Super Trouper is generally considered Abba’s finest album. The overheated disco flourishes of Voulez-Vous were dropped and the sequencing was very nearly perfect. What’s more, silly lyrics metamorphose into things of wrenching beauty. The overall tone is rather somber--the unraveling of the band members’ relationships underscores every track--but as usual Abba turn melancholy into uplifting pop music. This digipack version of the 1981 album includes two extra songs. ˝Put on Your White Sombrero˝ was recorded during the Super Trouper sessions but was replaced on the album by the title track; it’s in the band’s Spanish vein and comes with a throbbing synthesizer hook. ˝Elaine,˝ meanwhile, was the B-side of ˝The Winner Takes It All˝ single. An uptempo number, ˝Elaine˝ is far from being a throwaway.
Elisabeth Vincentelli