Gold: Greatest Hits (ABBA album)
ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, which was first published in the fall of 1992, ten years after the breakup of the band by the Swedish record label, Polar Records. 1999 appeared the album in revised sound quality and with somewhat longer versions of some songs. Further, only visually revised editions appeared in 2002 and 2008. It has become the most commercially successful ABBA recordings and, with over 28 million copies sold of the most successful albums.
Almost all the songs of ABBA Gold are also in the musical Mamma Mia! to hear. Triggered by the launch of the associated film reached ABBA Gold 2008 back top places in the charts in many countries and has since held, for example, in the UK the record as the oldest album ever reached the top of the British charts.
Commercial success
ABBA Gold sold within a year more than 5 million times and after seven years it had more than 15 million copies sold. Triggered by the start of the musical Mamma Mia! reached it again in 1999, the chart peak in some countries and by 2001 a further 5 million units were sold, a year later, in turn, has a total of 22 million units had been sold. In 2008, sales amounted already to 26 million and since the success of the film version of Mamma Mia! to a total of about 28.5 million copies.
In Germany ABBA Gold received a total of 14 times the board and shall record with 2.5 million copies as the fourth best-selling album. In the UK it so far got 19 platinum awards and reached in May 2013 with more than 5.1 million units the second place in the list of best-selling albums in Britain. In the British chart history ABBA Gold is also after the Greatest Hits album by Queen and the Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band's third album, which has sold over 5 million copies. With another 16 platinum records and 1,120,000 copies sold ABBA Gold is also one of the bestselling albums in Australia, where it is one of the five most successful.
Chart positions
Immediately after his date of publication ABBA Gold went into the charts of 20 countries and reached in twelve of them the maximum position, including in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, Sweden and Australia. Five other, the album was able to place in the top ten.
The following table gives a rough overview of the charts in several countries. More detailed information about the removal and re-entry into the respective charts are below.
Germany
ABBA Gold rose on October 5, 1992 in the German album charts and reached weeks later, the first place it behind the other took eleven weeks. After 60 weeks, the album went off the charts. On 17 May 1999, the album returned to the revised version again ranked number 63 in the charts back and was able to once again place a total of 25 weeks. Another re-entry into the charts the album was in the 17th week of 2003 to place 52 Subsequently it could be placed again on the charts.
A new entry in the album charts succeeded in the 32th week of 2008 to 44th place only after the 46th week of last place 99 it fell out again.
July 20, 2012 ABBA Gold was once again in the German album charts and was ranked 74th A week later achieved a significant improvement on 40th place
Overall, the album has so far put 228 weeks in the German album charts and reached five times platinum with over 2.5 million copies sold by 2008.
Austria
In Austria ABBA Gold rose for the first time on 18 October 1992, No. 32 in the charts and struggled to 8 November at # 1 high. This position took it to 13 December, it fell further and further down the exit took up on 1 August 1993.
On 11 November 2005, a re-entry followed at number 56, who reached the highest position on 24 February 2006 with number 17. On April 28, it again fell off the charts.
On 1 August 2008 it rose again and so far for the last time with 30th place in the Austrian album charts. The peak position was reached on August 29 with 9th place.
Today, it is with three platinum records and sold 90,000 copies at No. 7 of the most successful albums of Austria.
Great Britain
In the UK, ABBA Gold is now more than 5 million copies and is the second best-selling album. It debuted on October 3, 1992 at # 1 in the album charts. There it remained for the time being one week. On April 17, 1999, once again reached the top position, after it had been found consistently in the charts by this time. Until 23 June 2001 it was still available there.
On August 23, 2003, increased again and reached on April 17, 2004 4th place, before it left the charts again on 31 December 2005. From 1 September 2007 was followed by another re-entry, which continues to this day. The peak position was number 1 again on August 9, 2008 as the effect of the local success of the cinema film Mamma Mia!. ABBA Gold was placed by the end of 2012 507 weeks in the UK album charts.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the ABBA Gold is 550,000 units and ten-time platinum selling the top-selling CD ever. The album debuted for the first time on 4 October 1992 in the album charts, reaching # 1 on 8 November and led the charts for nine weeks on. Since then, it has been present 281 weeks in the chart list.
United States
In the U.S., the album has so far sold over six million copies worldwide and over 28 million copies. On 24 July 2008 ABBA Gold reached the position 1 of the Top Pop Catalog charts and was the first ABBA album, which won first place in this U.S. album charts. The album is now placed there over 400 weeks.
Title list
New edition 2003 and DVD
The new version of ABBA Gold in 2003 is a double CD. It contains besides the original CD ABBA Gold with the titles already mentioned above in addition a bonus CD with ten pieces on the compilation More ABBA Gold - More ABBA Hits can be heard from 1993.
Also in 2003 appeared a DVD with the music videos to the hits on the CD.