ABBA The Articles

Bravo, 1982: Frida's tricks at flirting

2012-01-22T12:12:00.007+01:00

Is a girl able to get a tired man excited by wearing fancy clothes? That's the theme of the new ABBA single 'Head Over Heels'. Anni-Frid gives it a try with crazy straw hats, floor-length feather boas, lacey clothes from ancient times, but with knee-length baggy trousers and frilled blouses too.

But her husband - in ABBA's new video for the single 'Head Over Heels' played by Björn - isn't impressed at all. Bored and tired, he keeps fixed to his couch when Anni-Frid once again tries to put one of her flirt ideas into practice...

This story about the unlikely couple and her best friend is what Agnetha is singing about on the new ABBA single 'Head Over Heels', the video to which has been released recently.

In reality, things aren't as hectic for the four Swedes at the moment. Anni-Frid - who borrowed the crazy outfits for the promotional video from a friend - is still in the studio working on her solo album with her producer Phil Collins.

The album - on which Björn and Benny obviously have collaborated too as composers - is expected to be released in the late summer. For that matter, Agnetha is planning to record a solo album too this year. Meanwhile Björn and Benny are completely occupied by writing new songs for the next ABBA album.

But there's even more news on the ABBA front. On the side - between the microphone and the video camera - the 'One Of Us' singers got into the Swedish construction business worth many millions. Their record company Polar Music International - that is headed by ABBA manager Stig Anderson - recently made an offer to the Swedish construction material wholesalers Ahlsell (that has a staff of 2.600 employees) to buy at least 51 percent of its block of shares. ABBA wanted to put more than 80 million German Marks on the table for these shares, that would give them ownership of half of the company. But after the ABBA offer, the Stockholm stock exchange ceased the trading of the construction material shares.

As yet, ABBA already controls three companies that are listed at the stock exchange: the recreational company Monark, the real estate company Stockholm's Badhus and the investment corporation Kuben.

Popshop, 1977: ABBA is dreaming about a movie about their own turbulent love story

2012-01-16T15:44:00.007+01:00

Despite the pile of letters that has heaped up on his desk, Stig Anderson is feeling as fit as a fiddle in his cosy arm chair. For weeks he has been on the road with ABBA, from one European city to the other, and now that he is back home he doesn't know where to start. "For the first few weeks I'm going to have to work twice as hard instead of taking it easy," he smiles, "but oh well, work pays off". Björn and Benny are present as well because there's a lot of work in store for them too...

"I never thought a tour could be so exhausting," according to Benny. "When we came home, we slept continuously for almost two days. The tour itself? All in all it was a success, certainly when it comes to public interest. The show itself wasn't one hundred percent perfect yet, but we've learned a lot during these couple of weeks and that's the most important thing. We've enjoyed it too, I don't think we will wait that long before we will go on tour again..."

At the moment, ABBA has started working on a new album. But there are other activities on their schedule as well. "We have all kinds of film plans," Björn proudly says. "We've been on the road for a couple of weeks now but still we only managed to reach a small part of our fan base. To give you an example: the demand for tickets in London was so overwhelming that we could have played in front of a sold out venue 147 nights in a row. We think it's a shame because the fans that haven't been able to get tickets are just as dear to us as the ones that have. The first movie that we are going to release is a sort of documentary about ABBA. With footage from our live show but from our private life as well. That way, everyone will have a chance to see us, albeit not live..."

"The footage has been filmed by a Swedish director who makes all our promotional films too. A real genius, believe me...," according to Benny. "When that movie is finished, we will probably start working on a musical. Björn and I will start writing the music soon and we already have someone who is working on the plot. At the moment we actually don't know which way we are heading. Maybe we will use the theme of the mini musical that we performed during our concerts: the story about a girl that is striving after fame and success but ultimately gets squeezed like a lemon. A project like that will probably take six months, but I think that we have reached the point that we can afford to release less singles. I think we have become a household name. On the silver screen we want to prove that we are more than just a commercial little pop group. And our film plans don't stop there; we would like to make a movie about the romanticized story of ABBA. A sort of autobiographical movie..."

Bravo, 1981: Björn: he almost became a teacher

2012-01-08T15:29:00.005+01:00

After the divorce from his wife Agnetha, with whom he lived together for thirteen years, Björn Christian Ulvaeus (36) didn't remain a bachelor very long. Only one week later, he met his new life partner Lena Källersjö at a party. In the meantime the couple got married and Lena is even expecting a child. There's no doubt about it: Björn has had an easier time dealing with the divorce than Agnetha.

The ABBA guitarist was born on April 25, 1945 in Göteborg. When he was six years old, he moved with his parents to Västervik. His father had been able to get a job there at a paper factory. On his twelfth birthday, Björn got a guitar as a present; he learned his first chords from his older nephew Jon Ulfsäter.

The foundation for Björn's musical career had been laid at a very early age. Because soon after that, he started his first skiffle group together with Jon, with whom he joined another band from the city later on, the Westbay Singers. Their speciality was Swedish folk music, that they sang in English with great success.

The first big breakthrough for the Westbay Singers came in 1963, when they performed on a TV show. Someone named Stig Anderson - who had started a record company in Stockholm shortly before that - saw the broadcast and he signed the young lads right away.

First he persuaded them to take on a Swedish band name. With immediate effect, they called themselves the Hootenanny Singers.

They didn't have to wait for success very long under their new management. Already a couple of years later, Björn and his Hootenanny Singers were the most successful group in Sweden. In 1967, Björn moved to Stockholm. He wanted to study business economics and law at the university. Next to his studies, he had a job with Stig Anderson, whose record company was starting to become more and more successful.

In 1966, Björn met the second ABBA member, Benny Andersson. They became close friends very quickly and started to write their first songs together. Björn met the third member, Agnetha Fältskog, by coincidence in a television studio. Two years later, the couple was married already. When one adds on Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who performed as a solo singer prior to that, the foursome was complete. The super quartet ABBA had been born.

Björn is an ever decent and thoughtful human being. His merits are undoubtedly his efficiency, his thrift and a certain talent as an organizer.

In short: Björn is one of those young men who succeeds at everything that he sets his mind to. In the very early days he wanted to become a teacher. He often repeated this pious wish later on, especially at times when he came out of the recording studio after 14 hours of work.

The alleged ideal marriage between Agnetha and Björn came to an end in 1978. The divorce was handled without much fuss. However, there were tears. But that's hardly surprising when you have been living together for thirteen years, says Björn. Right after the divorce, Björn left their mansion and moved into a house not far way from Agnetha's. He didn't want to be too far away from the children Linda and Christian.

But Björn didn't remain alone there very long. Only a week later, he met Lena Källersjö at a party at Benny and Frida's place. Apparently it was love at first sight, because two years later the couple got married. Lena is even expecting their first child. "It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl," he says. "The most important thing is that both of them remain healthy..."

Das Freizeit-Magazin, November 1977: Everyone is waiting for the ABBA baby

2012-01-01T12:31:00.008+01:00

"This can only be a boy," Agnetha smiles amusedly while rubbing her big belly. "The way he is kicking already!" Husband Björn rather seems quite nervous next to the beaming ABBA girl. "Gradually the time is coming to pack some suitcases," he reminds his wife. The bed in the Stockholm hospital, wherein little daughter Linda already was born, has been booked for the beginning of November.

But there's still no reason to panic for Agnetha. The doctors expect the date of delivery to be in the middle of November. So there are still almost two weeks to go. Agnetha smiles happily: "I feel wonderful and I always feel very happy when the baby starts kicking in my tummy. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a sturdy boy. Then Linda will have her desperately desired little brother."

Although the mother to be is feeling great, Agnetha is still packing her suitcases because she registered herself at the Stockholm hospital this week already.

"The doctor that assisted with Linda's birth as well advised me to," Agnetha explains. "Linda's birth wasn't exactly easy. But that doesn't mean necessarily that the next delivery will be complicated too, but it's still better to not take any risks. We are looking forward to the baby with anticipation, whether it's a boy or a girl."

After Linda's birth, Agnetha was depressed for several months. "I really had a guilt complex because I left my daughter alone so often. When I came home and she didn't recognize me immediately, I had several crying fits." The blonde ABBA girl has learned her lesson: "After the delivery, I will have plenty of time for both our children."

Does that mean the end of the group? Björn denies: "The baby break hasn't harmed us either. Our fans haven't given up on us yet. And financially? We have made millions the past few years. Most of that has been collected by the government as taxes, up to 85 percent. If we would make less money, the government would be the greatest victim. But we don't worry about that. The group will go on singing. Agnetha will withdraw from a couple of other professional assignments. But the most important thing now is that both Agnetha and the baby will get through the delivery safe and sound. The Freizeit-Magazin is keeping its fingers crossed!

Bravo, September 1982: Frida is having a bit on the side!

2011-12-27T19:12:00.008+01:00

There is a red alert at the small airport in Hof in Oberfranken: Anni-Frid from the Swedish pop group is announced to arrive by private jet from Frankfurt.

The reason for this flying visit? Frida - like she is called solo - will introduce her solo single 'I Know There's Something Going On' and another track from her same-named, recently released album for the first time live on September 9 in the ZDF show Show Express. Immediately after the broadcast, Anni-Frid and her entourage will board the plane again that will take them back to Frankfurt.

Whoever is looking out for the other ABBAs during Anni-Frid's visit to Germany, will be disappointed. Björn, Agnetha and Benny stayed in Sweden.

Did Frida set the ball rolling with her solo project, that will deal the - by many long-awaited - mortal blow to ABBA?

"Nonsense," she claimed. "After the release of the latest ABBA album 'The Visitors', I simply had some spare time, and I made use of that time to record a solo album."

Fact is that she called Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins in the beginning of this year to ask him for his help. She had listened to his solo album 'Face Value' and decided: 'this is the man I'm looking for'. Phil Collins thought it was a challenge to get the soft ABBA singer to sing somewhat beefier musical material and he accepted.

But it wasn't enough for the Genesis wizard to be just the producer. He also acted as a drummer, he wrote songs and he sang 'Here We'll Stay' together with Frida as a duet. Apart from that, he also engaged well-known songwriters like Rainbow hit maker Russ Ballard and he secured a track by Bryan Ferry as well.

Anni-Frid consciously passed on Benny and Björn's established songwriting. "My album shouldn't be an ABBA copy," she said and she even recorded parts of the album at the Air Studios in London, to avoid any ABBA involvement.

The team Frida/Phil actually succeeded in getting away from the ABBA sound. Listening to the single 'I Know There's Something Going On', only the singing voice vaguely reminds one of ABBA. One would rather associate the strong rocky sound with something between Genesis and Joan Jett.

And this isn't the end of Frida's side leap. She filmed videos for the single and a second track from her solo album 'I See Red' and there's even talk about a guest appearance at the next Genesis concert.

Meanwhile, the other ABBA members are not exactly inactive. Agnetha is being seduced by a marriage impostor - but only in front of the camera. In Stockholm, she is filming her first feature film about the Swedish women cheater Gustav Raskenstam.

Privately, things aren't that adventurous for her, although her boyfriend - policeman Torbjörn Brander - has moved out of her house again. He couldn't deal with all the fuss surrounding Agnetha and him. To make sure she wasn't left completely unprotected, Agnetha brought in a young Leonberger dog into her mansion in Lidingö.

Björn and Benny are working on a new ABBA album. Five tracks - among them 'Just Like That' and 'I Am The City' are completed. But still the record won't be released until early '83. Before that, a new single release is planned and a double album containing 23 ABBA singles and two new songs.

Bravo, 1983: A miracle! Agnetha managed to get out of this bus alive!

2011-12-10T17:02:00.006+01:00

It happened on October 2 at 7:35 PM on a rainy street in Urkelljunga between Helsingborg and Stockholm. Agnetha was on her way home from her promotional tour through Europe. With her in the luxurious touringcar were her tour manager and advisor Hans Blomgren, her friend, the journalist Britta Akesson and two drivers who took turns driving the vehicle during the long journey through Europe.

Agnetha had just got up from her seat at the right side of the bus to stretch her legs in the sleeping department in the back of the touringcar.

All of a sudden a red light popped up in the dark on the roadside. The driver didn't know that the Urkelljunga road construction authorities had put up temporary traffic lights in this track section due to road works.

He hit te brakes for all he was worth. The back wheels came into a slide in an oil spill. The touringcar tossed around wildly and hit the crash barrier with its left wheels. This caused such an instant standstill that the heavy vehicle turned over on its right side.

The impact took place with such force that the touringcar was deformed completely. The windows were ruptured with a deafening rattle.

Agnetha, who was just on her way to the backside of the touringcar, and her companions were catapulted to the floor, the complete inventory was hurled through the interior and partly landed on the street.

The bus accident triggered a major alarm at the police office in Malmö. Six ambulances hurried to the crash scene with emergency lights and howling sirens. In the dark and on the wet asphalt an eerie scene unfolded; first aid people came rushing in from all directions. They feared the worst. They rescued the five passengers through the broken front window. They were rushed to the Ängelholm Hospital immediately where they were examined thoroughly and had to stay until the next morning.

Agnetha's friend Britta had broken her right leg. Although no bone fractures were established with Agnetha, she did find herself with a mild concussion and a ricked neck. To calm down the cervical vertebra she got a broad neck brace. Apart from that, all five of them had slash wounds and abrasive burns.

Even when Agnetha and the others were still in the hospital, the rumours started spreading. It was claimed that Agnetha was expecting a baby - which would have been the reason for the surprising engagement with her former bodyguard Torbjörn Brander - that she lost due to the accident. This was denied with emphasis by Agnetha: "The pregnancy rumour came about because I was seen shopping in a children's store in London. But there were no baby clothes in these packages, only things for my children Linda (10) and Christian (5)."

Actually it was planned that Agnetha would be transported from the hospital to her house in Lidingö near Stockholm by a private plane on the day after the accident. But she opposed to this plan vigorously: although she was shaken up by the bus accident she did not want to get on a plane.

In great haste, a Chevrolet was rented and Agnetha and her advisor Hans Blomgren were smuggled out of the hospital through the back door. At 8:00 PM she reached her house in Jupitervägen in Lidingö. Several guardsmen were posted outside so that Agnetha could recover from the shock in peace and quiet.

When it comes to travelling, the ABBA singer is really pursued by bad luck. She has a panic fear of flying ever since she found herself in a heavy tornado with a small private plane on the flight from New York to Boston during the ABBA tour in the US.

On the ground, the tornado had caused a number of deaths and casualties. Up in the clouds the ABBA plane was shaken up in such a way that Agnetha had a nervous breakdown on board and woke up the next day at the hotel with a 40 degree temperature.

Even on the day before the bus accident in Urkelljunga, Agnetha had a small accident: during a performance in London she fell down from the stage and bruised her elbow.

At the moment, Agnetha can only be comforted by her fiancee Torbjörn by telephone. Until November he is stationed as a policeman with the Swedish UN troops in Larnaca on Cyprus. That's why he calls his Agnetha every day on the telephone, the same telephone that he used two months ago for a three-hour conversation with her in New York, when they decided to get engaged...

De Telegraaf, December 1977: ABBA, The Movie

2011-12-08T20:15:00.005+01:00

A perfect stereo system is pouring out the music from the ABBA album - to be released in February '78 - over the champagne-nipping visitors that fill Stockholm's Look Theatre to half of its capacity. For that matter, it is safe to assume that this is the last time that 'ABBA-The Movie' is screened in front of so few people. The presidents of the record companies that release the group's records in several countries in the world can witness with their own eyes that they aren't the only ones that have followed the strict orders 'not to bring along any outsiders since this is an informal occasion'.

Although they are sitting in the same row, they are seated about fifteen metres apart. All of a sudden, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson look at each other in dismay and subsequently they quietly disappear through the nearest side door. A little while later they show up behind me to - after a whispered conversation with the guy behind the mixing console - change something about the sound equalisation that makes no audible difference to normal people. A minute later they carelessly walk back into the cinema, both on a different side of the room, a glass in their hand as if they just had to leave their seats for some other reason.

"What has changed?" I ask the sound technician. "There's a little less bass now," he explains stoically as soon as he has lost the attitude 'I don't know what you're talking about'. It turns out that Ulvaeus and Andersson have made a new mix that morning especially for the informal screening at the Look Theatre. For the launch of the new album, the creative half of ABBA is using a 32-track tape instead of the so called 'master'! It's typical for the perfection that ABBA is striving for.

"I'm very sorry," says Stig Anderson, the lovable looking but rumoured to be stone-hard manager of ABBA. "An interview just isn't possible." We are standing in the lobby of the Look Theatre after he has guided me past the Cerberus at the entrance with the most endearing smile on his wrinkled newspaper face, after having read the letter word for word that should give him the impression that my visit is far more important than that of the entire Dutch cinema audience. I point him to the word 'meeting' that refers to a promise that a staff member from Polar - in other words ABBA Inc. - has made me by telephone a couple of days earlier.

"Oh," Anderson says unconcerned. "A meeting, that's a different matter. I'd be glad to arrange for you to get a handshake from the three present group members, but I assume you didn't come to Stockholm for that." I can confirm that wholeheartedly. "The only problem is that I have a strict agreement with the group that they absolutely won't talk to the press," says Anderson. "The Swedish press isn't even here! The press will be able to see the movie in two weeks time and then you are welcome."

Still very friendly but sadly very determined as well, he turns around to disappear in the party noise. In the last minute, I manage to grab him by the elbow behind which he is keeping so many secrets according to the major part of the Swedish press. "I will make a deal with you," he says at last. "You won't have to wait until the press screening. I will let you watch the movie at an earlier date. Call me tomorrow after ten. At the office. Then we can work something out." And he is gone.

"Well, then you are not in luck," says the Polar staff member that promised me that 'meeting' a few days ago, the reason why I am here right now. "Whatever Stig wants, happens. I can't do anything about that. Maybe you could talk a little during dinner." What dinner? "Afterwards," says the Polar employee. "After the movie."

Stig is busy welcoming a late comer when I approach him again. I prepare myself for a verbal trench war but his attitude still lies somewhere between 'who are you again' and 'I can't be too bothered by all this'. I say that I talked to my Polar connection who told me something about a dinner.

"Oh, that!" says Anderson. "You are very welcome. We don't have any interviews to give today, but we can offer you an aquavit and a steak. Afterwards, two buses will be at the entrance. You get on the one that is parked most incorrectly. That's the one that leaves first."

I walk into the cinema with a glass of champagne. The movie starts. 'ABBA-The Movie'.

You could hardly expect anything else from a top group that holds perfection high in its family banner. But still, afterwards even the biggest sceptic is astounded by the quality of the ABBA movie. 'ABBA-The Movie' exudes class from start to finish, pared with a solid self-knowledge and an even bigger knowledge of the audience for which the movie is made. It is top drawer family amusement and 'ABBA-The Movie' won't be kept in that drawer very long.

The movie has everything that a good music movie should have: humour, a glance behind the scenes of the rock business, insight into the motives of the separate members and most of all outstanding music. And I don't mean that only in the artistic sense - because ABBA's music won't appeal to everyone, like it does to me - but in a technical sense as well.

The sound of 'ABBA-The Movie' is the best that has ever been heard in such a music movie and the recording of the sound and visuals from the concert tops everything that has been done in this area, including Elvis' 'That's The Way It Is' and 'Mad Dogs & Englishmen'.

'ABBA-The Movie' mainly revolves around a concert that the band gave last year in Sydney during a tour that encompassed all major Australian cities. 25.000 people had been waiting in the pouring rain all day long for ABBA and their need for entertainment was so big (and the group's form so glorious) that the concert could turn into a truly unique event.

All the big hits - including a future hit like 'Eagle' that most probably will be the next single - are in there and all of them performed wonderfully. The musical 'The Girl With The Golden Hair' and the encore of all the live shows 'Sing The Song Together' that is usually sung together with their twelve-piece band, are performed too.

The footage of the ABBA concert and all things surrounding it (a press conference, the travelling, hanging around in hotel rooms, the stage fright, the past of the separate members, the taking shape of their songs in the cottage on the group's island at the Stockholm coast) are linked together by a tiny storyline about an Australian DJ who gets the assignment from his bosses to make a radio special during ABBA's tour, wherein not only their hits are being played but that should also focus on the people behind the stars.

The DJ - who never seems to have heard of ABBA as a matter of speaking because he is only into country music - is chasing the group all over Australia, but he never gets any further than the bodyguard who is hired especially for this tour - a professional sent by the trade union - or Stig Anderson who plays an extraordinary convincing part in 'ABBA-The Movie' as ABBA's manager, something that I can confirm from my own experience.

Seated in the back row of the Look Theatre, I pray that the same fate awaits me as the DJ in the movie, because just when he wants to inform his boss about the failed mission he simply runs into the group in the hotel's elevator and he is able to do his interview in all peace and quiet. Even better than he dreamed shortly before on the silver screen wherein he is having a drink with the ABBA boys in a saloon while he is supported at the poker table by Agnetha and Frida on both his arms.

Dreams don't come true, that goes for the Australian DJ but for me as well. The intimate dinner turns out to be a party for 150 people and I'm lucky to find a seat near the former Polydor child prodigy - and these days International boss - Freddy Haayen, but I'm annoyingly far from the place where it all happens.

The aquavit comes with the steak and the wine comes with the coffee, but in any case there is enough to toast to with Stig Anderson who - to everybody's amusement and later on even emotion - sings a Swedish drinking song, by which all the people present have to reply to him vocally and a Norwegian gentleman who informs us that ABBA doesn't leave the people in his country unaffected either and hands them an ugly as hell award, designed especially for this occasion. The silver schooner. Or trawler, I'm not sure about that.

"Thanks for coming," says Stig Anderson in a friendly manner, as a way of saying goodbye. "Better luck next time. Call me tomorrow after ten." "Then we can work something out," I reply before he is able to continue. He laughs cordially and says: "No hard feelings." On my way to the bus I see a couple of people withdraw quietly in a small room and while Anderson escorts his guests into the bus as some kind of travel agent, I decide to wait a little longer.

I talk to the waiter and the cloakroom attendant ("Oh yes, they are taking care of us really well, that's how things work at Polar") and then I decide to take a look in the small bar. Anderson is standing right at the bar with a clear view on the entrance. For the fourth time I shake his hand. "Have a drink," he says. Is it my imagination or do I detect an amused admiration.

The company appears to have been reduced to about fifteen people. Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and his Frida are mingling in the crowd as if this party is strictly business. They are buttered up by guests of all kinds of nationalities who claim with their heavy accents that 'ABBA-The Movie' is the best thing they have ever seen in their life, while it turns out after a little investigation that 'ABBA-The Movie' is the first movie they have seen since 'Gone With The Wind'.

The party ends at exactly two o'clock. I decide to do a tactic master stroke and ask director Lasse Hallström for an interview. His first reaction is perplexed and then honoured because he has only managed to join into the party with his ten second speech ("ABBA has been a good producer because they didn't interfere with anything. Thank you!") and from all those present no one even had a spoon of syrup left.

"We have to go," Hallström says with a helpless look on his face. "But if you want to come along for a nightcap..." In the bus there are only ten people left. And Stig Anderson is not one of them!

Lasse Hallström's circle of friend has been diminished considerably the past few years due to his collaboration with ABBA. Despite his 34 years, he has been known for years as a brilliant director with a progressive mentality and a couple of gems credited to his name that have been screened abroad on a regular basis, like recently on Dutch TV 'The Marzipan Pig'. When he was asked three years ago to make promotional films for ABBA, he first thought they were pulling his leg. But at the first meeting, it turned out that Björn and Benny had studied Hallström's body of work and were very familiar with his work.

"In all modesty, I can claim that these promotional films have played a part in the group's success. They were broadcast all over the world and apparently they all have the right mixture of romance, naivety and that indefinable amount of clean sensuality that turns the group into family entertainment. I've coincidentally managed to capture that on screen and in 'ABBA-The Movie' it turns out that way too. Older people think they are two decent couples that look so respectable compared to the other stars that are hanging on the wall of their children's bedroom. And the younger people only see these two gorgeous women."

"I think this is the reason why they have lasted so long: the girls are the focus of attention and the boys are in charge from a creative point of view. That's how all egos are sufficiently satisfied and everything remains balanced."

"Filming a movie like 'ABBA-The Movie' can be compared to preparing the Swedish soccer team for the World Championships. In other words: almost impossible. But just like it's the case with the Swedish soccer team, the end result is completely separated from the operating conditions. The harder the working conditions, the better the end result. We had prepared ourselves until the smallest detail in Sydney but on the day of the concert it rained for hours and it was so dangerous on the working platforms that were built especially for the occasion that we couldn't even film what we wanted. In reality it turned out that I directed seventeen camera guys all over the place by radiotelephone, so that the movie was actually put together in the cutting room. And in the studio of course, because the sound tapes consisted mostly of the sound of rain."

"How that works, doctoring the tapes in the studio?" says Björn somewhat tediously. "There are different ways of doing that. You can arrange the spatial effect in the studio by adding resonance or by taking a distance from a sensitive microphone and mix the sound of the audience in there. But this was only necessary occasionally, it was mostly a matter of patching up the vocals. If it was any different I would tell you! Otherwise we wouldn't have shown in the movie that the sound of Benny's accordion is actually made by a synthesizer and how our vocals are supported in difficult parts by the backing singers?"

"I think these comparisons with the Beatles are very flattering but they usually don't make sense. In certain ways they are an example for us. The Beatles also had an ingenious management and the timing for all their activities was perfect. With them, everything seemed to come at the right time: singles, albums, movies, books. And slowy but surely we want to make our music a little more complex too, so that our hits don't become too obvious and remain somewhat unpredictable. Take a song like 'Name Of The Game' for instance. In this refined arrangement, it would never become a hit if the radio stations didn't play it incessantly. A trained DJ already needs to play the record five times to hear its structure and for the car stereo or the radio at work you'll have to add five times to that before it will get you hooked. So you might say that ABBA takes advantage of the audience's appreciation by developing as composers as well."

"The fact that ABBA delivers a product that's controlled from start to finish by Björn, Stig and me is because no one seemed to be interested when we started this combination," says Benny when he mingles in the conversation. "If that had been different, we might have been forced to look for a publisher or accept an outsider as our producer. Or even sing songs written by others. Now we were able to complete what we set out to do quietly without anyone being interested. It wasn't until after 'Waterloo' that the vultures started showing up but at that time we were such a close unit that we knew that we didn't need anyone else. For me this was proof for an old basic rule that I always expected to be true but that I could never prove: do everything yourself if you are convinced that you are right, because no one can do it better. That's because in essence no one knows anything about the rock business. Commercialism can't be forced. One day - after having tried separately for ten years - we were suddenly in tune with the audience. I think it's a miracle that it has lasted for five years already. I think it's out of the question that it will last for another five years."

At 7:30 in the morning we call it a day. When I tell them that I barely have time to pack my suitcase at the hotel near the airport, they decide to drive me there in the limo. On the (indeed perfect) stereo system Benny plays a compellingly beautiful version of 'Name Of The Game' like he and Björn put it together with just piano, guitar and two delicate Swedish voices in the cottage on their little island and the hit version that's included on their next record 'ABBA-The Album'.

The book was called 'ABBA-The Phenomenon', the movie 'ABBA-The Movie' and the record 'ABBA-The Album'. This really suggests stardom, I remark. "Stardom?" says Benny. "That doesn't mean anything to me. I'm more successful than ever but the criticism has never been as heavy either. For that matter, you have been able to see for yourself that we are able to sit in a night club until the morning here in Stockholm without one Swede looking our way. When I went out for a drink after a performance with the Hep Stars we were stormed by fans on a regular basis. So what is stardom? Stardom is an expensive seat in the cinema at your own movie, that's stardom!"

Bravo, 1977: A dream has come true for Anni-Frid: "I've always wanted a father like this"

2011-12-04T13:02:00.005+01:00

"When I heard from Bravo that my father was alive and when I subsequently had talked to him, all I did was cry for hours. I couldn't get a single night of sleep anymore. I wanted to meet my father as soon as possible," Anni-Frid tells Bravo. "It's strange and at the same time fascinating to have an origin all of a sudden after 32 years, to get to know your own father and keep thinking: 'is it really him or does he only want to give himself an air of importance?' Everything that has happened in the past few days has had a huge impact on me. It was a tremendous stream of emotions that threatened to wipe me away. I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life and at the same time sad."

Even now, Anni-Frid still isn't able to believe it all. Slowly, she can get used to the idea that she has a father after 32 years, not to be an orphan anymore - something she had believed all those years.

"I kept hoping that I would be albe to meet my father only once at some point in the future. After my mother died so young, when I was only two years old. At one point, I was in Narvik, Norway and talked to neighbours and former acquaintances of my mother, to find out more about my father. I tried to find him through the Red Cross foundation. But all traces ended on a German ship that went down in 1945 near Denmark. And my mother´s acquaintances told me that my father wasn't like most other German soldiers. They thought he was very nice and tender. Still, they warned my mother for this relationship and when I was born I was a 'tyskbarn' which means something like 'German child' and at the time - 1945, after World War II - it was a severe abusive word."

