The Singles: The First Ten Years

The Singles: The First Ten Years
The Singles: The First Ten Years
Compilation album by ABBA
Released	8 November 1982
Recorded	January 1973 – August 1982
Genre	Pop
Length	92:44
Label	Polar (Sweden); Epic (UK, Ireland, Spain and Italy); Atlantic (US and Canada); Polydor (Germany and Netherlands); Vogue (France); RCA (Australia and New Zealand); Sunshine (South Africa)
Producer	Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus;
ABBA chronology
Alternative cover
	The Singles: The First Fifty Years cover
Singles from The Singles: The First Ten Years
	"The Day Before You Came"; Released: 18 October 1982; "Under Attack"; Released: 3 December 1982;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[2]
Rolling Stone	^[3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10^[4]

The Singles: The First Ten Years (re-released in 2024 as The Singles: The First Fifty Years) is a double compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on November 8, 1982.^[5]^[6] Issued as a double album of their most famous single A-sides, the collection included two new tracks: "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack".^[7] Both songs were released as singles, with "Cassandra" and "You Owe Me One" as their respective B-sides.^[7]

Background and release

In May 1982, ABBA started work on what was meant to be their ninth studio album ended up only completing three songs: "You Owe Me One", "I Am The City" and "Just Like That".^[7] Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were not happy with the tracks and shelved the project in favor of a greatest hits album: The Singles: The First Ten Years. Released in November 1982, it contained most of the band's hit singles from their ten years together as recording artists, and included two new tracks: "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack".^[7]

The Singles: The First Ten Years was released on CD in Canada only by Atlantic Records in 1987, but was quickly deleted in 1988 when Atlantic's rights to the catalog expired.^[8] In 2001, the album was replaced by The Definitive Collection. In the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995), the compilation was ranked 80th on the book's list of the "Top 100 Alternative Albums".^[9]

Richard Cook in the New Musical Express described the collection as a "documentation of the group who altered the course of pop more than anyone else. It resulted in a seam of unbroken, highly individual pop music that in lifespan terms is still unmatched."^[10]

In September 2024, a new compilation was announced as an update to The Singles: The First Ten Years.^[11] Titled The Singles: The First Fifty Years, the 38-track collection not only contains the singles from Voyage (ABBA's latest studio album), but also includes ten extra tracks from the 1972-1982 period that were not included on the 1982 compilation.^[11]^[12] It was released on October 25, 2024, and issued as a 2CD set and a 4LP 180g vinyl package. Both formats feature an illustrated booklet with unseen band images and liner notes by Carl Magnus Palm.^[12]^[13]

Track listing

Released as a double album, the compilation was divided into two records.

Record one

All tracks are written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Ring Ring"		Ring Ring	3:00
2.	"Waterloo"		Waterloo	2:46
3.	"So Long"	Andersson Ulvaeus	ABBA	3:06
4.	"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"		ABBA	3:15
5.	"SOS"		ABBA	3:22
6.	"Mamma Mia"		ABBA	3:32
7.	"Fernando"		Greatest Hits	4:15

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Dancing Queen"		Arrival	3:51
2.	"Money, Money, Money"	Andersson Ulvaeus	Arrival	3:05
3.	"Knowing Me, Knowing You"		Arrival	4:02
4.	"The Name of the Game"		ABBA: The Album	4:53
5.	"Take a Chance on Me"	Andersson Ulvaeus	ABBA: The Album	4:05
6.	"Summer Night City"	Andersson Ulvaeus	Non-album single (1978)	3:34
Total length:				46:46

Record two

All tracks are written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

Side three
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Chiquitita"	Voulez-Vous	5:26
2.	"Does Your Mother Know"	Voulez-Vous	3:13
3.	"Voulez-Vous"	Voulez-Vous	5:11
4.	"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"	Greatest Hits Vol. 2	4:45
5.	"I Have a Dream"	Voulez-Vous	4:44

Side four
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"The Winner Takes It All"	Super Trouper	4:56
2.	"Super Trouper"	Super Trouper	4:13
3.	"One of Us"	The Visitors	3:55
4.	"The Day Before You Came"	Previously unreleased	5:50
5.	"Under Attack"	Previously unreleased	3:45
Total length:			45:58

Personnel

ABBA

Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals (5, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23), co-lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16), backing vocals
Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead vocals (7, 9, 10, 18, 20), co-lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16), backing vocals
Björn Ulvaeus – steel-string, acoustic guitar, lead vocals (13, 15), backing vocals
Benny Andersson – synthesizer, keyboards, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Ulf Andersson – saxophone
Ola Brunkert – drums
Lars Carlsson – horn
Christer Eklund – saxophone
Malando Gassama – percussion
Anders Glenmark – guitar
Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
Roger Palm – drums
Janne Schaffer – guitar
Åke Sundqvist – percussion
Mike Watson – bass
Lasse Wellander – guitar

