Weekend, 1981: Golden chains are keeping ABBA together

ABBA’s blonde singer Agnetha is able to smile again. There’s a new love in her life. His name is Torbjörn Brander. He’s a police-inspector in Stockholm. The twosome met each other when Torbjörn was appointed in a special anti-terror brigade that had to protect the ABBA-members and their children. ABBA has been threatened several times by telephone. Agnetha feels much safer with Torbjörn. But will he be able to cope with the enormous pressure of the publicity surrounding this supergroup?

For a long time it was feared that Agnetha would put an end to ABBA. As a result of her divorce and the telephone threats in which was announced that her children would be kidnapped and would only be released for a gigantic ransom. Agnetha has had to deal with all this by herself. Instinctively, she refused to seek support with her ex-husband, who had remarried in the meantime. Still, she never complained. The first telephone threats came in at ABBA’s headquarter in Stockholm when the group was in Germany for a television performance. The group immediately flew back home. In consultation with Stig Anderson, their manager, the police was brought in. Stockholm’s chief commissioner didn’t take any chances and appointed some of his best people to guard the group and the children.

During the first weeks, the children didn’t leave their parent’s sight. The ABBA-members stayed at home as much as possible and were anxiously awaiting the things that were coming to them. “It was an awful time,” Agnetha would later declare. “We were all scared to death. Not for ourselves, but for our children.” Luckily, it didn’t go any further than those threats. In the media it was suggested that it probably had all been a sick joke. Caused by people who envied the group’s enormous success. But the commissioner took no chances. The guards remained on their duty. They were present twenty-four hours a day. At Agnetha’s apartment, the tall, dark-blonde detective Torbjörn could be spotted every day. A silent, quiet man in his late thirties. The peace that he exuded had a very positive effect on the restless Agnetha, who barely left her house anymore. Torbjörn behaved courteously, but he kept his distance. He had a very responsible task to fulfil and couldn’t get involved emotionally. But it wouldn’t take long before his colleagues noticed that he had more feelings for the famous singer than he let on. Agnetha felt somewhat insecure. She immediately thought the detective was likable but was too confused about her feelings to take any further steps. From their mutual respect, a friendship blossomed. And this friendship turned into love. “Maybe even the love that saved ABBA,” is the opinion of one of Agnetha’s intimate friends. But this relationship is not without problems either. Due to his position, Torbjörn can’t appear in newspapers and magazines too often. His superiors wouldn’t be happy about that. In any case, the crisis surrounding ABBA seems to have come to an end. Because also the other female in ABBA, Anni-Frid, has reconciled to the fact that her marriage to Benny has ended within two years. They’ve both started new relationships. So, ABBA will continue.
“At least for another two years,” according to Björn and Benny. Together, they are again responsible for the fabulous new album that the group has released shortly before Christmas, according to tradition. “We’ve worked harder than ever,” Björn revealed. “We had to make up for lost time.”
Manager Anderson has announced that, although ABBA will continue, there are still some changes to report. The group will not do so many performances any longer. And they will definitely not go on a world tour again. Television shows, at the most. It’s because the ABBA-members want to work on several projects outside the group as well. Björn and Benny want to produce other artists. Agnetha has been playing with the idea of a solo album for years, and guest appearances on Swedish television shows.
For quite some time, Anni-Frid has been saying that she’s aiming for a career as an actress. She has already played a small part and is now considering several scripts and offers. Apart from that, for the past few months she has recorded a couple of shows in which she is the host: the ‘Lite Grand I Örat’.

Anni-Frid: “Around Christmas 1980, the producer of the show called me and asked if I was interested. I had already worked with him before my time with ABBA. I immediately said yes. But then my divorce from Benny happened and I had to ask for a couple of weeks postponement. Although I wasn’t completely up for it, I still did it. In the end, I had to think about my career. On top of that, this job gave me the distraction that I needed. I didn’t want to be consumed by sadness and loneliness, like Agnetha.”
Anni-Frid and Benny have decided to maintain a friendly relationship. Especially for the outer world and to preserve ABBA’s good image. Not too long ago, they flew to New York together to discuss several radio and television shows.

