The Beatles would certainly be considered "pop" in their day. "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah" doesn't exactly sound like hard core rock to me. If One Direction released that today it would probably be dismissed it as worthless pop drivel.
True enough, but i'd say it's their less pop output that endures more, Sgt Peppers, etc. They were innovative, which I don't think can be said of Abba, who were derivative.
If a song or tune is good, its good regardless of what "genre" teenagers and pretentious music types decide it belongs in. The fact that Abba songs are stil played regularly almost 40 years later says something.
Yeah, fair enough I supose, I guess I'm just a pretentious music type then. abba just do nothing for me, I've always found them cheesy, even as a teenager.
Only problem I have with Abba is that whenever I hear KMKY these days I think of Alan Partridge. Aha!
Aha indeed. That a character like Partridge was such a fan also says something.
well 10 years together is more than the Beatles managed, or The Smiths, The Clash and so on. I don't think the length of time a band survives matters much to their credibility.
The individuals in those bands continued making critically acclaimed music long after the bands split though,
I can't think of a reason why their songwriting and vocal ability wouldn't be considered credible, other than genre prejudice, so yes i think they are
A matter of opinion of course, I disagree. As you said, they're a guilty pleasure, why is it that guilt is so often associated with Abba's music?
The individuals in those bands continued making critically acclaimed music long after the bands split though,
A matter of opinion of course, I disagree. As you said, they're a guilty pleasure, why is it that guilt is so often associated with Abba's music?
that was to do with the spirit of the times, the year zero punk thing, and the music press's opposition to disco/pop. The tide turned subsequently, and most punk bands look far more ridiculous in retrospect than Abba do
If Abba are good enough for a songwriter like Elvis Costello they're good enough for me:)
that was to do with the spirit of the times, the year zero punk thing, and the music press's opposition to disco/pop. The tide turned subsequently...
We're getting on for nearly 40 years since then though, and there does seem to still be an element of shame associated with liking Abba. Not that anyone should be ashamed for liking any band of course, but it happens.
and most punk bands look far more ridiculous in retrospect than Abba do
That's a matter of opinion too, Abba did used to wear some crazy get-ups, and to me their music sounds very dated, wheras there's a lot of punk still sounds fresh, and you can really hear the influence of it even now. That does inform part of my ambivalent attitude to Abba; they never came across as particularly innovative, they seemed to take what was out there already and just do their own slight variation on it, even singing in English as that was the "language of pop" rather their own. And I can't really hear their influence on anything much that came after them in the way both the music and DIY attitude of punk influenced so much from rock to rave music. I'm sure there are some bands who cite Abba as an influence, but I suspect I wouldn't much like them either.
If Abba are good enough for a songwriter like Elvis Costello they're good enough for me:)
Lol. I've never much liked him either. Each to their own though.
The Beatles would certainly be considered "pop" in their day. "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah" doesn't exactly sound like hard core rock to me. If One Direction released that today it would probably be dismissed it as worthless pop drivel.
If a song or tune is good, its good regardless of what "genre" teenagers and pretentious music types decide it belongs in. The fact that Abba songs are stil played regularly almost 40 years later says something.
Only problem I have with Abba is that whenever I hear KMKY these days I think of Alan Partridge. Aha!
I must have lit my seventh cigarette at half past 2. And at the time I never even noticed I was blue. I must have kept on dragging through the business of the day. Without really knowing anything I hid a part of me away.
And I can't really hear their influence on anything much that came after them in the way both the music and DIY attitude of punk influenced so much from rock to rave music. I'm sure there are some bands who cite Abba as an influence, but I suspect I wouldn't much like them either.
You mean like the Sex Pistols ('Pretty Vacant'), Echo and the Bunnymen, Human League, Belle and Sebastian, Nirvana, Elvis Costello, Ramones, Foo Fighters, Porcupine Tree, the Clash ('Spanish Bombs') and many others who have gone on record as citing ABBA as an influence?
I suspect part of ABBA's enduring popularity is due to the fact they split up just before going out of fashion and never reforming, so they are always remembered as they were in their prime.