That's why Anni-Frid's grandmother left Narvik two years later, after Anni-Frid's mother had died. "I would be able to grow up in Sweden unencumbered and without being reminded of anything. Initially, I even thought I was born in Sweden. It wasn't until I was old enough that my grandmother told me everything. But only now I learned the whole truth about my origin. When I finally faced my German father on September 9, my last doubts disappeared. Without saying a word, we fell into each other's arms. It was an indescribable feeling that I can't put into words. I just kept looking at him and thought that I was dreaming. I was also relieved that he is so sympathetic and that he has an open and reliable character. I always wanted a father like that. My desire for such a father was so strong that I saw my father in every elderly gentleman that seemed sympathetic to me. Now I finally had the real deal with me. I noticed that we had so much in common and I also saw a resemblance in our outwardly features. We both have the same nose, we have the same somewhat bended forefinger and when I walked around barefooted one day, my father took off his shoes and socks and smiled. We even have the same feet."

Benny liked Alfred Haase right away too. He was impressed by his open and honest nature. For the near future, Anni-Frid and Alfred Haase have planned to see each other more often.

Hitkrant, 1977: ABBA wants to leave Sweden

2011-12-01T18:52:00.004+01:00

Apart from England, the tax laws in Sweden don't seem to be very favourable to pop groups either. At least, there are persistent rumours circulating that ABBA would consider to live elsewhere. We unravelled how much truth there is in all these rumours.

ABBA's manager Stig Anderson stated recently in Stockholm that the group indeed is exploring the possibilities to move to Monaco, Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

The high taxes wouldn't be the only reason why ABBA allegedly wants to move. In the end, Sweden is situated rather isolated up there in the north. Stig: "Eventually, we would be able to work just as well in one of those three countries as in Sweden. Why wouldn't we take that step?"

Another reason to turn their backs on Sweden could be the attitude of the Swedish media. In general, they appear to be rather negative about anything concerning ABBA. Although Stig's own statements could have caused this situation as well. At one point he even remarked: "The Swedes are not just dumb, they are much dumber!"

The ABBA company now consists of twenty people who all have steady jobs. Last year, there has been a profit of almost 35 million Dutch guilders. Anderson made about ƒ 285.000,00, Agnetha ƒ 107.000,00, Björn ƒ 104.000,00, Benny ƒ 100.000,00 and Anni-Frid no less than ƒ 229.000,00! When we take a look at that last amount and consider that 85 percent of that amount goes to taxes, then it would mean that Anni-Frid has to hand over ƒ 200.000,00 to the tax collection office. Ka-ching!

We are watching ABBA's movements closely. As soon as it is known that ABBA takes one step across the Swedish borders, we will be there - as a matter of speaking of course...

Hitkrant, 1979: Agnetha escapes in her work - The tour is causing tensions

2011-11-27T16:21:00.004+01:00

Putting together a two-hour-long show, not only with old hits but with new songs as well: ABBA is facing this enormous task with the upcoming world tour just around the corner. This means months of intense rehearsals, working extremely hard and not a moment of peace. All this work comes to Agnetha as some kind of solution: work wherein she can escape from the big silence that is slowly starting to take shape around her.

'The Big Silence': it's the title of a movie by the famous Swedish director Igmar Bergman. A title that became applicable to Agnetha, also because the movie deals with a relationship problem, something that the ABBA star has had to deal with herself.

Isn't it possible for her anymore to build a steady relationship? Ice hockey international Lars-Eric Eriksson, with whom Agnetha seemed to be so happy, left her because he couldn't cope with all the publicity surrounding him, Agnetha and ABBA. The old story about fame that destroys a relationship. The rumours that ABBA is going to split up after the world tour may or may not be true, it would at least be understandable. For five years now, ABBA has been on top, since the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. Five years of being the centre of attention: that surely isn't easy!

Agnetha seems to suffer the most from it all. She isn't as smiley anymore like she used to be and the tensions that the upcoming world tour is causing are very hard on her. During the rehearsals, one is able to notice such things. Only a couple of nights of sleep to go, to put it like that. Only a couple of days to go of intense rehearsals, with hardly any time for relaxation in between (although Björn still goes out jogging for a couple of miles whenever possible), and then the moment of truth will arrive: the tour!

And after that? Time will tell. In any case, it would be good for Agnetha if she could finally start living as a 'normal' human being, not hampered by intrusive publicity.

Joepie, 1979: A musical on Broadway!

2011-11-09T19:35:00.003+01:00

"ABBA won't last forever," Stikkan Anderson returns to the subject of the rumours about a possible end of the group. "We are very well aware of that. But you can rest assured that there's life after ABBA."

However, Stikkan thinks it's very hard to predict what's going to happen to all the separate members. "There is the possibility that the boys will keep on composing together. Perhaps they will guide new talents a couple of months per year in California or New York. That talent could come from anywhere: America, England and who knows, even Belgium or The Netherlands."

"And the girls? Yes, Agnetha writes her own songs. She would be capable of recording a solo album of her own songs. The same goes for Anni-Frid. You shouldn't forget that they were both solo singers before they joined ABBA."

No matter what happens, Stikkan Anderson will keep playing the boss of the big ABBA empire. All those plans are only vague ideas, according to the big boss. "We will start thinking about that seriously when we quit," Stikkan claims. He prefers to occupy himself with other plans at the moment. For instance, making an ABBA musical. That should be staged in America on Broadway.

"No other European artist has managed that yet," he says. Anderson is fully confident that it will all succeed, because he says: "We have the creative ability to do it." The problem with such a musical venture is that ABBA won't be able to be on stage on Broadway every night for three years in a row. They can't leave Sweden for such a long period of time, there are also records to be made. But there's a solution to that problem. The musical has to be a flop, a gigantic failure. Then ABBA would have to perform for one night only in America. "Yes," Anderson cries out in Swedish, "that's a good idea. Then that problem would be solved. But I still think it will be a success."

Anderson wants to execute the musical plan in the eighties. But there are more plans. "We want to do things that other artists have never managed to do."

He adds modestly: "Wouldn't that be fun." With 'fun', Anderson always means 'fantastic', but because of all the previous successes, he is not as sensitive anymore for all these wonderful plans. For him it's business, and business means money.

In the early days, Stikkan used to write songs himself. Now he leaves that job to Björn and Benny. They will have to supply the material for a new ABBA album next year. This year, a double album with old hits is scheduled to be released. The album is called 'Greatest Hits 2'. A new song will be included that is expected to become a hit in the coming months. From the world tour, a one hour long television special will be made, primarily consisting of footage from the London concert. On Saturday November 3, the performance in Brussels will be filmed that will be edited into the footage from London. Stikkan hopes this special will be finished before Christmas. But it's unlikely that it will be broadcast in Belgium around that time too, because ABBA wants to sell the special themselves and that doesn't only involve money but time as well.

Stikkan is keeping very busy. The ABBA business has to go on, even during the tour. That's why he won't come along when ABBA tours through Europe. He sends his personal secretary Görel Johnsen along. Stikkan stays in his enormous mansion on the beautiful island of Djurgarden in the middle of Stockholm, easily accessible for him in his expensive Rolls Royce.

When he is back from America, he will put his attention to the performance on the Red Square. "Because in Russia we have our obligations to the fans too."

On the black market, ABBA's albums are sold for about 200 Dutch guilders. ABBA is extremely popular over there. Only recently, the Swedish embassy was stormed by fans. The door was trampled down and the phones kept ringing. Everyone was asking for tickets for the concert that was rumoured to take place next Saturday, but at the embassy there was no info about this event. The ambassador didn't know what to do and decided to send a telex to ABBA. The content: "Is it true that you will be playing here next week? And if so, then we want tickets as well here at the embassy."

But it wasn't true. Yet another rumour. Stikkan Anderson sighs: "It's incredible how all these outrageous stories see the light of day. Really, I couldn't make them up."

Muziek Parade, September 1979: Welcome to Holland!

2011-10-30T15:41:00.006+01:00

Although ABBA is one of the major record sellers in America, Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn were indeed a little worried when they travelled to the land of Carter, to perform 20 concerts over there. The group has always claimed that they wouldn't go on tour in America until their popularity would have reached the same heights as for instance in Australia.

Well, the American audience has accepted ABBA. Or rather, they embraced them. But... that gigantic popularity that was ABBA's condition for starting a tour was not reached. But still ABBA is now busy performing a series of 20 concerts? Björn - on the eve of their departure - says about this: "It's no use waiting any longer with a concert. It's clear that our fans want to see ABBA. It would be an insult if we didn't go." Benny is a little more realistic: "That big breakthrough that we imagined has failed to happen. So it's no use waiting any longer. It's a good strategic move to perform concerts, as a tool to reach the absolute top over there. It's a tremendous challenge for me."

Stig Anderson has decided that it's better for ABBA not to perform in stadiums. "I have more faith in a series of shows in smaller venues, that are all sold out." So is ABBA scared of this tour? Stig Anderson: "Scared isn't the right word. We are careful. Just imagine that we would have to perform in half empty stadiums. That would be detrimental to ABBA's image."

Björn adds: "It was our own preference to work in venues that can hold 4.000 to a maximum of 18.000 people. We know from experience that having contact with the audience is so important. This way we will keep it cosy and intimate. That is good for ABBA because we are able to perform at our best, and it's good for the audience that will get the best that ABBA has to offer musically."

Contrary to groups like Queen, Genesis or Wings, ABBA will not go on the road with trucks packed with equipment. They will bring along a modest technical facility, a pile of backing tracks, a group of six musicians (not from Holland, as was suggested) and three backing singers.

Last year, Stig Anderson mentioned that he would like to take along the people from Rainbow Train on their tour of America. Everything seemed to be settled. Hans Vermeulen has even played with the group in the ABBA studios. As it turned out, Stig has still chosen to bring along his own session musicians.

Technicians will come along to make sure that the best possible sound is achieved. Björn about that: "Another reason that I'm a little worried about these shows is the fact that we are going to work with a modest technical facility and only 6 musicians. We are known for our perfection. Our records are the summit of care into the smallest detail. I hope the fans won't be disappointed about the lesser quality, compared to our records."

How is the situation in the group now that Agnetha and Björn got divorced? An obvious question and ABBA has prepared themselves to give the right answer: "Things are much better now than they were a year ago. There are no little spats anymore. The atmosphere isn't tensed anymore. We have a very fresh relationship towards each other and it comes through in our music," according to Benny who was adamant to answer this question.

All personal problems seem to be solved. The understanding between Agnetha and Björn is better than ever. The former married couple has never been fond of touring, because of the children. They still have that same attitude. Although they are no longer a couple, Agnetha and Björn don't want to be away from home for long periods of time, because they miss their little son and daughter.

There have been rumours that this tour has to be considered as a farewell. Allegedly, ABBA would split up permanently after this series of concerts.

It is true that ABBA is going to perform (even) less after this long and exhausting world tour. The intention is that Anni-Frid is going to do more solo work. Benny is planning to produce other artists. Recently, he already made a record with Finn Kalvik, a new Norwegian discovery. Björn is completely over the moon about the state of the art recording studio (48 tracks!) that ABBA had built for 3 million Dutch guilders. Björn wants to encourage world famous acts to come to Stockholm to record their albums there. Led Zeppelin has worked there recently and several members of Genesis have said that the ABBA studio was one of the best studios they had ever used. Then there is Agnetha. She is and remains ABBA's big question mark. She doesn't have any definite plans yet. She wants to stay with the group, and she wants to start recording solo records too, but she hasn't really decided yet.

At the press conference that will be held before ABBA's concert in Rotterdam, everything should become clear. Certainty about (a) ABBA; will the group stay together? and (b) Agnetha; what will be her position in the ABBA organization?

Muziek Parade has supported ABBA tremendously through the years. It seems that ABBA has been the only important musical occurance in the seventies. ABBA has brought us exceptional recordings (that we can enjoy for years to come). ABBA just can't split up. ABBA has to stay together. And even if the four individual members of this unique group are going to do some other side projects, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as ABBA keeps releasing their musical masterpieces on a regular basis.

Indeed, ABBA is getting ever more critical about their own records. 'Arrival' was recorded in nine months. It took them 12 months to get 'The Album' released and 'Voulez-Vous' is a piece of work that they worked on for 18 months. And you can hear it in its quality. If we take this into consideration, the next completely new album can't be expected until the end of 1980. But the fans are prepared to wait, because the result will be worth waiting for.

Welcome ABBA to Holland. Next month, Muziek Parade brings you the complete life story of ABBA as a cartoon. More than 20 pages. A typical stunt of Muziek Parade! And it's all in honour of the ABBA concert in Holland.

Popcorn, 1978

2011-10-23T15:11:00.004+02:00

Everytime when ABBA needs new photographs, the telephone rings at the home of Munich star photographer Bubi Heilemann (32). His pictures of ABBA are going all around the world. From the latest session, Popcorn brings you the most beautiful pictures and on top of that we reveal some great news...

What happens when ABBA takes a holiday.

For ten straight weeks ABBA has taken a holiday during the past summer, before they went back into the studio in the middle of September to record the new album. What the four Swedes have done together: they went horseback riding (Björn: "We got this idea while we were shooting our movie"), they played tennis (Anni-Frid is the best player at that) and they paid a visit to their island near Stockholm. Agnetha and Björn spent their entire vacation there and together with their two children they lived in the block house, where most ABBA hits were composed up till now. Anni-Frid and Benny spent four weeks on their new boat, a large sailing ship from the model called 'Chris Craft Daycruiser'. Before that, Benny had taken a sailing course, so that he could play the captain himself. Benny: "That was really demanding. I had to study astronomy and maths, just like in school!"

Why ABBA changes clothes so often.

Sometimes sexy, sometimes gimmicky - ABBA constantly comes up with new ideas for costumes. Agnetha reveals the reason for that: "Privately, we are completely normal; that's why we like to dress up in outrageous clothes on stage. Without some glitter, we would simply look too plain." The picture on the left with ABBA dressed up in twenties style has remained a secret up till now - it's related to the upcoming ABBA musical. Anni-Frid: "But I definitely feel much better in tight mini costumes..."

How much Björn is fond of his children.

On every visit to a foreign city, Agnetha and Björn disappear for a couple of hours. Whoever is looking for them, can be sure to find them at the largest toy shop in the area. Because from every trip, they bring back toys for their children Linda and Peter Christian. Agnetha: "Björn is even worse than me. He is so fond of his children, that he spoils them way too much."

How they like to travel.

A boat or a private jet - those are ABBA's favourite means of transportation. In Stockholm - that's interveined by canals - the car is often replaced with a boat. For their rare television performances, ABBA fly themselves in with a rented plane, so that they can get back home the same night. Agnetha: "I prefer to sleep in my own bed!"

What this picture reveals...

A secret meeting between Anni-Frid and her father Alfred Haase, who was long presumed to be dead. Since they met each other for the first time last year, they saw each other regularly - always on Anni-Frid's invitation. The ABBA singer claims: "Everytime when I see my father I'm excited like a little girl. It was all such a big surprise for me. I have less problems on the telephone - that's why I call my father as often as possible."

Why Anni-Frid often likes to play the comedian.

It happened during the photo shoot for our poster: Anni-Frid suddenly put her hand under her shirt and played the sex bomb. It also happens during live performances that Anni-Frid always manages to get all eyes on her with her wild gimmicks. The reason why ABBA's brunette likes to play the comedian? Very simple: she's a little envious of blonde Agnetha who is usually ABBA's 'hot girl' with fans and journalists. Added to that, privately Anni-Frid is by far the wildest of the two girls. Looking like she does, Anni-Frid really doesn't need to steal the show from her blonde colleague. At least, the competitive battle between both ABBA girls has improved; after there had been lots of arguments during the last tour, now they've called a truce...

Bravo, August 1983: Agnetha gets caught up with a marriage impostor

2011-10-16T12:34:00.005+02:00

Her blonde hair cut in layers and slightly wind-blown, sparkling blue eyes and her glossy lips opened into a cheerful smile: Agnetha actually never looked as wonderful as she does on the photographs that were taken for her first solo album 'Wrap Your Arms Around Me'.

Apart from that, at the moment the Swedish ABBA fans will be able to see a second, totally different Agnetha. In that variety she is wearing her hair decently cut, with an ugly hat pulled over it. She is hiding her pregnant belly under a maternity dress, wildly patterned with flowers.

By all means, Agnetha only slipped into the part of the 'ugly duckling' for her first movie 'Raskenstam' that will have its premiere on August 19 in Stockholm.

'Raskenstam' is the true story about a marriage impostor that took the savings of 120 Swedish women between 1941 and 1943.

Agnetha plays the part of Lisa, the daughter of a fisherman. She is the only woman that Gustav Raskenstam falls madly in love with. He gets married to her and has two children with her.

Agnetha explains: "The most difficult part for me was remembering my lines, although I didn't have very long consecutive lines to speak. During mornings, when my children were at school, or late in the evenings, I was slaving away. Sometimes my girlfriends helped me out with my lines, then they would read out the lines of my adversary."

Another problem for Agnetha was her stage fright, something that she still hasn't got used to even after those many years with ABBA. During the last minutes before a performance, she constantly walks from mirror to mirror, she keeps powdering her face and puts on mascara for the umpteenth time.

Agnetha: "While shooting 'Raskenstam' this was no different. The first few days I was litterally sick due to stage fright. But the more often we had to keep reshooting our scenes, the more confident I felt. At concerts, I also started to feel a little more relaxed after about fifteen minutes."

Agnetha didn't mind that she had to walk around as Lisa in such a conservative and stuffy manner. "I don't think that clothes are all that important," she says. "Especially when one compares me with Frida, who is totally into fashion. When I'm at home I prefer to wear jeans and a pullover. For formal occasions I buy something from a Swedish designer, he calls himself X-it. At the moment I really like the colour green, clothes with broad shoulders, Italian shoes and boots."

It's not certain yet whether 'Raskenstam' will appear in German cinemas as well. But one thing is certain: on September 3 we will see Agnetha again in the television broadcast 'Wetten Daβ...?' from Berlin.

Club, October 1979: Hits and tractors

2011-10-08T16:41:00.006+02:00

ABBA is in Holland. Their world tour is running smoothly and it's successful, as expected with everything related to ABBA. Their album 'Voulez-Vous' is breaking all sales records. ABBA is doing well. As long as it lasts...

With stars on their cheeks and platform boots on their feet, they were standing there: Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Björn and Benny: ABBA. At the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest they represented Sweden prominently with 'Waterloo'. Millions of people watched that Eurovision happening. And millions of people knew - just like the judges - after only minute, that this would be it. The Swedish group ABBA would make it with 'Waterloo'.

That phenomenon (knowing after one minute that this song is going to make it) has become familiar in the meantime. From April 1974 onwards, ABBA has taken the hit charts by storm. After 'Waterloo' came 'I Do, I Do, I Do', 'SOS', 'Dancing Queen', 'Name Of The Game' and many more.

Big and small record companies have been watching these proceedings with greedy eyes. Which record executive wouldn't want to have ABBA under contract? To have success, to establish a name and to make lots of money!

There's little chance for all these interested people. Now - in 1979 - ABBA is not planning to hand over their business to anyone. And they never planned that, for that matter. The 'battle' of 'Waterloo' was carefully prepared. In all peace and quiet they worked on their sound and - together with Stig Anderson - they founded Polar International Music. When the big hits came, everything was safely in their own hands. No obligations due to contracts with others, no outsiders that could tell them what to do. The records were written, recorded and released at Polar Music. The authors rights were guarded by people at Polar Music. The promotional videos were made there, as well as the big ABBA movie. And the tours and performances were scheduled there too.

Polar Music is doing very well. In 1978, they were able to make a profit of 35 million Dutch guilders! And these are just the royalties coming from ABBA music (records, lyrics and performances). Meanwhile, Polar has other things to take care of. The tax office in Sweden is demanding a lot of money. The ABBA team is paying enormous amounts of money to the public treasury, but wants to spend the Swedish kroner in different ways too.

That's why a couple of smart boys - who have A's in maths - were hired, that are busy investing the ABBA capital in all kinds of strange things. Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid own fishing boats, computers, tractors and other agricultural machines, office buildings, an art gallery and the most modern recording studio in the world...

The ABBA capital is safe. So there would be no problem if they get tired of quartet singing one of these days...

Is it possible that ABBA will quit in the near future? "It's starting to look like it," according to newspapers and pop magazines since Agnetha and Björn's divorce in December 1978. A couple of months ago, Anni-Frid travelled to Spain to shoot her first part in a movie called 'Try To Walk On The Water, If You Can'. "Anni-Frid goes solo, the end of ABBA," is what the papers are saying. "Nonsense," according to the people of the ABBA concern in Sweden. They want to extend the group's enormous success for some time to come. So for the time being, there are only rumours. 'Chiquitita' (one of the latest singles) sold 137.000 copies in Holland. It was the biggest selling ABBA single up till now. For the time being, the group is busy with their world tour and on October 24 they will perform live at the Ahoy hall in Rotterdam...

Hitkrant, February 1977: Ovations for ABBA - First concert in Holland

2011-09-18T13:03:00.014+02:00

The Jaap Eden hall in Amsterdam has room for an awful lot of people. And indeed, there were an awful lot of people: all of them enthusiastic concert attendants who came to see and hear how ABBA - for the first time in their existence - performed live in Holland. And they certainly weren't disappointed!

ABBA gave a dazzling and perfect show and in the meantime they proved that we can regard them as a mature pop group by now. The four Scandinavian superstars managed to deliver on stage what they have been promising on their records up till now. And these days that's quite an accomplishment when you see and hear how some pop stars can't live up to expectations when they have to do without the technical facilities of the studio.

But we have to admit that ABBA didn't do it all by themselves: behind the group there was a selection of terrific musicians that were always present but never dominant. It was all about Agnetha, Frida, Björn and Benny...

'Tiger' opened the concert and it made sure that the mood was set immediately. The reaction of the audience was enthusiastic and this clearly motivated the ABBA members. 'That's Me' was followed by 'Waterloo' and the first bars of this song stirred up the Jaap Eden hall considerably. There seemed to be no end to the cheers of the audience and the same could obviously be said for 'SOS': a feast of recognition!

Indeed, this could be said for almost the entire show: the hits kept on coming at full speed and almost without interruption. 'Money, Money, Money' made the audience burst out in loud applause and the same went for 'I Do, I Do, I Do', 'Mamma Mia' and of course 'Fernando', of which the chorus was even repeated twice to give the audience the opportunity to sing along. And they certainly made good use of that...

Two very unusual songs caught our attention: an instrumental piece that showcased Benny's best keyboard work and resulted in a surprising piece of swinging pop music. Furthermore, the penultimate performance in musical style in which - helped by a narrator dressed in tails and the ABBA ladies wearing identical dresses and wigs - the story was told of a young girl that gets caught in the show business. Despite the long duration of the piece, it remained an entertaining performance, not least thanks to Agnetha and Frida's dance and show work.

An endless stream of ABBA work was poured out over the audience, varying from the old Hep Stars success 'He Is Your Brother', via 'Dum Dum Diddle', the soon to be released new single 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', the humorous 'A-B-B-A' wherein the members of the group introduce themselves and of course 'Dancing Queen', that made the audience get up on their chairs. But that was also the finale of the ABBA party. A party that drew thousands of people to Amsterdam and that ended far too soon for many of them...

But the party wasn't over yet for Suzan and Marion, the two Hitkrant readers about whom we already wrote in issue number 5 that they had been so disappointed that they hadn't been able to get tickets for the concert.

Record company Polydor managed to get hold of two more tickets and this enabled us to take both ABBA fans along. They were listening and watching without taking a breath! And the icing on the cake came when - after a lot of fussing - we still managed to bring Suzan and Marion in contact with the members of ABBA. This happened at the Amstel Hotel, where the group stayed. And despite the fact that Agnetha, Frida, Björn and Benny were obviously very tired after their concert, it still wasn't too much for them to pay a little attention to their young fans.

Indeed, a wonderful evening, not least for the two girls from Hoorn who hadn't even hoped for being able to attend the concert and now they could even meet their idols in person. The pictures prove how well this was received.

Joker, 1978: ABBA

2011-09-17T15:05:00.010+02:00

The first book, authorised by ABBA. A super gala with Rod Stewart, Elton John and the Bee Gees. The new album will be out in the shops in January.

A lot has been written already about the four Swedes, especially a lot of nonsense. For instance, the story about the plane crash that allegedly killed all ABBA members - at the time of the crash, Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid were in their offices in Stockholm as happy as a sandboy and drank coffee. Or the story about ABBA wanting to leave Sweden, because the tax collector's office cashed to many Swedish kronor. This story spread all over the world but it wasn't true.

'ABBA The Book' is the first solid publication that has ABBA's approval as well. It was written by Marianne Lindvall who has known the four Swedes for several years. It's very interesting to read what - for instance - Benny thinks about the critics and the fans: "We don't calculate anything. Critics who accuse us of that make us furious. We simply write the kind of music that we like and we hope that our audience enjoys it too. We could never release a bad song, simply because the fans would buy it anyway. First we look for a strong melody, then we decide whether it should be a rock 'n' roll number or a waltz. Once again, this depends completely on the feelings that we get from the new material."

Björn about the situation of the group today: "We are lucky, since we have our own record company. No one is looking over our shoulder, forcing us to produce more than we do. We decide how much we can produce, without exhausting ourselves and our audience. But we never compromise our musicality. When one of us only has the slightest doubt about a certain number, we forget about the whole thing."

Do you have any personal favourites? Benny: "Yes, 'Dancing Queen'. It's technically one of the most advanced productions. When the record was released, some critics thought that it was technically advanced to the extent that the song lacked any personality and warmth. It became a hit - despite everything. Our Irish fans even selected it as the best song of all times."

With every album, making hits gets harder and harder for ABBA. The new album was planned to be released this year, but it wasn't ready due to lack of time. The new release date: January 1979. And that's exactly the time when ABBA will once again be the centre of attention. And they won't be alone. On January 8, 9 and 10, the annual Unicef Gala will be staged in New York. Artists that have agreed to perform there include Elton John, Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, Olivia Newton-John and Barry Manilow. The hosts are the Bee Gees who want to assign the royalties of their next single to the International Children's Emergency Fund.

Touring plans are discussed only very cautiously in the Stockholm offices, because recreating the intricate ABBA sound on stage requires such advanced technology that they don't make any profit from the usually sold out concerts. Added to that, the group doesn't like touring. The reason: they don't have much time for a family life...

And that's the pleasant side of their success: ABBA don't have to rush themselves, the money is rolling in. Björn: "The fact that our money is invested in all kinds of companies, is our best old-age insurance. When we are through with ABBA one day, we need sufficient financial security so that we can quit right away."

Has that time come already? Björn: "I know nothing about that."

Hitkrant, 1978: ABBA rebuilt a cinema into a studio

2011-09-11T15:49:00.005+02:00

Just think about it: a pop group buys a sports centre with adjoining cinema worth twenty million Dutch guilders. After that, they rebuild the property into one of the biggest and most modern recording studios in the world. Then that group would have to make a great deal of money. But then again, this mixed double is something special. They are called ABBA.

Recently, Benny, Björn, Anni-Frid, Agnetha and not least their manager Stig Anderson gave a private party to mark the occasion of the opening of this recording studio.

The press - including the Hitkrant of course - couldn't believe their eyes. Never before had they seen so much electronic devices!

The studio - that is located in one of the main streets of Stockholm - has a mixing console with more than 3.500 buttons that are connected to the rest of the equipment with 200 kilometres of flex!

The studio itself is divided into five different rooms that all have their own resonance. Since every room has its own mixing console, the group is able to play together, while the vocal parts and the instruments can be recorded separately.

ABBA is planning to rent the studio to other artists as well. In the near future, a two-page spread advertisement will be published about this in the American trade journal Billboard Magazine. Because - as you all probably know already - ABBA means making money as well!

1977: Anni-Frid's insecurity

2011-09-04T15:09:00.018+02:00

Actually, we have only read positive reviews about the ABBA movie up till now, at least where it concerns the singing actors or the acting singers. This has pleased Anni-Frid (left on the picture) a great deal because she was still dealing with a big inferiority complex when it came to acting. In the past, she wanted to become a movie star and to achieve that goal she appeared on an audition for girls that were asked for a part in the children's movie 'Elvis Elvis'. On that occasion, she wasn't chosen for the part. According to her at the time - and she still feels this way - because she had been too nervous.

She wasn't bothered by any nervousness this time, although the other three people around her had done this kind of work before - with success. Benny has acted in a movie before with the group Hep Stars. Björn spent his time as a musician in studios where movie and television cameras were rolling and 'mother' Agnetha played the part of Mary Magdalene in the Swedish version of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'.

Director Lasse Hallström was happy with the experience of these people because the idea for a complete feature film has been growing slowly and he didn't have much trouble letting his 'actors' grow in the parts they had to play. And that was best put into words in the song 'Hole In Your Soul', of which song the first few bars serve as an introduction in this movie.

Bravo, December 1977: A Sunday's child for Anna and Björn

2011-08-31T19:35:00.005+02:00

Stockholm, in the night to Sunday, the second Advent: Björn is awakend from his sleep when Anna shakes his shoulder: "I believe the time has come. We have to go to the hospital. The baby is coming."

