Popshop, 1977: Intimate portrait, Björn (from ABBA)

Björn Ulvaeus is the non-bearded young man from the ABBA quartet. He was born on April 25, 1945 in the town of Gothenborg on the Swedish west coast. As an eleven-year-old, he learned how to play the guitar and he fooled around with his skiffle group. As a seventeen-year-old, he decided to form a dixieland jazz band, together with his musical pals, with the intention to play at parties and bring in some money for their education. But most of the time they sang in the style of the American Kingston Trio. Under the name West Bay Singers they entered a competition on Swedish radio. That’s where the well-known Swedish talent scout Bengt Bernhag got to know them. He introduced them to his boss, the well-known music publisher and producer Stikkan Anderson and he saw a future for them as well (and money), on the condition that they would change their name, because the West Bay Singers was too banal. The American Hootenanny music was starting to become popular and that’s why they were called the Hootenanny Singers.
With their first record, they made it big. It was an old Swedish song about workers in the wood, a big moment for Björn and his friends, but for Stig Anderson as well, who had just launched his own record label, Polar Records.
This success was followed by the inevitable tours around the Swedish folk parks in 1964. Everybody loved the Hootenanny Singers, but they weren’t stormed by pushy teenagers. In one way or another, the members of the group didn’t have enough musical ambition. In essence, they were all boys from a little town who were a little intimidated by this sudden success. They didn’t believe in a future in music. Soon, the boys started to go their own way: one of them became a car salesman, the other an accountant, yet another one started working in his dad’s company. Björn wasn’t very positive anymore either and he decided to go to Stockholm university. Björn chose to study law and economics. But it wouldn’t last very long. Luckily, there was Bengt Bernhag who believed in Björn and taught him the ropes of the business, especially in the technical area. Without Bengt, Björn would never have become a superstar.
Despite everything, the Hootenanny Singers stayed together a few more years. Especially in the summer months they toured the country, mostly with an old, borrowed Volvo. Although Björn didn’t want to betray the Hootenanny Singers’ trust, he was well aware of their limited possibilities: three blokes with a guitar and a fourth one with a bass. Musically, he was head and shoulders above the others. Björn was convinced that a Swede would be capable of more than some cheap success in the folk parks. He wanted to reach higher, further than that. Under Björn’s influence, the Hootenanny Singers started to switch from Swedish folk music to English-language pop music. Then Björn met Benny and musically they hit it off immediately.

