, released in a tin box in 1999.  

When you compare it with the French edition, pictured here, it is easy to spot the difference. That edition was released on the Melba record label, as opposed to Polydor which was used in most of Western Europe.

You might find these differences trivial, but for me they are quite fascinating. I am a bit of a late adopter when it comes to collecting Abba singles, so I probably won't easily get the Australian, Hungarian and Yugoslavian editions, but once you dive in, it's hard to resist. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5891 / no. 7764
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2018 / Rommelmarkt, Voorburg, 14 September 2025
Tracks: 'The name of the game' / 'I wonder (Departure)' 

 

Mamma Mia - Abba

'Mamma Mia' was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is the opening track on the group's third album, the self-titled album ABBA (1975). The song was released in September 1975 as its sixth single. It tells the story of the narrator's on-again, off-again relationship with a lover who is repeatedly unfaithful to her. The song's name is derived from Italian and literally translates as "my mother", but is used as an interjection (Mamma mia!) in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement. 

The distinctive sound at the start of the song is the marimba. According to biographer Carl Magnus Palm, the instrument was incorporated at the last minute, added after Benny Andersson found it in the studio and decided its "tick tock" rhythm was perfect for the track. 

The song was ABBA's first number one in the UK since 'Waterloo' in 1974. As of September 2021, it is ABBA's seventh-biggest song in the UK with 860,000 chart sales (pure sales and digital streams).

The Dutch pressing had a beautiful sleeve, but in Germany and France different designs were used. It was nice to find these recently.

My collection: 7" single no. 5891 / 6759
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2018 / 9 August 2022
Tracks: 'Mamma Mia' / 'Intermezzo no. 1' 

Does your mother know - Abba

'Does your mother know' is one of the rare occasions (at the time anyway) where the lead vocals were performed by Bjorn Ulvaeus. By today's standards the lyrics are a bit risqué, because the singer seems to lead on a very young girl. 

The sleeve of this single leapt out at me because the blue on this one is brighter than the blue on the one I already owned. On top of that, this was an Austrian pressing. I don't have many 7" singles pressed in Austria, and so this was a very pleasant surprise.

My collection: 7" single no. 5537
Found: Teuchtler, Vienna (Austria), 25 September 2017
Tracks: 'Does your mother know' / 'Kisses of fire' 

S.O.S. - Abba

Early on in their career, Abba realized one of the greatest songs of their impressive catalogue: it was S.O.S., a song that is still an emotional highlight of the current Voyage live experience in London. Although I already owned the French, Dutch and Japanese pressings from 1975 and the recent picture disc release, I also had to have the original German pressing. 

The good thing about all these releases is that they all came with different sleeves, and in the case of Abba it's really interesting to compare all those different variations. The photograph on this one features Agnetha and Frida's iconic 'cat' costumes. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7103
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 2024
Tracks: 'S.O.S.' / 'Man in the middle' 

Fernando - Abba

Since I was ordering a few singles from Serbia, I thought it was nice to check out if the seller had any nice sleeve variations of Abba singles. And indeed, he did: this Yugoslavian pressing of Fernando comes with the same photograph that was used on most 'Fernando' singles, but with a different layout and a different 'Abba' logo!

The single was released on the Radio-Televizija Beograd' label, although the original Swedish Polar company gets a mention on the sleeve as well. Collecting Abba singles is best left to the most avid fans, but it is nice to catch a few in my collection as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7724
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2025
Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Tropical loveland'

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - Abba

One of the earlier singles of Abba is 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do', released the year after they won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Waterloo' and - perhaps unsurprisingly - not as successful. The song was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European schlager music of the 1950s, as well as the saxophone sound of the 1950s American orchestra leader Billy Vaughn.

The single did reach number 1 in Australia, Belgium, New Zealand,  South Africa and Switzerland, but in the UK it only got to number 38. The singles shown here are the French and German pressings, featuring different sleeves when compared to the Dutch version which I posted a long time ago.  

My collection: 7" single no. 6598
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 January 2022
Tracks: 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' /  'Rock me'

So long - Abba

Although I have a beautiful version of Abba's 1975 single 'So long' with a picture sleeve, I came across the original Swedish release some time ago and decided I wanted to have this too. When I was a young boy this was my absolute favourite Abba track, I must have played it on some Greatest Hits album dozens of times. It was the 'heavier' sound of the track that spoke to me at the time, I guess.

Obviously Abba singles without a picture sleeve aren't as beautiful as the ones with, but an original release like this has its own appeal and worth. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7104
Found: Discogs, 2023
Tracks: 'So long' / 'I've been waiting for you'

Knowing me, knowing you - Abba

The sleeve of this single may announce 'Conociendome, conociendote', but the single still features the 'ordinary' English language version: 'Knowing me, knowing you'. The Spanish record companies had a rather annoying habit of translating song titles, while most artists never recorded their songs in Spanish. 
Abba did, of course: there are a few singles performed in Spanish, but not this one.

