Source: Press Release, Last Accessed: 2018/01/08
In celebration of "ABBA – The Album" original release four decades ago, Polar Music/UMe released a half-speed mastered, 45rpm-cut, 180-gram 2LP edition on January 26. First released in Scandinavia in December 1977, ABBA – The Album took the world by storm, hitting Number One in several countries, including the UK, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, among others. It also reached No. 15 in the U.S., becoming ABBA's highest Billboard-charting studio album with platinum-certified sales.
Naturally, this being ABBA, the album also features major international hit singles, including "The Name Of The Game," "Take A Chance On Me," and "Eagle." These hits and the album itself showed how ABBA tried to develop and challenge themselves, taking significant steps forward in terms of musical complexity, while remaining catchy and compelling.
This commemorative reissue of ABBA – The Album features new liner notes by noted ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm, detailing the story behind the album.
According to the press release, the specialized half-speed mastering technique transforms difficult to cut high-end frequencies into relatively easy to cut mid-range frequencies. The result is a cut with excellent high frequency response and very solid and stable stereo images. In short, half-speed mastering produces a master of the highest quality that enables the pressing plant to produce a superlative record.
For more information: http://www.abbasite.com/