Waterloo

“Waterloo”–a tune named for a notorious military defeat–spelled victory for ABBA at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The Swedish quartet went on to ride this upbeat ode to the triumph of love to the top of the charts across Europe, as well as into the Top 10 in the U.S.A. As the title track to the band’s 1974 sophomore album, “Waterloo” sets the tone for an eclectic song set that testifies to the group’s musical diversity and inventiveness. ABBA’s ability to fuse glam-rock aggression with Europop bounce comes through in exuberant, surprisingly hard-edged tracks like “Honey, Honey,” “Watch Out,” and “King Kong Song.” “Dance (While the Music Still Goes On”) and “My Mama Said” capture the group\'s disco leanings at an early stage, while “Sitting in the Palmtree” finds them making a foray into reggae with winning results. Amid the celebrations of romance and rhythm are such quirky lyric moments as “What About Livingstone?” (a salute to the famed African explorer David Livingstone) and “Suzy-Hang-Around” (a children’s ditty with a bittersweet tone). *Waterloo* is a dazzling sonic confection that hints at even greater glories to come.

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