Björn jumps out of his bed, gets dressed and also helps Anna getting dressed - like so many times the last few weeks of her pregnancy - because she can barely bend over anymore.

A suitcase packed with the most important necessities has been readily waiting in their home for days already. Because the child should have been born fourteen days ago, according to the doctor's calculations.

The couple drives to the hospital Danderyds Sjukhus in the North of Stockholm. For days, a room has been reserved there for the blonde ABBA singer. Björn: "I only had one thing on my mind: hopefully we're not too late. Hopefully we will get to the hospital in time."

Björn and Anna made it. But then their patience was severely tested again. Not until 9.00pm on Sunday, the second Advent, the baby is born. There are no complications.

"I was more nervous than I am when I'm working on a new album," Björn insists, who preferred to wait in the hallway during the delivery." Either way, this time I didn't sweat as much as I did in 1973, when our first daughter was born."

About ninety - for him nerve-racking - minutes go by before Björn can see his son for the first time. The child is healthy, weighs 3750 gram at birth, has dark hair and blue eyes. But this can all change because all children have blue eyes at birth.

Seven days later, Anna and her son are allowed to leave the hospital. They haven't decided on a name for the son and heir yet.

Anni-Frid and Benny are also glad that everything has worked out so well. Because now ABBA - that had to take it slow because of Anna's pregnancy - can get back to work in full force again. Björn: "In 1978 we want to go on tour in America and we have to prepare ourselves for that now. We will most likely come to Germany too. We will have to see if we can fit it into our schedule."

The ABBA movie had its premiere in Sydney and Melbourne on December 16 (most scenes were filmed in Australia). But none of the ABBA members took part in that - instead the quartet was represented by manager Stig Anderson.

The German ABBA fans will probably get to see the movie too in 1978 - according to Björn the negotiations with a German rental company are almost concluded.

But that's far away in the future for Anna. In these days before Christmas, their love and affection is completely devoted to their baby. "It's the most beautiful gift that I can imagine," she beams...

Popcorn, 1978: ABBA brings you luck

2011-08-25T19:03:00.009+02:00

"No other group in the world has had as much luck and success as we have had in the last three years," Anni-Frid admits. From 'Waterloo' up till 'Name Of The Game', ABBA has been able to score hit after hit. And the latest single 'Take A Chance On Me' is on its way up the charts as we speak. Not even the Beatles have had so many hits in a row in their heyday.
What's the secret of ABBA's success?
"Hard work, diligence and talent are the foundations of our career," Agnetha says, "but luck is an important factor as well. Something that we have never revealed until now: our lucky charms are two parrots..."
They are housed in a huge cage in the middle of the ABBA headquarter in Stockholm: red Dolly and yellow Oliver. Two years ago, friends of Björn and Agnetha brought them as a housewarming gift for the new ABBA office. And since then they have been part of the four Swedes' staff.
When Dolly screeches 'Abbbaaa' vociferously, it can even be heard in the office of manager Stig Anderson. Oliver is a little more quiet, but instead he likes to bite visitors in their nose. Benny has even been tweaked by Oliver a couple of times, while playing with him.
"Still we would never give them away," says Benny. "To us, they are some kind of mascots."
To show their gratitude, ABBA would like to give away a couple of funny lucky charms to their German fans: 100 brightly coloured, hilarious parrots - not living parrots but super specimens from the plush zoo - will be raffled among the Popcorn readers.
Agnetha: "That should give some comfort because we won't go on tour this year. These parrots are so sweet, that one can't do anything else but love them. And apart from that - as you can see with us - they bring you luck!"
Who wants to have a cuddly parrot from ABBA? Just write a postcard with the name 'ABBA' on it to: Popcorn, Werinherstr. 71, 8000 München 90. The deadline is March 10, 1978.

1979: A gold disc for 'Chiquitita'

2011-08-21T12:44:00.012+02:00

The Swedish group ABBA paid a visit to Madrid to appear on the television programme Aplauso, where they were presented with a gold disc, handed over by Jose Luis Uribarri.

The group, that is - as you all know - made up of Benny, Björn, Anna and Frida started out in the year 1972 and already with their first single 'People Need Love' they reached number two in the charts of their home country.

But without a doubt they achieved their definitive breakthrough at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, where they were the winners with the song 'Waterloo'.

From then on, everything went smoothly. Big hits that everybody remembers - like 'Fernando', 'Dancing Queen', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' and so on - got to number one in the charts in almost every country. The most important interpretive aspects are the perfect blending of the voices, both female and male as well as simultaneously; these musicians are completely comfortable with the range in which they are singing - effortless and without special effects.

'Chiquitita' - the group's ultimate success - was a clear number one from the first moment it was released on record and its royalties will go to Unicef on the occasion of the international Year of the Child. Sung in Spanish, the song is now the current number one in the charts of our country.

With sales of fifty million singles and thirty million albums, Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid are undoubtedly the most profitable group for a record company at the moment.

Popshop, 1977: ABBA's future plans

2011-08-14T16:41:00.012+02:00

Although there isn't any ABBA record on our charts at the moment, it would be premature to conclude that things are going downhill for the Swedish quartet. In England, for instance, their album 'Arrival' has been number one on the charts for weeks, and - until recently - the same could be said about the single from that album 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'. In America, they have just enjoyed their first real chartbuster with 'Dancing Queen'. And then we don't even mention countries like Australia, Poland, Germany, Japan, you name it.

In short, there is nothing wrong with ABBA. On the contrary. At the moment they are working on a new album that will be released in the late summer. "Probably, we are going to release one of the songs from that album as a single first," Björn told us on the phone. "But we don't know yet what it's going to be. Benny and I are still very busy composing. If that album is going to be different from our previous album? Maybe, maybe not. We never start working on an album with the thought 'now we will have to record an album that's better than the previous one'. We just write songs that come straight from our hearts. If they are different, if there is some kind of evolvement, then that's something that happened as a coincidence - or rather without intention. Music can't be planned ahead, because then everything would go wrong. There are groups that decide all of a sudden 'now we are going to make better music'. Then they force themselves, they are not themselves any longer and they record music that doesn't have a soul anymore. Then the spontaneity is gone. That won't happen to us. We don't care if the reporters write that we are not evolving! As long as the audience is satisfied..."

Apart from the album and the single, this year we don't have to expect much else from ABBA. They have signed a new contract with Warner Brothers that will begin next year. So it's only natural that their new bosses insist that they save their best material for their debut album on the new label.

But there is another reason why ABBA wants to take it easy for the rest of this year. In November - as we reported earlier - blonde Anna is expecting a second baby. "That was more or less planned," Björn continues. "The album will be completed in August and then Anna will have more than three months to prepare herself for the arrival of the new baby. She is doing just that at the moment as well, because while Benny and I are composing new songs, she doesn't have to be around. Last week she went - as she told me in the morning - grocery shopping. Around noon she called me to ask if we could come to the city with a small van. She had bought half of a baby store. The store manager told her that he would deliver everything to her door the next week. But Anna was too impatient: she wanted to have it immediately. That same afternoon she started decorating the nursery. Anna is crazy about children, you wouldn't believe how happy she is at the moment. The big subject at home: a boy or a girl. I would love to have a son, Anna would rather have a second baby girl. Either way, one of us will be right..."

Björn and Benny have just returned from America where they bought the complete equipment for a studio. "We have bought an old cinema in the centre of Stockholm that we are going to rebuild into a studio," according to Björn. "But we are still recording our album in that other studio, because our own studio is not ready yet. In September, three American technicians will come over to Sweden to lend a hand. The upcoming holiday months? We are going to spend those on our island. Sailing, going for walks and in between composing new songs. There is even talk of American artists that are planning to record in our studio. I can't mention any names yet. All I can say is that they are on the same label as we are. And then I mean the new label. Oh yeah, I want to say something to the fans: it is very likely that we are going on tour again next year. In March or April. This time we want to prepare for our show even better than before. Because, although the response to our first tour has been amazing, we weren't completely satisfied ourselves. The sound wasn't perfect, and we want to do something about that..."

Hitkrant, January 1978: How ABBA went to the cinema - Swedish premiere of The Movie

2011-08-08T20:20:00.006+02:00

Stockholm, December 26: the red carpet is unrolled at the China cinema in the centre of the Swedish capital. Outside, it is swarmed with police officers, crush barriers and fans. Inside, an awful lot of Swedes and one Dutchman: your reporter, invited to attend the Swedish premiere of ABBA - The Movie, in the presence of ABBA themselves.

It seems like Hollywood: spotlights, news reporters, press photographers and thousands of fans. But still, this Swedish presentation of ABBA's first feature film isn't as exclusive as its world premiere in Holland: people were able to simply buy a ticket, as far as there were still any available.
There are cheers, police officers are doing their best to keep the pushy priers that hadn't been able to get a ticket at a distance. Agnetha, Björn, Anni-Frid and Benny have arrived, in a more than lifesize Mercedes. It is five to seven.

Before the police has been able to get there, the fans have already opened the doors of the car and the four pop stars are almost dragged out. Photographers rush to the scene, police officers are forming a chain and it's all a terrible frenzy.
Eventually, ABBA - smiling cheerfully, how is that possible - is still ushered into the cinema. In the middle of the commotion, I get the opportunity to yell at Benny what he thinks about all this.
"Fabulous! Fantastic!" he yells back, glowing with excitement and Anni-Frid - hanging on his arm - happily nods at me as well.
"What's the name of Agnetha's baby?" I ask and Anni-Frid says (because I'm now pressed tightly to the couple so that we don't have to yell any longer): "Ask Björn!" And we're already in.

ABBA is guided to the stage and someone named Claes af Geijerstam - so I've heard afterwards - a well known gentleman in the Swedish music business, starts a speech in - for me - incomprehensible Swedish. I realize that I'm probably the only foreigner here: no one even tries to speak English, until I find a kind gentleman who is willing to translate some things.
An award is being presented: a golden gong for an occasion I don't completely understand. Then Agnetha, Björn, Anni-Frid and Benny are escorted to their seats. Simply between the other guests and fans. We should have had that experience in Holland!

The movie starts, but I probably don't have to explain anything about that anymore to any Dutch ABBA fan. Afterwards, I had a little conversation with Agnetha but you will be able to read all about that in issue number 3. In that same issue, I will also tell you something about the reviews that ABBA - The Movie received in Sweden and about my visit to the ABBA empire, Polar Music. See you in two weeks!

Melody Maker, 1979: Agnetha and Björn are getting a divorce, but no danger for ABBA!

2011-07-24T13:03:00.003+02:00

The ABBA members Agnetha and Björn were always one of the happiest couples in the pop business, always smiling and still in love, even after eight years of marriage. But the appearances were deceiving: since quite some time there was something wrong in the Fältskog/Ulvaeus marriage. And now Agnetha and Björn have confessed in an interview that they have been living separately for some time and that they want to get a divorce. MM correspondent Jan Bengtsson is reporting from Sweden.

“Already six months ago, we have decided that we want to get a divorce,” Agnetha confesses, “and since Christmas we are living separately. However, the distance between our houses in Lidingö is only seven minutes, because we want to keep on taking care of the upbringing of our children together.”
But what is the reason for the divorce? Infidelity perhaps? Agnetha: “Speculations are pointless. Fact is that Björn and I couldn’t live together any longer. When people don’t have anything to say to each other any longer and don’t get through to each other anymore, it’s no use to keep living together. But I want to emphasize that we are separating as good friends.”
The victims of these proceedings are the two children of the couple, Linda (6) and Christian (1). “The most difficult thing was telling our daughter gently that we are getting a divorce. All three of us ended up crying.”
The report about the divorce came just as unexpected to ABBA manager Stig Anderson as it did to the rest of the world. Only the other two ABBA members, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, knew that their colleagues wanted to get a divorce.
However, although the collapse of Agnetha and Björn’s marriage surely is regrettable, in the end it’s definitely a private matter that only concerns those involved. But for the ABBA fan, the question now rises if this will have any consequences for the group ABBA. Melody Maker posed this question to the ABBA management in Stockholm and got a pleasant reply. ABBA will go on and they will go through with their schedule for 1979 as planned. In February, the group will film a TV show in Switzerand, entitled ‘Snowtime Special’. The proceeds from this broadcast will flow to Unicef, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
The new ABBA album, that still hasn’t got a title yet, will probably be released in the middle of April. And in the beginning of August, the start of a world tour is even scheduled.
So it’s clear: some things have definitely changed for Agnetha and Björn, but not for the millions of ABBA fans all over the world!

Hitkrant, 1979: Is this ABBA’s farewell tour? Stig Anderson confirms rumours

2011-07-17T16:29:00.002+02:00

It’s very quiet in the ABBA camp. Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid have withdrawn on their island. They are rehearsing day in and day out, because the biggest tour that ABBA has ever made is right around the corner.

The supergroup from Sweden will visit no less than 35 countries, after the start of the tour in America on September 13. “We have to conquer America now,” says Benny. Because over there ABBA still hasn’t achieved more than a couple of incidental hits. But there are no signs whatsoever of an ABBA mania.

So when reports started appearing in the American media a couple of months ago wherein doubts were expressed if ABBA actually existed in reality, Björn and Benny were furious.
Benny sighs: “We are well-known all over the world, except in America. That has to change now as soon as possible!” That’s why ABBA is working very hard on their repertoire for this tour. Because they are going to show those Americans something else!

But what happens when the tour ends in Dublin on November 15? Will this be ABBA’s last tour? The answers to these questions aren’t that simple. The rumours that this will be the last one are persistent. ABBA will probably continue as a duo.
Allegedly, Björn and Benny are going to retire from the group. They want to concentrate completely on writing and producing. The television performances will then only be done by Agnetha and Anni-Frid.

The most important reason is that the relations in the group are strained. Björn and Agnetha’s divorce didn’t do much good in that respect. The other reason is that writing songs – which is done by Björn and Benny – is getting ever more difficult for them.
A couple of months ago, manager Stig Anderson denied all these rumours, but he isn’t denying them any longer. The only thing he wants to say about it is that there is some truth in all these reports. Either way, the concert in Rotterdam on October 24 might very well turn out to be of a historical value!

Elegance, July 2011: Princess Frida

2011-07-11T17:11:00.018+02:00

She still looks amazing, the dark-haired of the two ABBA singers. The love of her life, a German nobleman that gave her the title of Princess, passed away not long after their wedding day. But as Agnetha once said about her: “Anni-Frid is a strong woman. Nothing will bring her to her knees.”

Swedish monument. Although Anni-Frid Lyngstad (1945) is regarded by the Swedes as a national monument, in reality she was born in the Ballangen area Björkåsen in Norway out of a relationship between Synni, at the time only nineteen years old, and a married German soldier, Alfred Haase. The timing wasn’t very fortunate: the end of World War II also means the end of the Norwegian occupation. Alfred returns to Germany and Synni and her mother Arntine – afraid of retaliations – elude the country.

No stage fright. Grandmother Arntine goes to Sweden with the baby, where she takes every job that she can get to earn their living. It doesn’t take long for Synni to join her mother and child. When she is twenty one however, she dies of a renal disease, so that Arntine is forced to raise Anni-Frid – barely two years old – on her own in Torshälla, where she finds a job as a seamstress. She sings a lot of old Norwegian folk songs together with her granddaughter, who likes to sing along: soon she is known as the girl with the beautiful voice at school and in the neighbourhood. When she is thirteen years old, she performs for the first time officially, as a schlager singer with the Evald Eks Kvintett. “I could hardly believe that such a young girld could already sing so well,” Ek said later. “She rehearsed with ease and she was never shy on stage. The only thing I taught her was to sing to capacity: she had the tendency to hold back too much.”

Talent competition. Frida performs every weekend with the dance band with whom she sings golden oldies: “I was far too young to work, but I looked older and I lied about my age.” With the same gusto, she takes singing lessons (“school was of secondary importance to me but I took music very seriously”), she changes to a jazz band and in 1963 she forms her own group: the Anni-Frid Four. With this group she wins a talent competition and the prize is a recording contract and a performance on national television.

A star at one blow. By pure coincidence, the broadcast is on the same day that Sweden changes from left to right hand traffic: September 3, 1967. People are advised not to head out on the streets and almost the entire population is sitting in front of the television that evening. That’s how all of Sweden sees her perform ‘En Ledig Dag’ (A Day Off). Frida is an overnight star. Not some little pop star, but a real woman with a strong personality and voice. “When I think about Anni-Frid, then I think about fierceness,” is what her ABBA colleague Agnetha Fältskog says about that later on. “I got to know her long before ABBA and my first impression of her was: a strong, independent woman. And she proved that later on, nothing will bring her to her knees. She alway goes on. I admire that deeply.”

Teen marriage. Anni-Frid has to be strong, because since she was seventeen years old, she was married to her bass player Ragnar Fredriksson. Together they have two children: Hans (1963) and Ann Lise-Lotte (1967). Performing, fronting a band and taking care of two children turns out to be too much. Just like her mother left her in the care of her grandmother to be able to work, Frida leaves her own family to start working in Stockholm. The marriage doesn’t survive, the couple separates in 1969 “because we got married when we were ridiculously young,” according to Lyngstad who always remained good friends with Ragnar. “I was just as naïve as my mother when she had me. At that age, you think you can do everything.”

Agnetha. At least she can sing and she becomes a huge star in Sweden. During that time she regularly bumps into Agnetha Fältskog in the music circuit. “I liked listening to her, as a singer you are always jealous of the voice of someone else,” according to Frida. “Already then, she could sing very high and crystal clear, I had a darker sound. And in return, she loved my sound.” But they don’t get to collaborate. “We mentioned it every now and then, but we were always too busy. And we had no idea how strong the combination would be.”

Pure magic. Benny Andersson does have an idea. Since 1969, Frida has a relationship with this composer, whom she will marry in 1978, at the peak of ABBA’s success. In 1971, he produces her first – very successful – solo album. The other ABBA members are singing backing vocals on it. This begs for more, and the relationship with Benny combined with the growing friendship with Agnetha and her boyfriend Björn Ulvaeus leads to ABBA, although she keeps recording and performing on her own too. “It wasn’t easy to choose,” Lyngstad says about that. “I had been working as a solo singer for years, but at the same time I heard what happened when we played together as well. The group won. I was curious what else we could achieve with that sound.”

The ABBA sound. The secret of that sound is a mixture of a rock rhythm, a sparkling guitar, a synthesizer and two to four voices (thanks to their experiments with overdubbing that doubled the voice tracks), that could sing close harmony with audible ease. Frida’s mezzo soprano has to struggle to complement Agnetha’s high sound, which makes for the trademark, somewhat metallic ABBA sound, according to Ulvaeus. “Frida has a clear, clean, unique voice with a little edge,” he says. “She has a wide range, in the lower regions as well. She had the most experience too. We just composed in our own range, because Frida could sing everything anyway.”

Cowboy boots and hotpants. Frida is the sophisticated brunette (“sometimes red, sometimes orange, sometimes reddish – I was obsessed with my hair and dyed it far too often. You shouldn’t experiment in a hotel room with products of which you can’t read the instructions for use”), Agnetha the sexy blonde. She is the driving force behind the white cowboy boots and the pink hotpants. She enjoys the success more than the others. “I was used to large-scaled performances and I loved to tour,” she said about that later on. “Sometimes I couldn’t believe that the others were having such a hard time with all the attention. I thought: this is why you are an artist.”

Hit machine. Still, she sometimes has her doubts about their massive success. “If I’m completely honest, I have had moments that I regretted being a part of ABBA,” she says. “But never on stage, I was always happy behind the microphone. But having to be a ‘hit machine’ was difficult for all of us. We had families, but we barely had private lives and we depended on each other. I think less critical about that now. It’s better to remain positive because you can’t escape ABBA. It’s no use to have regrets about the fact that we liked to dance and dress like that during that time.”

Genealogy. The international mega success causes a remarkable reunion. Lyngstad had always thought that her father had died on his way back to Germany because the ship that he was on went down. However, in 1977 the German teen magazine Bravo publishes a poster with the genealogy of the ABBA members, which mentions the names of Frida’s parents as well. This is perceived by her halfbrother Peter Haase, who asks his father if he was in Ballangen during the war. A couple of months later, Anni-Frid meets her father for the first time, but a strong connection doesn’t develop and five years later the contact between them comes to a halt. “We remained strangers to each other,” she said about that in an interview. “I refuse to believe that he didn’t know anything about my mother’s pregnancy. I prefer to spend my time with people that stand by you in difficult times as well.”

New paths. That doesn’t happen either when ABBA falls apart in the beginning of the eighties. Just like Björn and Agnetha, Frida and Benny get divorced as well in 1981. The group quits after that. “It wasn’t a matter of arguments, it was more that we had lived out of each other’s suitcases as couples for ten years,” Frida once said about that. “We had the feeling that all had been said and done, we didn’t live our own lives anymore. It was time for something else. It says a lot about the mutual harmony that this point was reached by all of us almost at the same time. And it says something about our friendship that we have always kept in contact privately.”

Second beginning in London. Almost immediately, Frida takes up her solo career again, she moves to London and is successful again, especially in Europe thanks to the ‘Something’s Going On’ collaboration with Phil Collins. “On the one hand, it offered a tremendous creative freedom,” she said about her second beginning. “On the other hand, everything I did was compared to ABBA. I only realized later on how huge and important the group was. It was a blessing that I had been working for such a long time before my time with ABBA, so that I could rely on the routine of a working artist. If ABBA had been the first thing in my professional career, I don’t think I would have dared to sing at all after that. Even with all that experience, it has taken me quite some time to accept that I could never match that.”

Doing her own grocery shopping. Because the press in London barely leaves her alone, she moves to Switzerland permanently in 1986, to a spot that looks out on the Matterhorn. “I already knew Zermatt because of my skiing holidays with Benny,” she says. “Swiss people are not impressed with famous people and there was nothing I wanted more than a normal life. Simply doing some gardening, doing my own grocery shopping. On television I see one talent competition after the other with people who want nothing more than become famous. I can’t speak for others, but according to me it’s better to have a normal life.”

Prince. This normal life comes to an end when Lyngstad gets married for the third time in 1992, to a five year younger nobleman and architect: Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss van Plauen, which turns her into Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, countess van Plauen. It’s love at first sight for the couple: he leaves his wife for Anni-Frid. They get married in Denmark so they don’t violate the German nobility. “The title is a non-issue for me,” she said at the time. “The press thinks it’s very interesting, but for me it is not. We recognize something in each other, that’s the only thing that matters.”

Friends with the Queen. Still, the marriage resembles a fairytale in a way. The society welcomes Frida with open arms almost immediately. She already knows Queen Sylvia: in 1976, she sang ‘Dancing Queen’ with ABBA for the royal couple’s wedding and as well-known Swedish ladies they regularly bump into each other. Thanks to Heinrich, who went to boarding school with King Gustav and remained friends with him, Frida gets to know the Bernadottes privately as well. She becomes one of Queen Sylvia’s closest friends and she regularly accompanies her in a discrete manner on working visits. The couples spend a lot of time together and even go on a holiday together, to Bhutan.

Tragedies. Daughter Ann Lise-Lotte dies in a car crash in 1998 near Detroit and one year later, Frida loses Heinrich to lung cancer. The grief breaks down her usual optimism. “I was happier with Ruzzo than I had ever been in my whole life,” she says in an interview. “I was in my fourties and every insecurity had faded away, it was a good period in my life, everything fell into place. Nothing lasts forever, but it’s completely unnatural for a mother to survive her daughter. Just like you can’t imagine that you have to watch your life partner die.”

Wonderful moments. After a long retreat wherein she barely leaves her house for months on end, she comes back to life. “Life has pushed me in a different direction,” she says in 2001. “Crises shape you, they point you to the fact that you have to cherish the wonderful moments. To try every day to be happy about something and to make something out of life. To dig a little deeper to find out what really matters in life and not pay too much attention to superficialities, that sadly seem to become more important these days. Be who you are, be happy with what you’ve got. There is a reason for your existence, for that reason you have to live on.”

Family takes priority. She devotes most of her time to environmental and child protection and her loved ones. “Family is very important to me,” she says. “It wasn’t until I was grown up that I realized how difficult it must have been for my mother and my grandmother. I didn’t face the sadness in my life on my own. I have a son, a son-in-law, a grandson and two stepdaughters who support each other. It’s very comforting to have each other and to live with each other, no matter in what way. I use the word ‘family’ in the widest sense of the word possible, my friends are a part of it too. All those people together give your life a meaning.”

Reunion? Although Frida says that she lacks the motivation to start performing again, the wildest rumours are circulating that ABBA would get together for a one-off charity concert. Frida: “Agnetha and I have discussed this several times, but we both feel that other things become more important when you get older. I never say never, but I’m afraid it won’t happen. Even we realize that something magical happens when we are together somewhere. But it’s also a lot of fun to celebrate ABBA in a different way, like we do at premieres of the musical or the movie. I have the impression that our presence brings about an enormous joy and it gives me the opportunity to enjoy the things that I have done earlier on in my life. I didn’t have the time to actually enjoy it then. That’s the beautiful thing about this period in my life: every now and then standing still and enjoying things, without being in a hurry.”

Joepie, April 1979: ABBA wants to coach young Swedish talent

2011-07-11T10:41:00.003+02:00

Ted Gärdestad, Sweden’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest has the two gentlemen of ABBA to thank for his success in his own country – and who knows in the near future across the borders as well.
Officially, it is claimed that Polar Music – ABBA’s record company – is only engaged in Ted’s business interests, which is already an enormous support in itself. But insiders know better than that: Ted, who recorded his album in the ABBA studios in Stockholm, was supported unofficially by Björn and Benny during the recordings. And it might very well be the case that Björn and Benny will launch other newcomers in the near future.
“ABBA has become a household name, so it isn’t necessary for us to be in the charts continually any longer,” Benny told us recently in Switzerland. “And that’s all for the better, because we need more and more time to create an original product that doesn’t sound like a previous one. That new album for instance has cost us an enormous amount of strain...”
“In these couple of months we have worked on about thirty songs, out of which we’ve made a selection,” Björn continues. “These discarded songs actually sound good too, but they sound too much like things that we have recorded and released before. We thought it would be a shame to throw these songs in the dust-bin and that’s what gave us the idea to start working with newcomers. Because if these same songs are being sung by a male or female singer or a group, then you can make a different arrangement of the song. An arrangement that hasn’t got anything to do with ABBA...”
“To give you an example,” Benny interrupts. “Some of these songs would come off really well in a new wave arrangement. But do you see ABBA recording new wave songs? Look, this working method suits us fine, because this way the songs don’t go to waste. And it benefits these newcomers as well: they get good songs from us, a recording studio and assistance from ourselves whenever that is possible. If we do less travelling that is. A sort of university for young talent, that’s what we want to provide, with a complete tuition. We have a complete infrastructure at our disposal: an office, a recording studio, a publishing company, our contacts abroad, you name it. Why wouldn’t we make use of that outside the ABBA frame?”
This working method will most likely benefit the newcomers in Sweden!

Joepie, November 1978: ABBA goes sports!

2011-07-07T18:11:00.004+02:00

For several days, Benny had not been feeling especially well when he went to see a befriended doctor in Stockholm. Had he simply been working too hard or was there really something wrong? That question had already caused Benny several sleepless nights and it still took quite some time before he finally gathered his courage and went to see his friend. The diagnosis relieved all Benny’s fears. “What you need, is some more exercise,” his friend told him. “You are a bit stressed, that’s all...”
Benny: “I have never felt this relieved in my entire life. But this little incident still got me thinking: aren’t we all working way too hard and aren’t we asking too much of ourselves? During a meeting, we discussed this subject and everyone was convinced right away: we should get more exercise!”
And he kept his word: barely one day later, he became a member of a tennis club in Stockholm.
Benny: “I had been playing tennis before with Frida, but at the club I got genuine champions as my opponents. I sweated like a horse and the next day my muscles were completely stiff. But I’m feeling much better now. I go there at least once a week, if I’m home that is...”
Lovely wife Frida chose a more relaxing kind of sports: jazz dancing. She became a student at the Stockholm Ballet Academy where she gets two hours of tuition every other week.
Frida: “I’ve always been interested in jazz ballet, but I never had the time for it. Now that we are taking the time to do some sports, I decided to sign myself up. The plan is that I will be demonstrating some of these dance moves next year on our upcoming tour.
Björn even went as far that he signed himself up for the Lidingö, a marathon of thirty kilometres. Björn didn’t finish first, but he still ran the entire track. “And I think that’s quite an accomplishment for me,” according to Björn. “I have been in training for two weeks for that competition and during that period I have forced up the amount of kilometres. But thirty kilometres is still a lot, believe me. I have to admit that I have walked a couple of kilometres, but I wasn’t the only one. I’m not planning to join these kinds of competitions regularly. I actually did this one more to please the organizer. But these days I do run four or five kilometres every day...”
Anna is now regularly getting into her jogging gear as well to loosen up her legs. “But I would never consider to join in a competition,” she says. “I’d rather determine my own pace...”