You should ask that question about the music of any band or music. Music is a form of entertainment. it will either delight you or annoy you, depending on your tastes. To take the music of any artist "seriously" is taking it a bit far. I enjoy Abba's music. It is light and feel-good. It does what it is meant to do. Sometimes I just close my eyes and wash the music all over me. A form of deep relaxation. Sometimes I want to involve myself in the lyrics, to identify with what is being sung. I do this for all artists. I do not take music seriously, but I do not have any shame with liking something cheesy either. I like all sorts of music. To dismiss ABBA as anything other than the European legends they are though would be flippant and ignorant.
Some on here will think it's terrible. I think it's fantastic.
Not intending to take this thread off-topic, but just wanted to say Doghouse I watched this clip and I loved it too. Every musical mode under the sun, though at such dizzying speed I couldn't decode them all on the fly. And Miles just standing there, kind of, "I'm listening," but also kind of, "Don't **** up!" And the way he ignores the audience apart from holding up a sign at the end. And all the groovy stage costumes. What's not to like?
Not intending to take this thread off-topic, but just wanted to say Doghouse I watched this clip and I loved it too. Every musical mode under the sun, though at such dizzying speed I couldn't decode them all on the fly. And Miles just standing there, kind of, "I'm listening," but also kind of, "Don't **** up!" And the way he ignores the audience apart from holding up a sign at the end. And all the groovy stage costumes. What's not to like?
Glad you liked it.
Kenny's saxophone mic wasn't working so Miles held his own on the end of his trumpet close to the bell of Kenny's alto sax, otherwise we wouldn't have heard it.
It's only part of the tune as it's Miles version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature."
I think the "ethereal" keyboard and the driving bass add a lot to this performance.
I have had the privilege of seeing Miles Davis twice, once in my youth with Coltrane in London and again in the eighties in Manchester.
I also saw Louis Armstrong at the Empire Hall in London, whilst I was still at school.
There are quite a few of their songs that I haven't tired of listening to (and probably never will tire of listening to) after four decades or whatever. They were a very talented group of people. Two excellent singers....... Not much more to say.
"To take the music of any artist "seriously" is taking it a bit far."
"I do not have any shame with liking something cheesy"
"To dismiss ABBA as anything other than the European legends they are though would be flippant and ignorant."
All three of these statements above in the one post! Plenty of us take music seriously. Why shouldn't we? Personally I don't have any shame in liking cheesy music because I don't believe I do like any cheesy music.
In fact I'd say I'm quite discerning when it comes to music and have been since I was a child; have a pretty extensive collection of great music, with of course, plenty of room for more. As in, I'm always discovering more fantastic recordings but may not have the space or finance to acquire them!
I didn't listen to Abba then and I don't now. I've never heard an Abba LP but I'm sure I've heard most of their singles umpteen times, sometimes to the point of despair (Super Trooper, Dancing Queen). Cheesy is a useful word to describe their sound: safe, unchallenging stuff which sounds like it is aimed at the mums and grans and pre-teens, sung by a couple of girlies that males liked looking at. Even their handful of better singles tend to be diminished by somewhat twee musical arrangements.
So, somehow, now we seem to be expected to take this stuff seriously! Eh, no! Not then and not now. It is not the discerning music fan's fault that you young ones are burnt out listening to the technpop crud that dominates the charts now, with its half-baked songwriting and exhausting compressed sound.
Like Doghouse Riley, I'll stick with Miles Davis. I remember when he passed, how little coverage there was in the mainstream media for this musical giant, in sharp contrast to the unending tributes to the cheese-monger Freddie Mercury who departed a month or so later.
It's funny how people who listen to better stuff just seem to get on with it and don't seem to almost demand that everyone else bestows huge respect upon their favourites. Maybe the rest of us realise what a futile exercise that would be! ;-)
Pop music can be taken seriously if you want to. With some pop bands people only listen to the singles and form an opinion. Queen for example their singles are great but some of the album tracks from the early years show how seriously they were taking their art. The first two albums contained some very heavy rock tracks as well as big studio creations like March Of The Black Queen.
Pop can infuence anyone The Smiths have been mentioned. Morrissey has said that Sandie Shaw and Marriane Faithful were big influences on him.
"To take the music of any artist "seriously" is taking it a bit far."
"I do not have any shame with liking something cheesy"
"To dismiss ABBA as anything other than the European legends they are though would be flippant and ignorant."
