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Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 21 September 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn merged into what is now the Universal Music Group. With sales in excess of 28 million copies, it is the best-selling ABBA album as well as one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

Contents[]

 [hide*1 Overview

Overview[edit][]

Prior to its release, all previously released ABBA compilations had been deleted and only the original studio albums (along with the 1986 live album) remained in print. Gold: Greatest Hits was well received by the music-buying public, and went on to be one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Gold: Greatest Hits has been re-released in various "special" or "remastered" releases:

Year Edition Notes
1992 Original release The original 1992 release included edited versions of "Voulez-Vous" and "The Name of the Game."
1999 Remastered re-release Celebrating ABBA's 25th Anniversary of winning the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo", including extended versions of Voulez-Vous and The Name of the Game. This new version was called the "signature series", as it came with autographs from the band members embedded into the front plastic casing in gold writing. This new version also contained new sleeve notes.
2002 10th Anniversary Edition Contained a revised booklet and updated liner notes. The ABBA logo was changed to the official ABBA font and the back cover was redesigned. It was released in Europe and New Zealand (with the European track list, and not the previous Australasian track list). This version was not released in Australia.
2008 Second remastered edition Coinciding with the release of the film Mamma Mia!, in a so-called super jewel case, with updated liner notes and with remastered sound (using the remasters for The Complete Studio Recordings). The Australasian release featured the European track list, not the Australasian track list on previous issues.
2010 Special Edition Included two discs: the original CD (using the 2008 remasters), and a DVD of the video clips, remastered in 2010. The DVD also included five bonus clips.
2014 40th Anniversary Edition A 3CD edition which includes the original album (disk 1), the More Gold: More Hits album (disk 2) and the "Golden B-sides" (disk 3), containing twenty b-sides.

Regional variations and tie-ins[edit][]

Australasian editions[edit][]

The 1992 and 1999 editions released in Australia and New Zealand (and some other territories in that area) had a modified track listing (see below) to include three local hits, replacing three other songs on the international edition.

The 2002 re-release was not released in Australia, while in New Zealand, the international edition was issued.

From 2008 onwards, only the international editions have been released in Australia and New Zealand.

Spanish versions[edit][]

The original 1992 release had a slightly different track listing, replacing the English versions of Chiquitita and Fernando with the Spanish language versions.

Shortly after the release of Gold: Greatest Hits, a Spanish version of the album, titled Oro: Grandes Exitos was issued, followed later by Mas Oro: Mas Grandes Exitos.

Video and DVD[edit][]

In 1992 a VHS video was released which included all tracks from the original album. During the 1990s, various regional variations on this video were issued, until Universal Music decided in 2003 to re-issue the video on VHS and DVD. The track listing was similar to the original album, with some added content: a 25-minute documentary produced in 1999, and the 1992 video of Dancing Queen. In 2010, the DVD was remastered with six bonus clips, including five "split-screen" versions of the clips to show which improvements were made by remastering the old videos. These "split-screen" clips were Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!Mamma MiaDancing QueenThe Winner Takes It All and Money, Money, Money. The sixth bonus clip was an Australian cartoon version of Money, Money, Money. The 2010 edition did not include the 2003 Abba documentary or the 1992 version of Dancing Queen. This disk was available as a stand-alone DVD and as part of the 2010 'Special Edition' re-release.

Other variations[edit][]

In 2003, Gold: Greatest Hits was released in Europe (not UK) with a bonus second disc. This included the following tracks:

  1. "Summer Night City"
  2. "Angeleyes"
  3. "The Day Before You Came"
  4. "Eagle"
  5. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"
  6. "So Long"
  7. "Honey, Honey"
  8. "The Visitors"
  9. "Ring Ring"
  10. "When I Kissed the Teacher"
  11. "The Way Old Friends Do"

The UK saw a 30th Anniversary Edition released in 2004 with a gold-coloured sleeve cover rather than the normal black sleeve. The original release included a DVD with 18 of the 19 songs from the CD, excluding Money Money Money. It was available also without the DVD.

Sales and Charts[edit][]

The album topped the UK Albums Chart on five separate occasions, sixteen years apart, first in 1992, then three times in 1999, and then again in 2008. As a result, Gold: Greatest Hits is one of the best-selling and is the longest-charting album released in the United Kingdom, currently (May 2014) totalling 469 weeks on the album top 75 (948 weeks in the top 200).[3] It has now sold 5 million copies in the UK, making the third highest selling album in the UK.[4] Gold: Greatest Hits entered the UK Albums Chart at number one in October 1992, and had climbed back to the number one position four times after then, the most recent time in 2008.[5]

In Germany, Gold: Greatest Hits has been certified five times Platinum for shipment of 2.5 million units.[6] It has also been certified 10 times Platinum in Switzerland for sales of 500,000 units.[7] In May 2014 the album once again returned to the highest selling album in the Swiss charts.[8] In Sweden the album is listed as the second best selling album as of May 2014.[9]

On 2 August 2008, it topped the US Top Pop Catalog Albums chart for the first time, being its first number one ever on any one of Billboard's charts, previously peaking at number eleven on the Billboardalbum chart. Gold: Greatest Hits was listed at number twenty on the Top Pop Catalog Albums year-end chart of 2010.