Tell us something about your early childhood?
“I don’t remember that much about it anymore. I’m always amazed by people who can talk incessantly about their early childhood years. I barely remember anything. When I was eleven, we moved from the east coast to the west coast. Around that time, I started to play guitar as well, I remember that very well! My mother has always encouraged me in that respect. Later on as well, when I didn’t know exactly what to do after high school and we – rather to kill time more than anything else – tried to sing and play music. My mother signed us up for a song contest, without informing us about it. When we were invited, we didn’t even have a name for a group. Once again, it was my mother who came up with the name West Bay Singers!”
You are more or less singled out as ABBA’s intellectual. You also studied at university. Why did you quit?
“Several different factors must have been the cause of that. Because of those first tours, I had outgrown the narrow-minded and provincial mentality. I didn’t want to go back to my place of birth. I was still too inexperienced for a career in music, so I was off to Stockholm to the university. I changed from one course to the other and I didn’t know exactly what I wanted. But I believe my mind was more set on music than on my studies. The university meant some kind of safety net, in case the Hootenanny Singers would split up. But I still was a good student all the time. With a little more dedication and a little less musical ambition I would definitely have finished my studies.”
Why is it that you have always been fond of Benny as a friend and a partner?
“When I met Benny for the first time and we talked to each other, it was like I was listening to myself. We had exactly the same musical opinions. From the start, we thought we had to create original music instead of reproducing other people’s music. In the beginning, our only problem was finding a space to make music together. I called my father, who worked at a factory at the time, and he saw to it that an empty office was placed to our disposal, where we could install Benny’s piano and my amplifiers. It was the only office in Sweden where the lights stayed on at night and where work was in progress!”
Do you ever argue?
“Very rarely. Especially not on a musical level. We have totally different personalities. Benny is a cheerful guy, while I’m constantly pondering, experimenting and planning. These days, we are obviously far more critical of the music that we make, but we really don’t argue. And that’s still extraordinary, when you realize that it sometimes takes days to find one satisfactory chord.”
Is it true that you are arrogant?
“That’s the story. But I don’t think so. I like to talk and I talk easily. Sometimes too much and that’s not always to my advantage. It is also said that I’m too businesslike, but I don’t see that as a criticism. You have to be businesslike in life, otherwise you won’t make it. If I hadn’t been businesslike, I would still be a Hootenanny today or ABBA would have turned into a one hit wonder after Eurovision. It is claimed that sound technicians in the studio can’t stand me because I interfere with every technical aspect. I’m not stingy but I do keep an eye on the price of things.”
So you are the brains of ABBA?
“Benny is not very interested in money and all the traps that come along with it. He is the pure and simple musician. Benny provides the spontaneous musical ideas. Mostly I am the one who organizes them, who brings order in the proceedings and, well, makes the decisions every now and then, not because I want to, but because the others simply leave it up to me.”
Is it true that you can’t smile?
“Hahahaha! But joking apart: probably I have never known that I wanted to do this: being a songwriter, a performer, a technician in a recording studio. Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m most comfortable in the studio and it’s probably true that I’m actually predestined to work in the studio. If I really had to choose between singing and performing or producing records, I would choose the latter. Performing is really a big task for me. I’m hardly able to relax on stage. Every time that we are performing I have to encourage myself: go on, be friendly, smile, don’t forget to smile, smile again. Does it surprise you that it turns into a grin? I’m not very good at pretending in life, and that goes for the stage as well. But being a record producer, that’s appealing to me! Later on, I will probably become a cool, businesslike producer. It would be stupid to think that ABBA will stay on top for ten more years in this formula, wouldn’t it?”
How did you meet Agnetha?
“I was listening to the radio in my apartment, but without paying much attention to it. Then the crystal clear little voice of a singer got through to me. I’m not into all that sentimental stuff but there was something about that voice, and I didn’t even know Agnetha. I couldn’t even imagine how she would look like. But already then I knew that this voice had to belong to someone who was fragile, delicate and sweet. In my imagination – and that’s bizarre – Agnetha looked exactly as she looked like in reality. Several months later, a cute blonde walked up to me in a television studio and she introduced herself, but I knew immediately – even before she had said her name – that it had to be Agnetha. I had to catch my breath. The rest of the story is well-known!”

Veronica, February 1988: Agnetha Fältskog, the ice queen stands alone

After the split up of the immensely popular group ABBA, the four former members have all gone their separate ways: Björn and Benny were off to London where they – among other things – composed the music for the musical Chess, Frida worked with Phil Collins and chose to live in Majorca, but Agnetha preferred to stay in Sweden more than anything. For over twenty years, she has been a popular appearance in her home country or, as she herself puts it: “People see me as a logical part of the inventory, so that I can shop without being bothered in Stockholm.”

In reality, the ‘cool blonde of ABBA’ is a friendly, but reserved woman. She has an aura of self-confidence around her, that vanishes for a moment when she expresses that she won’t talk about a certain subject. “After all those busy years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to execute projects well considered. Ever since I was five years old, I’ve been busy playing piano and composing, followed by performing with a dance orchestra, a solo career and of course ABBA. The device has always been ‘selling yourself’, but that takes the backseat now. Added to that, I don’t like touring, it takes a lot of energy to be in different cities at different times. My two children were born during the ABBA period and in between proceedings I had to raise them. Now I’m able to spend all my time on them and in between I can compose and produce.”

Although she has released several albums in the past with her own Swedish compositions, on the new English-language album ‘I Stand Alone’ she went for songs written by Peter Cetera, former singer of Chicago. Agnetha met him at a special Unicef gala, an organization that she supports actively. After a couple of months of international phone calls, it was decided to record the album in Malibu, California.
“In one word, it was inspiring, if only because we were working with renowned studio musicians such as Robbie Buchanan and Paulinho da Costa. I’ve been a fan of Peter for a long time... his voice, compositions... I don’t think I would describe the lyrics on this album as melancholic, no, rather a collection of love songs with a bit of tragedy. Peter had written about thirty songs, out of which I made a selection. What appeals to me the most is the power that the songs express, the music sounds strong and danceable. The most difficult moment was when I went back home after five weeks and the demo tape was sent to me later on. I knew what to expect, but I was still tensed. I’ve listened to the album quite a lot since then and I believe that we achieved the result that we aimed for.”

