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ABBAvsROXETTE...who holds the belt?
29 replies
whateveriam said on September 20, 2006 19:52:
Well, how would the title be decided? Would it be scored and have categories like ’Most album sales’, ’ticket revenue’, ’most cover versions’ or any other folks suggest... or would it be an out and out fight for the belt?
RJ1976 said on September 20, 2006 07:01:
ABBA is cult cos’ they have have split and never will make a comeback... The same thing probaly happens to Rox when they quite !
Anyway - I hope all of them has belts... Or do you wanna see them all but naked ?
Ferdan said on September 20, 2006 07:22:
There is nothing to compare, Abba is in the biggest of the biggest leagues...... eg. Rolling Stones, Beatles and Elvis. Roxette isn’t even half road of that.
But if you ask me who made the music I like the most I say Roxette. Simple
thomasc said on September 20, 2006 07:56:
Abba were massive. Roxette’s success doesn’t even come close.
chrisr86 said on September 20, 2006 09:07:
Sad to say it, but ABBA win hands down in terms of success. However, I much prefer Roxette (of course!).
StephenDH said on September 20, 2006 10:22:
Different bands - different times.
Both are great bands, but of course I prefer Roxette.
ditroia said on September 20, 2006 12:02:
Music wise, Roxette
Music Contribution, Roxette [many bands have copied their style and becasue of roxette, Sweden has had a lot of successful artists make it internationally].
Sales, Abba has sold more but they were active in an age were people bought more records, have been around longer and have perhaps a wider appeal.
History will judge Roxette as the greater band.
Did Abba have 4 US #1’s and 2 # 2’s, Did they play China? Have they lasted longer.
No
Dave
Zargo said on September 20, 2006 12:12:
I prefer ’The Winner takes it all’ to ’It Must have been Love,’ but yeah, they’re not really comparable.
kokoroxette said on September 20, 2006 14:24:
roxette forever !!!!!!!!!!!!!ROXETTE RULES THE BEST BAND EVER
rox-kuryliw said on September 20, 2006 14:32:
i have to say i hate abba ? never liked them so cheesy it stinks ! so out dated more so than the stuff from the 60’s .
totally different aswell really in every sence. roxette and abba.
like saying robbie williams vs red hot chilli peppers. totally different.
bevi said on September 20, 2006 14:56:
ABBA got more succes but it was different times i think.. when ABBA sang, pop was almost the only kind of music you could listen to
i prefer Roxette sure!
Santi said on September 20, 2006 15:10:
Excuse me, but when ABBA were big there were lots of different musical styles flourishing: There was rock, glam-rock, powerpop, progressive rock, hippy style folk, heavy metal, soul, jazz, the reggae started to spread, at the end of their career punk was “king”... so there were a lot.
It wasn’t “only pop”. That’s simply not true.
davidc4 said on September 20, 2006 15:27:
the only things that are similar are that they are both Swedish(apart from frida) and that they changed styles on every album.
davidc4 said on September 20, 2006 15:40:
only because each member of ABBA was a successful artist before ABBA formed just as Per and Marie were successful before Roxette formed.
coyboyusa said on September 20, 2006 16:23:
well i rember a usa critic wyhen he reviewed joyride saying that abba was the beatles with al the soul left out and he was right. Abba were vocal perfrectionists, but their songs sometimes felt hollow, roxette is the perfect package, and honestly if it wasn’t for gay men abba never would have had a revivial, roxette is timeless, abba eh it’s a cult thing
Room_service said on September 20, 2006 18:07:
I have been an ABBA fan after I became a Roxette fan. And after so many years I think I can have a proper opinion. Many people has an opinion here, but I am sure they have only heard the most common ABBA hits, and that’s all. Not enough to have a proper idea about their music.
I know every song ABBA has released, and I can say that, lyrically ABBA is a million times better than Roxette. Every ABBA song is a different story on its own. Some examples:
Nina, Pretty Ballerina (1973): about a boring and dull girl that works in an office. And nobody knows that in Friday’s night she’s the queen of the dancefloor.
Me and I (1980): about split identity, a la Jeckill-Hyde.
When I Kissed The Teacher (1976): about a girl that fall in love for her teacher.
Does Your Mother Know? (1979): about a girl that is flirting to an older guy.
Dum Dum Diddle (1976): A guy spends a lot of time playing his violin. His girl request for more attention!
Two For The Price Of One (1981): A guy needs a wife, so he looks for her in the newspaper advertisment. He finds the right one, but he doesn’t know the pack also includes her mother.
Super Trouper (1980): Autobiographical song: an artist perform every night in front of 20.000 persons but still feels alone and miss her lover.
