Hitkrant, April 1979: Voulez-Vous album review / Does Your Mother Know single review

Raving reviews of the Voulez-Vous album and the Does Your Mother Know single from Dutch magazine Hitkrant.
ABBA ‘Voulez-Vous’ Polar/Polydor
Who could have ever imagined: ABBA go disco! It’s already been more than a year ago since ABBA astonished friend, but especially foe with their album ‘The Album’. This time, the Swedish foursome has delivered an album that will be talked about for a long time to come, because it namely is of an unprecedented, enormous class.
The group is totally ignoring the existing image and sounds like never before. Maybe Björn and Benny’s visit to the Bahamas has had something to do with it, but in any case, the ten tracks (among them ‘Chiquitita’) are sounding so fresh, so convincing, that this is showing an ABBA that only very few people would have expected.
No, disco is not a stranger to ABBA any longer. Listen to the new single ‘Does Your Mother Know’, but also to ‘If It Wasn’t For The Nights’ and ‘As Good As New’ and you’ll see what I mean!
Apart from the usual ABBA-musicians, the Swedish top guitarist Janne Schaffer is now playing along as well. And on ‘Voulez-Vous’, former Clapton-guitarist George Terry can be heard, among others.
Care to have a dance with ABBA? Voulez-Vous?
Out in the shops on the first of May.

ABBA ‘Does Your Mother Know’ Polar/Polydor
And there it is, the long-anticipated follow-up to ‘Chiquitita’! How ABBA pulls it off time and time again to release a first class single on the market, is a mystery to me, but ‘Does Your Mother Know’ is yet another one of those. ABBA new style? Yes, indeed: the foursome is obviously flirting with disco, but the clear ABBA-sound is unmistakable!
The beginning of the record sets the tone immediately: a thumping guitar/drums intro and sure enough, a lead vocal by Björn, something we don’t get to hear very often. But then the familiar voices of both ladies come in and it’s clear for us to hear: top-drawer pop music. ABBA have once again surpassed themselves.

Muziek Parade, 1977: ABBA-special

Well, actually not really an article, but the pics are nice. This is an ABBA-special from Dutch magazine Muziek Parade, published in 1977. The special featured pics by German photographer Bubi Heilemann. When completely folded out, it had a large ABBA-poster on the backside. Some of the pics shown here are not in Bubi's 2004 book, or alternate shots.

Hitkrant, April 1983: Agnetha cut the knot!

When you are, like Agnetha Fältskog, a member of a supergroup like ABBA, it puts a heavy pressure on you. On the one hand, it’s obviously very enjoyable to be a part of one of the most successful groups in the world, on the other hand, it puts heavy obligations on you. Like making a solo album: of course, you have a lot of contacts and producers, writers/composers, arrangers and musicians are waiting in line to be part of the expected success. But everyone also expects that a solo album like that is going to be good. After all, you are a part of ABBA, aren’t you? Agnetha had to make a difficult decision, but she cut the knot and her album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ is finished.

Mike Chapman is the name of her producer and with the hits that he – mostly together with partner Mickey Chinn - produced for artists like Sweet, Mud, Suzi Quatro, Racey and Smokie, you could fill a book. Agnetha met him last summer in America, asked if Mike wanted to produce her solo album and got an enthusiastic ‘yes’ as a reply.

This is how it happened that in the Polar Studios in Stockholm, the blonde singer was assisted by Smokie-members Chris Norman, Terry Uttley and Alan Silson, because Mike had brought ‘his boys’ along. “We definitely needed good backing vocals and that gave me the idea to ask the Smokie-guys for the job.”
Chris, Terry and Alan have been steady ABBA-fans for years and didn’t have to think twice. For five days, the three Brits sang the backing vocals for seven songs on the album and on one song, the only song composed entirely by Agnetha, Alan plays a guitar part.
Without a doubt, Mike is counting on a worldwide success: “I’m positive that we will at least sell five million copies around the world. That’s why we’ve already chosen four tracks that will be released as a single. Four hits, I would say!”

