Number 654 - Ace Of Base
Number 654
Ace Of Base
"The Sign"
(1993)
Ace Of Base
"The Sign"
(1993)
.
Comprised of vocalists Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren, and keyboardists Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddah" Ekberg, the Swedish quartet Ace of Base became a phenomenally popular international act with their 1993 debut album, The Sign. Ace of Base's simple, melodic Euro-disco was equally popular on radio and in the clubs, earning the quartet three U.S Top Ten singles -- "All That She Wants," "Don't Turn Around," and "The Sign," which spent six weeks at number one.
Before the quartet formed in 1990, sisters Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren sang in local church choirs in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their brother, Jonas, played synthesizers and wrote songs with Ulf Ekberg. Eventually, Jonas and Ulf recruited Jenny and Linn to sing with them, and the quartet began playing dance music at local clubs in the late summer of 1990. Within a year, the group signed with Mega Records and released their debut single, "Wheel of Fortune," in 1992. By that time, the quartet had joined forces with John Ballard, who produced their recordings and wrote the majority of their songs; occasionally, Ballard co-wrote with Jonas Berggren. "Wheel of Fortune" became a hit across Scandinavia, and soon the German-based record label Metronome signed a European distribution deal with the group. "All That She Wants" was Ace of Base's first single in Europe and, thanks to heavy exposure on MTV, the song became a number one hit in ten different countries. In the spring of 1993, Ace of Base released their European debut album, Happy Nation.
"All That She Wants" was released in America in the fall of 1993 and quickly went platinum, beginning a string of platinum Top Ten singles in the U.S.. Released in the fall of 1993, Ace of Base's American debut album The Sign -- a reconfigured version of Happy Nation, featuring four new songs -- quickly sold nearly two million copies in the U.S.. Throughout 1994, Ace of Base dominated radio in America and Europe as "All That She Wants," "Don't Turn Around," and "The Sign" received heavy airplay on a number of radio formats, including Top 40, adult contemporary, urban, and, bizarrely, modern rock. By the end of the year, The Sign had sold over eight million copies in the U.S. alone. Ace of Base was nominated for three Grammys that year, including Best New Artist. 
Ace of Base released their second album, The Bridge, in the fall of 1995. Although it went platinum in its first six months of release, the record failed to duplicate the remarkable multi-platinum success of The Sign. After a three-year-hiatus, the duo returned with Cruel Summer, which suffered a similar fate. 2000 saw the release of Greatest Hits, a blend of original singles and remixes. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
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Genre:Pop
The Swede's, beside the Welsh and to a certain degree my country New Zealand, seem to have this knack of producing really good bands. I don't know what the population is from each country but we just ain't large. But Sweden just seem to keep on producing the goods whether it be Abba or Yngwie Malmsteen (who? .. Shhh) or even Eagle Eye Cherry. Ace Of Base were huge here in New Zealand, I even had a friend buried to the tune of "Don't Turn Around" at a funeral (yes, I thought it was bizarre too). So without being derogative to anyone, I guess Sweden can produce an Abba every decade and personally I don't think that's a bad thing because after all we were all kids once. Now where did I put me "Grease" soundtrack?
Comprised of vocalists Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren, and keyboardists Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddah" Ekberg, the Swedish quartet Ace of Base became a phenomenally popular international act with their 1993 debut album, The Sign. Ace of Base's simple, melodic Euro-disco was equally popular on radio and in the clubs, earning the quartet three U.S Top Ten singles -- "All That She Wants," "Don't Turn Around," and "The Sign," which spent six weeks at number one. 
Before the quartet formed in 1990, sisters Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren sang in local church choirs in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their brother, Jonas, played synthesizers and wrote songs with Ulf Ekberg. Eventually, Jonas and Ulf recruited Jenny and Linn to sing with them, and the quartet began playing dance music at local clubs in the late summer of 1990. Within a year, the group signed with Mega Records and released their debut single, "Wheel of Fortune," in 1992. By that time, the quartet had joined forces with John Ballard, who produced their recordings and wrote the majority of their songs; occasionally, Ballard co-wrote with Jonas Berggren. "Wheel of Fortune" became a hit across Scandinavia, and soon the German-based record label Metronome signed a European distribution deal with the group. "All That She Wants" was Ace of Base's first single in Europe and, thanks to heavy exposure on MTV, the song became a number one hit in ten different countries. In the spring of 1993, Ace of Base released their European debut album, Happy Nation.
"All That She Wants" was released in America in the fall of 1993 and quickly went platinum, beginning a string of platinum Top Ten singles in the U.S.. Released in the fall of 1993, Ace of Base's American debut album The Sign -- a reconfigured version of Happy Nation, featuring four new songs -- quickly sold nearly two million copies in the U.S.. Throughout 1994, Ace of Base dominated radio in America and Europe as "All That She Wants," "Don't Turn Around," and "The Sign" received heavy airplay on a number of radio formats, including Top 40, adult contemporary, urban, and, bizarrely, modern rock. By the end of the year, The Sign had sold over eight million copies in the U.S. alone. Ace of Base was nominated for three Grammys that year, including Best New Artist. Ace of Base released their second album, The Bridge, in the fall of 1995. Although it went platinum in its first six months of release, the record failed to duplicate the remarkable multi-platinum success of The Sign. After a three-year-hiatus, the duo returned with Cruel Summer, which suffered a similar fate. 2000 saw the release of Greatest Hits, a blend of original singles and remixes. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine] For Abba see Number 919
For Yngwie Malmsteen see Number 835 
For Eagle Eye Cherry see Number 787
What does Msr. R Stone think about Ace of Base?
Look, it's not as if Ace of Base chose to come from Sweden. So keep those pathetically easy,inaccurately dismissive Abba comparisons to yourself. These particular northerners were jaded club rats, not bubblegum Scandi- naifs. Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg's seemingly benign Eurodisco thump was actually full of moody undertones; their plastic textures were pristine rather than antiseptic; and their synthetic skank was surprisingly club- wise. And they wrote "The Sign," the wisest, catchiest, most triumphant kiss- off since "I Will Survive." ~ [From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (No no no no & no) and the Album ranked at Number (!) This song has a crowbarred rating of 70.4 out of 108 pts
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Labels: Ace Of Base
posted by crowbarred at 11:43 pm
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