''Abba-esque'' is an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by British

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member ...

. Released on 1 June 1992, the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and also became a number-one hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. As big fans of the Swedish group

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

, Erasure (

Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...

and Andy Bell) had often performed ABBA songs in concert over the years. They had originally planned to release an album of ABBA covers but instead opted to release an EP of four of ABBA's best known hits.

Background

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, ...

released ''Abba-esque'' in the UK, while

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

released it in the US. Music videos were produced for all four tracks, and issued as a video EP on VHS. A

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

EP was also released by Mute Records in the UK which featured the same four songs in heavily reworked form. Shortly after the release, ABBA's '' Gold: Greatest Hits'' album was released, sparking a revival of ABBA's music that has endured well into the 21st century. After peaking at number two twice (with " Sometimes" in 1986 and '' Crackers International'' in 1988), Erasure finally reached number one in the UK with this release, remaining there for five weeks. In the United States, where EPs chart on the ''Billboard'' 200, ''Abba-esque'' peaked at number 85. Although never officially released as a single by itself, the song "

Take a Chance on Me "Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses an ...

", which features a guest rap by MC Kinky, received significant radio play in the US, allowing it to peak at number 52 on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart. In Sweden, the EP peaked at number one, staying there for six consecutive weeks, and it also peaked atop the charts of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece and Ireland. The release of the ''Abba-esque'' EP in due course precipitated the release of a similar EP, ''Erasure-ish'', by the ABBA

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style ...

Björn Again Björn Again is a parody of the 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA. Created in 1988 in Australia,The show currently involves performers based in several countries. The Björn Again name is based in part on ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus with the obvious rev ...

, which features two Erasure tracks ("

A Little Respect A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

" and " Stop!") performed in the style of ABBA as an answer record.

Music videos

The music video for "Take a Chance on Me" was directed by Philippe Gautier, and the other three were directed by Jan Kounen.

Track listings

''Abba-esque'' # " Lay All Your Love on Me" ( B. Andersson / B. Ulvaeus) – 4:45 # " SOS" ( S. Anderson / B. Andersson/B. Ulvaeus) – 3:49 # "

" (B. Andersson / B. Ulvaeus) – 3:43 # " Voulez-Vous" (B. Andersson / B. Ulvaeus) – 5:35 ''Abba-esque – The Remixes'' # "Voulez-Vous" (Brain Stem Death Test Mix) (remixed by Fortran 5) # "Lay All Your Love on Me" (No Panties Mix) (remixed by Fortran 5) # "Take a Chance on Me" (Take a Trance on Me Mix) (remixed by Philip Kelsey) # "SOS" (Perimeter Mix) (remixed by

Chris & Cosey Chris & Cosey, sometimes known as Carter Tutti, are a musical duo formed in 1981, consisting of couple Chris Carter (electronics) and Cosey Fanni Tutti (electronics, guitar, cornet), both previously (and currently the sole surviving) members ...

)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abba-Esque 1992 EPs ABBA tribute albums Covers EPs Erasure albums Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Mute Records EPs Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Sweden UK Singles Chart number-one singles