It remains a question what the aimed result is. On the whole, ‘I Stand Alone’ is a solid, well produced album, tailor made for the American market. The result is an accomplished product, but here and there it lacks the sorely needed emotion. The criticism pales compared to the success: the album has been number one in Sweden for several weeks and has been received well in several countries. Just like every aspect of the presentation, a lot of attention has been paid to the accompanying videos as well. Director Marcello Anziano, responsible for a couple of colourful Peter Gabriel videos, filmed the videos for ‘The Last Time’ and ‘I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye)’. We ask Agnetha the question if it isn’t difficult to keep up visually with the youthful, good looking artists of today. “Obviously, my approach is completely different. I don’t want to look like a sixteen-year-old, but like the mature woman that I am. Indeed, I believe that it’s more difficult for an older artist to create some kind of video image. For me, the album and the video have the same quality standard.”
Her little son Christian enters the room. She looks aside for a moment. “It’s only logical for me that I’m living in Sweden, it’s my country! I feel at ease here, I enjoy the environment, I have my children around me... Okay, the climate is bad but you have to take the bitter with the sweet. I also think it has to do with some kind of balance, after having gone through different stages: solo career, ABBA, and subsequently a solo career again. Sweden determines by background, just like all those stages influence your voice and spirit. If my cool voice is a reflection of my character? Oh well, I think it has to do with experience, that you know what you can do with your voice. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I still have to work hard to keep my voice in shape.”

Hitkrant, January 1981: What should ABBA do now? – ABBA off to Ireland?

1980 didn’t end very joyful for ABBA: the threat by an up till now unknown faction to kidnap Agnetha and Björn’s little daughter Linda has put a severe pressure on the Swedish quartet. Strict police protection, house arrest, problems. What should ABBA do now? Although there haven’t been any new threatening letters, the Stockholm police is taking this case very seriously and the threat remains weighing heavy on the four – five, counting Linda – shoulders.

All trips have been cancelled for the time being, and this at a time when a couple of very important trips had been planned. Because it is namely inevitable that – even as one of the most popular pop groups in the world – after having just released a new album you can’t sit back in a lazy chair and wait around how it’s going to sell.

No, promotion has to be done: interviews, radio and television performances, it all comes with the business, if you want to remain the centre of attention. Where the performances in Germany and England had already been cancelled and the scheduled television broadcasts had to be set up via a satellite link with Stockholm, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to go ahead with the other promotional trips.
And this is damaging ABBA’s career: it’s something completely different to see a group actually perform live, rather than on a television screen from Stockholm or – in the worst case scenario – not at all. ABBA’s Swedish record company told us that they are more or less desperate. The insecurity about the group’s safety is ruling all decisions at the moment.

Another problem: due to all the difficulties surrounding the group, the intended distribution of ABBA shares on the Stockholm stock market has become uncertain as well. The insecurity about the future doesn’t make future investors very keen on spending money.
We hope it will all be resolved in the near future. At the moment, the turn of the year is a period of worries and questions for ABBA. It’s our wish – and most probably your wish as well – that 1981 will turn out to be more peaceful for ABBA.

The problems surrounding ABBA seem to be serious: in an interview with an Irish newspaper, Björn Ulvaeus stated: “If they keep on pursuing and threatening us in Sweden, chances are that we will be moving to Ireland.”
Björn and Benny have already spent several holidays in Ireland and it suited them splendidly. Certain spokespersons in that country are even claiming that the foundation has already been bought, whereupon the ABBA houses are planned to be constructed.