If ABBA were to decide to quit as a group in two years time, then that doesn’t mean that the members won’t have anything to do with each other any longer. On a business level, they remain firmly committed to each other. Or, like someone at ABBA’s management once remarked: “In the old days, the members were tied to each other by golden rings, now by golden chains...”
It is widely known that manager Stig Anderson does a great job in advising the foursome about investing their millions. Otherwise, the group would lose almost ninety percent of their income to taxes. “We’d still have enough to lead a comfortable life, but we’d rather invest our money in healthy business enterprises,” Benny admits. Apart from that, ABBA’s companies are employing a lot of people. When asked, Benny is willing to summarize the businesses that ABBA has invested in. Firstly, in one of Europe’s best recording studios in Stockholm. Not only ABBA is recording there; countless major acts are coming to Stockholm to record their new albums. Furthermore, ABBA has their own publishing company, a company that’s publishing books, an art gallery. And countless houses and buildings. Plus their own islands in the Swedish archipelago.

Recently, the group has invested a lot of money in the development of the video market. “In the future, we will probably record our own shows and offer them for sale,” Benny assumes. “According to us, video will become extremely important. And we want to be a part of it. Not just for the money, but it’s nice to be involved in fresh areas. I wouldn’t rule out that I will be involved as a director at some point as well. That’s a fascinating job.”
He thinks wealth is a doubtful happiness. “Also, wealth is relative. We make a lot of money, but our investments are huge as well. When you lose a couple of millions in a deal, you’ll have to sell a lot of records to compensate for that.” Benny is referring to the losses that ABBA has had to bear, with the acquisition of crude oil that had to be sold with an enormous loss due to a surplus market. The millionaires didn’t lose a night’s sleep over it. On a daily basis, millions are pouring in as a result of record sales and sheet music. The line ‘The Winner Takes It All’ certainly goes for ABBA. And ABBA remains the clear winner.

The BBC will broadcast a ninety-minute radio special about ABBA on New Year’s Day, followed by an interview with the group. Last autumn, ABBA has achieved platinum status in Canada for the fourth time with the album ‘Super Trouper’. That same album achieved gold status in Israel and Brazil, and ABBA is especially proud of a gold single in that last country after ‘The Winner Takes It All’ sold more than 300.000 copies.
The sympathetic Swedes were very happy about the fact that the Dutch audience has appointed them as the best foreign act in September. ABBA received the ‘Dutch Record Award 1981’, awarded by the Dutch record industry, the retail sector and the copyright association Stemra.

Muziek Expres, 1982: "This is only the beginning!"

A Dutch magazine article, featuring an interview with Frida about the Something's Going On album and pictures of the recording sessions and the press presentation.
She did it. Frida Lyngstad is now conquering the world without ABBA. With a Phil Collins-produced album and the brilliant hit record ‘I Know There’s Something Going On’. In an exclusive interview, Frida explains what’s going on...

