The Vaults : The Definitive Retrospective From ABBA

*** 1/2, ABBA, “Thank You for the Music”, Polydor Despite endorsements by such tastemakers as U2 and Elvis Costello, this Swedish sensation from the ‘70s and early ‘80s remains one of the most underrated groups of the modern pop era.

The quartet’s sound was so relentlessly cheery and lilting that it makes perfect sense in the film “Muriel’s Wedding” for the main character, in a moment of supreme joy, to declare that her life is as happy as an ABBA song.

From a distance, however, ABBA’s music seemed too much like a lightweight novelty, partially because it lacks even the slightest trace of the blues or country roots that have contributed so greatly to the soulful character of post-World War II pop music.

Up close, ABBA’s multilayered pop reflects much of the dramatic emotional sweep of two of the masters of American pop: Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. This four-disc set gives us an excellent survey of the group’s music. Besides such glorious hits as “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me,” it includes previously unreleased tracks and some instructive demos. There have been lots of ABBA retrospectives, but this is the definitive one.

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*** 1/2 New York Dolls, “Rock ‘N Roll,” Mercury. The Ramones have outsold and outlived the Dolls, but the lovable Dolls may well have played a more vital part in sparking the British punk movement. Led by the irrepressible David Johansen, the New York quintet gave us Stones-influenced rock ‘n’ rouge attitude and music that was marvelously stirring and wonderfully absurd. For Johansen’s lively post-Dolls recordings, try Rhino’s Johansen retrospective, “From Pumps to Pompadour.”.

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*** Keely Smith, “Spotlight on . . . Keely Smith,” Capitol. Smith’s warm, engaging pop vocal style was overshadowed in the ‘50s by the zany antics of her bandleader partner, Louis Prima. In this retrospective, she steps out of his shadow nicely, working with Sinatra arrangers Nelson Riddle and Billy May on tunes ranging from “Fools Rush In” to “I Wish You Love.” .

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* The Fontane Sisters, “Hearts of Stone: The Best of the Fontane Sisters,” Varese Sarabande. This trio specialized in redoing R&B; hits in the ‘50s, picking up sales and airplay from fans and radio stations that felt the original versions may have been too threatening or raw. The singing is capable, but the beat is hilariously weak. Novelty value only.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (essential).