Production

Benny Andersson – producer, arranger
Björn Ulvaeus – producer, arranger
Michael B. Tretow – engineer
Lars Larsson – cover photo
Anders Hanser, Ola Lager, Lars Larsson – inner sleeve photo
Rune Söderqvist – art director

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[14]	18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[15]	5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[16]	9
French Albums (SNEP)	6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[17]	5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[18]	5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[19]	33
South African Albums (RISA)	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[20]	29
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade)	4
UK Albums (OCC)^[21]	1
US Billboard 200^[22]	62

Chart performance for *The Singles: The First Fifty Years*
Chart (2024)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[23]	42
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[24]	12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[25]	8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[26]	28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[27]	12
French Albums (SNEP)^[28]	35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[29]	5
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[30]	7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[31]	10
UK Albums (OCC)^[32]	17

Year-end charts

Chart (1983)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[33]	51

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[34]	Gold	20,000^{^}
Germany (BVMI)^[35]	Gold	250,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[36]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ William Ruhlmann. "The Singles: The First Ten Years". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
^ [1] Archived December 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 3.
^ Ruhlmann, Willam. "The Singles: The First Ten Years - ABBA | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
^ Palm, Carl Magnus (2009-10-28). Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120571.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "In focus: ABBA For The Last Time". ABBA. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
^ "The Singles: The First Ten Years". Abba on CD. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
^ Cook, Richard (4 December 1982). "Abba: The Singles, The First Ten Years (Epic)". www.rocksbackpages.com. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
^ ^a ^b Sinclair, Paul (2024-09-05). "ABBA / The Singles: The First Fifty Years – SuperDeluxeEdition". Retrieved 2024-09-06.
^ ^a ^b Armstrong, Sam (2024-09-04). "ABBA Announce New Box Set, 'The Singles – The First Fifty Years'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
^ "The Singles – The First Fifty Years (4LP)". Polar Music. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 – 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "ABBA". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 8. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "Charts.nz – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "ABBA | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "ABBA Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
^ "Austriancharts.at – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
^ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
^ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
^ "Top Albums (Week 44, 2024)". SNEP. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 44". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
^ "Swisscharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
^ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 13 November 2021 – via Imgur.com.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'The Singles – The First Ten Years')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
^ "British album certifications – ABBA – The Singles: The First Ten Years". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

[1] William Ruhlmann. "The Singles: The First Ten Years". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.

[2] Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.

[3] [1] Archived December 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[4] Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 3.

[5] Ruhlmann, Willam. "The Singles: The First Ten Years - ABBA | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-07-21.

[6] Palm, Carl Magnus (2009-10-28). Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120571.

[:0-7] "In focus: ABBA For The Last Time". ABBA. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[8] "The Singles: The First Ten Years". Abba on CD. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2019-07-21.

[Spin-9] Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.

[10] Cook, Richard (4 December 1982). "Abba: The Singles, The First Ten Years (Epic)". www.rocksbackpages.com. Retrieved 2019-09-15.

[:1-11] Sinclair, Paul (2024-09-05). "ABBA / The Singles: The First Fifty Years – SuperDeluxeEdition". Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[:2-12] Armstrong, Sam (2024-09-04). "ABBA Announce New Box Set, 'The Singles – The First Fifty Years'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[13] "The Singles – The First Fifty Years (4LP)". Polar Music. Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[14] David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 – 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[ac_Netherlands_ABBA-15] "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[16] Pennanen, Timo (2021). "ABBA". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 8. Retrieved 24 August 2022.

[ac_Germany_ABBA-17] "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[ac_New_Zealand_ABBA-18] "Charts.nz – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[ac_Norway_ABBA-19] "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[ac_Sweden_ABBA-20] "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Ten Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[ac_UK_ABBA-21] "ABBA | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[ac_Billboard200_ABBA-22] "ABBA Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2016.

[23] "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.

[ac_Austria_ABBA-24] "Austriancharts.at – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2024.

[ac_Flanders_ABBA-25] "Ultratop.be – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.

[ac_Wallonia_ABBA-26] "Ultratop.be – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.

[NLD2024-27] "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2024.

[28] "Top Albums (Week 44, 2024)". SNEP. Retrieved 4 November 2024.

[GER-2024-29] "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 1 November 2024.

[30] "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 44". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 1 November 2024.

[SWI-2024-31] "Swisscharts.com – ABBA – The Singles - The First Fifty Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2024.

[UK-2024-32] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2024.

[33] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2022.

[34] "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 13 November 2021 – via Imgur.com.

[GermanyABBAThe_Singles_–_The_First_Ten_YearsalbumCertRef-35] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'The Singles – The First Ten Years')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[United_KingdomABBAThe_Singles:_The_First_Ten_YearsalbumCertRef-36] "British album certifications – ABBA – The Singles: The First Ten Years". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

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