Mikory's ABBA-blog

ABBA - The Movie on DVD 26 September 2005

Yesterday, on the official ABBA-site, Universal announced that "ABBA - The Movie" will be released in two different editions on DVD. I think it will be fantastic to see this film restored and with great sound, can't wait! Here's the pressrelease:

Universal Music will be releasing ABBA - The Movie globally on September 26, 2005.
     The movie follow ABBA at the height of their career on a tour of Australia in March 1977 and remains one of the precious few opportunities to experience ABBA live on stage. ABBA - The Movie is now available for the first time on DVD.
     The release will feature a limited edition digipack featuring two DVDs, and also a regular single disc version.

Single disc version contents:
The fully restored widescreen film.

• Sound in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo.

Digipack contents:
Disc 1 The fully restored widescreen film.

• Sound in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo.

Disc 2 Bonus features:

• An interview about the film with Lasse Hallström (who directed ABBA - The Movie ), Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, filmed in New York this year; the original ABBA - The Movie trailers; an ABBA - The Album television commercial; a memorabilia picture gallery; plus a gallery of the original tour programme.

Catalogue numbers
Regular single disc:  987 170-0 PAL version, 987 170-3 NTSC version
Limited Special Edition: 987 169-9 PAL version, 987 170-2 NTSC version

ABBA in Tiffany 1975

This little article with some really nice pics of the four members was published in Swedish pop magazine Tiffany no 7 1975. Don't forget you can click on the pictures to see a larger version!

ANNI-FRID, BJÖRN, BENNY, AGNETHA
ABBA are showered with gold records. To get even more they have released a Greatest Hits album. And both Agnetha and Anni-Frid are releasing solo albums.
     During this fall ABBA has climbed the charts all over the world with SOS. Furthermore, SOS has become a hit in both England and the USA, the world's toughest markets. ABBA has every reason to look pleased on their walk through the city. 1975 became a good year, a worthy successor to the successfull year of 1974.

ABBA in the US 1978

I remember reading this article from VeckoRevyn, published on 24 May, back in 1978. I was horrified! Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida were moving to America! Disaster! I was all upset. As we now all know it never happened. And I guess it was because Agnetha really didn't want to go, even though it sounds like all four of them - in this article - have agreed on moving to LA for at least a while.

"We would like to live here for a while"
ABBA is now being marketed in the USA. With lots of millions in sight if they become a hit. They are also thinking about moving to Los Angeles. For a while. They are looking for suitable houses.

The Californian sun is shining on the 7 metres tall ABBA billboard in Hollywood. It's the largest billboard the people of Los Angeles have seen in a very long time. But then the billboard says: "ABBA - the largest selling group in the history of recording music" and that includes both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones...
     On many of the different radio stations ABBA's latest hit "Take A Chance On Me" is playing, at least once every hour. After five weeks on the charts it has gotten to place 17 and is still going upwards.
     The record company Atlantic, home of recording giants like the Rolling Stones, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin and many others, are spending 2½ million kronor on a gigantic ABBA campaign and are counting on it making 200 million kronor in return.
     One part of the enormous campaign is to let the enormous audience get acquainted with ABBA - and this will be done by having them as guests on the Olivia Newton-John show, together with the youngest Gibb brother, Andy. Those who have seen the finished recording say that ABBA stole the show.