When I bought this single some time ago I was aware of this, but the sleeve still seduced me. It's one of the more beautiful photographs of the Swedish quartet, and the song is one of the best in their repertoire. I just never featured it on this blog. I discovered quite a few singles that were never on here, so expect some more Abba in the weeks to come.

My collection: 7" single no. 5985
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 January 2019
Tracks: 'Knowing me, knowing you' / 'Money, money, money'

Knowing me, knowing you - Abba

One of Abba's most touching songs (in my opinion) is 'Knowing me, knowing you', with its feeling of impending heartbreak and loss. I bought the single 41 year ago, on the original Dutch pressing. With a renewed interest in Abba in recent years I have started collecting sleeve variants like this one here: the French record company used the same photograph but did a different layout.

So where does this end? There are obviously many sleeve variants around the world, but for me the investment needs to be limited. However even with that, it looks like I will be posting my 100th Abba single on this blog pretty soon.

My collection: 7" single no. 7686
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'Knowing me, knowing you' / 'Happy Hawaii' 

People need love - Björn & Benny with Frieda & Anna

Although I bought the recent picture disc edition of 'People need love', I didn't own an original pressing of that single yet, and that, of course, needed some correction. I was lucky to find this French pressing with an original sleeve for a reasonable price, because lest we forget, this single is already 53 years old! 

Björn & Benny with Frieda & Anna, as they were called then, were at the start of their career which would turn out to be stellar, but at this point they were still recording slightly folky tunes. At the time of the single's release, the Ring Ring album had not been planned, since there was no intention to form a permanent group. However, the song was included on the album the following year. The single became a hit in Sweden (although there wasn't yet any official national chart to prove this) and even made an appearance in the American Cashbox chart (peaking at number 114) and the American Record World chart (peaking at number 117). According to ABBA's manager Stig Anderson, could have been a much bigger American hit, if not for the limited distribution resources of the label that was unable to meet the demand from retailers and radio programmers.

My collection: 7" single no. 7687
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'People need love' / 'Merry-go-round' 

Mamma Mia - Abba

The fourth and final picture disc to be released recently off the album Abba from 1975 is 'Mamma Mia'. Coincidence: my mum was also called Mia, and so this song became a bit of an injoke when I was young. ('Here she goed again'). 

This is actually my fourth copy of the song, having bought the Dutch single, the German single (not on this blog!) and the GDR single over the past few decades. I doubt this will end here, because I'm still after a few variants!

My collection: 7" single no. 7683
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 14 June 2025
Tracks: 'Mamma Mia' / 'Intermezzo no. 1'

S.O.S. - Abba

Of the four picture discs that were released recently to celebrate the 50th birthday of Abba's self-titled album from 1975, only 'S.O.S.' features a photograph in black and white. It's a shame really because picture discs should really be in colour, always. On top of that, 'S.O.S.' is actually the best song of the four, so it's a bit weird to make it seem like it wasn't important. Because it was. 

The song started a run of 18 consecutive top 10 hits for Abba in the UK, peaking at number 6. It was also a number 2 hit in the Netherlands. Both John Lennon and Pete Townshend stated that it was one of their favourite pop records. In my opinion, 'S.O.S.' is the absolute highlight of Abba's current 'Voyage' shows in London. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7682
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 14 June 2025
Tracks: 'S.O.S.' / 'Man in the middle' 

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - Abba

After So long, this is the second picture disc released this year to be taken from the album Abba, originally released 50 years ago. It's another colourful photograph from that era, released to coincide with the re-release of the album on a 'half speed master 2LP' edition.

'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European schlager music of the Fifties, as well as the saxophone sound of the 1950s American orchestra leader Billy Vaughn. The single reached number 38 in the UK singles chart, number 15 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7681
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' / 'Rock me'

So long - Abba

Abba released four new picture disc 7" singles of the songs associated with their self-titled album from 1975. Abba was their third album, and the first single to be taken from that album was 'So Long', a rockier track than usual from the quartet. The single was released in most of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand in November 1974. Spain and Japan followed suit in early 1975. 

The B-side of this picture disc, 'I've been waiting for you' was actually also released as a single back in 1975, but only in Australia and New Zealand. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7680
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'So long', 'I've been waiting for you' 

Bang-a-boomerang - Abba

Surprisingly, I didn't already have 'Bang-a-boomerang' on a 7" single, and even more surprisingly, 'S.O.S.' is on the B-side of this single. It is a French release on the Vogue label, with a very colourful sleeve.

The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and at one point had the working title 'Stop and listen to your heart'. The lyrics compare the "message of love" with the returning boomerangs which the Aboriginal Australians developed. The song was originally written for Svenne & Lotta, who competed in the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 with it. The duo had a big hit with it in Sweden. Abba then recorded the song and released it as a single in France and included it on their Greatest Hits album in November 1975. It was never released as a single in Scandinavia.

My collection: 7" single no. 7662
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Bang-a-boomerang' / 'S.O.S.'