All three of these statements above in the one post! Plenty of us take music seriously. Why shouldn't we? Personally I don't have any shame in liking cheesy music because I don't believe I do like any cheesy music.
In fact I'd say I'm quite discerning when it comes to music and have been since I was a child; have a pretty extensive collection of great music, with of course, plenty of room for more. As in, I'm always discovering more fantastic recordings but may not have the space or finance to acquire them!
I didn't listen to Abba then and I don't now. I've never heard an Abba LP but I'm sure I've heard most of their singles umpteen times, sometimes to the point of despair (Super Trooper, Dancing Queen). Cheesy is a useful word to describe their sound: safe, unchallenging stuff which sounds like it is aimed at the mums and grans and pre-teens, sung by a couple of girlies that males liked looking at. Even their handful of better singles tend to be diminished by somewhat twee musical arrangements.
So, somehow, now we seem to be expected to take this stuff seriously! Eh, no! Not then and not now. It is not the discerning music fan's fault that you young ones are burnt out listening to the technpop crud that dominates the charts now, with its half-baked songwriting and exhausting compressed sound.
Like Doghouse Riley, I'll stick with Miles Davis. I remember when he passed, how little coverage there was in the mainstream media for this musical giant, in sharp contrast to the unending tributes to the cheese-monger Freddie Mercury who departed a month or so later.
It's funny how people who listen to better stuff just seem to get on with it and don't seem to almost demand that everyone else bestows huge respect upon their favourites. Maybe the rest of us realise what a futile exercise that would be! ;-)
it's always a neat forum trick to throw in a name like Miles Davis as a quick way of showing us your superiority (which you hate to do of course cos you just get on with listening to better stuff and never mention it ;-)). But if you really appreciate MD you should be able to appreciate Abba, the basics don't change just cos the surface sound changes, it's still written arranged and sung, and if all those things are done well there's no reason to not take it seriously.
Like any good pop Abba were breezy on the outside but often carried a truth, sometimes profound beneath it. This is the opposite of crap rock which uses bombast and overdressed musicianship as a disguise to it's vacuousness - Queen being a good example, who iv'e never been able to take seriously:p
there's good and bad in every musical genre, including Jazz and classical. It just takes your discerning ear that you've had since a child (that was lucky) to work out which is which:)
it's always a neat forum trick to throw in a name like Miles Davis as a quick way of showing us your superiority (which you hate to do of course cos you just get on with listening to better stuff and never mention it ;-)). But if you really appreciate MD you should be able to appreciate Abba, the basics don't change just cos the surface sound changes, it's still written arranged and sung, and if all those things are done well there's no reason to not take it seriously.
Like any good pop Abba were breezy on the outside but often carried a truth, sometimes profound beneath it. This is the opposite of crap rock which uses bombast and overdressed musicianship as a disguise to it's vacuousness - Queen being a good example, who iv'e never been able to take seriously:p
there's good and bad in every musical genre, including Jazz and classical. It just takes your discerning ear that you've had since a child (that was lucky) to work out which is which:)
Oh dear, and all I said about Abba, was;
"Never really fond of "Eurovision pop."
I've absolutely no problem with anyone liking any music genre or particular artist, why should it bother me?
Given the content of your post, I'd suggest it's obvious that you can't say the same.
I've absolutely no problem with anyone liking any music genre or particular artist, why should it bother me?
Given the content of your post, I'd suggest it's obvious that you can't say the same.
the post was in reply to 'Scrilla' not your good self. Back to the doghouse with you:p
Pop music can be taken seriously if you want to. With some pop bands people only listen to the singles and form an opinion. Queen for example their singles are great but some of the album tracks from the early years show how seriously they were taking their art. The first two albums contained some very heavy rock tracks as well as big studio creations like March Of The Black Queen.
Pop can infuence anyone The Smiths have been mentioned. Morrissey has said that Sandie Shaw and Marriane Faithful were big influences on him.
Of course, to take the term "seriously" quite literally suggests that perhaps some are too busy being analytical, to criticise or praise when infact it should be listened to and enjoyed. if, on the other hand, to take an artist seriously means to defend, protect and totally indulge in the music then that's totally different.
I get a little alarmed at some posters declaring the artists they like as superior because of the lyrics, presentation etc. You only have to take an artist like Madonna to realise that sometimes, good pop music is poetic and well crafted. One song particularly from Madonna contains the following lyrics:
"Children killing children
While students rape their teachers.
