ABBA On The Web - December 2005
One of the great things about the Internet is that it’s always changing and growing. There’s always something new and different to be found.Many of the best ABBA websites have been around for quite a while now, but earlier two new but very similar ABBA websites appeared, within just a couple of months of each other. Both have quickly joined the ranks of fans’ favourite ABBA sites. They’re both certainly high on my own personal list of favourites.
The first is ABBA Singles.net. This site is exactly what it says – it features ABBA singles from around the world.The major feature is a gallery of ABBA singles from around the world, listed by date or by country. There is also a section of rare “other discs”, including promotional singles or other non-commercial releases.
What makes ABBA Singles.net different is for the first time, we get to see the front and back covers of the singles, and in some cases the actual records themselves. Most ABBA sites show only the front cover. Each single entry also includes details about the song and chart information.There are other features that make for some interesting reading, including an interesting piece on the apparent differences in running time on different records released in different countries.
The site is easy to navigate, though if there’s one complaint, it’s that it hasn’t been updated for a while, and new entries aren’t listed separately.The other site is ABBA For The Record, which takes the same concept as ABBA Singles.net and goes a couple of steps further, also including singles (7 inch, 12 inch and CD), LPs and CDs, videos and DVDs, and books and magazines.
Like ABBA Singles.net, the front and back covers are shown, but here are also shown the inner sleeves, inside booklets, and labels for each entry. Each page can be searched by country, by format, by both criteria, or none to see all included records.There are also a number of interesting “special features”, including such items as box sets, double CDs, releases by country, all ABBA Gold variations, and “Bits & Pieces”, including posters and other collectible items.
ABBA For The Record is also one of the easiest sites I’ve found to navigate, with each section easily linked from the navigation bar at the top of each page, with panel links to various other features on each page.This site also has a handy page for new additions, and with regular updates, it includes almost all the latest ABBA releases.
Both sites are highly recommended for fans who want to see the different ABBA records that have been released around the world over the past thirty-something years.