Das Freizeit-Magazin, March 1978: ABBA, a place of honour for Das Freizeit-Magazin / ABBA by ABBA

The 13-year-old Andrea John from Mannheim was extremely lucky: she got the opportunity to hand over the bronze Freizeit-Magazin to her favourite group ABBA personally. To do just that, Andrea flew to Bremen, where the four Swedes were paying a quick visit on the occasion of the premiere of the ABBA movie. In the afternoon, the FM reader was greeted by Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Björn and Benny at the hotel, with an accent free ‘Guten Morgen’. And in the meantime, Björn speaks German so well that he could really have a conversation with Andrea. “We are extremely happy about the bronze Freizeit-Magazin,” Björn confessed honestly, when he saw the heavy bronze placard with ABBA’s portrait, “we know from the many letters we get that our most loyal fans are among the Magazin readers.” And Agnetha was beaming: “This is by far the most original award that we have ever received. It will get a place of honour at our home!”
The festive ceremony was celebrated with champagne and Andrea John got along with Benny and Björn so well that both ABBA girls almost got a little jealous. For that matter, she got a ‘stereo kiss’ from the ABBA boys as a little thank you. Before they said goodbye, Agnetha revealed ABBA’s secret future plans: “We are already working on a new album and on a musical, that should have its premiere on Broadway. We probably won’t go on tour again until next year.”
Das Freizeit-Magazin has a special surprise for Andrea and the many, many fans of the Swedish supergroup. From this magazine on, we will publish the authentic life story of the foursome. Told by ABBA themselves. Just turn the page. It will kick off on the next page.

This is the fantastic story of ABBA. A sensation. For the first time, Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid have told the real story. An unbelievable story. A fairytale of the twentieth century: how a singer from Jönköping, a folk singer from Västervik, a pop idol from Stockholm and a jazz singer from Eskilstuna met each other and started one of the most successful groups that the world has ever seen.
A group that has sold more records than any other artist. A group that reached number one in England, Europe’s number one country where pop music is concerned, five times in one year – with three singles and two albums. A group that attracted more viewers in Australia with their television shows than the historic moon landing by the Americans. ABBA has told everything to the journalist Christer Borg. Their hopes and wishes, tears and disappointments. Their big successes. Their most beautiful and most difficult moments. And how it all started. With ABBA. On that warm summer evening in the year 1966 when Björn and Benny met each other at a party. And composed their first song. In a windmill in Västervik. ABBA by ABBA. From this day on. Only in Freizeit-Magazin!

Every story has a beginning. The ABBA story started in the summer of 1966. The venue: a party in Västervik, Sweden. The ones involved: a lot of young people, among them two upcoming musicians named Björn and Benny. Both of them weren’t around to experience the end of the party. They had already left the party long before that. In the middle of the night they drove to the paper mill in Västervik, where Björn’s father worked, they dragged an organ, a guitar and an amplifier into the office and started composing.
In the morning, one more song was born into the world: ‘Isn’t It Easy To Say’. Their first collaboration. The song didn’t become a worldwide hit. At the time, Björn was still a member of the Hootenanny Singers. But he was already fed up with their sentimental style. When Benny asked him if he would be willing to replace guitarist Janne Frisk with the Hep Stars, Björn didn’t need to think twice.
The tour brought Björn and Benny even closer together. Even the break up of the Hep Stars didn’t change that. And then the two close friends suddenly became four: Björn met Agnetha Fältskog and Benny fell madly in love with Anni-Frid Lyngstad. On November 1, 1970, the four of them performed in a show in Göteborg. ABBA’s first performance. However, a musical breakthrough wasn’t in the cards yet.
Instead, Benny and Björn started concentrating on composing. One of their first joint songs ‘Language Of Love’ made it to number six at a music contest in Malaga. Björn: “From that moment on, it became serious.” Björn, who was still studying at Stockholm university, quit his studies. “I finally knew exactly what I really wanted to become.”
The first real ABBA hit became ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’ in 1972. In Europe however, the sales figures weren’t very impressive. Instead, more than half a million copies of the record were sold in Japan.
‘People Need Love’ became their next success. In America, it even entered the top 100. And for the first time, the record cover was labelled: Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. However, at this time the Swedes were far more interested in a major breakthrough in Sweden and Europe than in sales successes in the Far East or the USA. The date had already been set: February 10, 1973. On this day, the Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest were taking place. Among the contestants were Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid and Agnetha as well. They finally wanted to make it big with ‘Ring Ring’. Their performance only had one hindrance. Agnetha was expecting her first baby. The doctor had estimated the child to be born on February 2. It was a question for Agnetha: a maternity hospital or a pop contest?