Comets fly across the sky
whilst churches burn their preachers".
All sung in a background of acoustic guitars, gentle drum beats and unintrusive synth. But of course, many non-Madonna fans will not know this because they will be dismissive of her music because of hearing some singles. Singles are just the more accessible tracks of an album, but necessarily the best ones.
It is easy to dismiss an artist by simply saying "Oh, I've never heard one of their albums, thank goodness because Miles Davies is much better!" (Or words to that effect).
In the context of Abba, there are some very deep songs in their catalogue. The Visitors for instance is about communism. The Piper is about the cult of popular culture, how we all dance to the same tune. It isn't all about Kisses and love. Before any judgement on any artists can be made definitively, surely it's best to hear the work and to understand its meaning first?
I don't enjoy Rap at all. But that's not because I think it's bad. I just don't understand the anger because it isn't crafted together very well.
the post was in reply to 'Scrilla' not your good self. Back to the doghouse with you:p
I don't like Eurovision pop either, does anyone??
I recognised that, but as I was the first to mention Miles Davis, "I thought I should shoulder some of the blame."
I managed to "dismiss" Abba, without first mentioning any other artist. That's my opinion.
A question was asked and people respond in the way they choose, we all have to accept that.
In response to other points raised by other posters.
On the subject of lyrics, the best I think are those in C&W songs that tell a little story, or of course those in Cole Porter's and others of that era's songs.
Though I like the story in this, it's a bit like a Cole Porter "unrequited love" song.
I recognised that, but as I was the first to mention Miles Davis, "I thought I should shoulder some of the blame."
In response to other points raised by other posters.
On the subject of lyrics, the best I think are those in C&W songs that tell a little story, or of course those in Cole Porter's and others of that era's songs.
Though I like the story in this, it's a bit like a Cole Porter "unrequited love" song.
I managed to "dismiss" Abba, without first mentioning any other artist. That's my opinion.
A question was asked and people respond in the way they choose, we all have to accept that.
I find your posts in this thread very interesting. You are correct, you didn't mention another artist when you dismissed Abba. I am also able to dismiss artists by simply having no interest in them. I used to hate C&W. But, recently I've actually started to appreciate how lyrical and poignant the music is. It must be because I'm getting old.
I mentioned Madonna in my post because, like ABBA, often she is labelled as cheesy and people tend to think her work is just all reminiscent of Like a Virgin when infact, it's further from the truth. That doesn't mean I expect everyone to suddenly like Madonna. It was just me suggesting that sometimes, when you delve deeper into the work of artists you might otherwise shrug off, you are often surprised at how good some of their work is.
I don't generally listen to manufactured artists because there's nothing original in them. They all sing songs written by the same people and perform the same dance routines that are choregraphed by the same person. That is tiresome and is not "real" music.
I find your posts in this thread very interesting. You are correct, you didn't mention another artist when you dismissed Abba. I am also able to dismiss artists by simply having no interest in them. I used to hate C&W. But, recently I've actually started to appreciate how lyrical and poignant the music is. It must be because I'm getting old.
I mentioned Madonna in my post because, like ABBA, often she is labelled as cheesy and people tend to think her work is just all reminiscent of Like a Virgin when infact, it's further from the truth. That doesn't mean I expect everyone to suddenly like Madonna. It was just me suggesting that sometimes, when you delve deeper into the work of artists you might otherwise shrug off, you are often surprised at how good some of their work is.
I don't generally listen to manufactured artists because there's nothing original in them. They all sing songs written by the same people and perform the same dance routines that are choregraphed by the same person. That is tiresome and is not "real" music.
Returning to C&W and song lyrics. This is one of my favourites from a decade or so back. It's a "My man done me wrong song," but she's no wimp!
Really strong voice, perfect pitch, great range and can hold a note.
Comments
True enough, but i'd say it's their less pop output that endures more, Sgt Peppers, etc. They were innovative, which I don't think can be said of Abba, who were derivative.
Yeah, fair enough I supose, I guess I'm just a pretentious music type then. abba just do nothing for me, I've always found them cheesy, even as a teenager.
Aha indeed. That a character like Partridge was such a fan also says something.