And what about ABBA’s regular composers/lyric writers, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson?
Mike Chapman: “Björn and Benny haven’t contributed to Agnetha’s album, just like they haven’t to Frida’s solo album. This is a product that’s completely her own and that has been the intention from the very beginning.”
So, ABBA has nothing to do with Agnetha’s solo album; only studio musicians were used that usually play on the ABBA-albums as well, but that was only a matter of convenience: they were around anyway. And that’s how all ABBA- and especially the Agnetha-fans are waiting anxiously for ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’. The album should be released at the end of May, according to ABBA’s record company and, as usual, it will be released around the world simultaneously.
A risky venture? A new album always is, even if your name is Agnetha and you are a member of ABBA...

Joepie, 1982: Frida in the studio without ABBA

The adventure has almost come to an end for Frida. The solo album, that she recorded with Phil Collins as a producer, is as good as finished.
“I’m over the moon about the results,” according to Frida. “Something that was only a dream a year ago, has now become reality. A solo album that doesn’t remind one of ABBA in any way. And a pleasant cooperation with someone who has been one of my musical idols for years. Obviously, I’m very curious about the reactions. According to Phil, I don’t have anything to worry about. But I’ll have to wait and see. With ABBA, we’ve never experienced a flop. But still, this is something different.”
“This album,” says Frida, “doesn’t endanger the future of ABBA. Lately, a lot has been written about a possible break up of ABBA, but I can assure you, for the time being there are no such plans,” according to the singer. “ABBA is taking a rest, after all these years. This gives us the opportunity to realize postponed solo projects. I’m convinced that this will only benefit ABBA. It breaks the routine for a while.”
Whether Frida will record another album with Phil hasn’t been decided yet. Something that has become clear, is that they’ve become friends for life.
“Obviously, there will be stories about a romance in the gossip magazines,” Frida smiles. “But I’ve broken the habit of getting annoyed about that. We flew to New York together. As friends. I’ve had such a good laugh with him. In the studio as well. He keeps the crew together with his sense of humour. Actually, I didn’t expect that from someone coming from a serious group like Genesis. But at the same time, Phil is a perfectionist. Someone who keeps on going, until the result is exactly the way he wants it.”

Hitkrant, 1981: ABBA-album as a Christmas present

Finally, we can reassure the thousands of ABBA-fans in Holland: the album is almost finished and the atmosphere in the Swedish Polar Studios couldn’t be better. A lot of hard work is being put in to have everything, including the sleeve, ready for the pressing factories on November the 20th. This means that the new ABBA-album may well be in the shops before December the 5th, but certainly before Christmas!

With this announcement from Stockholm, the uncertainty the fans have been living in for more than six months has finally ended. The rumours claiming that the ABBA-members wouldn’t get along very well anymore have been silenced as well.

The titles of the songs that are completely finished at this moment: ‘Two For The Price Of One’, ‘When All Is Said And Done’, ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’, ‘An Angel Passing Through My Room’, ‘Should I Laugh Or Cry’, ‘Head Over Heels’ and ‘I Let The Music Speak’.
A single won’t be chosen yet out of these tracks: ABBA wants to do that when everything is finished, approximately in the second week of November. According to the group’s spokesperson, the deadline will definitely be met, because the collaboration is running smoothly and the same goes for the recordings. “ABBA is more motivated than ever”, according to his comment.

A possible break up after the release of the album is out of the question, because there are no demonstrable reasons for that. Apart from that, ABBA has made a radio special under the title ‘ABBA Live In Concert’.
This program, completed with interviews with the members, will be broadcast on New Year’s Day by the English BBC.
The consequence of all these developments is that the ABBA live-album will not be released until 1982.

Hitkrant, 1982: ABBA: time heals all wounds

It seems quite obvious that it’s not clear sailing for ABBA at the moment: the ABBA-members are starting to grow apart and are very much involved in their own projects.
But ABBA-boss Stig Anderson is now starting to get his hopes up again for the future: “In the best of families, the children are going their own way,” he says. “Indeed, after the two divorces, major problems have risen within ABBA. But problems, no matter how big, are there to be solved. Time heals all wounds, is what I keep saying.”

How much longer will ABBA keep existing then?
“I can’t say that proceedings are running as smoothly as they did five years ago. Now, I have to deal with four separate individuals, instead of two married couples. Those four won’t have anything to do with each other privately and in that scenario, conflicts are occurring more frequently. There are days that they’d love to have a go at each other, but the interest of the group still comes first. All four of them are smart enough to understand that they’re still tied to each other on a business level and that it would be crazy to put an end to the ABBA-enterprise. Indeed, ABBA has become too big to quit at this stage.”