Bravo, December 1974: Silver for ABBA

2011-06-19T15:50:00.002+02:00

Only one year ago, no one over here had even heard about them. This all changed abruptly in April 1974 after the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton: with their song ‘Waterloo’, the Swedish group ABBA defeated all their rivals with ease.
In the meantime, the two sexy girls from Sweden and their partners have sold about seven million records of this super hit all over the world. Their follow-up ‘Honey, Honey’ became yet another bull’s eye for the quartet Anni-Frid, Benny, Anna and Björn. With their upbeat music, their outrageous and colourful costumes and their smashing show on stage and on television, their popularity with the Bravo readers went through the roof as well...
Bravo congratulates ABBA on their stratospheric career!

Das Freizeit-Magazin, 1978: Anni-Frid – a life with music

2011-06-15T20:10:00.002+02:00

Modest, quiet and self-critical – these are some characteristics that friends and journalists use to describe Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
She herself claims: “In my case, there are a lot of highs and lows. I am a very serious person and I carry an inherent soul pain along with me, that is very hard for me to overcome. I thought it would get better with age. But it’s exactly the opposite. It’s only getting worse...”
Anni-Frid and Benny have been living together since 1970 and if there’s one thing they have in common, then it’s this: in both cases, their careers have led them to leave their families and children. But the latter is ancient history. These days, they are on the best of terms with their children. Anni-Frid’s Hans and Lise-Lotte and Benny’s Peter and Helen spend their summer holiday together on the ABBA island.
For Anni-Frid, Benny is the anchor of her life. She herself says: “He helps me when I’m feeling down. I easily get worked up about trivialities. Benny is completely different in that respect. He doesn’t take things too seriously.”
As the only ABBA member, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was not born in Sweden. She was born on November 15, 1945 in Narvik, Norway. Her father was a German occupying officer, who left Norway after World War II. For decades, Anni-Frid didn’t hear from him at all.
When Anni-Frid was only eighteen months old, her mother died. Not long after that, her grandmother moved to Sweden together with the little girl. In Torshälla, a small town in the middle of Sweden, both of them found their home base. The grandmother earned a living for herself and the little girl as a seamstress.
Music became part of Anni-Frid’s life at a very young age. Her first performance in public as a singer took place when she was only eleven years old, when she took part in a Red Cross event. When she was thirteen years old, she was already a singer in a band that was dedicated to swing music. Later on, she worked as a lead singer with Bengt Sandlung’s Big Band in Eskilstuna. During this time, she also met her future husband and father of her two children. His name was Ragnar Fredriksson, he worked as a carpet dealer and played music in his spare time.
“At the time, I was crazy about jazz music,” Anni-Frid remembers. “With the big band, I sang old jazz ballads and Glenn Miller compositions. It wasn’t until I met Benny that I started to get interested in other kinds of music as well.”
Anni-Frid had her first big succes as a singer in 1967. At a talent competition in Stockholm, she finished in first place. When the host asked the happy but exhausted winner: “What are you going to do this evening,” Anni-Frid answered: “Drive back to Eskilstuna and get some sleep.”
Perhaps Anni-Frid would have become a plain housewife and mother, if Sweden hadn’t decided to change from left-hand to right-hand driving. To make the new traffic rules as well-known as possible, the traffic planners used all available mass media. And when the day of the traffic conversion arrived on September 3, 1967, the Swedish population witnessed the birth of a new pop star in the traffic gala broadcast – Anni-Frid. She sang her colleagues into the ground. She had finally achieved her big breakthrough. The record companies were tripping over each other to sign a deal with Anni-Frid. Anni-Frid decided to sign with EMI, that released nine singles and one album over the following years. In the next few months, Anni-Frid worked harder and harder on her career. Performances in folk parks and nightclubs – there was hardly an hour of spare time for Anni-Frid. No wonder that her marriage came to an end during all this hustle and stress. Anni-Frid divorced her husband in mutual understanding. The children stayed with their father in Eskilstuna. Anni-Frid moved to Stockholm.
“The first few months were horrible,” she remembers. “I was longing for my children so badly. The only thing I did was ponder, I started to regret my decision. I hated my career, that had become too big for me.”
But all of this changed when she met Benny. They met for the first time in Malmö. “It was only a short meeting,” Anni-Frid remembers. “The next time, we met at a radio broadcast. We both took part in a forum discussion. From then on, we started to meet regularly.”
Benny wasn’t only a lucky strike in Anni-Frid’s personal life, but it was the beginning of ABBA as well.
Indeed, there was a happy end for Anni-Frid and her father too, whom she presumed to be dead for a long time. After decades, Anni-Frid was finally able to take the pastry cook Alfred Haase from Karlsruhe in her arms. Anni-Frid: “My father is a wonderful man. It’s simply indescribably beautiful.”
But nothing actually changed in Anni-Frid’s life. Anni-Frid: “But it’s good to know that people are able to find each other after such a long time and get along immediately.”

Joepie, 1979: ABBA’s last world tour – If it’s up to Agnetha...

2011-06-03T20:00:00.005+02:00

On the eve of ABBA’s world tour – that will take the Swedish top group across the United States and subsequently Europe and that will last for more than two months – singer Agnetha has revealed something quite shocking. If it’s up to her, it’s going to be their final goodbye to live performances, regardless of how the group will keep existing after the expiration of the ABBA contract in the middle of 1980...

But for now, these contractual changes – according to which ABBA would continue as a female duo before they stop existing altogether – are not the reason to never go on tour again in the future. Blonde Agnetha simply wants more time off to spend with her two children Christian and Linda, especially since she divorced their father, ABBA singer and composer Björn Ulvaeus.
“I don’t mind the performance in itself but the amount of weeks and months that we are away from home and have to perform is what’s primarily bothering me,” she says. “My children miss me too much and I have to admit that I have the same feeling. I can’t take this any longer as a mother, that’s why this is going to be the last time that I’ll be away from home for such a long period.”

Apart from these family problems, especially the enormous pressure of a tour that goes on for months and performances day in and day out, were the reason that the upcoming tour remained a question mark for such a long time. Indeed, the tensions during their last tour, now two and a half years ago, were the main reason for Agnetha and Björn’s marital split.
“It had been such a nerve-racking experience that it became doubtful if we would ever go on tour again,” according to Agnetha. “You have no idea how much pressure weighs upon you during such a tour. Every night performing 20 songs during a two hour long show. Do you know what that means? And by day, you don’t even have the time to recover because you have to get to the next city faster than the speed of light, where new promotional duties and interviews are waiting for you. We are not used to that rhythm, it can break you. I still don’t understand how we have been able to keep our voices in shape!”

Despite their worries and fears, the four from ABBA are convinced that their upcoming tour is going to be the most successful from their impressive career. Apart from that, it should give them the same gigantic success in the United States that they’ve become accustomed to in Europe.
“Indeed, ‘Voulez-Vous’ is doing rather well on the American charts,” Agnetha ascertains with pleasure. “Our tour will hopefully make it our first number one over there. If we have achieved that, we have gone all around the world with our super hits and wouldn’t that be a wonderful moment to put an end to these gigantic but exhausting live performances? I’d rather leave that to the unattached pop boys who don’t have children or a home base. As a mother of two children, I demand to have a family life.”

Meanwhile, the four remain much wanted guests on all kinds of festivities. More and more in their own country as well. When the construction of an enormous shopping and office centre commenced in Stockholm – wherein the Europa Film Studios will be housed as well – they were invited to immortalize the prints of their right hands. These clay imprints will be turned into bronze hand prints and they will be used as ornaments at the entrance of the building. Manager Stig Anderson, Anni-Frid, Björn, Agnetha and Benny didn’t mind doing it, especially since it was a welcome interruption in their busy rehearsal schedule in the big studio of Europa Film in the same area. Each member has his own way of relaxing during the many rehearsals for their ’79 tour. As you might have guessed, Agnetha relaxes with her children. Anni-Frid threw herself into rollerskating. Meanwhile Björn and Benny – slave labourers and perfectionists as they are – are coming up with new musical ideas at the last minute with which they want to pleasantly surprise their thousands of fans later on.

Hitkrant, August 1979: Spectacular run on ABBA tickets

2011-06-02T19:22:00.004+02:00

Thursday, September 13 is the day. Then ABBA’s gigantic world tour will kick off in Edmonton, for which – considering the advance ticket sales – the interest is overwhelming. Never before has a tour been as well prepared as this one. Nothing has been left to chance and that’s why it seems as if the Swedish quartet wants to put an end to the rumours that this will be their farewell tour once and for all.

For weeks on end, the group has worked and rehearsed for the new show in Stockholm, that will last for at least two hours and – apart from several hits – will contain new songs as well.

Once again, ABBA will be strengthened by several Swedish musicians. They are: Ola Brunkert/drums, Anders Eljas/keyboards, Rutger Gunnarsson/bass, Mats Ronander/guitars, Ake Sundqvist/percussion and Lars Wellander/guitars.

In several countries, the tickets have gone on sale already and this has made for some spectacular statistics. In England, Scotland and Ireland, the tickets were sold out in one day! And that’s a total of 75.000 tickets!
In Copenhagen, the concert was sold out within two hours and in Edmonton, all tickets were gone within three hours. Furthermore, in America all concerts – for which the tickets have gone on sale already – are sold out.
It’s very likely that there will be an enormous run on the tickets in our country as well, when they go on sale on Saturday, September 22.
A television crew from Radio Sweden is going to film ABBA during the week in November when they perform in London. At ABBA’s request, a 52-minute TV special will be filmed, that will be broadcast in the beginning of next year, hopefully in our country too. This film will contain footage filmed in North America as well. On top of that, manager Stig Anderson is negotiating with the BBC to air a radio special called ‘ABBA In Concert’.

Only after the opening concert in Edmonton, the group will have a big press conference. Apart from that, there will be small, informative gatherings after the concerts, that only one or two members of the group will attend. This arrangement has been made because the tour will be extremely hard and exhausting and will demand a lot from the ABBA members.
Meanwhile, we were allowed to take a peek in ABBA’s rehearsal studio and Agnetha assured us that they have never been this well prepared on a tour as this one: “If this doesn’t become a resounding success, I will be flabbergasted. The show is very well crafted and thought out. It can’t be bettered!”
You will be there too, won’t you, on October 24 in Ahoy Rotterdam?

Joepie, 1979: ABBA mysteries: the end in 1980 and a fifth ABBA member!

2011-06-01T20:31:00.004+02:00

In spite of all the rumours, the most popular group at the moment – ABBA – will stop existing in the middle of 1980! At least on paper, because the mutual contracts that tie the four members and their manager Stig Anderson together will expire officially at that time. It is obvious that no one can say beforehand what Benny, Björn, Agnetha, Anni-Frid and Stig’s plans will be at that moment in time. And all five of them are completely silent in that respect. Joepie already puts all the facts and suppositions in perspective.

Allegedly, it should be a fact that Stig Anderson has already signed contracts with the four ABBA members individually. This means that their collaboration is going to last for some time to come, even if the foursome would decide to stop working together as ABBA. Stig wisely kept on the safe side and of course he is right with such top talents.
What’s equally sure, is that Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agnetha will be venturing out in new artistic fields individually, no matter what happens with ABBA.
Anni-Frid already played – apart from ‘ABBA – The Movie’ – the leading part in a Swedish movie and she is not planning to leave it at that. Only recently, she was in Spain for some test shootings for a next movie. A movie career, that would demand so much of her time that there would hardly be any time left for pop music, shouldn’t be ruled out.
Agnetha, after her divorce from Björn completely on her own two feet, is going to occupy herself with the career of new artists and especially making solo records as well. Her first one is already in the making, to celebrate her ten year singing career.
Benny is planning to start his own production company.
Meanwhile Björn would prefer to step out of the limelight and work behind the scenes, primarily as a composer that comes up with new ideas.
At last, the four from ABBA would work on certain projects together. The first one concerns the young Swedish newcomer Ted Gärdestad, who represented his country this year at the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel. Althoug he was hardly successful, their confidence in his talent remained unshakable and we are bound to hear more from this young man. “He is the first one with whom we are trying something new and we keep believing in him completely,” according to the ABBAs. And they add in a convinced way: “He belongs to the family and you might even call him – not considering Stig because he doesn’t sing anyway – the fifth ABBA member!” But obviously you shouldn’t take that literally.

Another reason to put an end to ABBA might very well be the increasing difficulties that Benny and Björn experience to keep composing the same high quality ABBA material. Up till now, they have always refused to record songs by other composers and they want to keep it that way. And it is obvious that their possibilities – after the ongoing succession of hits and outstanding album material and despite their huge talent – will become exhausted or at least very limited. Indeed, they have already experienced this while putting together the songs for their latest album ‘Voulez-Vous’, that was released later than scheduled because of that.
“You have no idea how hard we had to work to achieve the quality that the audience expects from us,” Björn says in a modest way. “I still get dizzy when I think about the slave labour it has cost us. We can’t afford to record songs of lesser quality or even flops. If that would be the case, we would prefer to stop releasing records altogether.”

Indeed, ABBA is not the only group that deals with problems like these. Simon & Garfunkel split up at the height of their fame because they had written themselves empty. Gerry Rafferty put an end to Stealers Wheel because he had had enough of it. For a long time, he refused every million dollar offer to be able to retreat on his secluded farm. It seems to have worked out well for him because he has a wonderful solo career now.
Either way, 1980 will be the year of the truth for ABBA, if only because their mutual contract will expire then. Will there be a new contract for a couple of years? Will they go their separate ways? Will they start working on something new? A spokesperson of the ABBA empire doesn’t tell it all either. Diplomatically, he says: “From what I hear, ‘Voulez-Vous’ is their last album. Maybe two more singles will be released around the time that their contract expires. But for the time being I can’t say anything more about ABBA’s future.”
Either way, our correspondent in Sweden is keeping his eyes and ears open to keep you posted about the hottest ABBA news.

ABBA Info, July 1985: Agnetha’s record talk

2011-05-18T20:06:00.002+02:00

During Agnetha’s visit to Belgium, the Dutch Associaton of Record Retailers had an interview with her about the retail business and the records.

“It’s pretty obvious why things went wrong with the four of us,” Agnetha says. “You know, for years we were together twenty four hours a day, we worked like madmen and during our two month long holiday, we retreated to one of Sweden’s islands where we owned a grandiose mansion. The boys worked on new songs there and rehearsed them with us.”
At the question which music she prefers, she replies: “There is so much. I love big bands like Quincy Jones, Nelson Riddle and so on. Then I admire Frank Sinatra’s timing, Andy Williams’ voice, Sammy Davis jr.’s performance. I also started to like more pop music, like Michael Jackson, Prince and Dire Straits. It’s all good. In Europe, my fellow-countryman Svend Amussen is still one of my favourites. I just loved to listen to him when I was a little girl. I think James Last, whom I got to know pretty well, is a wonderful man. And his orchestra consists of excellent musicians and I think the arrangements and the performances are very good.”
When we ask Agnetha about her private life, she says that all the magazines are already writing and gossiping about that. “Ask it my mother,” was her evasive answer.
About the record retail industry: “I know that you are writing for a trade journal, so you won’t hear anything negative from me. No, but if you really want to know. We had a wonderful success with ‘Waterloo’. They had problems pressing sufficient records. The retailers couldn’t wait to get their hands on them. The releases after that we’re received wonderfully as well. We could only be more than satisfied, both with our record company Polydor as well as with the retailers. I do know that retailers gave us a lot of confidence, even before the record was released. They placed large advance orders before they had even heard anything. That gave all four of us an enormous satisfaction, it’s just as good as getting applause. Even now that Frida and I are making solo records, the retailers are still behind us and that’s important. The retail industry is the concluding piece to the consumers. You can bet that I realise that very well. Give my best to everyone in Holland. In conclusion I want to say this: Holland as a whole has always been great for us and I really mean that from the bottom from my heart.”

Bravo, 1978: ABBA and Andy

2011-05-15T18:18:00.002+02:00

Björn, with his guitar under his arm, is walking back and forth nervously. Anni-Frid, dressed in white, is checking herself in the mirror while her make-up is being touched up. Benny is grinning amused while the stressed costume designer Fleur Thiemeyer is sowing the belt of his jacket. Olivia Newton-John is running around with curlers in her hair while Agnetha is handing over a large bouquet of roses on ABBA’s behalf.
The preparations of the Olivia Newton-John special for American television are in their final stages. The spectators have been waiting in line for five hours in front of the Columbia studio in Hollywood, to be admitted for the live broadcast. The past nine days, Olivia has been rehearsing nonstop with her guest stars ABBA and Andy Gibb. All of them have been standing in front of the TV cameras from early in the morning until late in the evening. The extra hours were necessary, because Steve Binder – the producer and director – is a perfectionist. And that was fine with ABBA because they hope to achieve a final breakthrough in America with their guest appearance on Olivia’s show (about 50 million Americans saw the show). America is the only country where the four Swedes aren’t that well-known yet.
Then they finally get started! The invited audience is applauding. ABBA and Olivia are in the spotlights. Andy Gibb, dressed in red with a white waistcoat, is running behind them and sighs: “Oh, I’m so nervous...” And then they all sing Cat Stevens’ song ‘Old Schoolyard’ together. They all do their best and Andy’s stagefright is fading rapidly. Then ABBA performs ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Fernando’ and ‘Dancing Queen’. Andy and Olivia are singing along. Andy performs his hit single ‘I Just Wanne Be Your Everything’ and ABBA and Olivia are joining him as backing singers. Obviously the guests also join in on Olivia’s hits.
In the next scene of the show, they all sit cosily in a circle and chat about the start of their careers. Benny performs the old Beach Boys track ‘Barbara Ann’, Anni-Frid manifests herself as an opera singer. Andy is being teased by the others: “Don’t you have very famous brothers? Aren’t they promoting a record right now?” They are aiming at the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ album, the sales figures of which are unbeatable. Then it continues with the ABBA hits ‘Money, Money’ and ‘Take A Chance’. As a farewell they all sing ‘Thank You For The Music’ together.
The spotlights had barely died down when ABBA hurried into the recording studio. The four of them were slaving away there until six o’clock in the morning. On the same day, they are flying back to Europe, to perform in Germany in the TV programme Star Parade. Due to these commitments, they had to cancel a party at the Swedish embassy with president Carter.
With their three songs ‘Take A Chance’, ‘Eagle’ and ‘Thank You For The Music’, ABBA wowed all the viewers of Star Parade.

1976: ABBA – Export from Sweden

2011-05-09T20:51:00.007+02:00

After the Swedish group ABBA had won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song ‘Waterloo’, the group produced one hit after the other. ABBA turned into an important export article for Sweden. At the moment, there are some problems within the group and the most important reason for the quartet to stay together is their financial gain. Harry van Nieuwenhoven is exploring ABBA a little deeper, their music and problems. Among other Swedish artists, ABBA can be seen in the programme ‘Export from Sweden’ that will be broadcast by the AVRO on Tuesday at 09.50 pm.

Being a writer about mainly progressive pop music, I now and then wonder desperately how the popularity of some hit groups can be explained in a rational way. What do droves of people all over the world exactly see in a group like ABBA? The meticulously oiled Swedish hit machine that, after having won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the infectious ‘Waterloo’, has succeeded in building an extremely successful career with songs like ‘Honey, Honey’, ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’ (there is not a single word of Oxford English in there!), ‘SOS’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Fernando’. A career that even acquired an international flavour, thanks to chart successes in England and the United States.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to analyze ABBA’s popularity in a provisional way. In a mixed company, I digested the usual dose of TopPop on that particular Friday evening. All of a sudden, the ladies Frida Lyngstad and Anna Fältskog and the gentlemen Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA appeared on the screen. Young and old jumped up and watched the screen contentedly on which the four thirtysomethings mimed to their latest hit ‘Fernando’. A small survey that was conducted afterwards among the persons present pointed to the combination of elements that appears to bring about ABBA’s popularity among the young and the old.
First of all, the clever appearance and show of the group. A mastermind behind ABBA sees to it that the eye-catching vocalists Frida and Anna are stylishly and sexily dressed in trendy clothes in such a way that neither the male viewers (the eye needs to be pleased too) nor the female viewers (because they are jealous of the exquisite garments that the girls are wearing again) are able to take their eyes off their television screen.
In ABBA’s visually very attractive show, blonde Frida is the absolute main attraction. The seemingly careless and cooled way in which she utilizes her body, mostly dressed in hotpants that are verging on being too hot, while singing the simple tunes, can be called great class.
The second reason for ABBA’s success is of course their simple but very infectious music. Practically all ABBA hits, composed by the gentlemen Andersson-Ulvaeus and manager Stig Anderson, are constructed with a simple chorus, repeated many times, that you can sing along to effortlessly after having heard it a couple of times, while the mostly overproduced instrumental part is made up of a boom-boom rhythm that is easy digestable.

That’s ABBA’s formula for success. Something that is emphasized yet again on their bestselling album ‘The Best Of ABBA’, nothing more but definitely nothing less than an excellent hit group that is even starting to get musical pretensions, as demonstrated by their latest chartbuster ‘Fernando’. Who ever dared to dream of that?
ABBA has now existed officially for three years. Unofficially, they have existed for six years already. In 1970, Andersson and Ulvaeus recorded the album ‘Lycka’ (Happiness), for which they called upon their girlfriends Frida and Anna, more like a fun experiment. Two professional singers, who were already very well-known in Sweden as solo artists. In these turbulent times for Swedish pop music, Andersson and Ulvaeus were mainly active as composers and producers. Before that, as the artistic motors behind the Hep Stars (who scored European hits in 1968 with songs like ‘Sunny Girl’ and ‘Music Box’), they played an important part in the evolvement of Swedish pop music that is flourishing in 1976 with artists like Harpo and Bo Hansson. When the Hep Stars split up, Andersson and Ulvaeus started working as producers and composers at Polar Records, the company of ABBA’s current manager Stig Anderson. While recording and producing records for Polar, the concept for ABBA grew slowly but surely, which manifested itself in the archetype of Björn & Benny & Frida & Anna in 1973 on the Eurovision Song Contest where the quartet finished in third place thanks to the song ‘Ring Ring’. One year later, the four Swedes came back with a vengeance and finished in first place with ‘Waterloo’.
The rest of the success story is well-known. Since then, ABBA is scoring one hit after the other. The group has turned into a multi-million company. With the gigantic sums of money that the members have made by performing and composing their hits, they have bought Polar Recors and changed its name to Polar Music: ABBA’s own music publishing company, record and promotion company.
During the six long years that the ABBA members have worked together intensively, their mutual understanding has only deteriorated. It’s a public secret that the two ABBA couples don’t especially get along and that they keep their personal contacts on a business level as much as possible. The tensions are mostly ventilated during nerve-racking promotional tours when – true to the habit of millionaires – caviar and other delicacies are often flying through the air. The tensions are not important enough to blow up the multi-million company. There’s too much money at stake. Especially now that the group is starting to achieve a breakthrough in huge territories like England and the United States.
Not considering the upcoming solo projects (among others a solo album by Frida?), it is expected that ABBA will keep exploring their successful formula for some time to come. A formula that seems to be a clever combination of Swedish self-mockery, business sense and naughtiness.

Pop Biz, 1979: Never before had ABBA been this good..., but still...

2011-05-05T16:17:00.003+02:00

ABBA’s major super tour has been completed and we have been able to enjoy a successful concert at the Ahoy hall in Rotterdam. Everybody who has seen the concert agreed with us: never before had ABBA been this perfect and convincing.

Björn, Agnetha, Benny and Anni-Frid’s show was sensational and the fans were very appreciative and cheered their idols on. Not a single movement, not a single sound and not a single stunt had been left to chance. The entire show had been rehearsed to the smallest detail and even the critical music journalists had to admit that ABBA delivered the most perfect, maybe even the best concert of the year.
The whole tour cost more than two thirds of its receivings. But manager Stig Anderson doesn’t mind. The important thing is that the costs have been covered. Because the record sales benefit from a tour. When it comes to that, ABBA can rest assured that they will earn back all their expenses.
Fifty people travelled along with the group. Musicians, backing singers, technicians, a hairdresser and also a lady who took care of ABBA’s wardrobe. Apart from that, the group had rented the most expensive sound equipment in the world from an American company. For the impressing price of 10.000 dollar per night!

The tour was very exhausting and no one was allowed to come near the group. Only family members, acquaintances and friends. To arrive everywhere in time, ABBA travelled with their own super modern private jet, equipped with a telephone, a colour TV, a stereo system and a large bar. Björn: “Otherwise we would not have been able to cope with it all.”
Björn had brought along his girlfriend Lena Källersjö on this tour. “She helped me a great deal,” he revealed. “Without Lena, it would have been far more difficult for me.”
And Agnetha? “Agnetha and Lena have a very good understanding,” he claims. “They have become real friends. Otherwise I would never have brought Lena along...”
But still... “Agnetha was very lonely,” a good friend of hers revealed to us. “She didn’t want to give that impression, but that’s how it was. Every time I was alone with her, she poured her heart out. She missed the feeling of belonging to someone.
Anni-Frid belongs to Benny, Björn belongs to Lena now. She was all alone. In former times, she was able to discuss all her problems with Björn and ask his advice. Now she had to make her own decisions. Something she has been wanting to do for years. But now she realizes that it has disadvantages as well...”
But one thing is for sure: the tour was a bang on target for little Linda, Agnetha and Björn’s daughter. Because this was the first time that she could come along. She had a great time together with Stig Anderson’s little daughter. The highlight was their visit to Disneyland in America. Something she will never forget. “I wish we could be in America more often,” she sighed. Maybe her wish will come true, because meanwhile America is at ABBA’s feet as well. Agnetha was happy too that her daughter was present. “I’ve never had this much fun with her,” she said. “Next year, Linda will start school and then she won’t be able to come along anymore. But then I want to stay home more often. I’ve made her that promise. In the end, she will be needing me then.” That’s certainly true. But Agnetha needs someone too. Someone who really cares about her, who loves her. Her relationship with Swedish ice hockey player Lars has ended and that has hurt her very much. Let’s hope that she will find someone else soon.

Das Freizeit-Magazin, 1978: Benny – at full throttle into bankruptcy

2011-04-25T18:57:00.003+02:00

“He has music running through his veins... He is a musician and not one that only plays. And that’s the best compliment that you can get,” says Stig Anderson. “He plays with his heart.”
The person at whom this compliment is aimed is called Goran Bror Benny Andersson, born on December 16, 1946 in Stockholm. The part about music running through the veins was applicable to the entire Andersson family. Grandfather Efraim and father Gösta both played the accordion. It was obvious that Benny should get an instrument too. At the time he was only six years old and the accordion was four centimetres bigger than he was.
“My father and grandfather taught me everything,” Benny remembers. “I never had any musical education. During the summer holidays, we always played together. I was as happy as I could be when I could listen to Swedish folk music.”
“When I was ten, I got a piano. At first, I always tried to play the piano like I played the accordion. At school, I had three or four hours of playing the piano. But I thought that was rubbish.”
Together with his sister Eva-Lisa, Benny grew up in Vällingby, one of Stockholm’s suburbs. His father was a construction engineer and the plan was that Benny would follow in his footsteps one day. The music made sure that these plans were thwarted. In Vällingby, there was a youth centre, where various pop groups played every Saturday night. During the intermissions between the performances, the same thing went on every time: Benny got on stage and played the piano. “These days, it’s still the same. Whenever I see a piano, I just have to play it.”
During his musical intermezzos, Benny was accompanied by a young singer, Christina Grönvall. When both of them were fifteen years old, they got engaged. Christina is the mother of Benny’s two children, Peter and Helen. But their engagement didn’t last long...
After high school, Benny worked as a doorman. He also joined a group, called Elverkets Spelmanslag. However, Benny’s big breakthrough came when he became a member of the Hep Stars. This happened in October 1964. The group was composed of Svenne Hedlund, Janne Frisk, Lennart Hegland, Christer Petterson and the new organ player Benny. During New Year 1965, the Hep Stars performed on television, and all of a sudden they were well-known all over Sweden.
“We were lucky enough to make the right music at the right time,” says Benny. The right music was Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Already during his time with Elverkets Spelmanslag, Benny had written a couple of songs. He has long forgotten about these songs today. But he hasn’t forgotten the first song he wrote for the Hep Stars ‘No Response’ and his first hit for the group ‘Sunny Girl’.
‘Sunny Girl’ was a slow-paced song and it actually didn’t fit in with the Hep Stars’ repertoire. It was because of Svenne that they played it anyway. During a performance, he had jumped off a loudspeaker and ricked his foot. Benny: “This forced us to make our show a little calmer and play something slower.”
The next hits were ‘Wedding’, ‘Consolation’ and ‘It’s Nice To Be Back’. But the group had their biggest success with a Swedish song ‘I Natt Jag Drömde’ (‘I Had A Dream Last Night’). 200.000 copies of that single were sold.
The Hep Stars became the most popular Swedish pop group of the sixties. They were awarded with gold records for three albums and five singles.
When it came to music, the Hep Stars had nothing to complain about. And because everything was going so well, the group wanted to try their luck with something even bigger: their own movie. The title of this epos would be ‘Habari Safari’. Filming started in February 1967 – but the script wasn’t ready until July that same year. For Benny and his friends, ‘Habari Safari’ meant that they were catapulted into bankruptcy. 5.000 metres of film had been shot, but the movie didn’t have a story. And a movie without a story is a like an egg without its yolk. All of a sudden, the Hep Stars found themselves with a debt of 280.000 Swedish kronor.
The next blow came in December 1967: they still had to pay 900.000 Swedish kronor to taxes. None of the Hep Stars had paid any taxes for two years. Now they received the receipt. It took Benny four years to pay off his tax debt. He hardly saw a penny of the money that he made during this period, but the tax office did.
So it isn’t surprising that he says nowadays: “The best thing that happened to me was that I met Stig. He taught me the importance of thinking economically and an organized life.”
The Hep Stars split up in 1969. Around this time, the partnership between Benny and Björn – who had met each other for the first time in 1966 – had grown bigger and bigger. The foundation for ABBA had been laid.
These days, Benny is the calming influence in ABBA. He is the one with the most balanced character. The people who know Benny say that he is kind, open and generous. Sometimes too generous. During his time with the Hep Stars, Benny had a small bowl in his apartment. It was filled with 100 kronor banknotes. When friends of his came by who needed money, Benny put some of these banknotes in their hands...