Frida doesn’t have any peace and quiet anymore. Ever since she took a temporary (?) break from ABBA to record her own international debut album, her life has turned into a rollercoaster. At Stockholm’s Hamngatan, the employees are busy working for Frida day in and day out. There, at the ABBA-office, the Swedish supergroup seems to be completely overshadowed by one group-member: Frida Lyngstad.
At one blow, the dark-haired singer has proven that she’s able to do it without ABBA. Indeed, ABBA hasn’t been involved at all in her new solo-album ‘Something’s Going On’. For the recordings, that took place at ABBA’s Polar Studios, producer and Genesis-frontman Phil Collins took his own musicians with him. Including Earth, Wind & Fire’s horn section, that had helped Phil out already on his solo-album ‘Face Value’. A lot of hard work must have been put into those recordings. You can tell by listening to the record, for which no expenses were spared to turn it into the best product possible. And Frida herself is singing like never before. As if she has never had the chance to develop to full extent vocally in the ABBA-framework. A lot has happened to Frida and there’s a lot going on...
The dark-haired ABBA-singer has a dark voice. With that voice, together with Agnetha, she has just been busy working on recordings for a brand new ABBA-album. The two tracks for the hit-album, intended as a Christmas-present, are finished already. So ABBA is working on new material already. Because solo-recordings or not, ABBA goes on. Frida makes no mistake about that.
“I get so tired of all those sensational rumours. It is understandable that there are rumours, the journalists must have something to write about. After all, we’re still popular. I always think to myself: that’s the consequence of being famous.”
Prepare yourself, Frida, there will be a whole lot more rumours now you’ve made a solo-album and are having success on your own.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the facts. The single ‘I Know There’s Something Going On’ is doing exceptionally well, I’m extremely proud of that. It’s almost the same feeling as winning the Eurovision Song Contest with ABBA in 1974. It’s a triumph, suddenly I feel very self-confident.”
Aren’t you that confident in ABBA?
“Firstly, in ABBA I’m not alone, but I’m singing together with Agnetha. That’s something completely different than recording an album on your own. But I mainly felt insecure because of the difficult period I have behind me now. The divorce between Benny and me didn’t leave me unaffected. I don’t want to get into any details, the gossip-press has already done that. In any case, I have the feeling that I’ve made a mark for myself with ‘Something’s Going On’. I’m extremely proud of that album.”
What do Agnetha, Benny and Björn think about the album?
“In one word, they think it’s fantastic. I think they didn’t expect this, although they knew I was working with Phil Collins.”
What did they expect?
“That’s a good question, I’ve never asked them. It never entered my mind. They had full confidence in the project, that was enough for me.”
Why did you want to record a solo-album anyway?
“Like I said before, I wanted to make a mark. Something had to happen. I wanted to show that I account for something on my own as well.”
Is that the reason why the album reminds one of ABBA so little?
“I take that as a compliment. My intention was for the album to have nothing to do with ABBA, otherwise I might just as well have not recorded the album at all. That’s why no other ABBA-member, apart from myself, has co-operated on the album.”
Why did you choose Phil Collins as your producer?
“That was more or less a coincidence. My daughter adored his solo-single ‘In The Air Tonight’ and she told me to listen to it as well. Phil Collins? At first, that name didn’t ring a bell. Yes, I know, my general pop-knowledge has never been exceptional. In short, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After that, I bought his album ‘Face Value’ and I played it every day for two months. It was my favourite album and Phil my favourite producer. Then I went to London to meet him. From the word go, he was enthusiastic about the idea to work together.”
What were your intentions for this album?
“A record with much variation, with lots of different types of music. I was willing to give any song a go. When that became known, I received five hundred cassettes with songs. Believe me, it took quite some time, but I listened to all of them. Unfortunately, there was nothing there that I would like to sing. That’s when Phil and I decided to ask composers for a song, of which we knew in advance they would be good. That’s why so many well-known songwriters worked on the album.”
One is missing. The song that Paul McCartney would write for you?
“He actually would, but in hindsight he didn’t have the time. That song will surely come eventually, on my next album.”
Are you already thinking about a next solo-album?
“I dream about it, of course.”
ABBA isn’t thinking about performing any longer. Are you?
“The idea is tempting, but when I think I’d have to be in a different city every day and so on, I can’t imagine doing that. Still, anything is possible. I don’t want to get ahead of the facts. Look, if I were to do another album in some time that would become an even greater success and I’d get the opportunity to perform live with Phil and the other musicians, then I’d probably wouldn’t have to think twice. But we’re not at that stage yet. It may sound strange coming from me, because I’ve had a career with ABBA for ten years, but this is only the beginning...”

Pop Rocky, 1983: I don’t want to be ‘just’ the ABBA-girl anymore

With her solo-album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ ABBA-singer Agnetha is following in the footsteps of her colleague Frida, who already enjoyed enormous success with her solo-album ‘I Know There’s Something Going On’. In early June, Agnetha launched her much anticipated new album in Musikladen. However, ten thousands of ABBA fans are worried by the success of both ABBA-singers’ solo-careers, and ask themselves if and how the Swedish supergroup will continue. Pop/Rocky talked to Agnetha about her new album and of course about ABBA’s future.

P/R: After Frida’s solo-album you are launching a project on your own as well. Are ABBA going their separate ways?
A: I know, our fans are worried. But I can reassure them, by all means, my solo venture does not mean the end of ABBA.

P/R: After this, ABBA will go on tour again, then?
A: No, that won’t be possible in the near future. If ABBA would go on tour again, the expectations will be very high everywhere. This would mean extensive preparations and countless rehearsals. There just isn’t time for that.

P/R: Is there no time to record another ABBA-album either?
A: At the moment certainly not, but that can change.

P/R: Let’s talk about your album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’. What made you decide to do an album on your own?
A: Frida and I have talked about this for some time now. We both had our own ideas, that could not be fulfilled in ABBA’s framework. That’s why it was only natural to try something on our own.

