Okay. A few folks have asked us what we think of the new ABBA album, Voyager – the band’s first release in 40 years. On the whole, we like it A LOT. When we’re not listening to the music stream here at BoomtownAmerica.com, we’ve had this on our old-fashioned CD player and we’ve grown to appreciate it more with each subsequent listen.

While there is nothing on the album that’s as incandescent as “Dancing Queen” or “Mamma Mia,” there’s also nothing as embarrassing as some of the tracks on their first LP. If you were not an ABBA fan before this album was released, we doubt that it’s going convert you. But if you’re one of the legion of ABBA devotees the world around, Voyager more than fills the bill.

Musically, the album continues the trend the band was following on their last two studio LPs (Super Trouper & The Visitors), away from the catchy, dance-flavored pop that made them the world’s best-selling rock act in their heyday. As a whole, the 10 tracks find the group aging quite gracefully and dealing with more mature subject matter.

Here's a track-by-track rundown:

1. I Still Have Faith in You – Appropriately, the album opens with this nice, understated number with Frida and Agnetha expressing lyrically what they all must have been thinking when they began work on new material – do they still have it in them? Two minutes in – they answer their own question when the patented ABBA harmony kicks in with full force. Yep, they still have it.

2. When You Danced with Me – This song reminded us of something that set ABBA apart from nearly all other mega-successful rock acts. Virtually every single American and British band is steeped deeply in the tradition of American blues. ABBA, being from Scandinavia, was not. Instead, they cut their musical teeth on European folk traditions (think beerhalls & Oktoberfest). That sound is in full flower on this track – a nice, up-tempo number that will having you reaching for your lederhosen and Heidi braids.

3. Little Things – Hard to believe, but this is ABBA’s first (and very likely, only) Christmas song. It describes a warm, quiet Christmas morning with the family. It’s a little slower than the first two tracks, but finishes up with an angelic children’s chorus that will have you wondering why they waited so long to create some holiday music.

4. Don’t Shut Me Down – A nice little tune that reminds you how effortlessly they seemed to spin pop gold out of thin air back in the 1970s.

5. Just a Notion – If you want a track that brings back the full ABBA sound from the height of their popularity, this is your track. It’s easy to see why. It was originally written back in the day, but Benny & Bjӧrn could never get a mix they liked. Until now. It demonstrates how incredibly deep was their talent when this catchy little pop-rocker was put on the shelf. Other versions of this tune have surfaced over the years as bootlegs and a snippet of it was included on a deluxe ABBA box set. Now, we have it fully produced.

6. I Can Be That Woman – Following the trip back to disco-days-ABBA, the next track finds them in a more mature, reflective mood. This is a slow tune dealing with the inevitable disappointments that crop up in long-term relationships. Agnetha has a knack like no other pop singer for adding a note of real sadness & regret to her vocals. There’s no happy ending to this one – just the hint that things will probably continue as they have.

7. Keep an Eye on Dan – Initially, ABBA was attacked for the lack of depth in their lyrics (“Bang-a-Boomerang,” anyone?). But as the band went on and Bjӧrn Ulvaeus grew more confident in his handling of the English language, the content of their lyrics matured spectacularly. They were one of the first pop bands to deal with divorce (“Knowing Me, Knowing You”) and the bittersweet feeling of watching your children go up and away from you (“Slipping Through My Fingers”). The previous track and this one continues that trend. This song deals with the strain of shared parental custody. Moreover, the music has an undercurrent of foreboding. There is something wrong, not just in the relationship between the divorced parents, but perhaps with their child as well. This one, like “The Day Before You Came,” creates a general feeling of unease without ever explaining exactly what’s wrong, inviting you to complete the process with your own interpretation. Not only that, but the track concludes with a callback to the melody of a previous ABBA hit. This is the album’s best track.

8. Bumblebee – Don’t let the title fool you. This is a quiet little meditation on what might happen if the world’s bee population is driven to extinction juxtaposed with an idyllic stroll through a garden on a sunny afternoon.

9. No Doubt About It – Okay, enough with the downers. This one is your typical ABBA up-tempo rocker. Lyrically, it’s about a woman hell-bent on picking a fight with her mate and then regretting it. Not to worry, as the song’s final line states: “This isn’t where it ends.”

10. Song of Freedom – A song in the tradition of “I Have a Dream.” Placed as the final track of Voyager, we end with a note of hope for the future, elegantly stated by one of the great rock acts of all time.