Privé, November 1980: ABBA troubled by divorce distress!

2011-04-23T19:18:00.003+02:00

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus is unhappy. During a private filming session in Stockholm, Privé discovered that the strong man from ABBA has not been able to deal with the sadness of his divorce. His new blonde girlfriend Lena seems to be nothing else than a ‘surrogate’ for his true love, Agnetha...

Europa Film Studios in Stockholm, Friday evening ten o’clock. Outside, no one would guess what’s going on inside this somewhat deteriorated film studio: a happening with the world’s most loved group ABBA. When Privé enters the studio, everything becomes clear. In the midst of one hundred and fifty frivolously dressed people, the super group is waiting to be photographed by European photographers. The girls, Agnetha and Anni-Frid, have become skinny. They look fantastic in their long, white evening dresses. Björn and Benny, also dressed in white, protect ‘their’ women from the impending hassle from the photographers. In the studio, there’s a penetrating smell of horses and make-up. Circus music is being played and smoke bombs are being blown up. All one hundred and fifty people are smiling and singing. The ABBA members seem to be a little lost. It all seems to pass them by. For the umpteenth time, they have to show a fake smile...
Their hearts are clearly not in it. Between the photo shoots, Agnetha concentrates on totally different things. Björn keeps calling her to order. “Agnetha, Agnetha, please pay attention. They are coming for you!” he says to his ex wife. The only thing that’s important to Agnetha is that her little daughter Linda (7) is not being tread under foot by these hundreds of people.
It’s apparent that photo sessions and interviews are not important to ABBA any longer. The four artists are overwhelmed by the sudden invasion and they hold on to each other convulsively. On each picture the same smile...
The only one who thinks this photo session is a party, is Björn. At moments like these, he is able to hold his ex wife close to him. For him, the promised thirty minutes are too short. He wishes this could last forever. However, the truth is different than that. Agnetha doesn’t want Björn anymore. She was the one who insisted to get a divorce. Married life didn’t suit her any longer. This came like a bolt from the blue in the small ABBA family. Indeed, a couple of months earlier Agnetha had given birth to her son, ‘born from love’, Christian, now two and a half years old.

It was a heavy blow for husband Björn as well, who loved her very much. He has had to deal with enormous grief due to Agnetha’s decision to live her life without him. Until this day, he has not been able to cope with this sadness. His new girlfriend Lena Källersjö, a dead ringer for Agnetha, is not more than a ‘surrogate’ for the woman that he truly loves, Agnetha.
Agnetha doesn’t even want to consider a new relationship with her ex husband, whom she has known for ten years. She is enjoying her life of freedom and her many lovers. “I do still love Björn,” she confesses. “But I would never want to marry him again. Too much has happened. I didn’t choose to be free without a reason.” Agnetha’s freedom doesn’t have the meaning that it should have. Less than one kilometre from her house, Björn is living with his new wife. The former couple still has the same friends. Every other week they take care of the children. On top of that, Björn and Agnetha still have contact on a daily basis. They still go on tour together and rumour has it that they still share the same hotel rooms...
“This way, Björn will be able to accept the divorce,” friends of the former couple are saying. “He would fall apart if he wouldn’t be able to see Agnetha anymore. He still loves her dearly!”
This state of affairs keeps ABBA alive. However, apart from that, Agnetha is recording solo albums as well. These albums don’t get much publicity. They are only available in Sweden...

Many ABBA fans are wondering how it is possible that Björn and Agnetha are able to come across as a normal married couple to the outside world. “Björn enjoys it,” intimate friends are saying. “He simply doesn’t want to let go of Agnetha.”
Lena Källersjö is not present during the filming session. Björn is determined to keep her out of the spotlight, is the explanation. He doesn’t think it’s pleasant for Agnetha to see them together either. Lena is waiting at home for the man she loves in their luxurious mansion in Lidingö, an island just outside Stockholm. She tries to fight the attraction that Agnetha still has to her lover. For that matter, Björn’s sadness doesn’t leave Agnetha unaffected. Often, they talk to each other for hours about the future and the past. Thousands of times, Agnetha had to explain to Björn why she decided to divorce him. Björn still can’t understand it. Everything was going so well, didn’t it...
A few weeks ago, no one was aware of Björn’s sadness yet. To protect himself and Agnetha, he tried to keep his secret to himself. Until the moment that ‘The Winner Takes It All’ became a worldwide hit. The public thinks that it’s Agnetha who puts the melodramatic divorce across as her own experience. But the truth is a different matter. It was Björn who wrote the song and uncovered his own feelings. He wasn’t ashamed any longer to show his fans that he was still grieving. But in the promotional film, it’s Agnetha who is looking sad and Björn seems to be having fun.

‘The Winner Takes It All’... That winner is Agnetha. She got what she wanted, she is living the life that she wanted to live. In a sensitive way she is singing: “Does she really kiss like I used to kiss you. Does it feel the same, when she calls your name...”
Björn is putting his biggest fear into words here. Will Agnetha ever be able to love someone as much as she loved him? He wants to know it all, despite the fact that he is torturing himself.
In the Europa Film Studios, the promotional film is made for the new ABBA album, the album that includes ‘The Winner Takes It All’ as well. Polar, ABBA’s record company, has hired one hundred and fifty people from Circus Safari from Germany. All good friends and acquaintances of the group are dressed in circus outfits too. Horses and dogs, fire-eaters, clowns, women-with-beard and other typical circus characters are running through the studio, surrounding ABBA.
Why a circus? “Up till now, only ABBA’s faces have been seen on record covers,” Görel Hanser explains. “Now they wanted to try something different. A circus seemed the obvious possibility. At first, we wanted to do the photo and the filming session at Picadilly Circus in London. But this caused some probems with the police in England. Then we decided that we might as well do it here in the studio. We don’t know yet what the title of the album will be. It will definitely be something concerning a circus, or a dream. In any case, with both titles we will indicate what ABBA really is: a big circus, and still a dream for Agnetha, Björn, Anni-Frid and Benny...”

Muziek Expres, August 1979: ABBA are wholesalers in platinum

2011-04-22T19:54:00.002+02:00

Perhaps everybody is already aware of it, but still, for those few people who don’t read newspapers or listen to the radio, the following: the Swedish group ABBA is coming to Holland. On October 24, they will perform a one-off concert at the Ahoy hall in Rotterdam. Since there is room for only 8.000 people in that venue, it is necessary to get tickets as soon as possible.

ABBA’s concert is part of a gigantic world tour that will kick off in Sweden on October 16 and that will take the foursome to countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and also America and Canada. Rumour has it that this might very well be the last time that the quartet will operate in the familiar line-up, since several members of the group want to venture out in other territories. And this happens at a time when ABBA’s popularity is starting to go through the roof. In England, they achieved an absolute record with their latest album ‘Voulez-Vous’ by entering the album charts at number one, straight from nothing. A feat that no other pop group or pop hero has been able to achieve in the past. The result: a platinum award within one week after the release date. The group is doing very well in The Netherlands as well. In the meantime, it has become clear that the album has achieved double platinum status. In other words: more than 200.000 copies were sold.

Pop Foto, 1978: Agnetha left her little son alone...

2011-04-17T16:25:00.007+02:00

Well, it had to happen some time. For the first time since her little son Christian was born, Agnetha had to leave him at home. Because after a couple of months of ‘forced’ silence, ABBA performed again. And for no less than forty million television viewers... Forty million people watched Rudi Carell’s German television show ‘Laufendem Band’ recently. A huge amount of viewers, obviously. But the fact that the Dutchman Rudi Carell is extremely popular in Germany wasn’t the only reason. No, Rudi had four world famous guests that he had on his show that evening to thank for this enormous interest: ABBA! For the first time since Agnetha and Björn’s son Christian was born, the world’s biggest pop group performed again. Thanks to the special intervention by Rudi Carell and ABBA, Pop Foto was allowed to get inside the otherwise so hermetically closed German television studio. Photographer Pieter could do his job without interruption. And what we saw in that studio gave us all the confidence we needed for the future. Because Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Björn were one hundred percent committed to their job again. “We had to take it easy the past few months because of the baby. We wanted to give Agnetha all the time she needed to recover from giving childbirth,” Björn said at the press conference that preceded the television performance. “Where Agnetha was concerned, her little son obviously took precedence over ABBA during the time after he was born. But ABBA goes on no matter what. That’s proven by the fact that we are performing here again.” During that press conference, ABBA was rather vague about their plans for the future. “We have a lot of surprises in store for our fans, but unfortunately we can’t say much about it yet,” Benny smiled mysteriously. We are very curious. Pop Foto will keep you posted.

Bravo, 1983: Agnetha is stealing everybody’s show

2011-04-11T19:59:00.002+02:00

The fans are taking a sprint next to the arriving bus, to be able to take out their autograph books right on time at the opening bus door. This wasn’t the case only in Bremen, where Agnetha Fältskog introduced her current solo single ‘The Heat Is On’ in the TV show Musikladen, but everywhere where the blonde Swede made an appearance on her promotional tour across Europe. No wonder. Because ever since the ex wife of ABBA’s Björn took a chance on a solo career once again with Tomas Ledin and the single ‘Never Again’, she is looking better than ever before. This individual success made Agnetha self-confident, calm and relaxed. In her appearance as well. She wears her blonde hair in a fringy way and she comes across like a teenager in her casual clothes. But still, Agnetha – who was born on April 5, 1950 in Jönköping – already has two children from her eight-year-long marriage to Björn Ulvaeus: her daughter Linda was born in 1973, son Christian followed in 1977. In the meantime, she has come to terms with the shock of her divorce, now four years ago. Her solo career is nothing new for Agnetha either: she has been playing the piano since she was five years old. When she was eighteen she got acquainted with show business for the first time through her father who was the leader of a Swedish television ballet. Immediately – still that same year, 1968 – she turned up in the Swedish top ten with ‘I Was So In Love’. She quit her job as a telephone operator, that she had started after getting her high-school diploma, to be able to sing in the evenings at a dance bar. She moved to Stockholm, composed and wrote lyrics herself and ultimately she fell in love with Björn. In 1973, at the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest where ABBA finished in third place with ‘Ring Ring’, she was already heavily pregnant. Today, no one remembers the fact that Agnetha also sung in German before her time with ABBA. In 1968, ‘Ich Bin So Verliebt’ was released, in 1969 ‘Wer Schreibt Heut Noch Liebesbriefe’ and in 1972 ‘Geh mit Gott’. Agnetha’s current single ‘The Heat Is On’ was taken from the album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’, from which album the next single ‘Shame’ will be taken as well. Who is allowed to wrap his arms around Agnetha privately remains a secret, ever since her relationship with the 39-year-old bodyguard and policeman Torbjörn Brander came to an end one year ago.

1977: ABBA – The Movie: a musical spectacle without much frills

2011-04-04T22:31:00.001+02:00

On Saturday morning, the ABBA movie had its European premiere in the big movie theatre of the City venue. One day before that, the movie was screened for the very first time in Australia, the country where it was mostly filmed. Next week, the rest of the world will follow like a ‘forest fire’. ‘ABBA – The Movie’, as the feature film is simply called, will be screened in fourteen Dutch cinemas coming Thursday. Among other places, the following cities will get a copy: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Den Bosch, Nijmegen, Deventer and Zwolle. Without any doubt, the cinemas in these cities will be packed with people the coming weeks, because - like most anything else that comes from the ABBA factory - the movie is aimed at a large audience. It is a very commercial product, that actually doesn’t have any weak spots. Or it would have to be the commercialism that it radiates. They kept the story quite simple. Director and scriptwriter Lasse Hallström, the man who has made all promotional films for the Swedish quartet in the past, actually only filmed ABBA. He used an Australian DJ, played by Robert Hughes, as a glue to piece all the scenes together. DJ Ashley gets the assignment from his boss to have an exclusive and very extensive interview with the popular group for the radio station that he works for. The programme is scheduled to be broadcast on the day that the Swedes leave Australia. Of course, he doesn’t manage to get that exclusive interview and Ashley tags along with the four Swedes. This way, Hallström gets the opportunity to use something from each concert in the movie. It is clear that the movie for the most part consists of the concert performances by Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agnetha. Practically all songs from ‘Arrival’ have been captured like that. Furthermore, a couple of songs from ABBA’s formative years and to top things off, five truly marvellous songs that will appear - later on in January - on the new album that carries a title that is at least as simple as the title of the movie, namely ‘ABBA – The Album’. The movie is filmed entirely on 16 millimeter film and this was blown up later on in the studio to wide screen Cinemascope. For one year, Hallström worked on editing the vast amount - sixty hours - of rough material that he filmed during the concerts in Australia. You can see the fruits of this long editing period in the end result, because there are no mistakes in the movie. Although they faced quite a few difficulties in recording the sound. In Sydney, it rained so hard that the tapes mainly consisted of the sound of rain pouring down and far away in the distance you could hear ABBA. Still they succeeded to straighten things out in the recording studio. And meanwhile the equalization remained perfect. The rest of the editing is done impeccably too. The filmed scenes are outstanding and the sound - thanks to the studio trickery - is perfect. The only downside is probably - but which ABBA fan pays attention to that - the enormous music machine that rolls over the spectator. Quite rightly, remarks are being made afterwards that this could all be too much. “The audience doesn’t get any time to catch their breath; time to make preparations to listen to the next ABBA song,” according to one of the reactions. That might be true, but on the other hand this is of course a music movie and this is understood very well by the clever manager of the group, often proclaimed the fifth ABBA, Stig Anderson. He set out to make this movie a musical spectacle without too much frills. And he succeeded. Before the movie will be screened in those fourteen cinemas next Thursday, Veronica will get the opportunity to dig into the group’s past a little bit more. The past that begins with the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton (1974) when the quartet was still easily approachable for journalists. Now that’s no longer possible. The news about the group is being spread in the newspapers by the Swedish company Polar Records (owned by ABBA). Interviews are no longer possible. And who can blame them, because the group has achieved so much fame in the past (almost) four years - fifty million records were sold - that they wouldn’t know where to start. There is a slight possibility that ABBA will come to Holland in May next year. The group is working on a mini musical that they want to stage during their next tour. Some parts of it were featured already during the tour earlier this year but Benny, Björn and Stig have allegedly finetuned the musical part of this performance. Before they will perform it on an official tour, the Swedish group wants to try it out first. And they have chosen Amsterdam for that. If this concert - the second one in our country - will fail to happen, then we will have to wait until 1980, because America is the first thing on their schedule. Except for television performances, the group has never performed a live concert over there yet.

Bravo, 1982: ABBA privately

2011-04-03T18:31:00.004+02:00

Bravo: Agnetha, pictures of you have appeared recently, on which you look heavily pregnant. Where do these pictures come from? Agnetha: “They are from the Swedish movie Raskenstam that will be out in the cinemas in early 1983. It’s a tragic and funny story about a marriage impostor in the forties who took a lot of money from about one hundred women and who had to go behind bars for six years for that. I’m playing the character of the only girl that he really loved and got married to. My character also has two of his children, hence the pictures with the big pillow under my dress.” Bravo: Privately, you often wear glasses? Do you have a problem with your vision? Agnetha: “No, they only have plain glass. I only wear them to change my face.” Bravo: Talk about changing – Björn, why did you decide to grow a beard as well? Björn: “It was about time to cover up my face. But seriously: it’s pure laziness, because it’s much more convenient if you don’t have to shave every day.” Bravo: You have given your meanwhile eleven months old daughter the German name Emma. What gave you this idea? Björn: “The name is not uncommon in Sweden. My wife Lena and I found it in a names book. Apart from that, the little girl looks like an Emma – small, cute, blonde hair, blue eyes.” Bravo: Are you able to change your baby’s diaper? Björn: “Of course. Changing diapers, feeding, pushing the pram are even mostly my task, because Lena is working at an advertising agency again. I was also present when Emma was born, I even cut the umbilical cord.” Bravo: Benny, a photographer secretly took a snapshot while you were pushing the pram... Benny: “In Sweden, it’s very common that husband and wife both take care of the children. Ten percent of the Swedish men even take the so-called maternity leave instead of their wives. I belong to those ten percent as well and I’m playing the homemaker. Since Mona is working again at her job as a TV producer, I am taking care of our baby Ludvig.” Bravo: Who is taking care of your babies when you are at work? Björn: “We both have a nanny. Lena and I have a Swedish au pair girl. She is 22 years old and her name is Ulrike.” Bravo: Frida, you have already gone through all these problems. How many children do you actually have? Frida: “Now let me think... Kidding aside, I have four children. Two from my first marriage and Benny has two from a previous relationship. And because I have been with him for such a long time, his chilren are mine as well to some extent. My daughter Lise-Lotte is attending high school in America. My son Hans (19) is working as a sound engineer with Swedish artists.” Bravo: Can you cook? Frida: “Yes, very well actually. But for about four years, I have been living like a vegetarian. Around that time, I read an article about the way that pigs were treated. I thought that was so disgusting that I haven’t touched meat ever since.” Bravo: Is it true that you are going to move to England? Frida: “Yes, I have decided to leave Sweden because I can’t be anonymous in my private life any longer. In the near future, I would like to spend most of my time in London which is better for me professionally and for my solo career as well. But I will keep on working with ABBA too.”

Joepie, 1976: ABBA is conquering Poland (part 2)

2011-03-27T18:42:00.005+02:00

In our previous issue, you’ve been able to see and read how the four ABBA members were welcomed by thousands of fans at the airport in Warsaw, how they were escorted to the television studios and how they talked to the Polish press, at the end of the evening. So it was a very busy day and the quartet was very excited about the idea that they would be able to stroll around the Polish capital the next day, completely relaxed. At least, that’s what they thought, because Björn, Benny, Anna and Frida didn’t reckon with the enthusiasm of their Polish fans, who would follow them in a procession through the streets of Warsaw, the entire morning...

Benny didn’t make a fuss about it. “That’s part of the package if you are famous,” he mused. “We don’t have the right to disappoint these people, because they are the ones that buy our records...” In a small van, adorned with ABBA stickers, the driver guided us first through the oldest part of the city. Björn and Anna, who sat next to us in the van, seemed rather impressed and so were we. “I knew that Poland was a poor country, but I didn’t know that it was this bad...” Indeed, Poland is a couple of years behind compared with us. In the streets, you don’t see anything else but old vans and cars. Old houses in a row, people who are dressed less trendy, soldiers on every street corner, those are the main ingredients that make up the scenery of the city. In short, not a paradise dream for a Westerner. “Although I have to admit that the people are extremely nice and that life is very cheap here,” Björn added. Our first stop was in front of the Royal Palace that was destroyed in the war and that they are now rebuilding again. “The population of Warsaw is paying for the rebuilding,” our guide explained. “Somewhere on the big market there’s a collecting box, wherein people can put money for the rebuilding. I can assure you that an amount of money is scraped together every week.” From there, the ABBA company (closely followed by an increasing crowd of fans) walked via the big market to the old city walls. Björn and Anna were leading the way, Benny and Anni-Frid somewhat kept to themselves. “On stage, we are a foursome,” Benny explained. But off stage, we try to be two separate couples as much as possible. We see each other when we have to work, and that’s more than enough. Believe me, that’s the best strategy if you want to keep going as long as possible...” But even that explanation couldn’t prevent us from thinking that both girls don’t especially get along. During our entire stay in Poland and Sweden we rarely – if ever – saw them talk to each other. A coincidence? Only ABBA knows the answer to that... Fifteen minutes later, we were back in the van and – to brighten things up – Björn and Benny started to sing some Scandinavian folk songs. They were laughing and we were laughing along, although we couldn’t understand a single word. “You have to learn how to speak Swedish, guys,” Benny smiled. “It’s going to be the language of the future.” To round this little trip up, they paid a visit to the Palace of Culture, more or less the historic monument of Warsaw, like our Atomium and the French’ Eiffel Tower. As it happens, good times don’t last long and before we knew it, it was time to catch our plane again, back to Sweden. Our umpteenth torture in the air...

Das Freizeit-Magazin, 1978: Björn – from bon vivant to manager

2011-03-24T20:08:00.002+01:00

“He was a bon vivant. Difficult in every respect. He had no discipline.”
“He is the organiser and manager. More than anyone else, he keeps ABBA together.”
These statements come from Stig Anderson and in both cases, it concerns Björn. It was a long road from undisciplined bon vivant to manager and organiser. But Björn went down that road. He was born on April 25, 1945 in Göteborg. When he was six years old, the Ulvaeus family moved to Västervik. When he was twelve, he got his first guitar. In the beginning, he played skiffle music, later on he changed to dixieland.
In the early sixties, young Björn went to grammar school in Västervik. But studying was a different story. He was more interested in guitars and music than hitting the books or studying his vocabularies. It was a good thing that he didn’t miss out much on music at school either. Björn and his class mate Tony Roth got the opportunity to join the Westbay Singers. A folk group that was founded by Hansi Schwartz and Johan Karlberg. Studying his vocabularies still wasn’t easy for Björn, instead he put far more effort in the Westbay Singers. With success. The group took part in an amateur competition and in the summer of 1963 they even started their first tour abroad. The Westbay Singers drove to Spain in an old Volvo PV and they were paid there in kind. In return for a performance, they got accommodation and catering. Despite this, it was big fun for all of them.
In the autumn of 1963, Björn’s mother signed the group up for a talent competition for Swedish radio. Coincidentally, at the same time Stig Anderson and Bengt Bernhag – who had just founded Polar – were looking for a Swedish group. In the newspaper, they read a small report about the upcoming performance by the Westbay Singers. Bengt Bernhag reacted immediately. He wrote that he would like the group to send him a demo tape. The Westbay Singers sent him the Spanish song ‘Ave Maria No Morro’.
“It must have been very convincing,” Björn remembers. “At that time, we had found each other musically.” And someone shared Björn’s opinion. Stig: “Bengt and I were blown away. It sounded fantastic.”
At Stig’s advice, the group changed its name into Hootenanny Singers and most of all, they concentrated more on Swedish folk music. How right they were was proven by the Hootenanny Singers’ first single, ‘Jag Väntar Vid Min Mila’. With this song, they won one of the most important prizes at the talent contest for Swedish radio.
In the autumn of 1964, Björn, Tony, Hans and Johan were reminded of the hard facts of life again. The four of them were facing the final exam of grammar school. How big their faith was in their educational skills, was underlined by a Swedish magazine. The readers were able to see pictures of the fresh graduates – taken one day before their exam. Thank God the pictures weren’t seen by the examiners and the four of them passed the exam with flying colours.
For the Hootenanny Singers, the hard times of playing small clubs now started. From 1964 until 1966 they toured through the folk parks and that was by no means a delight. But it wasn’t without success. The four of them started to become more well-known.
In the autumn of 1966, the lucky streak seemed to have ended. The military service unmistakably knocked on their door. Björn, Tony and Johan had to do their military duty. But this didn’t get them down. During the day, they were holding guns and at night they were performing. “We have never worked as hard as during that year,” says Björn.
In the summer of 1967, they could finally say goodbye to the military service. Björn started his studies (economics, business management and law) at Stockholm university. On the side, he worked at Stig’s music publishing company and he played with the Hootenanny Singers. Apart from that, he started to write his own songs for the group. “They were terrible,” as he admits today. One year later, he released his first solo single ‘Raring’. And then Björn was struck by love like lightning. It happened during a TV show, wherein a blonde, pretty pop singer performed as well – Agnetha Fältskog. Both of them had met each other before, but this time things became serious. The newspapers finally had something to write again about the music scene. The pop romance of the year was filling multiple pages.
At the same time, the collaboration between Björn and Benny became tighter. Björn and Agnetha got married on July 7, 1971. The wedding was overshadowed by the death of Bengt Bernhag, who had been Stig’s business partner for many years and co-founder of Polar Music. It was a heavy blow for everyone involved. But life had to go on. That same year, in the autumn, a contract was signed by Björn, Benny and Stig Anderson, after which Björn and Benny started to work as producers for Polar Music. The foundation for ABBA had been laid.
Finally, Stig, Benny and Björn were working under the same roof and they could get to work. The result was ABBA and super hits such as ‘Waterloo’, ‘Fernando’ and ‘Mamma Mia’...

Muziek Expres, December 1977: Anni-Frid and the inhuman side of success

2011-03-18T20:31:00.010+01:00

No fairytale without its downside. ABBA sure knows something about that. When Sweden is asleep, Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid are working extremely hard on a new chapter in their success story.

Actually, Anni-Frid can’t really deal with it. When she knows that she has to get into the studio for a couple of days, she is in a bad mood long before that moment arrives. And when the time has come, the others know that they will have to do everything in their power to spare vulnerable Frida. The later it gets on a day like that, the more often Anni-Frids grabs every opportunity to give her exhausted body some rest. While the other three keep themselves going with litres of black coffee, she falls asleep. Simply because she needs a normal dose of sleep, unlike for instance Agnetha.

“Oh well, of course it doesn’t help all that much, this sleeping,” she confides in us. “You don’t get any rest at all on such a chair or a couch. Especially because you know that it will only be for a very short while. That’s why I am completely exhausted at the end of a day like that. I will never forget that one time when we kept working without interruption for two days and two nights in a row. That’s right, after that I was sick for three days. That’s why the doctor gave me the advice to never do something like that again. But that’s easy for him to say. He is not a member of a top group.”

Björn, Benny and Agnetha realise that Anni-Frid is not putting on some act whenever she lays herself down.
Anni-Frid: “That’s why they always wake me in a friendly way. When I wake up, I mostly don’t even know where I am. And when I see all these laughing faces around me, I always think at first: yuck. Because I realise all too well that I’m expected to sing a couple of songs with a beaming face. At first, I always have to restrain myself. That’s why the first attempt mostly doesn’t turn out very good. I simply have to take some time to get myself going again.”
The downside of success. Actually, everyone who is infatuated with ABBA should be able to witness a day in the recording studio once. To see with their own eyes under which circumstances fairytales come into being.

1988: The new Agnetha – Beautiful like Madonna

2011-03-14T19:57:00.003+01:00

The blonde hair cut short, bare shoulders, the arms under her chin: Agnetha Fältskog is looking sexier than ever with her 37 years. “I really like the new look, although I was sceptical at first,” she says herself. With her new album, the once somewhat plain looking lead singer of the Swedish mega quartet ABBA, presents herself with a brand new look!
For that matter, behind the new Agnetha are the men that look after Madonna as well:
Alberto Tolot, Madonna’s official and personal photographer. Now he photographed Agnetha for the album cover. Beautiful and sensual.
Peter Zavic, Madonna’s make-up artist and hairdresser. He created the new look and hairdo.
Bruce Gaitsch, he wrote the hit ‘La Isla Bonita’ for Madonna. He worked for Agnetha as a co-producer, guitarist, keyboard and synthesizer player.
But the most important man behind the new album ‘I Stand Alone’ is without a doubt the former Chicago musician Peter Cetera, who enjoyed enormous successes as a solo artist recently (‘Glory Of Love’, ‘The Next Time I Fall’). Peter first met Agnetha in Stockholm two years ago, when both of them performed at a benefit concert for the Red Cross. They got along with each other instantly.
Peter Cetera at the time: “I’ve always wanted to produce a record with you!” Up till then, Agnetha had sold more than 100 million records with ABBA and her two solo albums. Agnetha Fältskog: “I don’t think highly of these long range plans and ramblings about ‘we should do something at some point’. That’s why I was really surprised when Peter called me from the USA and we kept talking about a new album on the phone over and over again.”
It took three months and hundreds of dollars spent on phone calls, before Peter came up with a couple of concrete song suggestions, that he brought to Stockholm. Subsequently, both of them went to David Foster’s studio in California, where Peter’s talent to find hits and Agnetha’s unmistakable feeling for the best songs caused for creative sparks to fly.
Agnetha: “I was finally able to bring my interest in Latin music to the table.” The songwriters – apart from Peter and Bruce Gaitsch – are all top-class: Albert Hammond, Peter Brown. For ‘I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye)’, Agnetha and Peter Cetera were both sharing the studio microphone.
Agnetha Fältskog: “Working with Peter was truly wonderful. He polished the vocals carefully, very insightful and always with incorruptible ears. It has been a big challenge for me, especially because he has always liked my music and I wanted to live up to his standards. For the future, I can only wish for more challenges like this.”

