Abba - Super Trouper [Remastered] (CD 1997)

ABBA's 8th (and second last) studio album is a masterpiece from the first to last tracks. The previous albums (Ring Ring through to Voulez-Vous) was a journey of self-discovery for the group that, in my opinion, ended on the Voulez-Vous album. The Super Trouper album was therefore not so much about still discovering the "right" way (if there ever was a "right" way for ABBA) on making high quality music, but more of a refinement on their discoveries, which gives this album more of a streamline, rich aural listening experience than the previous. The second track "The Winner Takes It All" really touches into the soul on those who went through a painful divorce, and by far has the best vocal performance ever given by Agnetha (before or since ABBA). If you are lucky enough to get either the 1997, 2001 or the 2005 remasteration of the album, you will receive the bonus track "Put on your White Sombrero". This track was originally planned as the title track for this album, but was pulled off in the last minute for "Super Trouper" and therefore remained unreleased for 12 years, finally being released on the compilation album “Thank You For The Music" in 1992. In my opinion, it is one of the stronger songs on the album, and remains a mystery to me why they pulled it off the album (though “Super Trouper is also a very strong song). Overall, this album is a must-have for all serious music collectors, whether they are die-heard ABBA fans (Like Me!) or someone just getting acquainted with their music.