Those are only a few examples, there are many more. I have never find such a story in the Roxette songs. Maybe some sketches (like Jefferson) but Roxette songs are rhymes and methaphors that have not much sense. That’s the weakest aspect regarding Roxette. ABBA (Bjorn-Benny skills as lyricists) is superior in that.
The ABBA songs are very complex too, with loads of arrangements (strings, horns, etc). I don’t play much ABBA these days, but I can’t deny their music was close to be perfect. I have never heard music from any artist that is as polished as ABBA music.
It’s too early to judge Roxette music as a whole right now. Remember ABBA was totally forgotten during the 80’s, and they were not recognized as one of the best pop groups ever until the revival in the 90’s.
Room_service said on September 20, 2006 18:15:
Ditroia, don’t take the charts as a rule to measure success.
ABBA only had one US #1. But did Roxette have 9 UK #1’s? Never. ABBA had 16 consecutive “Top 5” singles in the UK. In the US they had 10 “Top 20” singles, including one #1 and one #3.
fabi_salisbury said on September 20, 2006 18:26:
well said Room_service... I love Roxette although i think ABBA is much more developed in so many ways... They definetely hold the belt in my opinion.
RoxFanUSA said on September 21, 2006 01:25:
Well I think this is comparing apples to oranges. How can you compare them?
ABBA had no MTV - Roxette did
Studio wise Roxette had more modern equipment
Soooooooo I think you need to decide how to compare them - something that is fairly fair.
For example - the songs. ABBA wins this - no question. Listen to a song like The winner takes it all. Its the same melody repeated over and over again. When I kissed the teacher has 2 melodies going on at the same time and it’s actually a complicated song.
Lyrics - I would say its a toss up. Per has written some very clever lyrics.
Vocals - ABBA hands down. Listen to the high notes Agnetha hits. And listen to Agnetha and Frida singing together.
Production - I would say ABBA. Sometimes with Roxette I get so tired of hearing the electronic drum machines.
Longevity - hmmmm I think thanks to Mamma Mia (on its way to becoming the biggest musical ever) ABBA wins this. (But if someone comes up with a musical based on Roxettes songs you never know.)
BUT this isnt saying Roxette arent brilliant fantastic etc. They are. Its just ABBA, to me, are the best. To say they are cheesy is just sad and pathetic. Listen to Take a chance on me and listen to all the layers of the song. Listen to The Winner takes it all and The Day before you came - neither song has a chorus. Listen to Happy hawaii and why did it have to be me - they are the same song!!!! And remember - Benny and Bjorn co wrote arranged and produced all of their songs. They owned their own publishing company and their own studios and label.
Alesvenska said on September 21, 2006 01:51:
@ditroia I don’t use to reply in this occasions but even though I love Roxette so much, have they sold 500.000 million albums?, ABBA have!!, and without rereleases and being active as a band, have they sold 150.000 millions or surpassed the Beatles in sales at anytime?, ABBA have!!
vtech101 said on September 21, 2006 02:02:
Hate to break it to coyboy but, gay men were NOT responsible for an ABBA reunion–it’s called MONEY, NOT GAY MEN. Oh well, another self centered homosexual thinking its all about themselves–typical
RoxFanUSA said on September 21, 2006 02:07:
Actually Erasure’s ABBA-esque helped start the ABBA revival. You had 2 gay men who were proud to say they loved ABBA. And the videos they did were actually fun to watch. :) 2 guys dressed up in drag as Agnetha and Frida.
whateveriam said on September 23, 2006 08:15:
’You had 2 gay men who were proud to say they loved ABBA.’
Dudes, only one of them is gay! Andy Bell is, Vince Clarke isn’t.
EmEx said on September 23, 2006 14:33:
Ive just listend to some of ABBA and i like it... very good composing and sounds but i dont think they can beat Roxette with longevity
i dont know of any artist that i can listen to as much as Roxette without getting bored.
I think Roxette will be rediscovered some day, many of their songs are clearly classic material.
vtech101 said on September 20, 2006 05:45:
ABBA was considered the 70’s Beatles which in any ones eyes (who follow the history of music) is a great accomplishment. To be considered a “super group” with that much success, where do you think Roxette fit into all this. Meaning: in the history of music and their great accomplishments, do Roxette compare to any of the major music icons of back then? Do you think in 20 or even in 50 yrs down the road Roxette will be considered a group/band that has changed music in a historical way?
I always wanted to debate this (for some odd reason-don’t ask why...) How would you compare, if we were to compare “big” singles by both swedish groups, The Winner Takes It All by Abba w/ It Must Have Been Love by Roxette??? Note: The Winner Takes It All came out towards the down period and end of Abba where as It Must Have Been Love came out and “crowned” Roxette as a bonifide group that would be “sticking” around for a while (not a “one” hit wonder group basically...)????