Bravo, 1977: Alfred Haase, Anni-Frid’s father has something to tell you

Here’s a letter by Alfred Haase about his experience of meeting his daughter Frida for the first time, as published in German magazine Bravo.
After all the commotion that my sudden fatherhood of Anni-Frid Lyngstad and the reports in Bravo magazine have caused, I would like to address all of you personally once again, on the following grounds: firstly, I would like to thank Bravo with all my heart that it set the ball rolling and made the contact with the group ABBA and especially Anni-Frid possible, by publishing an item about Anni-Frid’s ‘unknown German father’. Secondly, I would like to thank you, Bravo readers, for the enormous interest and sometimes moving participation in the whole story.
Ever since I returned from Stockholm, where I had my first meeting with Anni-Frid, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Almost incessantly, I get calls from Bravo readers, primarily girls. They congratulate me and fire questions at me, about how my three day visit with Anni-Frid and Benny went. They want to know all the details. You will surely understand, that I can’t share every single detail. After all, I’m at my job the entire day and in the evening, especially at night, I need some peace and quiet.
That’s why I’m willing to tell you the most important things this way, things that you haven’t been able to read in Bravo yet. First, you should imagine that the house that Anni-Frid and Benny are living in is like a castle. When I was standing there for the first time, on Friday September 9, at the bottom of the wonderful stairway, with a bunch of red roses in my hand, and saw my ‘new’ famous daughter standing right at the top of that stairway, I thought I was dreaming. We approached each other and embraced each other. Those first moments, we both didn’t say a word. We just knew and felt that there weren’t any doubts about our consanguinity. I will never forget that moment when we looked in each other’s eyes for the first time. After that, it struck me that she had the same high forehead as her mother, there’s also a lot of resemblance in the eyes.
At last Frida slowly said, in clumsy German: “Good evening... welcome.” Then we went into the house, together with Benny and Anni-Frid’s aunt, who had picked me up from the airport. The friendliness and the hospitality that was bestowed on me in the next three days, was a once in a lifetime experience. Anni-Frid and Benny both told me that I should feel at home with them. And that wasn’t just an expression. I was allowed to pick my own room, where I wanted to stay in. But of course, everything was fine with me.
Anni-Frid made our meals herself and she spoiled me. At first, her aunt translated everything that we said to each other. Benny also speaks German quite well. With every day that passed, Anni-Frid understood German a little better. She asked me to speak very slowly. She asked me if it bothered me that she kept staring at me, because the whole thing was still like a fairytale for her. I said: “Of course not, it’s the same for me.”
That first night, we sat together until four o’clock in the morning. Obviously, Anni-Frid wanted to know exactly what I remembered from her mother, and I wanted to know all the details about her mother’s fate as well. When I imagined that she had to go through an entire pregnancy, the birth and all of those daily worries as a nineteen-year-old girl on her own, you can surely imagine how sad that made me feel. And I didn’t know anything about that for 32 years. How cruel life can be at times! When Anni-Frid was only two years old, her mother died at the age of 21 due to a kidney failure.
When Anni-Frid made it clear to me on the second day that she wanted to learn how to speak German as quickly as possible, because there were things that she only wanted to share with me, without anyone translating them, then I broke down. I disappeared to my room. All of a sudden, everything had become too much and too overwhelming. After a couple of minutes, Benny came to me and he asked delicately: “Did we do something wrong?” I replied: “No, on the contrary. I will get come back to you in a minute.”
To distract me a little bit, both of them then showed me the old town of Stockholm, they bought my wife two beautiful porcelain candles as a souvenir. We also went to a top restaurant to have dinner.
Actually I wanted to get back to Germany on Sunday, but due to all the excitement and all the stories we had to tell, none of us thought about booking a flight back. When this struck me on Sunday morning, all flights were fully booked. That’s why I flew back on Monday. Anni-Frid accompanied me on my way to the airport and she promised me that she would call as soon as possible. In the meantime, she has. Now she also wants to start writing letters in German, so that she will learn my language faster.
Bravo readers, now you may be able to imagine what it means to suddenly be the father of Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Obviously, this fantastic thunderbolt in my life has its downside as well. For instance, you may be able to imagine how bad I felt when a reporter from a Hamburg newspaper called me after the story had appeared in Bravo and asked: “Will you stop working now? What are you going to do with all those millions from your daughter?” A reporter from Cologne called me and asked: “Are you the famous mister Haase?” I said: “No, I’m not the famous mister Haase. My name is simply Haase, and it should stay that way.” Even when the thought of having a daughter like Anni-Frid now is making me very happy.

