| Ring Ring | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 March 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 29 March 1972, 26 September 1972 – 15 March 1973[1] | |||
| Studio | Metronome, Europafilm and KMH,Stockholm[2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:51 | |||
| Label | Polar | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Björn & Benny chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Ring Ring | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| Ondarock | 5/10[7] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[8] |
Ring Ring is the debut studio album by the Swedish groupABBA, initially credited as Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida. It was released inScandinavia on 26 March 1973, and later in a limited number of other territories, including West Germany, Australia, South Africa and Mexico, throughPolar Music.[9] It was a chart-topping album in Belgium, and also a big success in the Netherlands, Norway and South Africa.[10]
The album was re-released inAustralasia in 1975, but was not released in the United Kingdom until 1992, and the United States until 1995.
When the group's first recording "People Need Love" was recorded in the spring of 1972, the group was just one of many projects the four members were involved in. Only after the title track, "Ring Ring", became a hit, did the four decide to go on working together on permanent basis.[11]
While the original 1973 Polar version of the album opens with the Swedish "Ring ring (bara du slog en signal)", the English-language version was placed as track four on side two. The international editions open with the English version. Filling its original slot (in mono) is "She's My Kind of Girl", a track originally recorded by Björn & Benny in 1969 for the Swedish soft porn filmInga II: the Seduction of Inga. Released as a single in 1970, it became a hit in Japan,[12] and was also released as the B-side of the English version of the "Ring Ring" single in Scandinavia. The track "Disillusion" was co-written byBjörn Ulvaeus andAgnetha Fältskog. Although Fältskog had composed much of her solo output prior to ABBA, "Disillusion" is the only song released on an ABBA studio album to feature a songwriting contribution from her. "Disillusion" would later appear with Swedish lyrics on Fältskog's solo albumElva kvinnor i ett hus.
Ring Ring was first released on CD in 1988. Polar Music released in Scandinavia, alongsideWaterloo andABBA's self titled album, the version with the running order of the original Scandinavian LP. This is the only CD issue of this album to do so.[13] The same year in Australia, Rainbow Music Group issued the international version on CD.[14] In 1990, the international version of the album was released on CD throughout Europe by Polydor Records.
In the United Kingdom,Ring Ring was first issued on 7 September 1992, on cassette[15], and on CD the following year. In the United States, the album was not available until 1995 when it was released there on CD by Polydor.[16] The album has been remastered on CD multiple times: in 1997 as part of "The ABBA Remasters" series,[17] in 2001 with an updated cover artwork and some bonus tracks,[18] in 2005 as part ofThe Complete Studio Recordings box set, and in 2013 as a "Deluxe Edition".[19]
On 19 May 2023, a collection of vinyl products was released to celebrateRing Ring's 50th anniversary: adouble-LP edition of the album, pressed on 180g black vinyl andhalf-speed mastered by Miles Showell atAbbey Road Studios; a 7-inch box set of five of the album's singles, pressed oncolored vinyl; and 7-inchpicture discs of each of these singles.[20][21][22]
On 14 October 2013,Ring Ring was reissued as a deluxe edition for its 40th anniversary. It was released as a CD and DVD set, alongside a 20-page illustrated booklet with an essay on the making of the album.[23][24]
The CD consisted of the original album, expanded with thirteen bonus tracks and featuring: "Man vill ju leva lite dessemellan", a 1972 hit for Frida, with backing vocals from the other ABBA members; The 1970 recording "There’s A Little Man", which features backing vocals from Agnetha and marks her first contribution to a song written and produced by Björn and Benny; "En hälsning till våra parkarrangörer", a 1972 spoken-word promotional single, in which all members promote their 1973 Sweden tour; rare original versions of tracks like "I Am Just a Girl" and "I Saw It In The Mirror"; among other tracks.[23]
The DVD featured the "International Sleeve Gallery" and contained the following television content: a performance of "People Need Love" fromSVT'sVi i femman; one of "Ring Ring" fromORF'sSpotlight; and a 2012 Swedish report where Benny talks about the album's creation, titled "Ring Ring revealed" fromLåtarna som förändrade musiken, onUR.[23][24]
Based on the original Swedish release.[25] All tracks are written byBenny Andersson andBjörn Ulvaeus, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ring ring (bara du slog en signal)" |
| 3:10 |
| 2. | "Another Town, Another Train" | 3:12 | |
| 3. | "Disillusion" |
| 3:03 |
| 4. | "People Need Love" | 2:45 | |
| 5. | "I Saw It in the Mirror" | 2:33 | |
| 6. | "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" | 2:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)" | 2:54 | |
| 2. | "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" | 2:50 | |
| 3. | "He Is Your Brother" | 3:18 | |
| 4. | "Ring Ring" (English version) |
| 3:05 |
| 5. | "I Am Just a Girl" |
| 3:01 |
| 6. | "Rock'n Roll Band" | 3:09 | |
| Total length: | 35:51 | ||
The album's international edition replaces the Swedish version of "Ring Ring" with the English and features "She's My Kind of Girl" as track 4 on side two.
Released for the album's 40th anniversary, this edition also features "Ring ring (bara du slog en signal)" as a bonus track. Its B-side, "Åh, vilka tider", was not included in this edition, but could be found onThe Complete Studio Recordings.
All tracks are written byBenny Andersson andBjörn Ulvaeus, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Ring ring (bara du slog en signal) (Swedish Version)" (B-side of "Åh, vilka tider") |
| 3:09 |
| 14. | "Merry-Go-Round" (B-side of "People Need Love") |
| 3:24 |
| 15. | "Santa Rosa" (B-side of "He Is Your Brother") |
| 2:59 |
| 16. | "Ring ring" (Spanish version) |
| 3:00 |
| 17. | "Wer im Wartesaal der Liebe steht" (German version of "Another Town, Another Train"; B-side of the German version of "Ring Ring") |
| 3:21 |
| 18. | "Ring Ring" (German version) |
| 3:09 |
| 19. | "En hälsning till våra parkarrangörer" (1972 spoken-word promotional single for the band's 1973 Sweden tour, with excerpts of recent hits; previously unreleased) | 2:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Hej gamle man!" (performed by Björn & Benny; fromLycka) | 3:21 | |
| 21. | "There's a Little Man" (performed by Billy G-Son) | 2:45 | |
| 22. | "I Saw It in the Mirror" (performed by Billy G-Son) | 2:20 | |
| 23. | "Jag är blott en man" (performed byJarl Kulle) |
| 3:04 |
| 24. | "Man vill ju leva lite dessemellan" (performed byAnni-Frid Lyngstad) |
| 2:53 |
| 25. | "Välkommen till världen" (performed byLill-Babs) | 3:19 |
Adapted from the liner notes of the original Swedish album release andAllMusic.[9][25]
ABBA
Additional musicians
Production
| Chart (1973–76) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[26] | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[28] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[29] | 2 |
| Chart (2023–24) | Peak position |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] | 29 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[31] | 20 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[32] | 3× Platinum | 150,000^ |
| Norway | — | 10,000[33] |
| Sweden | — | 116,627[34] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums |
|
| Live albums | |
| Box sets | |
| Concerts and tours | |
| Films and musicals |
|
| TV specials | |
| Video games | |
| Related articles | |
| Related individuals | |