In the Netherlands, the album reached number 2 and spent 89 weeks on the chart.

Track listings[edit][]

Gold: Greatest Hits includes "Lay All Your Love on Me", which was a Top 10 hit only in the UK and Ireland, and "Thank You for the Music", which only had a limited release as a single. Only the Australasian release of the album (until 2008) included "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", which was a successful global hit for ABBA (except in the UK and Ireland). It does not feature "Summer Night City" which was a bigger hit globally than "Voulez-Vous" which was included.

Worldwide Edition (excluding Australasia until 2008)[edit][]

All songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (Andersson, Stig Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:51 from Arrival
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:03 from Arrival
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1977) – 4:06 from ABBA: The Album
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:33 from ABBA
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:35 from Super Trouper
  6. "Super Trouper" (1980) – 4:13 from Super Trouper
  7. "I Have a Dream" (1979) – 4:42 from Voulez-Vous
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54 from Super Trouper
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:06 from Arrival
  10. "S.O.S." (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:20 from ABBA
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:27 from Voulez-Vous
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:14 from Greatest Hits
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21/5:10 from Voulez-Vous
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:52 from Greatest Hits Vol. 2
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:13 from Voulez-Vous
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:58 from The Visitors
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56/4:54 from ABBA: The Album
  18. "Thank You for the Music" (1977) – 3:49 from ABBA: The Album and Thank You for the Music
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:46 from Waterloo

Australasia version (until 2008)[edit][]

All songs written by Andersson and Ulvaeus, except where noted.

  1. "Dancing Queen" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson Ulvaeus) – 3:49
  2. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:01
  3. "Take a Chance on Me" (1978) – 4:01
  4. "Mamma Mia" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:32
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (1980) – 4:32
  6. "Ring Ring" (1973) (Andersson, Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody) – 3:02
  7. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:15
  8. "The Winner Takes It All" (1980) – 4:54
  9. "Money, Money, Money" (1976) – 3:05
  10. "S.O.S" (1975) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:19
  11. "Chiquitita" (1979) – 5:26
  12. "Fernando" (1976) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:10
  13. "Voulez-Vous" (1979) – 4:21
  14. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (1979) – 4:46
  15. "Does Your Mother Know" (1979) – 3:14
  16. "One of Us" (1981) – 3:53
  17. "The Name of the Game" (1977) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:56
  18. "Rock Me" (1975) – 3:02
  19. "Waterloo" (1974) (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 2:42

2014 40th Anniversary Edition[edit][]

Disk 1: (The original 1992 release; for tracklisting see above under "Worldwide edition")

Disk 2: Same as on More Gold: More Hits

  1. "Summer Night City" (1978) – 3:34
  2. "Angeleyes" (1979) – 4:20
  3. "The Day Before You Came" (1982) – 5:51
  4. "Eagle" (1977) – 4:26
  5. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (1975) (Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus) – 3:16
  6. "So Long" (1974) – 3:06
  7. "Honey, Honey" (1974) (Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus) – 2:55
  8. "The Visitors" (1981) 1993 edition: edited - 4:27, 1999 edition and subsequent reissues: – 5:47
  9. "Our Last Summer" (1980) – 4:19
  10. "On and On and On" (1980) – 3:38
  11. "Ring Ring" (1973) (Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka & Phil Cody) – 3:03
  12. "I Wonder (Departure)" (1977) (Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus) – 4:37
  13. "Lovelight" (1979) 1993 edition: alternate mix - 3:18, 1999 edition and subsequent reissues: original mix – 3:48
  14. "Head Over Heels" (1981) – 3:45
  15. "When I Kissed the Teacher" (1976) – 3:01
  16. "I Am the City" (1982) – 4:01
  17. "Cassandra" (1982) – 4:50
  18. "Under Attack" (1982) – 3:48
  19. "When All Is Said and Done" (1981) – 3:18
  20. "The Way Old Friends Do" (1980) – 2:53

Disk 3: The Golden B-sides (A-side listed in parentheses)