Muziek Expres, March 1981: The ABBA Business, part 2

Here’s part two of a lengthy article called The ABBA Business, as published in Dutch magazine Muziek Expres in 1981.
ABBA is one of the best selling products in the world. This product consists of the exceedingly strong melodies by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and the good looking and singing duo Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. But there’s more behind this quality product. For instance, a golden recording method and a flourishing company with twenty-five employees who are all under the leadership of ABBA manager Stikkan ‘Stig’ Anderson. In this second part of The ABBA Business, among other things, interviews with the producers duo Ulvaeus/Andersson, manager Stig Anderson and sound technician Michael Tretow.

Manager and president Stig Anderson comes out of his office, looks around and subsequently puts out his hand to me. “Come on in, have a seat, would you like some coffee, I’ll be right with you, have a cigarette, did you bring a tape recorder, where is your photographer, what time is it, aha, then I still have 45 minutes, wait awhile, I’ll be right back...”
The office is decorated quite modestly, a couple of gold records on the wall. The rest of the trophies is spread over the entire building. A nice arithmetical problem: how many gold and platinum records have been handed over with interim total sales of fifty million singles and albums?
ABBA is the richest company in Sweden and, apart from that, has a considerable amount of financial influence in other companies. There’s no business like ABBA business. For most people, ABBA is a band, for some others a money machine and for many Swedes, except for a music group, canned herring and caviar as well. Because there’s another company in Sweden that’s called ABBA. ABBA with the sea scent had no objection to the ABBA that produced sounds, so today two ABBAs exist. With the difference that the musical ABBA put one B backwards. For that matter, since a couple of years the musical ABBA indirectly has shares in ABBA the fish factory as well. What a coincidence...
He enters the room, meanwhile gesturing industriously to his ex-secretary and now vice-president Görel Hanser. He hands over my coffee with a foot-bath personally. Then we are alone. Anderson (I’m allowed to call him Stig, if I want) drinks his coffee black, but during the entire interview he keeps stirring his cup. From time to time, his other hand puts out a burning cigarette in the ashtray. I only knew Anderson from the pictures that were taken during the illustrious Eurovision Song Contest (April 6, 1974) in Brighton. The boss of the ABBA company now looks like he is sixty years old, instead of fifty, an age that he has yet to achieve.
A little question at the president: has everything been achieved where music is concerned?
A passionate Anderson: “The basic assumption of that question is completely wrong. How often do I have to say that money is not the most important thing. It’s the fun and after that it’s the money. Artistically speaking, you have never reached your peak. ABBA has a recognizable sound, but none of these songs sound the same.”
He’s right about that. However... the money, it keeps coming in. The assets of the four ABBA members is estimated at nearly 200 million Dutch guilders, Stig Anderson himself has plenty of dough as well: 30 million. Such an enormous wealth is not within easy reach for everybody, and certainly not that kind of success. What’s the secret?
Stig: “In the first instance, I think it’s luck. Because you have got to have luck, otherwise nothing will happen. Furthermore, I believe that we as a group have created a rather unique situation. I wanted to have everything under one umbrella. To have a record company and at the same time publish music and so on. This means that you benefit from your own creations one hundred percent. No one will exploit you. It’s a smart, democratic and social system.”
Stikkan’s plan was that smart that even too much money was coming in at one point. And the tax-collection office kept calling ‘Ka-ching’. That’s why the company ABBA, that initially only occupied itself with musical activities, rapidly started participating in other kinds of companies. Buying and especially investing was the device. And all of a sudden, they were acquired faster than the speed of light: warehouses, supermarkets, houses, sports businesses, an art gallery. They invested in oil, cucumbers, horses and bicycles. It’s Anderson’s dream to introduce his ABBA on the stock market. “A sensible fan will then, apart from the latest ABBA album, buy an ABBA share as well...”