P/R: Are you satisfied with the result?
A: Yes, very. Everything felt right. The songs are good, and the musicians gave their best. On top of that, the collaboration with Mike Chapman, who has worked with Smokie, Suzi Quatro and Blondie, was fantastic. Mike is a real professional, I learned a lot from him. For the most part, it is thanks to him that the album turned out so well.

P/R: On the album we don’t hear the Agnetha we expect from ABBA. Was that the intention?
A: That’s the reason why I did this solo-album. I didn’t want to sound like ABBA, otherwise this album would have been pointless. On the whole, I think the sound is a bit tougher than what people would expect from me. Still, the songs are about love, tenderness and romance, because we wanted to make a positive album.

P/R: Did working with ABBA help you with the recordings, or was it a disadvantage?
A: I did feel some pressure. The fans expect something special from me. On the other hand, I need this pressure, to come up with something really good.

P/R: Does it bother you that people will compare you to Frida?
A: Oh, not at all. Frida and I are used to that by now, since it has always been this way.

P/R: What kind of reaction on your album do you expect from the fans?
A: My aim is to get recognition as a solo-singer. For years, I’ve been ‘just’ the ABBA-girl. It’s time to take a step forwards.

Bravo, 1978: After their holiday in full swing again: ABBA

These pictures are very rare: they show ABBA in holiday mood. On the next page you’ll see them at their show on the poster. Read about what they did on their holiday and what their plans are now.

It was a kind of military secret. The four ABBA-members, Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Björn and Benny decided: we’ll take a few days off. As a matter of fact, in the Stockholm area. We really want to relax in our own country.
And that’s how the four of them set about: they walked through wonderful forests, took a rest at a lake, took rides on pedal- and rowing boats and acted like ordinary tourists. Benny: “We mainly walked in places that were not too crowded. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to escape from our fans.” And Anni-Frid adds: “By doing that, we had a chance to recover. It was almost like being in my childhood.”

You have to realize that ABBA have been under a lot of pressure since their Eurovision success in 1974, and that they’ve been on the road constantly. Björn: “This past summer we’ve taken it a little easier. It’s no use to wear ourselves out with all the travelling and uninterrupted performances.” Still, the foursome couldn’t live without their job completely. For their single and album, Björn and Benny tried out new songs, that both girls sang, to keep their voices in shape, classic songs. Apart from that, they took dancing lessons and designed new stage outfits.
The single ‘Summer Night City’ has been out in the shops since a couple of weeks. Björn: “On this record we paid hommage to the Disco Sound, that’s ruling the direction of music at the moment. The song is disco-influenced, but still unmistakable ABBA-style.”
The B-side is a medley of the songs ‘Pick A Bale Of Cotton’, ‘On Top Of Old Smokey’ and ‘Midnight Special’. This B-side could be heard already in 1975 on a charity album for the German cancer research.

Their album, recorded at their brand-new recording studio in Stockholm, should be released worldwide before Christmas. The next major trip will take ABBA to Japan. Benny: “In the middle of November we’ll have our own television show in Tokyo. It will have a running time of one hour; we will perform our biggest hits in that show. On our way to Tokyo, we’ll stopover in Los Angeles, to perform on the Dick Clark Show.”
Privately, everything is clear sailing with ABBA. The foursome’s sweetheart is Agnetha’s almost one-year-old son, Christian. The proud mother: “A very sweet rascal. I would love to take him with me on all my trips. But unfortunately he’s still too young.”
Anni-Frid has Bravo to thank for her best experience in the past few years. Like we reported extensively, we succeeded in finding Anni-Frid’s German father in Karlsruhe. The singer: “The meeting with my father, who was believed to be missing without a trace, has meant more to me than any gold record.”

Veronica, 1984: Benny sweet to Frida

The ABBA-members don’t see much of each other lately. The separate members are working on solo-projects at the moment and that’s why it definitely was a coincidence that three-quarters of ABBA met each other during the Platengala of the Platen-10-daagse foundation.

Benny and Frida greeted each other very exuberantly and by doing that, they indicated that the divorce between Frida and Benny was an amicable one. Benny was even excessively sweet to Frida. Does this mean a reconciliation between the two ABBA-members?

We asked Björn. He said: “Benny and Frida are getting along really well lately. Still, I don’t believe they will ever get back together again. Just like I would never remarry Agnetha.”

