ABBA probably isn’t the first musical artist you’d associate with Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor, but as he proves yet again, he isn’t who you’d expect.
ABBA is back on the tip of every tongue, riding around the world’s airwaves as if they never left. In truth, they never really did. The hugely influential ’70s four piece from Sweden are arguably responsible for changing the course of popular music, and in the process dividing audiences right down the middle.
To some their music is transcendent – full of the energy and invention typical of only the most acclaimed artists. To others they are simply a punchline.
One famous individual who most definitely fits into the former group is Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, the frontman made famous for his horrifically theatrical performance getup and decidedly guttural vocal style. Essentially the polar opposite of ABBA (although now that I think about it, ABBA’s own costumes could accurately be described in a similar fashion).
Anyways, as I was saying: Corey Taylor loves ABBA. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Taylor explained,
“Growing up in the ‘70s, there was such a weird amalgam of music all over the place…Through all of that, I remember hearing ABBA’s music. It seemed like it was always on, and it was clearly different from everything else. It had this full-spectrum lush production that felt and sounded big. It was only four people, but those songs sounded like there were a thousand people being recorded. The math didn’t add up to me.”
He went on to identify Take a Chance on Me as his favourite ABBA track, practically gushing:
“I love the juxtaposition; the beginning sets the whole tone for the song, with this weird Gregorian monk-like chant going on, and all of a sudden the crazy European production kicks in…I just love the yearning feeling. When you put it on, I’m instantly in a good mood.”
So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. They say that musical styles come in and out of vogue, and it seems ABBA are in the midst of a renaissance. Not only are fans coming out of the woodwork, the band themselves are about to go on a virtual world tour in support of their first studio album in 40 years. Bon Voyage indeed!