Bravo, October 1979: ABBA, the highlights of their ’79 show – Hits, blow upon blow

2011-03-07T16:56:00.009+01:00

It was the ultimate ABBA triumph: after an almost two-hour-long show at the Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada, 14.000 spectators were cheering the Swedish supergroup on. It was ABBA’s first live performance after two and a half years, the first concert on the American continent and at the same time the kick-off of their mammoth tour lasting several months through the USA and Europe.
ABBA likes to start their tours high up north. And Edmonton in the federal capital Alberta is the city that is situated the highest up north in Canada.
September 13 was ABBA day in Edmonton: the radio stations played ABBA hits non-stop, and continuously the radio reporters reported the latest news about the rehearsals at the Coliseum. Even late in the afternoon, before the concert, ABBA was on stage to put the finishing touch to their show.
Then the time had come. A narrator announced that ABBA would put on a ninety minute show, without a break. That’s why the concert attendees made sure they had a sufficient supply of sweets, popcorn and coke.
The lights in the hall faded, the deep blue curtains at the end of the hall (where usually ice hockey is being played) were illuminated, festive organ sounds were resonating.
When the curtain was lifted, ABBA was standing on stage in a bright red light. On the left Björn, then Agnetha and Anni-Frid and ultimately Benny who rapidly walked from the organ in the background to the piano in the forestage. During the first chords of the opening song, Agnetha and Anni-Frid were stretching both arms widely. Their beautiful capes in silver and white with the reversed ABBA triangle in three different shades of blue established a large triangle.

In the whole ABBA show, the colours white and blue were dominating and triangles were the predominating shapes. In the background, triangles in different shades of blue – the official ABBA trademark for this tour – were looming in front of a white wall and in all the costumes of the musicians, white was the dominating colour. Even the roadies were wearing snow-white overalls. With the ultraviolet light, the whole stage looked like a giant ice crystal.
They were enthusiastically welcomed by the audience with their opening song ‘Voulez-Vous’. After this latest hit, Agnetha and Anni-Frid went backstage, to take off their triangle capes. They came back in a skin tight white jersey with blue stripes on the upper part. Around their hips, they had wrapped a refined white-blue triangle cloth, that was yet again removed after a couple of songs. White leather boots completed their white-blue stage outfit.
Björn was wearing a shiny jersey in bright violet, completed with a white jacket and white boots. Benny was dressed in white trousers and a white jacket over a naked upper body. On his chest, a blue tie was dangling.
‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ was the second song, after which Björn introduced all the group members. The last one to be introduced was Agnetha with the words: “The tall blonde, my former wife. And I’m not sure if she is as good as you.” This was a hint to Agnetha’s next song ‘As Good As You’. Subsequently, on her way to the microphone, Agnetha walked past Björn and jokingly insinuated that she was going to give him a blow to the jaw.
After that, Björn performed his solo ‘Rock Me’, whereby he was rocking wildly across the stage. This was followed by a song for Anni-Frid: ‘One Man, One Woman’. Then something unusual happened: Agnetha announced a song that was written by one of the backing singers and ABBA switched parts with their backing group: all of a sudden the guitarist had become the lead singer and the backing singer was sitting at the piano. The ABBA stars retreated to the background: Björn was playing the tambourine, Benny was handling the rhythm section and Anni-Frid and Agnetha joined the backing singers.
From then on it was blow upon blow: Agnetha sang ‘Chiquitita’, Anni-Frid ‘Money, Money, Money’ (with a cigarette holder in her hand). They performed ‘SOS’, ‘Fernando’, ‘Name Of The Game’ – one hit after the other.

Then came another surprise: after two verses of Anni-Frid’s song ‘I Have A Dream’, both ABBA girls went backstage and came back with 20 children. They came from a children’s choir in Edmonton, and they finished the song with both girls. The audience was so ecstatic that they had to repeat the last verse. Many a time during the show, Benny’s piano was raised on a hydraulic platform, so that he could play standing up, like he did in ‘Gimme A Man After Midnight’, ‘Take A Chance On Me’, ‘Does Your Mother Know’ and ‘Summer Night City’. Anni-Frid offered a special surprise as well. When she appeared on stage during one song wearing a hat and a large Oilers T-shirt – the Edmonton ice hockey team – she got an extra applause from the audience.
For the last three songs, Agnetha and Anni-Frid appeared on stage in a dark blue jersey. And during ‘It’s Gotta Be Rock ‘n’ Roll’, all four of them were centre stage, romping around, while the blue triangles in the background suddenly started moving and an illuminated ABBA logo became visible. The audience was raging with excitement.
However, this was the finale of the concert. But obviously the 14.000 spectators were clapping their hands until they got an encore. The four Swedes came back on stage. Benny was provided with an accordion and together they sang ‘The Way Old Friends Do’, a sentimental song that tells the story about old friends that will always stay together. And this was followed by the big bang: the song was segued into ‘Dancing Queen’, the biggest hit that ABBA ever had in the USA. The ovations seemed to have no end.
14.000 delighted audience members left the hall in Edmonton. And the four Swedes can rest assured that they will gain a lot of new fans with their amazing stage show on this tour.

Rocky, 1979: ABBA is being mysterious

2011-03-06T18:30:00.003+01:00

During the rehearsals for their 41-city-tour, ABBA was almost completely shielded from the outer world. Still, Rocky was able to talk to them.

“Actually, this time we didn’t want to do any interviews at all, until the rehearsals for our new tour had been completed,” Björn explained, when the four from ABBA arrived right on time for the scheduled photo session. “Because we don’t want to take the risk that glitches will occur during the first concerts of our tour and our fans will be disappointed.”
The team from Sweden has plenty of fans. The concerts in the UK, Scotland and Ireland with 75.000 tickets available, were sold out within one day. In Denmark, the ABBA tickets were even on sale for only half a day.
“Of course, that’s a great success for us,” says Anni-Frid, “but it means a tremendous obligation as well. We have to be better than ever.”
And to live up to these expectations, the entire ABBA crew, together with six musicians and three backing singers, withdrew in a film studio in Stockholm for almost a month.
“We have tried out every step, every song, every sound and light effect, until we were fed up with it.” No one wanted or was allowed to tell us how their costumes and their show will look like. “Whoever says something, will be sacked,” Benny threatened, “because we want to offer a real surprise to our fans. Everything that’s being said about it before the start of the tour is very far-fetched.”
When ABBA comes to Germany at the end of October, they will already have performed 19 concerts. “But you don’t need to worry that we will be too worn out by then to put on a good show,” Agnetha remarked preventively. “We love our job, and when we get a good response from the audience and we don’t get bugged too much in between the concerts, the stress of the tour doesn’t matter to us.”

Hitkrant, 1979: Children from Rotterdam are singing with ABBA

2011-03-06T17:56:00.001+01:00

Odd that the song that was actually performed – ‘I Have A Dream’ – was not on that tape...
A choir from the Rotterdam Music School is going to help ABBA out in two songs during their concert at the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam. The choir – consisting of 25 boys and girls – received a tape with the two songs on it, namely ‘I Wonder’ and ‘Thank You For The Music’. At the moment, the choir is very busy with rehearsing the songs, so that they will achieve the best result possible. Obviously, everyone regards it as very big honour to be able to perform with ABBA once.

Das Freizeit-Magazin, 1979: ABBA, in the autum they will go on a world tour – a new beginning for Björn and Agnetha?

2011-03-05T19:35:00.002+01:00

Something is cooking with ABBA. Because every day, Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid are discussing the last details and ideas for their 1979 world tour. On September 13 it will have its kick-off in Edmonton, Canada.
Benny: “However, we weren’t able to surprise our fans with a new album at the beginning of our tour. We just didn’t have the time. But we have put together a show that will reveal completely new sides of ABBA. We haven’t reached the end of our road yet, not by a long shot. And the tour will be anything but a farewell.”
Ever since the divorce between blonde Agnetha and 33-year-old Björn, the rumours about the disbandment of the group won’t fade away.
Björn: “Since the divorce, we even get along better than before. We are able to talk to each other again, and there are no accusations or arguments anymore.”
In the first weeks of their disagreements, Agnetha didn’t even permit her ex-husband to see their children. However, these times have passed.
Little daughter Linda sees her father very often and she got used to seeing blonde Lena there as well, who moved in with Björn in the meantime. In return, she has made friends with the Swedish ice hockey player Lars Ericsson, who visits her mother regularly. According to Linda: “But being with mum and dad alone is the best of all.”
On the tour, mum and dad will be alone. Lena and Lars will stay in Stockholm. Anni-Frid and many ABBA fans are hoping: “Perhaps they will get back together during the two-month tour. They have let off enough steam in the past few months. And what the tour won’t be able to accomplish, the children perhaps will. It’s up to Björn and Agnetha to decide if ABBA still has a future. And in the meantime both of them have realized that as well. They are on it to create a new foundation for a partnership.”
A new beginning for Björn and Agnetha? At least a survival for ABBA! The German fans will be able to convince themselves too, when the group will visit Dortmund on October 25. Other tour dates in Germany: October 27 in Munich, October 30 in Stuttgart, November 1 in Bremen and November 2 in Frankfurt. The tour, that will encompass almost every continent, will end in Dublin on November 5.

Bravo, 1975: Everything about the currently most popular group in the world: ABBA

2011-02-27T19:03:00.003+01:00

Bravo spent two days with ABBA in Stockholm. The result: an intimate and surprising story, that turns the stars from Sweden into real people. Anna, Björn, Anni-Frid and Benny show openly and honestly how they live their private lives, how they work, how they think...

ABBA’s headquarter is situated in the upscale diplomatic neighbourhood in Stockholm. The streets are being guarded by two soldiers. They are there to protect the Chinese Embassy, which is next-door to ABBA’s head office, that’s hidden away behind a high wall. It turns out to be a smart mansion, wherein ABBA’s publishing company, management and recording studio are located. Only one year ago, all of this was shoved into a small three-room office...
The pretty, twenty-year-old Sussie Wageborg is sitting at the reception desk. As it turns out, for the fans she is the most important contact to ABBA: Sussie answers the fanmail. She gets 100 letters per day, almost half of them are from Germany. She requests to use the new fanmail address: ABBA Fanclub, c/o Harlekin AB FACK, 100 41 Stockholm 26. Sussie makes a promise: “Whoever writes to this address will get a reply within seven days.”
Two doors onwards, we bump into the weekly ABBA meeting: like business executives, Anna, Björn, Anni-Frid and Benny are sitting at a long table, between them their joint secretary Görel Johnson. Standing next to them, manager Stig Anderson is reporting about the current state of affairs: “We are number one in the charts in Germany, Belgium and Holland, we are number six in England and in America, we’ve stormed to number 17. We have received four offers for USA shows, that we could do at the end of November. Before that, we will go to Germany for two days to film a New Year’s Eve show for television...”
ABBA’s schedule is always packed to capacity. Benny says ironically: “We are on the road fourteen days every month, during the remaining days we are working. Apart from ABBA, Björn and I are producing four other Swedish artists, the girls are taking dancing lessons, they take care of our wardrobe and not least the children and the household.”

No wonder, that ABBA is living a fenced off life at home in Sweden. Up till now, no other magazine in the world except Bravo was allowed to visit ABBA privately. Why exactly this exception? “Because we already got to know each other and became friends before our Eurovision victory in Brighton,” Anni-Frid says. “All other reporters only came afterwards, when ‘Waterloo’ had made us famous...”
When one wants to describe ABBA and their world, plain words are in place. Any bigheadedness or pomposity is far removed from the hardworking quartet. From their modest townhouses in the Stockholm suburb Vallentuna, they haven’t moved into big palaces, but into good middle-class houses. Anna, Björn and their little daughter Linda are now living in their own house near the city centre. Anni-Frid and Benny have bought a place in the picturesque Old Town of Stockholm. They have to pay for the wonderful view over the harbour with the stairs that count 99(!) treads. Frida and Benny are only able to see the children, Hans and Lise-Lotte from Frida’s previous marriage and the joint children Helen and Peter, during the weekends. The rest of the time, they are living with relatives in the country.
Anna and Anni-Frid sometimes argue about the children. Because Anna says: “I would never give Linda away, even it would cause difficulties.” And honestly she admits: “At our home, things don’t look as organised as at Anni-Frid’s place. Toys and clothes are lying around on the floor, but I gladly accept that...”
While both men are playing the same part privately as they do on stage – Benny is the quiet tinkerer, Björn is the sunny boy –, with the girls it’s completely the opposite: Anna – on stage the sexy girl – is shy and dreamy privately, Anni-Frid on the other hand is secretly a bundle of energy.
Anni-Frid, who is into psychology, explains: “It’s revealing in which position one sleeps. I always sleep on my back, completely stretched out. This means that I’m not afraid of the world and I feel secure. Anna on the other hand sleeps on her belly, snuggled into her pillow. She is in need of affection, she needs a lot of love and always wants to be protected...”
You could discuss topics like this for hours with ABBA. They can talk until their heads see red (especially the girls) or laugh and relax with relish (the boys). A conversation like that, an extensive meal in a gourmet restaurant, reading a book, a film about the children, a little bit of time for themselves – these are the small joys that the four from ABBA are dreaming about – and that they rarely allow themselves.
There’s no doubt about it: at the moment they are the most hardworking pop group in the world, and with that, the most successful. ABBA’s dream wish for the future: “When the children are a little older, we want to buy a giant sail boat and sail around the world...”

Joepie, 1979: Björn reveals the truth about his divorce from Agnetha

2011-02-25T20:27:00.005+01:00

Ever since Agnetha and Björn got divorced, the wildest rumours are circulating about this half of ABBA. But what is actually the truth about this matter? For the first time, Björn agreed to reveal the truth about his former wife and fellow ABBA member and himself.

Björn gets straight to the point in the exclusive conversation we had with him about this subject. To be exact, there is a lot of fuss about the so-called new girlfriend...
“Lena Källersjö is a girl that I have known for many years because she works at a record company in Stockholm,” he says. “But to claim that she would be my girlfriend because of that, is of course pure nonsense. We met recently at a party. We talked to each other and coincidentally there was a photographer around who took a picture of us. That’s how the rumours started about an affair...”
What’s the truth about the psychiatrist with whom Agnetha allegedly fell in love and who would be the cause of your divorce?
“That psychiatrist is named Hakan Lonnbak. He has a practice in Stockholm and Agnetha and I consulted him from October 1978 onwards. We hoped that he could help us out with our problems. But he didn’t succeed. But not because Agnetha fell in love with him. That’s nonsense. They are not living together either, as some magazines would have you believe.”
In Switzerland, you were linked with Liz from Boney M...
“That’s an even crazier story. We met Boney M. in Switzerland while filming an international television show. ABBA and Boney M. stayed at the same hotel and it’s obvious that we got along as colleagues. Also during the long waiting time before the actual filming. Apart from that, Liz is a great girl who likes to have fun all the time. So we laughed a lot with the entire Boney M. gang and I even danced with Liz a couple of times. For some reporters, that was enough to start talking about an affair. But there wasn’t more going on between us than friendship.”
Are you already divorced officially?
“Yes, completely official, with a verdict by the judge and everything that goes with that. It may sound strange, but since then I get along with Agnetha better than before.”
Is it true that the new ABBA album got postponed because of these private problems?
“Perhaps the divorce was a factor, after all, these times aren’t easy. The explanation is much simpler: initially Benny and I thought that the songs we had composed for the new album weren’t good enough. We kept working on them until we were completely satisfied, primarily because we know that our fans expect something special from us time and time again.”
Is it true that you two are arguing about the children?
“Not at all, we have come to an agreement that’s satisfying for both of us. The children will stay with Agnetha, but I will be able to see them whenever I have the time or need. We will both be involved in their upbringing as well.”
Wasn’t the ABBA tour endangered by your problems?
“No, it wasn’t. First, we will take a holiday and when we get back we will determine in which countries and places we want to perform. As you know, we will start a major tour in America in the autumn, but after that it’s Europe’s turn, with performances in Belgium and Holland as well. That will probably take place in October.”
Allegedly, ever since your divorce, you are playing the happy bachelor again, the partygoer who’s crazy about girls.
“I don’t agree at all. In nature, I’m a couch potato who is most at ease within the four walls of his home. I actually don’t go out more than I used to do. Maybe it’s more conspicuous now, because photographers are waiting to take pictures wherever I show myself in public and they love it even more when I’m in female company. Everyone is lurking around to take the picture of my new girlfriend. This gives the impression that I’ve suddenly become a playboy.”
It is also claimed that Benny isn’t very happy because he is convinced that your divorce isn’t doing ABBA any favours.
“That’s not true. Benny understands our divorce very well. He has gone through it himself before. I don’t believe that our fans will blame us for taking this decision. On top of that, this is purely a private matter that’s actually only our own concern. What is important, is the music that we are making.”

De Nationale Hitparade, November 1976: ABBA: gold, platinum and the Hitkrant trophy – triple celebration in The Hague

2011-02-20T13:14:00.006+01:00

Yes, it was indeed a triple celebration on November 19 at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague: not only was the supergroup ABBA finally welcomed in our country in the flesh, and not only did Agnetha, Frida, Björn and Benny receive an impressive pile of gold and platinum records and even a gold musicassette. Apart from that, the Dutch press, radio, television and the record industry had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Hitkrant. And for the first time, on behalf of this new magazine, the Hitkrant trophy was handed out. To ABBA, obviously: a tribute from a young pop magazine to a world famous pop group!

Of course it cost a good deal of trouble before we could have this celebration: endless discussions and phone calls. With ABBA, with ABBA’s manager Stig Anderson and with record company Polydor whose help was vital. But in the end everything turned out right and that’s why that Friday a celebration was held that will be talked about for a long time to come.
It all started at 12 o’clock noon, when ABBA arrived at Schiphol Airport (not by helicopter, but it still was a spectacular ‘arrival’) and they were welcomed by representatives of the record company and Hitkrant (Ruud van Dulkenraad and Ad Visser). The interest from the press and television was more than we had expected. When ABBA came out of the tunnel at Schiphol, it was completely crowded with people. A VOO television crew was filming the proceedings and without a doubt you will be able to watch it on your television screen in the near future.

From there, the four stars took off in limousines to The Hague where they had the opportunity to catch their breath in their hotel room for a while. And they would need that breath for the rest of the day, because their schedule was packed: rehearsals for Mies Bouwman’s programme Eén Van De Acht, that would be broadcast that same evening from the Congress Centre situated next-door to the hotel and that you undoubtedly have watched.
And then there was the press conference that started around five o’clock, where ABBA would be surprised with a load of gold and platinum and of course the Hitkrant trophy: an award that will be presented on a yearly basis from now on to the group or artist that deserves it the most according to its readers.

Because already now, before the closing date, it became clear from your submissions to the Poster Top 5 and the NHK Poppoll 1976 that ABBA had a huge advance that could not be beaten anymore. The popularity of the Swedish group seems to be immensely big. This also showed during the rehearsals for Eén Van De Acht when a spontaneous applause erupted from the television people and representatives from the press when ABBA entered the stage and performed three songs from ‘Arrival’, professional as always, even when the strip of Björn’s guitar broke during the first bars of the first song...

Meanwhile, Björn, Benny, Frida and Agnetha (to name them in a different order for a change) were on their toes from fatigue. But still they remained friendly and appeared in good spirits at the press conference in their hotel, under loud cheers from the people present.
The president of record company Polydor handed over an impressive pile of gold and platinum records and even – that’s a novelty – a gold musicassette. After that, the Hitkrant representative Ad Visser came on stage who not only presented them with the Hitkrant trophy but also the so-called zero issue of Hitkrant, wherein – who would have expected anything else – an ABBA photo turned out to be the first colour poster.
Subsequently, the press got the opportunity to ask some questions and girls dressed in Hitkrant T-shirts entered the room to hand out zero issues to the people present.

A zero issue isn’t meant to be commercially available, but it serves the purpose of showing interested people what the first issue will look like: it almost looks the same as issue one and the reactions we heard were actually only positive, reason enough to look at the future with confidence.
Besides, ABBA themselves were pleasantly surprised by this new magazine as well. Frida: “This is something very special and I’m almost certain that it will be very successful.” In the first issue of Hitkrant, there will be an extensive interview with ABBA by Ad Visser, of course accompanied by exclusive pictures. But you will have to have some patience for a little while longer. We also saw Willem van Beusekom working industriously with his tape recorder, so chances are that you will hear more about this on the radio too.
It was a day that we won’t easily forget: the meanwhile most popular group in the world and the first Hitkrant together in Holland!

Joepie, 1978: ABBA off to Japan

2011-02-14T20:59:00.002+01:00

Just like everywhere else in the world, a lot of ABBA records are being sold in Japan as well. But oddly enough, until recently the four Swedes never received an invitation from Japanese television, they even started to wonder what they had done wrong. But they don’t need to ask themselves that question any longer, because in November they will travel to Tokyo to film a television special.
“I’m already looking forward to this trip,” according to Benny. “We’ve never been there before, and I’ve already heard so many good things about Japan. The show that’s going to be filmed there will last approximately one hour. And obviously, a couple of tracks from the new album will have their premiere too...”

Joepie, 1978: Benny and Frida married! – Joepie revealed the ABBA marriage...

2011-02-14T20:41:00.002+01:00

Benny and Frida from ABBA got married after all, like we already announced exclusively a couple of months. Our report caused a stir because apparently few people in the music business thought their marriage would be possible. A couple of other pop magazines even went as far as saying that our news was pure fiction. The fact that Joepie had been chosen by Benny and Frida during a promotional tour in Poland to reveal their wedding plans in the Benelux, probably somewhat annoyed our colleagues. Hence the insinuations that allegedly should prove that Joepie wasn’t the best informed pop magazine in Belgium and Holland after all...

Benny and Frida’s marriage still came rather unexpected and it even was a secret for many friends and acquaintances. The reason for that was that they wanted to avoid that thousands of interested people would come to the public ceremony, as had been the case in 1971 when Björn and Agnetha got married. A couple of teenagers were even hurt in the hustle then. Benny and Frida got married in all silence on Friday evening October 6 in the scenic little church of Lidingö, the island just outside Stockholm where they own a beautiful, French style mansion. Likewise, the party after the ceremony was strictly limited to the closest relatives (among them Frida’s father whom she found again a couple of months ago after many years, for the first time since her infancy) and most intimate friends, led by their manager Stig Anderson and of course their two ABBA colleagues Björn and Agnetha.
Needless to say, on behalf of all its readers, Joepie adds a bouquet of best wishes to that, especially to the brand-new mrs. Andersson, who was glowing like never before.

Mix, 1977: How the first performance by Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid turned into an enormous failure

2011-02-12T18:18:00.003+01:00

Like a comet, they have left their trace in the sky of pop music. In the meantime, ABBA – the extremely successful Swedish quartet – has sold more than forty million records. In a fascinating series of articles, Mix is going to tell you how they found each other, how they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 and how their success story unravelled.

ABBA has conquered the world with music and charm. Without a doubt, the ABBA story is the most remarkable success story in the world of pop since the Beatles.
Here we have Anni-Frid Lyngstad, born on November 15, 1945 and daughter of a Norwegian girl and an officer from the German occupying force. Anni-Frid emigrated with her grandmother to the Swedish town Torshälla and proved already at a very young age that she was an excellent singer. She won an amateur competition, lived together for a while with the furniture salesman Ragnar Fredriksson, had two children, travelled to Japan and Venezuela, performed successfully on Swedish television and with that she introduced herself explicitly.
There we have Benny Andersson too, born on December 16, 1946 in a Stockholm suburb. When he didn’t know what to do after highschool, he decided to join the pop group the Hep Stars. Benny, who prefers being lazy to being tired as he honestly admits himself, considered this pop business as a nice pastime and he didn’t understand why he was adored like an idol by Swedish girls. This burdensome adoration however did put an end to his relationship with Christina Grönvall, an attractive red-haired girl who had given birth to his little son and daughter.
The third main character in the ABBA story is Björn Ulvaeus. He was born on April 25, 1945 in Gothenburg and eleven years later he moved to Västervik at the Swedish coast. Together with a couple of school buddies, he founded a group that sang folk songs. Björn and his Västervik singers did pretty well and with their performances they caught the attention of the energetic music publisher and producer Stikkan Anderson (not related to Benny) who asked Björn to send in a demo tape.
Stikkan saw something in talented Björn and decided to guide the enthusiastic singers professionally. He changed the name of the group into The Hootenanny Singers and made sure that they remained successful. The Hootenanny Singers were one of the first that started singing in English, the international pop language and they extended their success by doing exactly what the audiece – that seemed to get younger and younger – wanted to hear.
“If they would rather listen to pop than folk songs, then pop is what they will get,” Björn used to say. Björn played his guitar just as well as he could entertain the audience.
The last character in the now world famous ABBA quartet is Agnetha Fältskog who was born on April 5, 1950 in Jönköping. She was discovered – if we can call it that – by a former pop singer who, after a short career, had taken up the much safer profession of talent scout at a record company.
Almost on a daily basis, Little Gerhard – that was his name – received tapes from hopeful fathers and mothers who thought that their children could sing so well. Gerhard listened to all these tapes patiently and carefully. When one of his nieces sent him a tape once, he obviously felt obliged to listen even more carefully. But he wasn’t very enthusiastic. Gerhard gave his honest opinion but he gilded the pill by remarking that somewhere on the tape he had discovered a fragment of a song that he liked. His sweet niece replied honestly that she actually wasn’t the one singing that song but a new girl, someone named Agnetha Fältskog. Agnetha had made her debut at a very young age as well. “I think I was five years old when I performed on a social evening for elderly people,” she told later. “I will never forget that halfway through the song my pants fell down. These elderly people didn’t know what hit them.”

This unfortunate incident didn’t discourage Agnetha. When she was ten years old, she started to come up with her own melodies on a piano and seven years later she caught Gerhard’s attention with a song on his niece’s tape. Gerhard’s record company – CBS Cupol – recorded the song and within a matter of time ‘I Was So In Love’ was number one in the charts.
For such a young girl, Agnetha showed an unprecedented business-like character. The astonished bosses at CBS Cupol couldn’t do anything else than meet het demands: a steady (and attractive) monthly income for a period of five years! Her next songs were just as successful.
In course of time, a series of coincidences led to the four of them getting in touch with each other. At one day, the Hep Stars and the Hootenanny Singers met each other in a motel in Västervik. Björn and Benny got acquainted, talked about music and composing vigorously and they got along so well that they decided to write songs together.
Not lang after that, on a warm and lazy Sunday afternoon, Björn was listening to the radio in his lazy chair when he was struck by the song ‘I Was So In Love’ that was sung by someone named Agnetha Fältskog.
“I fell in love with that voice,” Björn confessed, “and when I met Agnetha a couple of months later in Gothenburg, I fell in love with her too.”
Benny and Anni-Frid met each other when they coincidentally ended up in the same motel on their separate tours. And with that, the foundation had been laid for what was to become the ABBA fairytale. Björn and Agnetha got married in July 1971. Benny and Anni-Frid were hit by Cupid’s arrow as well and they started living together. In November 1970, Björn and Benny invited Agnetha to perform together with them in Gothenburg. “Actually, why not perform as a foursome?” asked Björn. “Let Anni-Frid join us too.” That first joint performance turned out to be a giant fiasco, because Agnetha repeatedly sang off key. The four artists went their separate ways again and one year later they gave it another shot. They still didn’t click, but by working very hard they eventually achieved the perfection they had been striving for.
Stikkan Anderson immediately saw the enormous possibilities, offered by the combined talents of Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. He realized that he had gold in his hands. But how should the group be called? A summary of their four names was too silly to even contemplate. At the end of 1972, a note in his schedule caught his eye. It said: ‘rehearsal with A, B, B and A’. Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid! “ABBA!” Stikkan Anderson cried out. “Excellent. That’s how they will be called.” The pop group ABBA had been born.

Story, March 1978: Eat yourself slender with ABBA

2011-02-06T13:03:00.002+01:00

Nothing is more annoying than having to go on stage in clothes that are too tight, according to the members of ABBA. And still this was happening lately. Agnetha told Story what the group is doing about this imminent overweight.