Still, Stig thinks that ABBA will become mainly a studio group. No more travelling, just making records, with an accompanying video for promotional purposes. So the fans won’t notice any difference!

Muziek Expres, 1982: "It´s getting harder and harder to write hits"

For months on end, ABBA has been working on the album ‘The Visitors’. Too long, according to them. “Too much is expected from us. Maintaining that level isn’t easy,” is how Björn Ulvaeus is putting ABBA’s creative problems into words. Together with his friend Benny Andersson he’s now doing completely different things besides ABBA. Just like Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. Does this mean that ABBA will break up in the near future? ME got the answer from the Swedish superstars...

Compared to Holland, Sweden is almost the North pole. Over there, the temperature has dropped to far below zero. Snow removers are working almost incessantly to keep the roads driveable. A large BMW is sluggishly working its way up Hamngatan, then parking in front of a modest, but stately building on which the words ‘Polar Music’ can be read in small lettering. The driver gets out of the car and, dressed in a long, dark fur coat, he almost seems like a grey wolf, that’s having a hard time working his way through the snow to the front entrance.
A while later, Benny Andersson, still wearing his coat, is sitting in the executive office of ‘Polar Music’, the headquarter of the multi-million ABBA company. Only on the mantelpiece, there are some things that reminds one of ABBA. Awards for their output from all over the world. In the rest of the building, there’s no trace of ABBA to be found. No music, no pictures, just people that are working hard. And also an ABBA-member in the flesh, who has just finished yet another ABBA-project. ‘The Visitors’ album is out in the shops, and Benny is very pleased to announce ‘fantastic sales figures’. As if he expected anything different.
Benny says: “That’s what you are saying, but even if your name is ABBA, it always remains a gamble. You’ll have to prove yourself time and time again. Actually, we’ve been working on ‘The Visitors’ for more than a year. Too long, but the songs don’t come as easily as they used to. Those days are gone. It isn’t easy to maintain that level. It gets harder and harder to come up with hit songs. So much is expected from us. Although we are ABBA, I’m sure that’s not a guarantee for a hit. Only the quality of the song is.”
According to Benny, the rumours about the possible break-up of the world-famous foursome are “without any foundation. And when I say that, you should believe it. Look, we would be able to continue indefinitely this way. Especially if we keep on writing songs of the same quality. Actually, ABBA only exists in the studio when there’s an album to be recorded or a couple of videos to be made. Apart from that, we only see each other occasionally at meetings. But don’t think we’re not having fun. We certainly are. But privately we’ve obviously grown apart to some extent. We run into each other every now and then on our children’s birthdays, but otherwise it’s not really necessary.”
Can we still call ABBA a group then?
Benny: “Why not? We have never been secretive about the fact that we don’t like live performances, but we do like recording music. As a matter of fact, that hasn’t changed at all.”

The foursome is spending quite some time on other projects as well. Can Benny tell us a bit more about that?
Benny: “Yes, Björn and I are working on the musical completion of the ABBA-musical that we have spoken of for years now and furthermore, we are producing a couple of, mainly Swedish, artists. Together with her daughter Linda, Agnetha has recorded a Christmas album, as a present for Björn, but apart from that, she doesn’t have official plans to do other things. She’s playing housewife. Frida is working on a solo-album but I can’t tell you more about that.”
Is that a sensitive subject for him because Frida was his wife?
Benny smiles. “No, not at all. But she wants to keep it a secret, from the three of us as well. Of course, we could have helped her with it, but then it would have turned out as some sort of ABBA-product again. She didn’t want that. Indeed, she has recorded that album with people who haven’t had anything to do with ABBA before. I’m very curious myself.”
In an earlier interview with us, you’ve talked extensively about the Beatles as a source of inspiration. The new ABBA-album is full of Beatles-influences. Agreed?
“Completely,” Benny confirms. “It creeps in, without us being aware of it, I think. We only heard it after it was finished. I really like that. I take it as a compliment...”
A snowball shatters against one of the executive windows. Benny gets up, looks out of the window and smiles. Björn seems to have arrived as well. We decide to continue our discussion about ABBA another time.
Benny: “It may be slippery here in Sweden, but for the time being ABBA will not fall flat...”