DOLLS AND COMPETITIONS
The ABBA campaign started in March and will end in August. By that time 3 million albums should be sold, the Americans will be wearing ABBA T-shirts and the children will be playing with their ABBA dolls in their rooms with ABBA posters on the walls. By then radio stations across America will have had competitions for their listeners where they can win trips to Sweden and especially made albums. By then all of America will not only know how ABBA sound, but also how Björn and Agnetha and Benny and Frida look, how they live, what they think and what they eat.
     So it's far from unlikely that our Swedish pop group will become superstars even here in America. They are already very close to reaching the heights only a handfull of artists reach.
     ABBA themselves are aware of this and they think that it is about time that they try to conquer this large - and hard to catch - American audience with everything that will bring. That is why they have worked hard to put all their hard effort into this TV-show. Never before have they worked so focused and hard as this time. For 14 days they have been working 12-14 hours per day and last night they didn't go to bed until 6.00am. They still had to be up a couple of hours later to get back to the studio for the final mix and in just an hour they will be seated in first class on their flight to Düsseldorf for another TV-apperance.
     We are sitting on a silk couch among mirrors, palm trees and original 18th century paintings and we are waiting, and waiting - and waiting - for the group to show up on the red carpet in the foyer of the luxurious hotel L'Ermitage, which is the fanciest most expensive for the millionaires visiting Beverly Hills. Last week Mick Jagger checked in under the name John Wettager and right now famous rock band KISS (who had to make a promise not to appear in make-up at the hotel because the managment feared that other prominent guests such as General Motors CEO wouldn't appreciate it) are staying here.
     At L'Ermitage there are only suits which doesn't have ordinary locks on their doors, all guests get a new combination code in the hotel's computer central for the lock which is like the lock of a bank vault. Benny and Frida and Björn and Agnetha have stayed next door to each other in two stories suits which cost 1000 kronor a night.
     In addition the suit you get a Rolls Royce with a chauffeur - if you don't want to drive it yourself.

ATE LOTS OF POTATO CHIPS
The price also include caviar when it's time for cocktails, but ABBA preferred so much potato chips in front of the TV that they for all future will be rememberd as the biggest chips consumers ever.
     Especially Björn and Agnetha who preferred to stay in their room during the little free time they had. Benny and Frida on the other hand took advantage of being in LA and went on late dinners at expensive restaurants with friends. Mainly because they wanted to get to know the city all four members of ABBA want to live in for a longer time. No matter how you look at it, today Los Angeles is the musical centre of the world, when something really big in the music business happens, it happens here.
     That's the reason ABBA has asked their friend in Los Angeles, actress Lena Larsson to be on the outlook for suitable villas to rent in Beverly Hills, Bel Air or on the beach in Malibu, so that they can move here in November with their children. Not move here for good, but to get to know the city and feel their way.

AGNETHA MISSES THE CHILDREN
Suddenly the cool atmosphere of the lobby changes into chaos. ABBA with their entourage has finally arrived and there isn't much time and their assistant Bosse Norling has already left for the airport to check in their luggage. Around 15 people, PR-persons, record label executives, lawyers and friends are running around the awaiting limousine, trying to get at last word in.
     The girls, Frida and Agnetha, are stylish as usual: Agnetha in a pink pants suit and a pink-blue shirt. Frida in a grey striped dress with a red mink on her arm in the exact same colour as her hair and sun glasses with tiny, painted flowers on them.
     The guys look much more tired, but then again they have been working hard with the sound mixes.
     Agnetha says she misses the children, Linda and Christian, but that it's OK since it's only 15 days at the time.
     - USA is a challenge, we wouldn't mind moving here for a while, Benny manages to tell us before someone in the crowd gets his attention while Frida is kissing and hugging her friends goodbye.
     - It would be fun to stay here for a longer period of time and get to know how it is to work here, says Björn, who is dressed in brown red pants and an orange shirt.
     - Yes, you only live once, Frida establishes with a smile as she appears in the crowd in front of the big car. And I like Los Angeles a lot.
     - No, now ABBA have to leave, otherwise they will miss their flight, one of the PR-women says and tries to get the group into the car. With a little help she manages to do that and ABBA leave in ambulance speed. Left behind is the group of American people who now will continue to work for ABBA's American future. Everyone is waving. And waving
     - They are amazing, sighs PR executive Stan Moress. ABBA has one of the best shows in the world today. They are so creative and their music fits everyone, children, grownups, the elderly.
     - Yes, ABBA are going to be very big here, says Paul Cooper one of the big bosses of Atlantic. They are already one of our top groups, but they are going to be even bigger. Our new superstars.

