97. Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special (charity compilation album 1975, single b-side 1978)

 

This song is a special case in the Abba catalogue in many ways. First and foremost, it is the only track Abba recorded and released that was not written by the group members themselves. Secondly it was recorded not for their own use but as a service to their German record company Polydor for use in a charity album Stars im Zeichen eines guten Sterns in 1975. Abba donated their effort and to keep the other costs to a minimum they recorded a medley of three American folk songs. The distribution of this album was limited so the song didn't have much impact and most Abba fans didn't even know it existed until it was released on a b-side of their 1978 single Summer Night City.

Though I had been a die-hard Abba fan since the late 1970's even I didn't know of this song until the summer of 1986, when I found the single at a Brighton flea market among three other single b-side tracks that were still missing from my collection. I played this song a lot that summer, but soon lost interest in the song that was not written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and that was clearly a side project for them that didn't get their full attention.


Listening to this medley now didn't change my opinion. Neither the performance nor the production or arrangement is particularly inventive and the recording sounds very much like it was rushed in between sessions to other tracks. 

What this track also shows is the professionalism and talent of all the musicians and recording staff involved. All four band members sound enthusiastic in their vocals and the band (bass by Rutger Gunnarsson, guitars by Björn Ulvaeus and Finn Sjöberg and Roger Palm on drums) is tight. Best of all, unsurprisingly, is Benny Andersson, whose energetic piano playing keeps the first third of the song rolling effortlessly. In the third part of this medley Andersson even gets creative in his subtle keyboard lines that I only now paid attention to. The middle is the dullest part of the medley with Anni-Frid Lyngstad sounding uncharacteristically bored and uninspired in her delivery. Fortunately the energy for her and Agnetha Fältskog is back for the third part of the song, that in contrast sounds almost over-excited. 

This medley remains an oddity in the Abba canon, but also a showcase in how even the less inspiring tasks get full attention of the extended Abba family. Top marks for that, even though the song itself is not that remarkable.

Pay attention to:
  • Benny Andersson's jaunty piano in Pick a Bale of Cotton
  • Benny Andersson's hidden keyboard flourishes in Midnight Special
Coming up...I'm a Marionette


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