“Did you really think that we can keep our weight by singing, dancing and travelling around the world?” Blonde Agnetha is laughing derisively. “I wish it was true!” she continues. “It may be true that we are leading an exhausting life but opposed to that is the fact that all four of us love delicious food. For instance, when I think about smörgåsbord, it makes my mouth water. All those delicious fish and meat snacks. You know,” she says confidentially, “Frida can eat whatever she wants, the lucky girl. But whenever I eat tasteful things, it immediately ends up here!” Her hands brush past her hips, rear and thighs.
Then, smiling cordially: “Journalists always kindly write that I have a sexy behind, but this simply means that I am too fat in that area. When Björn and Benny read that, they immediately say: ‘we have to start watching our weight again, girl!’ And with ‘our’ they mean themselves too, because by that time they have already felt their waistband getting tighter. And there is nothing more annoying than having to perform in too tight costumes.
Then Agnetha starts going through her handbag. Eventually, she digs up a wrinkled piece of paper. “Look,” she says, “this is our clever diet. A thousand calories diet, wherein 25 calories count for one point. Every day you are allowed to – or rather: you have to – get 35 to 40 points. The good thing is that you can compile your own menu and you are able to eat pastry every now and then! We have compiled a couple of favourite menus for our diet days and you are free to publish them if you want,” she says generously.

Bravo, 1982: Agnetha: “We are coming on tour!”

2011-02-05T15:40:00.004+01:00

If it was up to Agnetha, she would be in the studio this week and record her first solo album with Barry Gibb as her producer. But the blonde ABBA singer had to postpone her plans. The other three ABBA members need her...
It had been very quiet for ABBA for weeks. Time to relax, time to spend privately on their favourite hobbies. Benny decorated a new house in Stockholm together with his wife Mona, Björn could only be found with his daughter Emma, who was born in January. Agnetha didn’t leave her boyfriend Torbjörn Brander’s side for a minute. Only Anni-Frid was busy the whole time. She recorded her new solo album with Phil Collins.
But then the usual flurry of activity returned at Hamngatan in Stockholm, where the ABBA building is situated. First of all, Anni-Frid and Phil took residence in the big recording studio. In six weeks time, they recorded the eleven tracks for Anni-Frid’s solo album. It will be called ‘I Know, Something’s Going On’. It should be released at the end of August. The single ‘Something’s Going On’ will be released already in July.
Anni-Frid had barely completed her recordings, when Agnetha actually wanted to start recording her album. But Benny and Björn prevented this from happening. They had written for new songs that they wanted to record. In the beginning of May, both of them went into the studio, followed by Anni-Frid and Agnetha at the end of May, to sing those four songs. Then they were mixed.

The four songs will be released on two new ABBA singles. The first one will be released in the summer, the second in the autumn.
Because then a new ABBA double album will be released. All ABBA singles that were released so far will be on that album. From ‘Waterloo’ to ‘SOS’ and ‘Super Trouper’ up till the latest single ‘Head Over Heels’, and of course both new ABBA singles.
When the album is released, the four ABBAs will appear in public abroad again. They want to perform in Paris, London and here with us in Germany in a couple of TV shows.
Björn and Benny are also working on a concept for a new live show. This will be the basis of a big ABBA world tour, that the four have planned for 1983.
To Agnetha, this means: she won’t be able to start recording her album before the end of November. Although most of the songs have been written already, she won’t have enough time until the end of the year.
There’s one advantage to the matter: by that time, Bee Gees boss Barry Gibb will have completed shooting the Bee Gees movie and nothing will be in the way of his collaboration with Agnetha. Just like Anni-Frid, Agnetha won’t use the other members of ABBA in her solo venture. Both girls want to stand on their own two feet.
Only one thing is clear: whoever is rumouring about an ABBA split, is wrong. The four of them are working harder than ever. And during the press conference on the occasion of the launch of her solo album in Stockholm, Anni-Frid emphasized as well: “ABBA will be around for a long, long time to come.”

Das Freizeit-Magazin, 1978: Agnetha – she sang her first song when she was five years old

2011-01-30T18:07:00.002+01:00

She had her debut as a singer at a Christmas party in Jönköping. She sang the song ‘Billy Boy’ and the audience was delighted with this cute little girl with her sweet voice. Although she was only five years old at the time, she could sing already.
Agnetha Ase Fältskog – that’s her full name – was born on April 5, 1950 and the love for music was to the manner born. Her father Ingvar wrote sketches and songs for the New Year’s revue in Jönköping, her mother Birgit was a talented singer, although she never performed in public.
Things should be different for little daughter Agnetha. When she was only six years old, she took piano lessons and one year later she had her own piano. “Until I was 13 years old, I took piano lessons and I even practised on the church organ,” Agnetha remembers.
That she could do more with her voice than produce a nice ‘tralala’ was noticed by the members of Bernt Enghardt’s orchestra too. They were desperately looking for a singer, they heard Agnetha and they hired her right away.
At the time, the fifteen-year-old had just finished high school and she worked as a telephone operator at a car firm. But combining the two jobs soon became too much for Agnetha. “We were getting more and more requests for performances. Sometimes I came home at five o’clock in the morning and three hours later I had to work as a telephone operator. In the end I just couldn’t cope with it any longer. I simply didn’t get enough sleep. My mother told me that I had to choose: working at the office or singing. I chose singing. My parents weren’t too happy about that.”
The joy came a while after that, when Agnetha was offered her first record deal and a proud father drove his daughter to Stockholm for the recording sessions. On this day, Agnetha sang four songs. Among them was ‘Jag Var Så Kär’ (I Was So In Love). This meant a breakthrough for Agnetha. When the ten best Swedish songs were played on the radio on January 28, 1968, her song was at number three. The more than two million listeners to the programme were impressed and so were the newspapers the next day. All of a sudden, this seventeen-year-old girl was a somebody.
Now, the tough preparation for show business started for Agnetha. At the advice of her record company, she took singing lessons, on the side she composed and wrote lyrics. Although these days she doesn’t like to be reminded about those lyrics. “I think the melodies are okay, but the lyrics are horrible.”
In 1968, Agnetha got engaged to Dieter Zimmermann, a German composer and producer. He wanted to launch her career in Germany. But the engagement ended and so did her career. Agnetha: “I wanted to sing my own songs, but they chose songs for me. They were bad.”
Agnetha returned to her home country, became successful again and met her true love, in the shape of a musician named Björn Ulvaeus, whom she met on a tour through the Swedish folk parks. Sparks were flying between the two in the summer of 1969 when they performed together on a television show. From then on it was blow upon blow. During their holiday in Cyprus in April 1970, Björn and Agnetha got engaged. On July 7, 1971 they were standing at the wedding altar in the Verum church in Skane.
But the wedding almost fell through. A hearing problem of the vicar Uno Wardener was to blame. When Björn called him to set the date for the wedding, the vicar asked: “And what is your profession?” Björn: “Artists.” The vicar was startled: “Oh, atheists! Then I don’t think the wedding will be possible.” The wedding took place after all. With Anni-Frid and Benny as witnesses to the marriage.
In 1975, Agnetha released her last and sixth album ‘Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus’ (Eleven Women In One House) with her old record company CBS. From January 1, 1976 onwards, Agnetha is under contract at Polar record company, just like all ABBA members. “From then on, I haven’t composed a single song. I simply don’t have the time and the inspiration.”
Agnetha, Björn and Linda are currently living in a beautiful house in Lidingö. Privately, they rarely get together with Anni-Frid and Benny. “In the summer, when we are on our island, we see each other every day. But at home in Stockholm not that much. And since I got Linda, Björn and I have become true couch potatoes.”
A handwriting expert once said, after studying Agnetha’s handwriting: “She is practical, thick-skinned and she likes to get together with other people.”
Agnetha doesn’t agree with this characterisation. She sees herself like this: “I am insecure and hot-tempered, I explode very easily.” But she also knows that her clear voice is an important part of ABBA. Without Agnetha, ABBA would not have been this successful.

Bravo, 1983: A secret competition is going on between the ambitious ABBA girls Frida and Agnetha: who will settle the race?

2011-01-24T20:17:00.004+01:00

Björn and Benny are smirking: Frida’s solo successes didn’t leave Agnetha resting on her laurels. She is eager to prove that she can do without her ABBA boys as well...

“Well, what do you think? Which of our both girls will settle the race for the goodwill of the public?” Those are the bets that are going on between Benny and Björn at the moment.
Following Frida’s example, Agnetha has ventured out as a solo artist as well. No matter who will win the bet, both ABBA men don’t need the worry about the continued existence of the group.
Both Agnetha as well as Frida have always confirmed their loyalty to ABBA. That’s why Benny and Björn can watch the neck and neck competition between their both girls with unclouded suspense, in between pushing a pram and writing a musical...
There’s no doubt about it: like before, the music is created by the boys, but the action is coming from the ABBA girls only. It can’t be the money that ignites their ambition. What’s going on with the wild ABBA women?
Frida was the first one to free herself from the group’s safety net (which was a burden at the same time). After almost ten years, she got fed up with wearing the same costume as Agnetha on stage, which became a must for ABBA since the ‘Waterloo’ era. She didn’t want to just sing the songs anymore that Benny and Björn had put on paper. On top of that, the divorce from Benny made her look for a new purpose and challenge. And last year, the time had come. Frida was so ready for a break from ABBA that she mobilized Genesis drummer and solo specialist Phil Collins to produce an album for her. Thanks to Phil’s musical intuition, the record ‘Something’s Going On’ was tailor made for Frida. But Frida didn’t want to set herself apart from her ABBA persona on a musical level only. In place of her long hair, she adopted a – according to herself – red coloured punk hairdo. With ‘Something’s Going On’ she indeed did a lot.
The album turned out to be so successful that Frida wants to start a second solo project even this year – however only with Phil Collins in the producer’s chair.
In the meantime, Frida has distanced herself geographically from ABBA’s head office Stockholm as well. In the beginning of this year, she rented a house in the center of London and she has taken up residence there. However, she will keep her house in Stockholm too. “Because whenever there’s work to be done with ABBA, I will return immediately,” she stated. “I didn’t move to England for tax reasons, like many people think. My reasons are strictly personal. I can live more freely there, in Sweden I was always in the public eye.” And bear in mind: Phil Collins is domiciled in London too!

In the meantime, Agnetha is close on her heels. Since her divorce from Björn, she has learned to stand on her own two feet, after several setbacks. Now she wants to prove it on a professional level too.
As a try-out, she released the single ‘Never Again’ with Tomas Ledin last year. The whole matter was simplified by the fact that the young Swede was not a stranger to her. He already sang in the backing choir on ABBA’s major tour a couple of years ago. Still, for the time being it’s ‘never again’ for Tomas. Because for her solo album, Agnetha has brought a surefire hit producer into the ABBA studio in Stockholm. The American Mike Chapman, who already served people like Suzi Quatro, Smokie and Sweet splendidly. Barely ten days ago, they got to work.
Anyhow, Agnetha can face the end of her musical side leap calmly. If she should fail as a solo singer – something that the name ABBA in the back pocket will easily prevent – she can always concentrate on her second solo opportunity: acting.
She doesn’t want her first movie about the Swedish marriage impostor Raskenstam to be her last. She is looking for new projects.
If you look at it this way, Benny and Björn have reason to be excited about the result of the competition between their girls. Because even when Agnetha doesn’t manage to outcompete Frida in her singing career, there is always the possibility that Hollywood will call on her!

Bravo, 1981: Benny: this is how we founded the group ABBA

2011-01-22T18:29:00.004+01:00

I still remember vividly the day that I met Björn, early 1966. It was at a party that the Hootenanny Singers had organized. At the time, Björn was the leader of his group, and so was I with the Hep Stars. We were competing with each other in the charts, but we got along very well privately – at least after this party. But it wasn’t until a couple of months later, in the summer of 1966, that we first worked together.
We got the idea in my home town Västervik. My father had a job there in a paper mill. One night, we carried an organ, a guitar and an amplifier into his office and played together all night long. In the morning, our first joint song was ready, ‘Isn’t It Easy To Say’. I recorded the track with the Hep Stars.
In the following years, we wrote some more songs together, but it wasn’t a tight collaboration yet. Because I had some other problems to deal with first.
In 1967, the tax collectors office wanted 174.000 Swedish krona from me – I had forgotten to pay taxes. In two years time, I paid back almost the entire debt. But the next claim was already waiting for me. I had to pay an additional 83.000 Swedish krona. Added to that, my company Hep House went bankrupt. Because of a movie that we wanted to shoot – which left us with a debt of 250.000 Swedish krona – I was completely finished. I was composing like a madman, hoping I would be able to pay off my debts with the money I made from royalties. I took every job that I could get, I produced an album for Anni-Frid with whom I was already befriended at the time.
In this situation, I met Stig Anderson. He knew the music business very well, he had his own record company and he knew how to deal with money. He was the Hootenanny Singers’ manager. Björn convinced me to talk to him. We came together quickly – Stig had the idea that we should perform together as a quartet: Björn and his girlfriend Agnetha and me and Anni-Frid.
On November 1, 1970 the time had finally come. We named ourselves Festfolk Quartet and performed in Göteborg. It wasn’t an overwhelming success, but we did take our first step. Only none of us knew how we should continue. Björn still performed with the Hootenanny Singers every now and then, I produced records for other artists.

In 1971, we signed a new contract at Polar, Stig’s record company. That’s when the story of ABBA started, although that wasn’t our name yet at the time.
In 1972, our first record was released, ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’, a song that we had already composed in 1969. Although the cover only mentioned the names Björn and Benny, it was the girls’ voices that really stood out.
Our first big success was ‘People Need Love’. Outside Sweden, it was credited to Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida. In America, we were called Björn, Benny & Svenska Flicka.
With the growing success, we became more confident. We decided to enter the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest. ‘Ring Ring’ was the song that we composed for that event.
On February 10, 1973 the final decision would be made in Stockholm. We weren’t sure whether Agnetha would be able to take part at all. She was pregnant, and the expected date of delivery was February 2. We were more nervous than we had ever been in our life. We knew that our future was depending on our success at the contest and at the same time we had to consider that Agnetha could go into labour.
It all turned out well – until the disappointment after the votes had been counted. We had only finished in third place. This meant that the Eurovision Song Contest would pass us by. On February 23, Agnetha and Björn’s first child Linda was born.
The miracle happened later on – our ‘Ring Ring’ started to climb the charts and it sold really well outside Sweden too. We gave it another try and decided to enter the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest once again in the spring of 1974, and this time we actually made it. From then on, we named ourselves ABBA. With ‘Waterloo’ in our luggage, we travelled to Brighton to represent our home country Sweden.
When we left Stockholm, we were still convinced that we would return as the winners. But in Brighton we started to get cold feet. Barely any reporter took notice of us. Olivia Newton-John, who represented England, was the big favourite with the experts. On the other hand, this was good for us. We were able to see the city and prepare for our performance in peace and quiet. Shortly before our performance, Agnetha checked the costumes once again, Anni-Frid rehearsed the dance moves. Only Stig sat alone in his hotel room, already making plans for the future. He was thinking about how to continue with ABBA when the victory would become a fact.
Everything went really well. Nothing had been left to chance – then the nerve-racking counting of the votes started. It was an exciting neck and neck competition between us and Gigliola Cinquetti who had sung for Italy.
The tension was rising until the last minute. It was simply unbearable. We were sweating in our costumes. Like most of the other artists, our eyes were glued to the scoreboard. Then the definitive result was announced. We had won with six points ahead of Italy. For the first time in the history of the contest, a pop group had won.

Aftonbladet, October 1979: Thank you and goodbye America -Now we have to conquer Europe again

2011-01-22T18:16:00.004+01:00

This article from Aftonbladet – published in October 1979 – was sent to me by Johan from Sweden and he was even kind enough to translate parts of the article. Thank you, Johan!
Agnetha in Salming’s shirt.
The big adventure for ABBA in the USA and Canada is over. Last night they performed their last concert in Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto. When it was time for the group to perform the encore, they appeared on stage in the local ice hockey team Toronto Maple Leaf’s shirts, to the delight of the audience. Agnetha had number 21 which was the Swedish player Börje Salming’s shirt. Stikkan Anderson told Aftonbladet that it has been a nice tour. But now everything is about conquering Europe all over again.

ABBA is on their way home from their tour in Canada and the USA. The final show was performed last night in Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto where they sang the final song wearing ice hockey shirts. Agnetha Fältskog reminded everyone in the audience about more famous Swedes in Canada except for ABBA when she appeared on stage wearing hockey professional Börje Salming’s shirt, number 21. After the show, there wasn’t any champagne or celebration. ABBA has started the final countdown for their next big challenge - conquering Europe all over again.

“It has been a great tour, bigger and better than we had imagined in our wildest dreams,” Stikkan says to Aftonbladet. “We could have chosen larger venues in some cities, for example Chicago and New York, where the demand for tickets was very high. Our new album ‘Greatest Hits Vol. 2’ will be released in America in November and I think that album will increase the number of record sales in the country. Because of the tour, our album ‘Greatest Hits Vol. 1’ is now back in the charts again. Before we came here, that album was dead.”

Popshop, May 1976: Is Anna going to leave ABBA?

2011-01-16T19:00:00.004+01:00

ABBA is a group that has already established itself in pop history. It is namely the only group that has kept on scoring worldwide hits after winning the Eurovision Song Contest, two years ago in London. This is a striking contrast to – for instance – the Dutch group Teach In, that saw their singer Getty Kaspers leave the group only one year after their triumph in Stockholm.

At the time, emperor Napoleon may have been left with less pleasant memories of Waterloo, for top group ABBA, the victory started with ‘Waterloo’. It is generally known that ‘Waterloo’ brought them worldwide fame. And since then it has been clear sailing for the sympathetic quartet. Number one hits all over the world – yes, including America – time and time again.
Writing about this group or interviewing one of its members is definitely a nice job, because in fact everything is positive about ABBA: the women – blonde Anna and auburn Anni-Frid – are beautiful and both men Björn and Benny are always willing to talk about the group and their music. But considering the fact that ABBA hasn’t been able yet to come to Holland or Belgium, Popshop decided to look up the quartet in Hamburg. They were filming a TV special there, with their current worldwide hit ‘Fernando’ obviously as its highlight.
Since Popshop has already met ABBA several times before, there was no need to break the ice and – after ABBA’s obligations in front of the German cameras – we went straight to a cosy bar to catch up on the latest news.
Despite all their tiring efforts, Anna and Anni-Frid still looked so fresh, as if they had just come out of the shower. After we had all taken our seats, the waiter was called in. Anna ordered some refreshments, while Benny and Björn glanced through a couple of issues of Popshop.
After some small talk, we asked Benny about the secret of ABBA’s success. Benny looked surprised. “Secret,” he asked, “I didn’t know that we had a secret. Our success is the result of working very hard and being alert.”
We told ABBA that their Eurovision successor Teach In didn’t achieve half as much success and that they probably split up because of that.
“That’s a shame,” Björn said. “I thought Teach In was a nice group. But who knows what went on behind the scenes.”

To get into that subject, we immediately asked: What’s going on behind the scenes with you? Anni-Frid smiled and said: “Oh well, there’s always something going on everywhere, isn’t there. But we are trying to separate our job and our private lives as much as possible. It prevents big problems from happening. Both of the men determine the musical course, but whenever Anna and I are having reservations, then they are taken into consideration. And this professional approach is always the best way to do it. We are very popular at the moment so why would we start aguing?”
So you are consciously making very commercial music, we asked Björn and Benny.
“Commercialism is a controversial concept,” Björn replied. “No one knows exactly where it begins and where it ends. If it sells, then it’s commercial.”
When it comes to being successful abroad, there is a big similarity between you and the George Baker Selection: groups from a musically rather insignificant country, that still manage to score worldwide hits with simple tunes that catch the imagination of the audience. Do you feel the same way?
“There is some truth in that,” Benny said. “Sweden and Holland are indeed small suppliers of top groups. And that goes for Sweden most of all. Holland still has a couple of excellent groups. I think the George Baker Selection is a very good group. They have been scoring huge hits for about five years now. I think that they have sold more records than us.”
Your current hit ‘Fernando’ resembles the former Baker hit ‘Fly Away Little Paraguayo’ a little when it comes to atmosphere and lyrics. Is that a coincidence?
“Yes, it’s purely a coincidence,” Björn replied. “We did listen to this song at the time, but to be honest I had completely forgotten about it already.”
“And the subject, the South American revolutionary? Here is the story,” Benny continued. “You can go on singing about love forever and there is nothing wrong with that, but we want to put as much variation as possible into our songs. Our last single had an Italian title ‘Mamma Mia’. We were looking for something different as its follow-up. And a South American rhythm always goes down well. In the lyrics, we could have sung about black-haired women and tequila or red wine, but we thought that a more dramatic lyric would suit the melody better. That’s how the story about the revolutionary came into being. However, it’s not a song with a message. We won’t get into that area.”

It is known that you are doing very little live performances. Why is that?
“We try to reach as many people as possible at one blow,” blonde Anna replied. “In a concert hall, you reach about 2.000 people, with a television appearance it’s hundred times as many as that. You must understand that we have to travel all over the world and then this is simply the best way to reach everybody. Extensive tours are very exhausting, we won’t be able to keep that up. That’s when tensions, frustrations and mutual conflicts will arise.”
It is known that you don’t want to travel for too long because of your little daughter. Is that true?
“Of course,” she said fiery like a tigress. “A child should never be too long without its parents. A month is already too long.”
Would you give up your career for the sake of your child?
“Immediately,” Anna said.
Did you ever get to the point of cutting the knot?
“Yes, sometimes I think about it,” she admitted honestly. “But on the other hand, I am also working on her future. Money is important, you know.”
(We knew). Haven’t you made enough money yet to lead a pleasant life?
“Oh no, it takes a long time before you get the money from the records that are being sold. And appearing on television doesn’t make you a lot of money. And then we have to split everything in half. After the tax-collection office has taken the largest part of it. But I am not complaining. We make a nice living, but we don’t make as much money as often is being suggested. A millionaire? I wish it was true.”
It is claimed that ABBA would fall apart if you would leave the group. Do you believe that’s true?
“Oh well, so much is claimed,” she replied. “No one is irreplacable. Besides, I don’t write the hits. I would say that Björn and Benny are the most important ingredients. It’s easy to find two new singers. But for the time being, that’s out of the question.”
And with this last revelation from beautiful Anna, Popshop says goodbye to the Swedish miracle group. Until the next hit.

Oor, January 1978: ABBA – The Movie review

2011-01-12T20:08:00.004+01:00

On reviewing ABBA The Movie, the question is raised: is this a 90 minute long commercial or may we consider this as some sort of dramatized documentary? The answer to this question will determine which criteria need to be used while reviewing it, while the choice of the criteria will subsequently be a deciding factor in the final verdict about the movie.
If you choose the first option, then you might say that ABBA The Movie is a fairly well made commercial that lives up to its aim, namely selling the product ABBA to a certain target group (50 million record buyers or more).
If you choose the second option, the verdict will be far less favourable and you could say that ABBA The Movie is a bad, cheap and especially uninventive movie, that partly distorts and partly disguises reality and fails in every respect to really inform the viewer. The information that actually is provided, is (apart from the music) a treacherous mixture of so called objective reports (people’s reactions, especially ABBA fans) and misleading looks behind the scenes, where nothing seems to be happening, except for maybe one and a half bodyguard and Anni-Frid warming up her voice in the dressing room.
Where the music is concerned, even that is fake; while we are looking at scenes of several performances of the group in Australia, we actually hear the songs from the record, but the scenes are so cleverly put together with the music that we barely notice the difference. The uninventiveness of the movie is especially underlined by the childish plot that glues the whole thing together. During the movie, an idiotic radio DJ tries to get his interview with ABBA and his mode of operation is so clumsy that it becomes laughable for those who know how things like that actually happen in reality. For the others who don’t know, it’s once again the fascinating world of commercials.
So, is ABBA The Movie indeed a long-drawn-out commercial? That’s fine by me. Apart from that, it makes the job of a reviewer much easier and when 50 million people want to be mistaken, then that’s up to them. Furthermore, if necessary, there is always something like the Commodities Act.

Hitkrant, November 1992: Björn from ABBA crushes all hope: “It’s definitely over”

2011-01-09T16:36:00.004+01:00

Once they were the most popular group in the world and sold more records than the Beatles: 200 million copies. Their name is frequently mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. This year, 10 years after they disbanded, they are at number one in the album charts again in many countries around the globe with their compilation album ‘ABBA Gold’. This accomplishment was the incentive for wild speculations about a possible reunion of the group. In a rare interview with former ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus we get a clear answer to that question...

Björn rubs his beard thoughtfully. We are in Stockholm at his home, where the embassy of Iceland was formerly residing.
“To get straight to the point: no, we will not get back together again. Never again. When we split up in 1981, that was definitely the end, and it will remain that way. I don’t believe in a half-baked comeback. I think it’s a little pathetic, all these old guys that go out on tour again after having been separated for years.”
But you have once said that you think it’s a shame that you’ve never been able to perform in places like Moscow or Rio de Janeiro. What if you were offered 10 million dollars right now to do a show in Moskow?
“No, the answer would still be no, I’m afraid.”
What about the rumour that you were going to release a new single around Christmas?
“That’s not true either. Pure fantasy.”
Only a couple of months after ABBA had won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with ‘Waterloo’, rumours started circulating that the two married couples weren’t getting along privately. Eventually, both Benny and Frida as well as Björn and Agnetha got divorced. Now it is rumoured that especially these personal circumstances are getting in the way of a reunion. It’s denied by Björn with emphasis. Doesn’t matter, at least this conversation is setting the record straight.
“Obviously, there have been certain disagreements between us, but after the divorces had been settled, peace and harmony returned. Now we are getting along in a civilized manner. I have two children from my marriage to Agnetha, that’s why I see her every two weeks. And although Frida is living in Zürich in Switzerland these days, every two months she comes to Stockholm and she always pops in to say hello.”
So, the divorces haven’t been the cause of ABBA breaking up?
“No, we have always said that we would quit when the fire and the energy was gone. And that was what happened. Even the thought of having to get back into the studio had become unbearable. First, we agreed that we wouldn’t see each other for some time and go our separate ways for a while, but this period became longer and longer and then it was over.”
Björn’s wife Lena, a copy writer by profession, enters the room and she puts down some snacks and drinks. She has a striking resemblance to Agnetha. I ask him how long they have been married now.
“About 10 years. When Agnetha and I split up, I was planning to paint the city red and get the most out of my life as a bachelor. Only one week later, I met Lena, fell head over heels in love with her and five months later we got married.”
How dit you meet?
“At a party at Benny’s home. I thought she was wonderful. It was love at first sight. She is beautiful and has a great sense of humour. I think I have a strong urge to settle down. Either way, I do believe that men have the tendency to fall into the arms of a new partner sooner than women after a divorce.”
Is Lena into music?
“She has good taste, definitely. But professionally, she doesn’t have anything to do with music. She is in the advertising business. She has a career of her own, but she does help me with mine. I always sing my lyrics to her, because she speaks English much better than I do and because she knows a lot about literature. She gives me excellent advice.”
You have two children from your marriage to Agnetha and two with Lena. Are they important to you?
“They are the absolute highligh of my life. The oldest is now 19, she wants to become an actress. I’m not too happy about that. I would rather see that she wouldn’t pursue that. About 60 percent of all the actors and actresses are unemployed. It’s the toughest profession in the world. I remember that we were having auditions for ‘Chess’ (a musical written by Björn and Benny). I felt so sorry for all these people. They had to be at their best, and still there’s only a tiny chance to get picked.”
‘Chess’ was the most successful project by Björn and Benny after ABBA. Frida scored a couple of hits in collaboration with Phil Collins and Agnetha could be found on the charts two or three times as well. During ‘Chess’, Björn and Lena bought a house in London, but two years ago they returned to Sweden. How did ‘Chess’ come into being?
“Benny and I had enough of performing. So we decided to sit back in our studio and do some things there, writing for others. In the first instance, that was ‘Chess’. After that we only did something together occasionally. Actually, it’s only since last year, when Lena and I moved back to Sweden, that it got a little more again. At the moment, we are working on a musical about one of the most popular Swedish books, it’s about Swedish immigrants in America around 1850. We’ve searched for a good subject for a long time. We wanted to make use of the Swedish literature, just like the French and the Brits. It’s a hell of a job. The book has 2000 pages and we have to shorten it into a three hour musical.”
ABBA always had the image of a clean and decent pop group for all ages. Fresh and cheerful. Were you like that in reality?
“Not one hundred percent, no. Look, there was no danger that we would fall for sex, drugs and other excesses. We were two married couples, no Rolling Stones or something like that. Not that there weren’t any fans that offered themselves very clearly, in a sexual way you know, but of course we didn’t react to that. But this doesn’t mean that we never got drunk or smoked a joint.”

It appears that Agnetha is living like a recluse somewhere on an island and that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with the outer world. How did that come about?
“Out of the four of us, Agnetha has always been the most sensitive one. The enormous pressure of the fame has always been the hardest on her. Apart from that, she has gone through some nasty experiences. The worst one was that our children were threatened to be kidnapped at some point. I managed to deal with that, but for Agnetha it wasn’t that simple. I think that’s why she withdrew a little from the world outside. The thing that she hated the most was flying. Many times, we had to talk her into boarding a plane. She was scared to death. It all started once when she was on a private plane that ended up in a thunderstorm. That almost went wrong.”
In conclusion, what is – according to you – ABBA’s most important contribution to the history of pop music?
“We have opened the doors for all non-American and non-British bands to still be able to achieve a breakthrough in America and England. Before ABBA, that was almost unheard-of. And just look what happened afterwards with A-ha, Roxette, Europe. Apart from that, I think that we breathed new life into the pop song in its purest form. That’s why they are still hits now. We produced some immortal melodies and I am very, very proud of that.”