EVERYTHING IS FOCUSED ON THE GROUP
As proof of the reliability to this assumption even the record company's vice president is present at this farewell ceremony.
     - We are counting on ABBA becoming as big here as they are in Australia and England, says this elegant man. ABBA are bigger than the Beatles today and that is why we have asked one of the biggest and most successfull advertising companies to launch a complete campaign for the group.
     - The name of this company is Scotty Brothers Entertainment and the following day I'm in their  luxurious office on Hollywood Boulevard and waiting for Tony Scotty, who has planned the whole ABBA campaign. The walls are covered with gold records for marketing of artists like Barbra Streisand, Shaun Cassidy, Olivia Newton-John, Leif Garrett and others. Here and there are card boards of ABBA in actual size, because right now all of the company's efforts are focused on the group: here they only work with one project at the time and you tailor make the campaign to suit the artist in question.
     - This will be the biggest campaign ever made for one group, says Tony Scotty when he sits in his office with ABBA in one form or another placed  around him. We have done similar campaigns for Barbra Streisand for example but in ABBA's case the campaign will be four times as big. And we have never made such a big campaign before the artists has become very big. But when I was in Sweden and listened to ABBA I immediately realized that it was the right thing to do. Now we know that it was right. ABBA will become superstars.
     - So far ABBA has been faceless for the American audience but they won't be for much longer. ABBA will be brought to the public in every form. After that they will have to come here every now and then and do TV-shows so the public don't lose the personal contact with them. We have also recommended that ABBA should do a tour here next spring or summer.
     - Today we know that ABBA will be very big here too. The question is only how big, there's no limit. There are artists that sell 9-10 million records every time and the Saturday Night Fever album has already reached 13 million, but that's exceptional. As I see it there's no limit for ABBA, since their music is for everyone.

New ABBA book

A new book in German has recently been published. Authors are Frédéric Tonnon and Marisa Garau. The book takes you through the complete career of ABBA and even includes the early solo years for the girls, Björn and Benny's Hootenanny Singers and Hep Stars experiences. You also get a good look into Agnetha's comeback in 2004 and her and Frida's post-ABBA years as well as Björn and Benny's musicals; "Chess", "Kristina Från Duvemåla" and "Mamma Mia!".

It contains a lot of good photos, some quite unusual. I'm sure most ABBA fans, apart from the German fans of course, will buy this for the photos. Maybe it will be translated into English, I'm not sure.

You can buy this book from Amazon in Germany, it's easy to buy from them with their 1-click Ordering. Or you can get it from the ABBF Fan Club, they always give you excellent service.

All the pictures here are from the book.

Agnetha interview May 1979

An inteview from VeckoRevyn published on 29 May 1979. Written by Jackie Lindberg.

Up close and personal
with Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog is not easy to get hold of for an interview. The whole world's press can agree with that. Recently the world press gathered outside her villa on Lidingö after the divorce. The begged to get an interview. But nothing helped. Agnetha wanted to be left alone.
     She doesn't think that she has very much to say. But she is also a naturally shy person, which makes her avoid journalist who often asks not so very important questions, she says.
     So why she agree to give me an interview I don't know. Maybe I just happened to ask her at the right time.
     For the first time she talks about her childhood, her upbringing, how she got her breakthrough, how ABBA was born, love and divorce. Her own way of expressing herself shows what an insecure and searching person she is. She has been through a difficult crisis, but now she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. So the picture of a very much alive fellow human being who is plagued by guilt and wants to stand on her own emerges.
     There's one story that wasn't included in this interview. I can tell it here. It says alot about what a modest person Agnetha Fältskog is:
    Agnetha and I has decided on the phone to meet at a Chinese restaurant in Stockholm. Somewhere we got our wires crossed. I ended up at China Garden on Karlavägen while Agnetha was waiting at China Park on Birger Jarlsgatan.
     It too me half an hour to realize the mix up. During that time Agnetha had called my house and asked my wife why I hadn't shown up. My wife said I left a long time ago and that I'm usually very punctual.
     - I thought he had forgetten about me, said Agnetha. But that's OK, I'll wait a little longer.
     Forget about a world famous celebrity! Forget a dinner with Agnetha Fältskog! I was astonished when I heard about her reaction.
     I didn't dare to believe that she would still be there. But she was - when I came running, out of breath. I could name at least 50 other celebrities who would have left the restaurant after five minutes if the reporter didn't show up. But that's how she is, Agnetha Fältskog. So far from a diva as could get.