  1. "She's My Kind of Girl" (Ring Ring)
  2. "I Am Just a Girl" (Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough))
  3. "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong" (Waterloo (French version)
  4. "King Kong Song" (Honey Honey)
  5. "I've Been Waiting For You" (So Long)
  6. "Rock Me" (I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do)
  7. "Man in the Middle" (S.O.S.)
  8. "Intermezzo No. 1" (Mamma Mia)
  9. "That's Me" (Dancing Queen)
  10. "Crazy World" (Money, Money, Money)
  11. "Happy Hawaii" (Knowing Me, Knowing You)
  12. "I'm a Marionette" (Take a Chance on Me)
  13. "Medley: Pick a bale of cotton/etc." (Summer Night City)
  14. "Kisses of Fire" (Does Your Mother Know)
  15. "The King Has Lost His Crown" (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!)
  16. "Elaine" (The Winner Takes It All)
  17. "The Piper" (Super Trouper)
  18. "Andante, Andante" (Happy New Year)
  19. "Should I Laugh or Cry" (One of Us)
  20. "Soldiers" (When All Is Said and Done)

Personnel[edit][]

Production

  • Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus – producers
  • Michael B. Tretow – engineer, digital remastering (1992 edition)
  • Jon Astley – digital remastering (1999, 2002, 2004 reissues)
  • Henrik Jonsson – digital remastering (2008 reissue)
  • Ingemar Bergman – compilation
  • Chris Griffin – compilation
  • George McManus – compilation
  • Jackie Stansfield – compilation
  • John Tobler – liner notes, compilation
  • Carl Magnus Palm – liner notes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2008 reissues)

Charts[edit][]

Chart (1992–2008) Peak

position

Australian Albums Chart[10] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[11] 1
Belgium Albums Chart (Flanders)[12] 15
Belgium Albums Chart (Wallonia)[13] 16
Canadian Albums Chart 4
Croatian Albums Chart[14] 7
Czech Albums Chart[15] 38
Danish Albums Chart[16] 10
Dutch Album Chart[17] 2
European Top 100 Albums[18] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[19] 1
French Albums Chart[20] 1
German Albums Chart[21] 1
Hungarian Albums Chart[22] 10
Irish Albums Chart[23] 1
Italian Albums Chart[18] 2
Japanese Albums Chart[24] 13
Mexican Albums Chart[25] 69
New Zealand Albums Chart[26] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[27] 1
Portuguese Albums Chart[28] 2
Spanish Albums Chart[18] 3
Swedish Albums Chart[29] 1
Swiss Albums Chart[30] 1
UK Albums Chart[31] 1
Uruguayan Albums Chart[32] 5
US Billboard 200[33] 36
US Top Pop Catalog Albums[34] 1

Certifications[edit][]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[35] 3× Platinum 210,000x
Argentina (CAPIF)[35]

for 1993 release

Gold
Australia (ARIA)[36] 17× Platinum 1,190,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[37] 3× Platinum 150,000x
Belgium (BEA)[38] 7× Platinum 350,000
Brazil (ABPD)[39] Gold 100,000
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Diamond 1,000,000^
Chile (IFPI Chile)[41] 3× Platinum 60,000^
Czech Republic (IFPI Czech Republic)[41] 3× Platinum 30,000x
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[42] 7× Platinum 560,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[43] 2× Platinum 145,962[43]
France (SNEP)[44] Diamond 1,000,000
Germany (BVMI)[45] 5× Platinum 2,500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[41] 6× Platinum 120,000
Hungary (Mahasz)[46] Platinum 100,000x
Iceland (IFPI Iceland)[41] Gold 5,000x
Ireland (IRMA)[41] 6× Platinum 90,000x
India (IMI)[41] Platinum 20,000
Israel (IFPI)[41] Platinum 40,000^
Italy (FIMI)[41] 4× Gold 270,000
Italy (FIMI)[47]

for 2008 release

Platinum
Japan (RIAJ)[48] 3× Platinum 600,000^
Malaysia (RIM)[41] 4× Platinum 100,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[49] Platinum 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50] 16× Platinum 240,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[41] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[41] 3× Platinum 150,000
Poland (ZPAV)[51] Platinum 100,000
Portugal (AFP)[41] 2× Platinum 100,000x
Portugal (AFP)[52]

for 2008 release

Platinum
Russia (NFPF)[53] Gold 10,000
Singapore (RIAS)[41] 11× Platinum 165,000
South Korea (RIAK)[41] Platinum 100,000x
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[54] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Sweden (GLF)[55] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[56] 10× Platinum 500,000x
Taiwan (RIT)[41] 7× Platinum 210,000
Thailand (TECA)[41] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] 14× Platinum 5,100,000[58]
United States (RIAA)[59] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^
Venezuela (APFV)[41] Silver 5,000x
Zimbabwe[41] Gold
Summaries
South Africa (RiSA)[41] Platinum 50,000^

  • sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Further reading[edit][]

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