The individuals in those bands continued making critically acclaimed music long after the bands split though,
A matter of opinion of course, I disagree. As you said, they're a guilty pleasure, why is it that guilt is so often associated with Abba's music?
that was to do with the spirit of the times, the year zero punk thing, and the music press's opposition to disco/pop. The tide turned subsequently, and most punk bands look far more ridiculous in retrospect than Abba do
If Abba are good enough for a songwriter like Elvis Costello they're good enough for me:)
We're getting on for nearly 40 years since then though, and there does seem to still be an element of shame associated with liking Abba. Not that anyone should be ashamed for liking any band of course, but it happens.
That's a matter of opinion too, Abba did used to wear some crazy get-ups, and to me their music sounds very dated, wheras there's a lot of punk still sounds fresh, and you can really hear the influence of it even now. That does inform part of my ambivalent attitude to Abba; they never came across as particularly innovative, they seemed to take what was out there already and just do their own slight variation on it, even singing in English as that was the "language of pop" rather their own. And I can't really hear their influence on anything much that came after them in the way both the music and DIY attitude of punk influenced so much from rock to rave music. I'm sure there are some bands who cite Abba as an influence, but I suspect I wouldn't much like them either.
Lol. I've never much liked him either. Each to their own though.
Sure does...people like to listen to crap music
One of my all time favourite songs .. !
You mean like the Sex Pistols ('Pretty Vacant'), Echo and the Bunnymen, Human League, Belle and Sebastian, Nirvana, Elvis Costello, Ramones, Foo Fighters, Porcupine Tree, the Clash ('Spanish Bombs') and many others who have gone on record as citing ABBA as an influence?
Not intending to take this thread off-topic, but just wanted to say Doghouse I watched this clip and I loved it too. Every musical mode under the sun, though at such dizzying speed I couldn't decode them all on the fly. And Miles just standing there, kind of, "I'm listening," but also kind of, "Don't **** up!" And the way he ignores the audience apart from holding up a sign at the end. And all the groovy stage costumes. What's not to like?
Glad you liked it.
Kenny's saxophone mic wasn't working so Miles held his own on the end of his trumpet close to the bell of Kenny's alto sax, otherwise we wouldn't have heard it.
It's only part of the tune as it's Miles version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature."
I think the "ethereal" keyboard and the driving bass add a lot to this performance.
I have had the privilege of seeing Miles Davis twice, once in my youth with Coltrane in London and again in the eighties in Manchester.
I also saw Louis Armstrong at the Empire Hall in London, whilst I was still at school.
"I do not have any shame with liking something cheesy"
"To dismiss ABBA as anything other than the European legends they are though would be flippant and ignorant."
All three of these statements above in the one post! Plenty of us take music seriously. Why shouldn't we? Personally I don't have any shame in liking cheesy music because I don't believe I do like any cheesy music.
In fact I'd say I'm quite discerning when it comes to music and have been since I was a child; have a pretty extensive collection of great music, with of course, plenty of room for more. As in, I'm always discovering more fantastic recordings but may not have the space or finance to acquire them!
I didn't listen to Abba then and I don't now. I've never heard an Abba LP but I'm sure I've heard most of their singles umpteen times, sometimes to the point of despair (Super Trooper, Dancing Queen). Cheesy is a useful word to describe their sound: safe, unchallenging stuff which sounds like it is aimed at the mums and grans and pre-teens, sung by a couple of girlies that males liked looking at. Even their handful of better singles tend to be diminished by somewhat twee musical arrangements.
So, somehow, now we seem to be expected to take this stuff seriously! Eh, no! Not then and not now. It is not the discerning music fan's fault that you young ones are burnt out listening to the technpop crud that dominates the charts now, with its half-baked songwriting and exhausting compressed sound.
Like Doghouse Riley, I'll stick with Miles Davis. I remember when he passed, how little coverage there was in the mainstream media for this musical giant, in sharp contrast to the unending tributes to the cheese-monger Freddie Mercury who departed a month or so later.