You have just been through a crisis in your private life. How do you cope when something like that happens?
     - I have some security in my self. When a problem occurs I just want to go home to my parents. I'm so glad they are still around. I think them a lot, and my childhood. It's there everything starts, isn't it? I grew up in Jönköping. My dad is an administrator at the electricity company, my mother is a cashier at Konsum (a food store), but when I and my sister were young she was a stay at home mom for several years.
How was it at home?
     - It wasn't a quiet home exactly. Everyone talked with each other. Dad - a real joker - was something like a entertainmentdad for the whole town. He wrote New Years' shows and played the piano. Mom is also musical. Early on I developed a taste for entertaining. When I was a teenager I toured with a dance orchestra and sang, I wrote my own songs which were successfull. I had a lot of freedom. But of course I had to be responsible. I had to be punctual and not stay out too long. At the same time I worked in an office. I was the girl on the switchboard. It didn't give me much, just a feeling of being an outsider. When the phone wasn't ringing I was thinking of what to do with my life. I was a dreamer and fantasized a lot, but at the same time I realized that I had to get an education. But the music got in the way. A boyfriend broke up with me and I wrote a sentimental song called "Jag Var Så Kär" (I was so in love).
And then the adventure started?
     - The band leader's wife knew the rock singer Little Gerhard (Karl Gerhard Lundqvist) in Stockholm. The orchestra decided to send him a tape with some songs. We really wanted to make a record. I got a personal reply, which was positive. I couldn't belive it at first. That's how convinced I was that I would never amount to anything. It resulted in a recording at the Philips studio in Stockholm, but not with "my" orchestra. Dad came with me and held my hand. I was more nervous than I have ever been. I was shaking and my mouth was dry. We recorded and released two singles which was unusual for a debutant. My idol at that time was Connie Francis. They said that I sounded a bit like her. "Jag Var Så Kär" became a hit. The adventure had started.
How was ABBA formed?
     - ABBA was formed out of love, you could say. Björn and I was in love. And so were Benny and Anni-Frid. We all were in love and excited especially when we worked together. We became world famous, but that doesn't mean anything to us. We are Swedes and Swedes are firmly planted on the ground. Björn and I lived together for three years, then we got married. We had been married for seven years when we divorced. It didn't end abruptly. It was a long process. But ABBA didn't have anything to do with it. We would have divorced even if we didn't work together. We developed in different directions and the problems started. I felt like I didn't have any freedom in the marriage, locked in. We just fell out of love and we annoyed each other until we decided to live apart.
Why?
     - There's something weird about being married. You devote all your time to your partner and you forget about your friends. After a while you feel locked in and you wonder what has happened. You haven't grown as a person and you start to panic. Can I make it on my own, will I destroy it for my children? What do I want to do with my life? Is the grass greener on the other side? Your conscience haunts you, as well as your fears for the future.
     - When Björn and I reached that level we contacted a psychologist, quite like you go to the doctor if you are physically ill. Nothing strange about that. But the tabloids made a big deal of the fact that we were seeing a psychologist and even insinuated that I had an affair with him.
Was that just a lie then?
     - A divorce is something terrible to go through. But it's even worse to be subjected to the tabloids lies in articles where they present them as the truth. You're powerless. It doesn't help if you appeal to them to be left alone. There are some magazines that writes exactly what they want and they use you to increase sales.
So now you had crisis meeting within ABBA?
     - Once we had decided about a separation this naturally led to meeting within ABBA. What will a divorce mean to ABBA? We all agreed that it wouldn't have to mean anything. We were going to go on as usual and now we've been doing that for six months. And it works fine.
When will ABBA split up?
     - If ABBA splits up it will not be because of internal love affairs, it would be because Björn and Benny don't want to write songs anymore. It takes a lot of strength, they worked, isolated for weeks every time they write something new. It's only reasonable that the inspiration will disappear eventually.
How do you spend your free time?
     - I spend all my free time with my children. Linda is 6 years old, Christian 1. We play, go for walks, go to Skansen, listen to music. The children are the most important in my life. It's important to get enough sleep. That's not always the case when you have small children. If I only get four hours sleep the following days is completely ruined for me.
Have you received a lot of letters (from the fans)?