A shrewd business man, that Stikkan Anderson. First a salesclerk, then a teacher, after that a lyric writer and president of his own music publishing company. “Why should others make money of my songs.” Anderson already had a lot of hits credited to his name and a lot of money in his bank account before he first met Björn and then Benny. For instance, he wrote the music and original lyrics for the European hit that became well-known in Holland under the title ‘Hou Je Echt Nog Van Mij Rockin’ Billy’, sung into the charts in 1960 by Ria Valk. That gold record is hanging on the office wall as well. Doesn’t he miss this writing?
“Yes, very much. As you know, I’ve contributed to a lot of ABBA hits as well, especially lyrically. But I don’t have any time these days to sit down and write songs myself. Artistically speaking, I still think along with ABBA. The outfits, album sleeves, stage designs, promotion, songs, actually I interfere with everything. Keeping yourself busy on a business level only tends to become tiresome. I think that having conversations with foreign record companies is a creative job as well. As you may know, ABBA’s own record company Polar Records has closed distribution deals with all kinds of big record companies all over the world. In every country, I’ve chosen the best record company. Why? Very simple, because every record company is as good as its president. It might very well be the case that one record company is very good in Holland and that same company in England very bad.”

Björn says about Stikkan: “In former times, Stikkan was indeed often on top of the songs, yes. He helped us out with the lyrics, chords and he gave us very valuable advice with his expertise in this business. Obviously, this has decreased over time. Meanwhile, we have become experts in this business ourselves. But despite Stig’s focus on business activities, he remains the most artistic manager. He is still on the same wavelength. Therefore, ABBA consists of five masterminds...”
According to Stig, there are indeed five and he’s certainly not the only one responsible for the Big Success.
“Nonsense. That would be true if I had written and sung everything myself.”
But Stig likes to commend himself for the fact that he put the guys on the girls’ track and therefore he is taking credit for putting the eventual ABBA together. Andersson met Björn Ulvaeus already back in 1964, one of the Hootenanny Singers, who were then very popular in Sweden. He was the songwriter of that successful band, just like Benny Andersson was of another Swedish top group in those days: the Hep Stars. Benny was the pianist and he even came to Holland to perform ‘Sunny Girl’ on television, which was a huge hit in our country at the time. The two B’s of ABBA recorded an album together in 1969. Actually, it wasn’t massively successful. Stig: “I expected more from it. But what was missing from that record became all the more clear later on...”
What was lacking were female vocals, like Frida and Agnetha’s. Vocals as they sounded on the song ‘Waterloo’. The song that started their victory. While most Eurovision winners don’t have a very prosperous career, ABBA managed to work magic with one magnificent song after the other. Songs that are pieced together perfectly soundwise. Therefore, the producers Ulvaeus and Andersson are often called the Phil Spectors of the seventies. Benny: “A compliment, but it’s a bit exaggerated. The most important thing is that we have found a sound that harmonizes with the melodies. I think that the team is smaller than you would think. No, you choose musicians that go with a song. Actually, the team consists of the four of us and the technician. He is crucial, no matter what...”

Technician Michael B. Tretow usually works for ABBA at the Polar Studios. And when he doesn’t have to work for ABBA, he works at home. For himself. In his own studio, an hour’s drive from Stockholm. Goodness knows how Michael looks like in person, but on the phone he sounds a bit like this: “At home, I mostly do recordings for audio visuals or things like that. I don’t have a real studio here, you know. It’s not that advanced. It’s more like a control room and some microphones in the bathroom. But I’ve recorded quite a lot here.”
ABBA as well?
“Haha. No, we only do that in the Polar Studios. We have more options there.”
Tell me, Michael. In what respect do you see yourself as someone whose contribution was vital to ABBA’s success?
“Now that’s a question. I truly believe that every self-respecting technician would have done the things that I did. Do a good job and think along. It’s your job.”
But didn’t you invent a certain technique that made the sound bigger?
“That’s true, yes. I incorporated a couple of speed changes. When you play back a recorded voice at different kinds of speed, you get some kind of enhanced sound. These days, there is equipment to do that.”
What does a recording period for one song look like?
“On the first day, the basic instruments like bass, drums and piano are recorded, the second day is used to add a couple of separate instruments and the next day the vocals are recorded. So that’s when the ladies enter the studio and mostly Benny and Björn are singing along on backing vocals as well. The next day a couple of overdubs are being done and then the mixing starts. That’s mostly the longest period. Sometimes we even spend months on that. We spent eight months on the whole album ‘Super Trouper’.”
Is there some kind of recipe for the ABBA sound?
“As I mentioned earlier, the separately recorded voices. Apart from that it’s really the song that should have enough quality. If that isn’t the case, you can bend over backwards as a technician, but you won’t succeed. And without Agnetha and Frida, the ABBA sound would never have been the ABBA sound...”