It's funny how people who listen to better stuff just seem to get on with it and don't seem to almost demand that everyone else bestows huge respect upon their favourites. Maybe the rest of us realise what a futile exercise that would be! ;-)
Pop can infuence anyone The Smiths have been mentioned. Morrissey has said that Sandie Shaw and Marriane Faithful were big influences on him.
it's always a neat forum trick to throw in a name like Miles Davis as a quick way of showing us your superiority (which you hate to do of course cos you just get on with listening to better stuff and never mention it ;-)). But if you really appreciate MD you should be able to appreciate Abba, the basics don't change just cos the surface sound changes, it's still written arranged and sung, and if all those things are done well there's no reason to not take it seriously.
Like any good pop Abba were breezy on the outside but often carried a truth, sometimes profound beneath it. This is the opposite of crap rock which uses bombast and overdressed musicianship as a disguise to it's vacuousness - Queen being a good example, who iv'e never been able to take seriously:p
there's good and bad in every musical genre, including Jazz and classical. It just takes your discerning ear that you've had since a child (that was lucky) to work out which is which:)
Oh dear, and all I said about Abba, was;
"Never really fond of "Eurovision pop."
I've absolutely no problem with anyone liking any music genre or particular artist, why should it bother me?
Given the content of your post, I'd suggest it's obvious that you can't say the same.
the post was in reply to 'Scrilla' not your good self. Back to the doghouse with you:p
I don't like Eurovision pop either, does anyone??
Of course, to take the term "seriously" quite literally suggests that perhaps some are too busy being analytical, to criticise or praise when infact it should be listened to and enjoyed. if, on the other hand, to take an artist seriously means to defend, protect and totally indulge in the music then that's totally different.
I get a little alarmed at some posters declaring the artists they like as superior because of the lyrics, presentation etc. You only have to take an artist like Madonna to realise that sometimes, good pop music is poetic and well crafted. One song particularly from Madonna contains the following lyrics:
"Children killing children
While students rape their teachers.
Comets fly across the sky
whilst churches burn their preachers".
All sung in a background of acoustic guitars, gentle drum beats and unintrusive synth. But of course, many non-Madonna fans will not know this because they will be dismissive of her music because of hearing some singles. Singles are just the more accessible tracks of an album, but necessarily the best ones.
It is easy to dismiss an artist by simply saying "Oh, I've never heard one of their albums, thank goodness because Miles Davies is much better!" (Or words to that effect).
In the context of Abba, there are some very deep songs in their catalogue. The Visitors for instance is about communism. The Piper is about the cult of popular culture, how we all dance to the same tune. It isn't all about Kisses and love. Before any judgement on any artists can be made definitively, surely it's best to hear the work and to understand its meaning first?
I don't enjoy Rap at all. But that's not because I think it's bad. I just don't understand the anger because it isn't crafted together very well.
I recognised that, but as I was the first to mention Miles Davis, "I thought I should shoulder some of the blame."
I managed to "dismiss" Abba, without first mentioning any other artist. That's my opinion.
A question was asked and people respond in the way they choose, we all have to accept that.
In response to other points raised by other posters.
On the subject of lyrics, the best I think are those in C&W songs that tell a little story, or of course those in Cole Porter's and others of that era's songs.
Though I like the story in this, it's a bit like a Cole Porter "unrequited love" song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-VUCGX15Ao
I find your posts in this thread very interesting. You are correct, you didn't mention another artist when you dismissed Abba. I am also able to dismiss artists by simply having no interest in them. I used to hate C&W. But, recently I've actually started to appreciate how lyrical and poignant the music is. It must be because I'm getting old.
I mentioned Madonna in my post because, like ABBA, often she is labelled as cheesy and people tend to think her work is just all reminiscent of Like a Virgin when infact, it's further from the truth. That doesn't mean I expect everyone to suddenly like Madonna. It was just me suggesting that sometimes, when you delve deeper into the work of artists you might otherwise shrug off, you are often surprised at how good some of their work is.
I don't generally listen to manufactured artists because there's nothing original in them. They all sing songs written by the same people and perform the same dance routines that are choregraphed by the same person. That is tiresome and is not "real" music.
Returning to C&W and song lyrics. This is one of my favourites from a decade or so back. It's a "My man done me wrong song," but she's no wimp!
Really strong voice, perfect pitch, great range and can hold a note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVoKkdVNSvo
The only one I struggle with is Winner Takes it All because a version with alternative lyrics is so ingrained in my head.
Aha indeed. That a character like Partridge was such a fan also says something.
The fact that Abba are Partridge's favourite band shows that Abba aren't taken seriously