Abelian link invariants and homology

We consider the link invariants defined by the quantum Chern-Simons field theory with compact gauge group U(1) in a closed oriented 3-manifold M. The relation of the Abelian link invariants with the homology group of the complement of the links is discussed. We prove that, when M is a homology sphere or when a link--in a generic manifold M--is homologically trivial, the associated observables coincide with the observables of the sphere S3. Finally, we show that the U(1) Reshetikhin-Turaev surgery invariant of the manifold M is not a function of the homology group only, nor a function of the homotopy type of M alone.