Muziek Parade, January 1978: The ABBA Story, part 8

2011-01-04T20:40:00.012+01:00

In the December issue of Muziek Parade we promised that we would pay some attention to Stig Anderson – the fifth ABBA – this month. That’s not going to happen. The article about Stig Anderson has to be postponed. The reason: as the first pop magazine in the Benelux, Muziek Parade has managed to lay its hands on the very latest colour pictures of ABBA. These colourful photographs have been selected by ABBA themselves and approved for publication. That’s why this month Muziek Parade is giving you not only ABBA on the cover, but on top of that four pages in colour. The photographs – taken by Barry Levine – are so beautiful and so unique, that we think that we’ve made the right decision to give precedence to this. Stig Anderson wholeheartedly agreed with our decision.

Part 7 of the Muziek Parade ABBA story was concluded in issue 244 with the publication about Stig Anderson’s working method. We told you that Stig Anderson is already at his desk at 6.30 in the morning, because then he is still able to make phone calls to - for instance - America and Australia. And we ended part 7 with the notification that ABBA records are being sold all over the world, except in China, North Korea and Vietnam. Okay, we refreshed your memory. Here is part 8.

Actually, it’s astonishing that ABBA is so successful all over the world. Artists like Rod Stewart and Elton John constantly appear in public, because they think they will fall from grace when they interrupt their constant publicity. ABBA only appears in promotional films and you will rarely see them at parties or receptions. ABBA doesn’t hate publicity, but ABBA likes their privacy. Agnetha says: “It has always been our strategy to try to achieve a maximum of record sales by making the right records and not by creating publicity. It would be wrong if people would only buy our records because we are on the front page of the newspaper every day.”
The ABBA strategy is clearly a healthy one. There’s no hurrying from one country to the other or from one party to the other, hoping to create some publicity. And behind this strategy is of course this fifth ABBA, Stig Anderson: “It’s a long term strategy. It’s nice to be on top of the charts for one or two years, but I believe in the gradual building of a career. ABBA has become this big very slowly. ABBA won’t disappear just like that. If it would go wrong – which I don’t expect – that will happen slowly as well.”
Björn: “This strategy of ours has many advantages. This calm and cool attitude is sometimes mistaken for arrogance, but that’s definitely not true. Our attitude has its advantages. I will explain what they are. In America, the people are crazy about us. Records are being sold like hot cakes. Our promotional films have contributed a lot to that. And in America, people want to see you when you have a big hit. And every European can’t wait to get there. ABBA is not like that. And these Americans just don’t understand that. They don’t understand why we don’t come over there faster than the speed of light to do a long tour. No, we have decided to maintain that cool attitude, until these Americans can’t cope with it any longer and come to us. Then you have a totally different state of negotiations. Then we can decide how many concerts we are willing to do, in how many weeks. We decide in which hotels we will stay. Well, that’s the advantage of this so called cool attitude. We don’t need a tour like that, but if we could do a tour on our own conditions, we would definitely do it. We owe it to the American fans.”
Stig Anderson mingles in the conversation again: “When we did our tour in England, people in the music industry thought we were crazy because we didn’t do any TV shows or commercials to announce where we would perform. We didn’t do that on purpose. This strategy of ‘we are doing it differently than others’ is working out really well. It has been proven. The tour was an enormous success. A lot of artists let themselves be used by television. It has to be the other way around. The artist has to use television. Television is a big monster that consumes creativity. An artist has to last longer than a couple of television shows that may or may not be directed badly. A lot of artists forget that. An artist is allowed to be picky. For instance, we have decided to appear on television in England twice a year at the most. Twice on Top Of The Pops, that’s more than enough. Apart from that, you shouldn’t forget about the danger of being overexposed. An artist has to be careful that he doesn’t appear on the television screen too much. People tend to get enough.”
And then, Stig tells about a problem he encountered in Australia: “After the Eurovision Song Contest, we did a fair amount of television shows in several countries. And what happened? The Australian broadcasting company sent a special employee all over the world to buy the tapes of these ABBA shows. All of a sudden, we were on television every week in Australia, without our approval. Something like that can destroy an artist. Now we’ve taken care of that. Whenever we perform for television, we make sure that there is an agreement in writing that our performance can only be broadcast once and that it can’t be used for export.”
And Stig about America: “Personally, I would love to go to America. It’s a fantastic country, with a big audience with great purchasing power. But we are not ready for it yet. And we are not happy with the terms under which we would have to work. I am sure that there are people in America that laugh at our attitude. They can’t understand that we don’t accept these offers. Apparently they don’t believe in an ABBA that can still be big in years to come or even bigger than they are now.”
And he continues: “Maybe we are wrong. It’s possible. In America they are saying that you can only get bigger if you do long tours. We have a different opinion. First, we want to get even bigger and stronger in America and when we have acquired our position, we will fly over there and then the reception will be as huge as the Beatles had in their heyday.”
That the Anderson strategy is the right one has been proven in Europe. ABBA’s record sales had first reached astronomic heights before ABBA – after a lot of begging and pleading – came to Holland, France, England and so on. And ABBA can afford to wait until this begging and pleading will come from America as well.

The industrious Stig comes back from yet another phone call: “I just had Norway on the phone, they asked if we wanted to come over. I had to say no again.” And then he says that 7.000 tickets for a concert in Oslo or 9.000 tickets for a concert in Gothenburg have been sold within a couple of hours. In Australia, the tickets were sold much faster than with the Stones concerts at the time. However, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid and Agnetha won’t do a lot of travelling in the future. Not only are they very attached to Stockholm, to their families. But most of all, they want to stay close to home to keep working on compositions, arrangements and recordings.
And if they still have to get out there, it’s mostly for short trips. Back and forth in fourteen days, like earlier this year in Australia. ABBA can’t afford to be away from Stockholm for too long. They have responsibilities towards other Polar artists and they have to keep on writing new material. When the new album is released in February, there is a tiny chance that ABBA will take a couple of short trips to North and South America, just to promote the records. That’s going to be a trip of fourteen days at the most. TV interviews will be done and short performances in well-known programmes. Still, ABBA has cleared their schedule for two months in 1978. Why?
Stig Anderson: “If it turns out that we can do a couple of concerts on our own terms, I would like to do that in July and August. We have offers to stay in the States for months, but of course that’s not possible. July and August are suitable. Our own artists will be on holiday then, we will have very few commitments. It would be perfect. But again, it has to happen on our own terms.”
How do the other ABBA people feel about touring? Agnetha: “To be honest, I don’t like to perform outside Sweden. I have a very good reason for that. I can’t miss my children for such a long time. They are still young now. I want to be with them in this period of their life. Whenever we have to work abroad and I really can’t get out of it, I’m regularly crying in my hotel room when I think about the children. I’m a real mother, when it comes to that.” It is known that Agnetha and Björn’s phone bills are sky high whenever they are on tour. Several times every day, they are calling Stockholm. It doesn’t matter if they are in Brisbane or Singapore, these calls will be made and they don’t care about the costs. Björn may come across as being insensitive, but he is homesick just as much as Agnetha. To suppress this homesickness, Agnetha and Björn have the same flaw: they start eating, as much as they can. They stuff themselves with the most delicious food and when they get back to Sweden, they realize that they’ve become too fat. But eating is their reaction on being away from home.
It is known that Anni-Frid and Benny love delicious food as well. Especially fish, with a fruity wine. Agnetha says: “Anni-Frid and Benny can eat whatever they like. French fries with mayonnaise and other greasy food like that. But they don’t get fat. And that’s not fair.”
Whenever ABBA is on tour, they always stay at the Hilton hotel. In Germany, this was cause for the following occurance. The organizer asked “and where will the technicians and road managers stay?” Benny replied: “With us at the hotel, of course. These guys are at least as important as we are. They deserve the best treatment.” And they think that’s weird, in our adjacent country. An entertainer is an ‘artist’ over there, someone who lives far from his servants. Benny: “It surprised me that they still think like that in Germany. There is no difference in social position with us. We are working in a team and we are staying together as a team. If you don’t do that, you can’t perform to the best of your ability.”
In Australia, ABBA bought clothes for a TV show, amounting to 50.000 Dutch guilders. Very pretty exotic dresses and suits. All very exquisite. When the show had been filmed, and on top of that had been a great success, ABBA gave the clothes to their employees, who had been in charge of light and sound.

It is safe to say that the world is at ABBA’s feet. The Swedish quartet is at least as famous and strong as the well-known Swedish steel and the Swedish Volvo cars. But still, the Swedes won’t put ABBA on the same pedestal as other big Swedish traders. Because ABBA is a Swedish product. Together with the steel and the cars, ABBA is Sweden’s biggest export article.
Don’t ask us why, but ABBA still hasn’t been able to get the same recognition and esteem as they have received in other European countries. ABBA is looked upon as ‘just another little music group’ and ‘apparently, they are nice’. Stig Anderson is getting furious about that. Recently, the well-known director Ingmar Bergmann received the same treatment. He even got away from his country. Or some time ago, a well-known politician came from Sweden, named Dag Hammarskjold. This man has meant a great deal to Sweden, but he never got any recognition.
A rather famous producer once said: “Even if ABBA would become twice as big as the Beatles and the Stones together at their peak, the Swedes would still say: “Oh well, it’s just some Swedish group...”
The Swedes seem to be somewhat strange people. They play down their own quality and praise everything that comes from abroad. A strange kind of inferiority complex.
Even when Stikkan Anderson said on televison what ABBA had meant to the country, the next day the newspapers read: “much cry and little wool”. On top of that, they wrote that Anderson was only out to get publicity for himself and his group. Oh well, these Swedes can’t be convinced. There aren’t that many invitations for television performances either. After their big success in Brighton, ABBA received one invitation to appear on television. And that was even for a programme aimed at older people. When ABBA found out that they would have to work with an unfamiliar orchestra, Stig declined the invitation. Björn: “That was a very reasonable decision. And of course it was explained the wrong way. When you work with certain friends and musicians in the studio and on tour, you want to appear with them on television as well. And they didn’t understand that.”
However, ABBA did appear on the Swedish screens once. This happened in January 1975. They had to replace another group, of which the singer had suddenly lost his voice. After that TV performance, the papers read: “In Sweden, we have the ABBA herrings and those herrings are dead. It appeared that ABBA can actually sing and play, but unfortunately I have to say that they didn’t make any lively impression on me.” Believe it or not, this could be read in Dagens Nyheter. The author was Mia Gerdis.

Another reporter wrote: “ABBA’s music is nice to dance to, but that’s all.” The man that produced this from his typewriter was called Anders Klintevall, again in Dagens Nyheter. And mister Mats Olsson wrote in Expressen: “Their music is nice and definitely professional, but the ABBA lyrics couldn’t be poorer. ABBA sounds like a mixture of 10CC and the Beach Boys that run into each other in a discotheque. The production is fine, but the technical side makes it sound cold.” Muziek Parade can’t understand why ABBA still wants to live and work in Sweden. The country is clearly anti-ABBA. Stikkan Anderson: “We love Sweden and perhaps all this resistance is an extra incentive to keep on producing good music. The more people are writing negative things about ABBA, the harder the boys get to work. The amazing thing is that these people from the press are not at all the voice of their readers. Their readers bought 500.000 copies of the ‘Arrival’ album within three weeks. That has never happened before in Sweden. That’s why we let these reporters do their talking. They won’t be able to destroy us.”
Björn: “Most of the time, this criticism is unfair. They forget about the fact that we have had to work very hard for years to get some recognition. It’s not a piece of cake to be this popular in so many countries. I really don’t get this criticism. Okay, they are allowed to say that we produce music without a real message. They are allowed to say that our lyrics are somewhat superficial. But we are not messengers. Our most important message is: bringing some joy into a world that’s filled with more than enough misery already. And we are successful at that. Our fans are happy people. Someone once wrote: “whenever I’m feeling down, I play your records, then I feel happy again.” A letter like that means a lot to me. It exudes warmth and it encourages us to keep following the direction that we chose.”
What is the most important reason for all this criticism according to ABBA? “I think it’s jealousy,” Benny says. “People sympathize with you as long as things are not looking up. As soon as you become successful, people get jealous and they start to make up all kinds of strange stories about you.”
Agnetha: “The people here can’t tolerate that we are making a lot of money. They seem to forget that we have to pay 80 percent to taxes. Anyhow, what’s wrong with making a lot of money? That’s rather nice, isn’t it. And it’s like Björn said earlier. People forget that we have had to work very hard to get where we are. For years, we only bought sandwiches because we didn’t have any money. And sometimes we didn’t even have the money to buy those sandwiches.”
Björn: “Let me say this to wind this up, because I really don’t like to talk about things like this. We are making music for everyone, not only for the few critical people working for these magazines. We wouldn’t be where we are now, if we would only make music for these journalists. Our audience thinks that our records are great. We want to keep it that way.” Benny: “ABBA wants to entertain the people, we are not messengers. We leave that to the politicians. We don’t force our opinion upon the people in our songs. They are man enough to make up their own mind about all kinds of things.”

Pop Rocky, 1983: Girl talk with Agnetha: “I would love to get married again...”

2010-12-28T20:18:00.004+01:00

With the catchy tune ‘The Heat Is On’, the solo career of ABBA singer Agnetha (33) has started successfully – but privately she isn’t that happy...

The uptempo caribbean song ‘The Heat Is On’ is storming the charts worldwide – not least because it sounds a lot like ABBA. Was that on purpose?
Agnetha: “With ABBA, I have the clearer voice that is less capable of modulation. That’s why I am much more identifiable as an ABBA member than Frida. Apart from that, I didn’t want to seek a contrast to the ABBA sound – like Frida did. I like all ABBA songs. On my solo album, I don’t feel the need to bray out everything that wasn’t possible in the ABBA framework.”
What do your ABBA colleagues think about your album?
Agnetha: “Benny and Björn think it’s a good album. Both of them have had a peek into the studio every now and then and they witnessed the emergence of the project. I can’t say anything about Frida, because I haven’t seen her since she is living in London.”
Will you pursue your solo career as intensively as Frida, who can be seen often on the televison screens and is even planning a tour?
Agnetha: “Oh no, that just isn’t possible in my case. First of all because of my two children, who are far more important to me than any kind of professional success. And secondly, because of my fear of flying. Ever since we ended up in a storm during a flight on a private plane with ABBA and we were out of radio contact for half an hour, I have a panicky fear of flying. That’s why I made my promotional trip to England by bus, for instance. But this takes an enormous amount of time.”
What about the rumour that Mauricio de Angeli of the Oliver Onions – who have written a song for you – is your new boyfriend?
Agnetha: “No, that’s absolute nonsense. That was made up by Swedish newspapers, that saw us having dinner together and photographed us at that occasion.”
Is there a new man in your life?
Agnetha: “No, I live alone with my two children, as I have been doing. It’s not that easy for a woman like me to get to know someone. I wouldn’t want another musician, and I barely meet other men. But I would love to get married again. I’m not the kind of person that could live alone eternally.”
Did the divorce from Björn cause any scars?
Agnetha: “I wasn’t the one who left, but he was. I believe that would leave scars with any wife.”
What are your further plans?
Agnetha: “First of all, I’m having a holiday in Sweden – spending time outdoors with the children. On August 19, my first movie will have its premiere in Stockholm. I’m very excited about that. I don’t know yet what’s going to happen after that.”
Do you think that both male ABBA members will record solo albums as well?
Agnetha: “No, they are working on their musical like before. They don’t have any time for that.”
What do you think about ABBA’s future?
Agnetha: “I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be another ABBA album at some point in the future. But there are no definite plans.”
Don’t you think that your answer must be very depressing for ABBA fans?
Agnetha: “I can understand that. But the situation at the moment is simply the way that I described it.”

POP, 1979: Sporty ABBA

2010-12-21T20:00:00.008+01:00

A report about ABBA’s time in Leysin, Switzerland, where they filmed the ABBA in Switzerland TV special in February 1979.
One could already see in the film ABBA – The Movie that Anni-Frid is extremely fit. Because during the ABBA world tour, the red-haired Frida worked hard on her condition every morning, to be able to endure her demanding stage show.
That Frida is the most sporty member of ABBA, she proved in the snow as well, when ABBA had to swap the stage for skis and ice skates for a British television special during Easter in Leysin in the Swiss mountains.
The pictures on this two-page spread show what the outcome was.

Das Freizeit-Magazin, December 1976: ABBA wishes you a Merry Christmas

2010-12-19T13:02:00.012+01:00

1976 has been the most successful year for the four Swedish pop singers Björn, Benny, Anna and Anni-Frid. Never before did you show so much enthusiasm for a group as you did with ABBA. The quartet is saying a heartfelt thank you to all the Magazin readers for that.

The ABBA headquarter in the upscale diplomatic neighbourhood of Stockholm was decorated festively. This time, Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Anna didn’t talk about their upcoming performance dates, but they were having a discussion about how to thank the loyal Freizeit-Magazin readers.
“After all, the readers have contributed to the fact that we are now one of the most successful groups in the world,” Benny says.
Despite their countless appointments, they have taken the time for a thank you. During this celebration, Anni-Frid was the Queen of Lights.

“Here in Sweden, the Queen of Lights is something like Baby Jesus in Germany,” Anna explains. “Then we lit the candles on Anni-Frid’s crown of lights and we sang a song together, a musical thank you to all our fans. Obviously, we will celebrate Christmas again in a private gathering.”
At Christmas, the foursome will be able to let off steam to the top of their bent. There are even home-baked delicacies.
Benny says with light sorrow: “Christmas is the only time when we actually have some time for ourselves. That’s why we surprised the Magazin readers beforehand with a poster in issue number 50. Christmas is completely dedicated to the family. Once again, a Merry Christmas to our numerous friends from Magazin. There won’t be any interviews until next year. We deserve a break. Friends should understand this,” he adds astutely.
After Christmas, it’s back to business again for ABBA. They are rehearsing for their German tour, that will kick off on February 2. There will be concerts in Berlin, Cologne, Essen and Hamburg.

Bravo, 1981: Björn: I would love to fly to the moon

2010-12-14T20:09:00.005+01:00

As a teenager, I loved to listen to rock ‘n’ roll, but at the same time I was into folk music too. For instance, I liked the Kingston Trio. Apart from that, it was easier to start a folk group than a rock ‘n’ roll group. You only needed a couple of acoustic guitars. That was all.
Most of all, I liked Tommy Steele and Elvis. Nowadays, I think Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ is the best album of the last year. At the moment, my favourite is Barbra Streisand’s album ‘Guilty’.
For that matter, we have a subscription to the top 30 of the USA and England. These singles are sent to us every week, all of them on a cassette. This enables us to listen to the latest stuff every week. And whenever an important album is released, like the Eagles, Streisand, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd or Stevie Wonder, we obviously listen to those as well.

At one point, we met the Sex Pistols when they performed here in Stockholm. That was very funny because they told us: “Please don’t tell this to anybody, but when we are at home, we like to listen to ABBA more than anything.”
Personally, I have nothing against punk, because finally something was happening again in the music scene. A further stage of that is now new wave. There are very good groups around. I listen to everything new that’s released on the market. In my opinion, some of this new wave stuff doesn’t sound that new to me, but whatever...
In former times, I never believed that I could have a career as a musician, because my father always wanted me to become an engineer. So in school I was only interested in things that could be useful in my profession later on. Actually, I was a very good pupil. Especially in arithmetic, physics, languages and chemistry, I did very well. The rest didn’t interest me very much, unfortunately, I have to say today.
For instance, in history class I never paid attention. In general, I had fun at school. But my teachers not as much, I’m afraid. Because it was difficult for me to sit still and keep my mouth shut.
I got to know the facts of life in school. Because in Sweden, you get educated in that respect quite early, and everything is explained in a factual manner. But you only find out in reality yourself and together with friends, outside the class room. You learn the facts in school, the earlier the better.
But sex isn’t the most important thing in a relationship for me, but humour is. It’s nice when you are able to laugh together. You also have to respect your partner as a person and you mustn’t try to control each other. I think that preconditions like that are far more important.
I have a good sense of humour in every respect. That’s why my favourite actor is John Cleese. I used to like Richard Burton too, but these days he makes too much lousy movies. I prefer horror and science fiction movies. I particularly liked ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’, ‘Repulsion’ and ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’ by Polanski.

Whenever it would be possible for private persons to fly to the moon, I would definitely do that. But I still have other dreams that I want to realise.
There are still so many countries that I’d love to see, for instance in Asia. I haven’t seen Tibet, India and Africa yet, to name a few. The most wonderful adventure for me would be a trip to China. One day I will have enough time to do it, that’s for sure. In a lot of these countries, there’s still poverty or wars are raging. Those are the biggest problems of this world for me.
The saddest thing in the industrial countries is that no one is looking at the future with confidence anymore. Everyone is having a negative attitude. People are afraid of changes.
The politicians are worse than ever. To me, they are worthless, because they have lost contact with the people. They don’t have any ideals anymore, they are managing their country. That’s all. They only peer at the votes, without really accomplishing anything. For instance in the sixties, when I was growing up, things were still different. I was looking forward to my future, my life, all the things that I was going to experience. These days, it seems to me that the brakes are put on young people. That’s why so many of them are taking drugs. They don’t have any reason to look at the future joyfully, because that’s where unemployment, crises and economic problems are waiting. And they are escaping this hopelessness with alcohol and drugs.
Myself, I only smoke at parties at the most. And I rarely have a drink. I sometimes have a beer when I’m in Germany, and a glass of wine when I’m in France. Here in Stockholm I only drink wine when I’m having dinner.
Whenever I’m asked about my goals in life, I always reply that I have already achieved my goals. It may seem that I’m already resting on my laurels. But that’s not true. I still think it’s exciting to have a number one record somewhere.
Privately, my only goal is being a good father to my children. Apart from that, I want to enjoy my life. That’s very important. Because when I feel good, the people around me are feeling good as well. If I had to live my life all over, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because I didn’t make any bad mistakes.
I’m actually not religious. I believe in something, but I haven’t decided yet what that is. Either way, I don’t believe in the religion of the church. I never go to church. I don’t believe in life after death either.
I could imagine living on a lonely island for some time. Most certainly, I would bring along my wife Lena. She is the most important thing. Perhaps my children as well. But I believe it would be better for them to stay in Stockholm. Then I would pack a whole bunch of books, a guitar, a record player and records by Herbert von Karajan, Beethoven, Bach, the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

Bravo, 1975: Bronze Otto winners ’75: ABBA

2010-12-12T12:54:00.004+01:00

ABBA winning the bronze Otto 1975 in German magazine Bravo.
1975 was an ABBA year as well: Anna, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid were successful with the three hits ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’, ‘SOS’ and ‘Mamma Mia’. That’s why 4.090 Bravo readers voted for ABBA. In 1974, the Swedes won the silver Otto. Here’s a review of their steep career.

Clockwise from top left:
Privately, ABBA harmonise wonderfully as well: Anni-Frid, Benny, Anna and Björn are happy as couples.

It all started in Brighton: ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with ‘Waterloo’.

Fancy costumes are a speciality of both Swedish girls. You will rarely see them in long dresses like they are wearing during this performance in Disco ’75.

On their German tour and in several TV-shows, Anni-Frid and Anna appeared in sexy mini skirts.

ABBA are the uncrowned pop kings in their home country Sweden.

ABBA as beaming Otto winners 1974.

1998: The fairytale princess of pop music

2010-12-06T20:35:00.004+01:00

Even today, men are still getting shiny eyes when Agnetha is the subject of conversation. “I was once madly in love with her” or “my first big crush” – that’s how the blonde Swede is mostly remembered. As an ‘A’ from ABBA, Agnetha Fältskog has remained unforgettable. Apart from that, the singer has always been more than one quarter of the Swedish foursome, whose success can only be compared to the Beatles: for years, Agnetha was the fairytale princess of pop music. A new CD with tracks from her time with ABBA and as a solo singer awakens memories of those pop years gone by.

In 1982, ABBA split up. Musically and privately, they didn’t have anything in common anymore. Agnetha’s marriage to fellow band member Björn ended in 1978 after seven years of being together. Their colleagues Anni-Frid and Benny were married from 1978 until 1981.
After the disbandment of ABBA, Agnetha went her own way. With the Brit Mike Chapman – who put Smokie, The Sweet, Suzi Quatro and Blondie on a successful course – she recorded her first english language solo album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ in 1983. Chapman himself penned the catchy title track, that still reminded one strongly of ABBA and that made it into the top ten of several European charts. The single ‘The Heat Is On’ even made it to number one in Sweden and Norway and number two in Holland and Belgium. Both of these most familiar hits from Agnetha’s solo career are among the stronger tracks on the new CD.
Several renowned names from rock and pop music worked on her subsequent solo projects: Eric Stewart from 10CC, Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra and Peter Cetera from Chicago. In 1987, she recorded the duet ‘I Wasn’t The One’ with the avowing ABBA fan Cetera.
Even before her time with ABBA, Agnetha composed and produced several songs herself. On her 1984 project “Eyes Of A Woman” she resorted to her pen once again and she composed the song “I Won’t Let You Go” that was released as a single. Still, this track and its accompanying B-side “You’re There” remained the last compositions that Agnetha released up till now. “I still try to compose, but to be really good and to create something truly original, you need to be very disciplined, at least in my case,” she explained at the time.

After a break of several months, Agnetha appeared on top of the single charts again in her home country in November 1986 with “The Way You Are”. The song was part of the Swedish promotional campaign for the Olympic Winter Games 1992 and is included as a bonus track on the new CD, just like its B-side “Fly Like The Eagle”. Although the campaign remained fruitless, it was the start of a very productive year for the singer. In 1987, Agnetha recorded two albums: firstly, an album of Swedish children’s songs together with her son Christian, and secondly, her third international solo album ‘I Stand Alone’ together with Cetera. However, apart from her Nordic home country, this album remained unsuccessful.
In the following years, Agnetha withdrew from the limelight. In 1990, she married the Swedish surgeon Tomas Sonnenfeld. Even the ABBA revival in the first half of the nineties, couldn’t entice Agnetha out of her self-chosen seclusion. What remains for the fans is the memory of her unprecedented career as a singer with ABBA. Two tracks on the ‘Greatest Hits’ CD bring this period back to life once more: firstly, the song with the appropriate title ‘That’s Me’ on which Agnetha is sharing lead vocal duties with Frida and a song that she considers as one of her favourite ABBA songs; secondly, ‘The Winner Takes It All’ which undoubtedly is one of the group’s best songs and shows Agnetha’s voice at its best.

Bravo, 1981: Benny: he was already engaged at the age of 15!

2010-12-02T22:44:00.004+01:00

He was a jump starter: in the area of music – and in the area of love as well.
Benny Goran Bror Andersson (that’s his full name) was born in Stockholm on December 16, 1946 and he grew up in Grimsta, in the western part of the city. When he was six years old, he got his first music instrument as a present, an accordion. His father and his grandfather – enthusiastic musicians themselves – taught him the first tricks and practised with him every day.
That’s how Benny already got acquainted with music at a very young age. Through the years, this developed into a dedicated passion. Still today, Benny can’t walk past any instrument, without stopping and trying it out. He is a born musician.
On his tenth birthday, Benny got a piano. Already a couple of years later, people could admire him as a gifted young piano player in the Stockholm bar ‘Youth Garden’.
In this music bar, Benny met his first big love as well. It was the amateur singer Christina Grönvall, who Benny accompanied on the piano. Soon, the twosome was inseparable and ultimately they got engaged, when they were both 15 years old. Although they were never married, two children were born from this relationship: Peter, now 18 years old and Helen (16).
After his first assignment with the completely unknown group Elverkets Spelmanslag, Benny ended up with the Hep Stars in 1964, as their keyboard player. One year later, he had his first big success in the television programme Drop In with the song ‘Cadillac’. This melody shot to number one on the Swedish charts.

But the anticipated subsequent success failed to materialize, although Benny was writing songs for his group industriously. The business side of the group started deteriorating, on top of that there were enormous tax debts. In 1967, the Hep Stars disbanded permanently.
Not long after that, Benny took his first step towards ABBA. He met Björn Ulvaeus. They wrote their first melodies in an office of a paper factory, where Björn’s father worked and in 1969, they performed together.
One year earlier, Benny had met his future wife Frida Lyngstad. They first met during a radio broadcast; sparks were flying immediately. But it wasn’t until 1978 that they got married in all secrecy in the church of Lidingö in Stockholm. They were inseparable and very happy for almost thirteen years. That’s why the announcement of their divorce came as a shock, both to the fans and their close acquaintances.
The divorce was dealt with rather smoothly. Benny came home one day in their mansion and told Frida that he had met another woman. It was the 38-year-old Mona Nörklit, who had been working at the Swedish broadcasting company up till then.
“Still, Frida and I have remained good friends,” says Benny, “not least because of our joint work with ABBA. We have a good rapport, she respects me and I respect her. We talk a lot about music. And we see each other very often because of the children. They shouldn’t suffer from our divorce.”