Björn and Benny are somewhat vague about their future. The first one says that there are no plans outside ABBA. “There are,” the other then adds. But Björn puts a stop to it. He tells Benny that he can’t say anything about that yet. Bad luck. Let’s give it another try. How about that musical? Four years ago it was announced for the following year. “That doesn’t mean that it’s off the table,” Björn says smilingly. “It will come, when we have the time,” Benny adds.
Wrong, gentlemen. Stig Anderson has just claimed that he has scheduled a meeting about this musical business a day after tomorrow. Basically, everything seems to be settled. Well, financially speaking, that is. Because according to Stikkan, a concept still has to be found. The theme that the musical will revolve around. Only then, action can be taken. That basic theme has to be on the table faster than the speed of light though, because Stikkan already has a couple of things planned concerning this musical in 1981. So there’s work to be done.

Pop Biz, 1978: ABBA’s Agnetha speaks her mind: “I wouldn’t know what to do on my own...”

Agnetha Fältskog got married on June 6, 1971 to the then already well-known pop musician Björn Ulvaeus. At the time, nothing was pointing to the fantastic things to come. Now, seven years later, blonde Agnetha sometimes thinks about the old days with melancholy. Then she wonders how it’s all going to end...

Actually, Agnetha has never made much effort to put herself forward. But in one way or another, other people have always encouraged her to keep singing. It all started with her father, a musician himself, who wrote songs for her when she was very little. Later on, Björn and ABBA eventually made her a star. Maybe that’s why she is able to look at things in a cool, businesslike way.
“I know that we are world famous and are at the absolute top. But I try not to think about that too much. Sometimes, it makes me a little scared,” she confesses openly. When you talk to Agnetha, it is clear that she doesn’t behave like a star at all. She notices small details, gets tea herself and she talks about music as little as possible. “It may sound strange,” she apologizes, “but I don’t interfere at all with the plans of the group. I’d rather leave that to Benny and Björn. They know exactly what’s right for ABBA.”

Agnetha’s faith in the team of Benny-Björn-Stig is unlimited. “There is some kind of family bond between us,” she explains. “It’s not a business relationship, like you often see between artists and their managers. ABBA is a true family company.” Agnetha herself takes care of the daily worries of her own ‘family company’, namely her own little family. She has now been a mother for almost a year and during the past year she has had to compromise and improvise quite a lot to divide her time between both tasks as good as possible. Luckily, ABBA has taken things a little easer this year. But will it remain that way in the future? “I don’t know,” Agnetha says pensively. “We’ve already done everything once and in Europe we can go on like this for some time to come. However, America is still one big riddle. If our records will make it big over there, everything will change. Then we will be away from home very often, because you have to work hard to stay on top there. Television performances and tours will take up a lot of our time then. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would really want that. Now, we can make new recordings in peace and quiet and we live comfortably here.”

On the one hand, Agnetha is a homely type of person, but on the other hand she is also a little ‘addicted’ to success. “I wouldn’t want to stop for quite some time,” she smiles spontaneously. “That would leave an enormous void in my life. Sometimes I try to imagine how it would be like without ABBA. I know at some point the day will come that we will quit. It may be years and years before that day arrives, but it will come. And what happens then? I wouldn’t have to work or anything like that, because there’s more than enough money. Maybe we could have some more children. But oh well, there won’t be any time for that in the near future...” Agnetha thinks it’s a little disquieting to think too much about the future. Maybe that’s because there were always other people who defined her future. She doesn’t mind: “I know that I didn’t take a lot of initiatives myself, but I have no regrets about that. Life has been good to me and I have a lot of sweet people surrounding me. I trust them wholeheartedly and I couldn’t cope without them. I’m just not very independent, but that’s not a bad thing, is it? For that matter, I wouldn’t have achieved as much on my own. I don’t think it’s any fun either to have a solo career. It’s fantastic to make an audience enthusiastic with the four of us, but I wouldn’t like to be on stage alone for all the gold in the world.”