Hitkrant, March 1982: ABBA: maybe on tour yet again

After ABBA’s major world tour in 1979, the group announced that it might well have been the last one. The expenses became too high and the strains too much. But a true artist apparently can’t do without his audience, because according to Björn and Benny, there’s now a fair chance that ABBA will be on stage again this year.

“It doesn’t seem to end,” is what Benny told recently, referring to the continuing successes. ABBA’s new album ‘The Visitors’ is breaking all records again. The single ‘One Of Us’ was huge once again, but the second single from that album, ‘Head Over Heels’, reached the top of the charts in our country within three weeks. That’s why Benny sighed: “We have to do something in return for our fans.”

After the previous tour, the group was tired. “We had a lot of personal problems,” Benny says. “We needed some time to get back to ourselves again. That time is hardly available, because you’re always busy with the new album that has to be better yet again. One by one, our marriages ended. That hurt.” But it didn’t take ABBA that much time to overcome their personal problems. Björn and Benny both remarried, Frida has a boyfriend and Agnetha left quietly for Mallorca, where she stayed undisturbed for one month.

The consequence was that the group returned with a new look and very enthusiastically with the new album. Agnetha says: “I needed that month as a rest period. The tabloids are hunting me constantly to find out who’s the new man in my life. But I want peace and quiet. All four of us have changed now, and not only outwardly. We’ve become real friends again.” Agnetha admits that she’s not too fond of Frida’s new look; Björn’s full beard is more to her liking.
Benny has a totally new hobby: he’s very much into race-horses. Two three-year-old horses, named ‘Secret Army’ and ‘Hurtwood Lass’ are Benny’s. At the end of last year, the ABBA-star flew to England on several occasions to see his horses. He is planning to put them in a race very soon.

Frida has a new hobby as well: the past few months she hosted a popular show on Swedish television four times. She explains: “It was so much fun to do. I announced artists and sang along with others or did the backing vocals.” Frida will now rapidly start working on her solo-album that will be recorded in Stockholm. Producer Phil Collins has gone through everything with Frida already and the singer wants to share that the album will be very different from her achievements with ABBA.

So, ABBA is full of courage again. The group is even considering to go on tour again. “We won’t confirm anything yet, but we’re seriously considering it,” Benny says. Whether ABBA will come to Holland as well? They probably will!

Hitkrant, February 1985: "Eric is giving me the freedom that ABBA didn't allow me"

“Of course I’m a little bit scared of releasing something new. Still, I hope I will finally be able to get rid of those annoying ABBA-comparisons. Because I have cut all ties with that empire permanently.”
And there seems to be no way back either. Together with producer Eric Stewart, the blonde singer is working very hard on a contemporary, surprising album that will astonish friend and foe. We were the first ones to be allowed to take a look in the studio.

Agnetha looks a little tired when we see her at the Polar Studios in the evening. All day long she has worked at a feverish pace, the final deadline is drawing near. Still, the former ABBA-singer is very satisfied with the things she accomplished. Especially the collaboration with Eric Stewart, responsible for all major 10CC-successes, turned out really well.
“The funny thing is that today’s best producers have called me to realize a possible collaboration. But I’m really not the kind of person that falls for empty talk and tempting financial propositions. In the end I decided to go for the least obvious guy, a choice I haven’t regretted so far. Eric is the kind of man that doesn’t shy away from the experiment and that’s exactly what I need at this stage of my career. Agnetha Fältskog should definitely sound different to what the ABBA-fans expect from me. Apart from that, Stewart is an exceptionally charming man. He makes you feel at ease very quickly and he definitely helped me to conquer some of my fears.”

“I still hesitate when I sit down at home at my writing-table or piano,” Agnetha explains. “I’m fairly satisfied about the sound of my voice, but writing songs seems to be a totally different craft. This album will include two of my own songs. Eric has really encouraged me to take this on. I also understand that I have to get rid of those annoying ABBA-comparisons, but it takes a lot of guts. Of course, this also has to do with my musical past. With ABBA, the girls weren’t meant to make decisions. We weren’t even allowed. In the end, that was the ultimate reason to cut all ties with that empire.”

Still, Björn and Benny don’t rule out a further collaboration?
“Maybe for old times sake, to recapture that old atmosphere in a way. But for the time being I won’t get really caught up in a group again. It has cost me several sleepless nights to make those decisions, but it was necessary. I want to take control of my own career and establish myself as a full-fledged artist. The album ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ will hopefully bring me one step closer to that ultimate goal.”