The band never really broke up. They just never expected they would be taking a 40-year break. No one knows if we’ll ever get any more ABBA music; but if not, Voyager is more than up to the task of being a sweet, satisfying farewell effort.

Those of a certain age can remember these attacks...

One of the hottest phone scams right now is callers pretending to be from some agency of the federal government. The object is to scare you or charm you out of some cash.

Maybe you’ve already had one of these calls – someone claiming they’re from the IRS, Social Security or even the FBI. They may even claim to be representing some federal agency that has a grant for you. Stop and think. Grants always require you to actually apply for them – and the application process is usually pretty long and detailed. It’s like those “sweepstakes” scams (how could you win a sweepstakes you never entered?).

And if the IRS or FBI really wanted you, they wouldn’t be notifying you by phone – giving you a chance to take it on the lam. They’d be knocking at your front door with handcuffs at the ready.

Here are some things to keep in mind to make sure you don’t fall for these “federal” fraudsters:

1.) The federal government will never call you and ask for personal information. Never. (Believe us, between your tax returns and social security information, they already know quite a bit about you.)

2.) Any important communication between you and the government, especially if it’s of a legal nature, will be handled through the U.S. Postal System.

3.) The government will not suspend Social Security or Medicare benefits because someone else misused or appropriated your identity.

4.) Federal agencies will never accept payments via gift cards, bank transfer of crypto currency.

As we get older, most of us experience a rise in blood pressure. That problem can worsen depending on medication you may be taking for other medical concerns – and that medication doesn’t have to be by prescription!

Ibuprofen and naproxen, two widely-taken over-the-counter drugs as anti0inflammatories, can actually raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. The list of non-prescription medications that may increase your risk of heart disease also includes products for coughs, cold and flu.

If you’re taking 5 or more prescription medications, there also an increased risk that various drug interactions could be harmful to the health of your heart.

As always, consult with your doctor and/or pharmacist as they should have the latest information and can advise you regarding your own particular situation.

In case you're new here, a litle something to help you get around...

1964: A concert that would have a tremendous impact on British rock takes place at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, England. The American Negro Blues Festival features Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lightning Hopkins, Willie Dixon, and many more. In attendance are many young Brits who will eventually become rock legends, getting their first taste of live American blues.

We lost one of our childhood friends last week when Tommy Kirk passed away, just 3 months shy of his 80^th birthday.

Kirk was one of handful of child actors (others included Annette Funicello, Tim Considine, Hayley Mills and Kevin “Moochie” Corcoran) that Disney built their live action films around in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

He got his start working in the early days of TV dramas before being cast to play the younger of the two Hardy Boys on The Mickey Mouse Club. That serial clicked and Disney signed him to a long-term contract. While he never appeared as a Mousketeer, Disney kept him busy with a full slate of feature films. He’s best remembered by Boomers as the human alter ego of The Shaggy Dog, the boy who owned Old Yeller and as wacky kid inventor Merlin Jones.

Disney declined to renew his contract when the fact that he was gay became an open secret around the lot. Kirk then migrated to American International Pictures where he starred opposed his old Disney buddy Annette in Pajama Party, playing a hard-partying Martian (no kidding).

A bust for marijuana possession derailed his career at AIP, although Kirk did appear, again as a Martian (typecasting?), in the deathless 1968 opus, Mars Needs Women, but acting roles dried up after that.

Kirk kicked around in various odd jobs including working as a chauffeur until he founded a carpet-cleaning business that he ran for 26 years and afforded him a comfortable retirement.

In his later years, Kirk enjoyed going to nostalgia conventions and taking an occasional acting gig.

Tommy Kirk was inducted as a Disney Legend on October 9, 2006, alongside his former co-stars Tim Considine and Kevin Corcoran. 

It was 54 years ago this week (October 1st) that Florida gained the attraction that has now come to define the state as Walt Disney World opened for the first time.

Initially, just one theme park (The Magic Kingdom) and a handful of hotels, the complex now embraces 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a huge shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, as well as literally dozens of hotels and resorts. It single-handedly transformed Orlando from a sleepy landlocked retirement community into one of the top 20 cities in America.

Along the way, many attractions within the parks have come and gone, including:

• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Snow White's Scary Adventures
• Mickey Mouse Review
• Swan Boats
• The Tomorrowland-Fantasyland Skyway
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Mission to Mars
• If You Had Wings

And many, many more!

A Whopper? A Big Mac? How about that hairdo?