Single Of The Week is where I review a single I'm particularly enamoured of at the moment. It might be a brand spanking new release, or a classic from decades past that I just feel like going on about.

Thank ABBA For The Music Steps, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched, Billie ABCD1

Let me say first that anything that maintains awareness of ABBA has to be a good thing, even though the recent opening of Mamma Mia! in the UK means that people in that country are probably as aware as they're going to get. The ABBA Gold compilation hit #1 the week the show opened, almost a decade after it was first released. 'Thank ABBA For The Music' also helped the cause, debuting at #4 in the week of its release, and the proceeds from the single go to charity. So generally, Gusworld is in favour.

That noted, it has to be said that this particular compilation of ABBA covers doesn't come anywhere near the glories of Erasure's ABBA-esque EP. There are three principal reasons for this:

• The selection of songs is a bit dodgy. 'Dancing Queen' is a surprisingly difficult song to do well, and this recording lacks the vocal variety and depth of the original. 'Mamma Mia' and 'Take A Chance On Me' are fine, but what is this ongoing Brit obsession with 'Thank You For The Music'? Personally, I've never understood the fuss.
• There's absolutely nothing distinct about the vocal contributions from any of the stars. With the partial exception of the guys from Steps doing the male part on 'Take A Chance On Me', it might just as well be a bunch of session singers. Why not throw in a few solos?
• The sequencing is just awful; the group jumps from one song to the next with all the abruptness of my scratched vinyl copy of 1980: The Summer.

Despite all this whining, though, I raced out to get this the day it was released. What surprised me was that a single originating at the Brits would actually make it to Australia, but I suppose the combination of ABBA fanatics and teenyboppers seemed too attractive to resist.

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