     - A lot of letters comes, not least from abroad, after our divorce. The writers are upset about what has happened, they want to comfort and help. I think it's amazing that so many people can get so involved just because I'm a singer. Some of them wonder if we're getting back together. But I'm afraid that will not happen. We have hurt each other so badly, so many things have been said. Why are we so careless about love? By the way, Is it possible to live without love? No, I can't.
What did Stikkan Anderson say when he got to hear about your divorce?
     - Stikkan became really sad when I told him that it was decided. He was also worried about ABBA, but mostly he was sad for me and Björn.
And what were you thinking?
     - I wonder how attractive a single mother of two really is? I don't think it's very easy. I question my whole existence. But within my music, I'm strong. But I don't write lyrics anymore. The reason for that could possibly be that I think that life itself is like a schlager lyric.
Are you happy now?
     - It has said in the papers that I'm happy after the divorce, that I'm jubilant and active within the Women's right movement. That is not true. I had that article read to me before it was published and I approved it. But I have a weakness: I want to please everyone. That's why I didn't ask them to remove that.
     - Happiness, what is that? I can wake up one morning and feeling really excited... And in the evening I can be prepared to go and hang myself. Happiness only exists in the moment. Happiness is writing music. Sometimes I get a melody stuck in my head after I've gone to bed. Then I get up and sit down at the piano. But usually these melodies don't measure up. The music that is good enough I have to struggle to get to. It's hard work. But it's some sort of happiness just the same. It's also hard to find inspiration since I hardly ever hear any good music. If I turn on the music radio I'm disappointed. They seem to talk more. Melodiradion sucks!
Do you feel unconcentrated?
     - Periodically I feel very unconcentrated. I never have enought time for my own music. ABBA takes most of my time and the children. Sometimes I have thought of staying at home. But I also want to do something else, otherwise taking care of the children would absorb me. And I'm lucky enough to have a nanny, a friend really, who helps me with the children, she has been with us for a year and half now.
Are you active within the Women's rights movent?
     - I have nothing to do with it I really don't understand it or what it is for. Female liberation is good. But it mustn't be exaggerated. Aren't we equal enough now? If I understand the Women's right movement correctly they want total independence. And there is no such thing. We all depend on each other.
Do you believe in love - despite everything?
     - Yes. Love between man and woman and between people.
The guys they must be chasing you?
     - Now - after the divorce - the guys are chasing me. I get flowers and tickets. But I'm very carefull and I won't fall easily. Living together is so complicated. If I fall in love again I will be very careful with that love. At the same time I know it's impossible to find a perfect scheme for your love life. Crisis will appear eventually. The reason being that you never really know another person and that the daily routine within a marriage contains a lot of traps.
A marriage contract - is that for you?
     - Marriage contracts are unrealistic. You don't sit down and tick off each others good and bad qualities on a form before you get married. A marriage is like a white piece of paper, which can be filled with scribblings.
Are you interested in power?
     - Through success you gain power. But I'm not interested in a power position. It pains me when people see me as a star, when they can't interact with me naturally. I notice that they are tense, so I get tense. Though I think I have learned to make it easier for them. I myself aren't impressed with anyone. I'm a person who is driven by emotions, I act and judge others very much from how I feel. I have tried to get over my failed marriage for a long time now. I've been working with myself. And in the process I have developed a sense where I can see if someone has been through a divorce. It leaves irreverseable marks, it's in the atmosphere around that person.
What do you reach with your intuition?
     - Mostly it's used to feel if a song will be a hit or not. But I'm also that kind of person who can turn around on the runway from a flight. - The more I fly, the more anxious I get. I think it's challenging higher powers and I always say a prayer just before start or landing. I would prefer to stay on the ground. But we do travel around the world quite a lot. I enjoy it, for a while. Then I want to get home to the children, the kitchen zink, the jeans, the spaghetti bolognese. I prefer the simple life over the life in luxury, I have difficulty to feel like a millionnaire. Our money mostly gets invested in real estate and other things and then the taxes are huge - so we never really see the money.
Are you still living in the villa?
    - I intend to stay in the house on Lidingö that I and the children moved to when we decided to break up. Its location is a little to visible, but I will get help to get a fence up to avoid people looking in.
And ABBA's island - what will happen to that?
     - I will leave ABBA's island in the Stockholm archipelago for good. But the others will continue to be there just like before. The island never really meant that much to me. It's nice to be there when the weather is nice. But that's not always the case and then you only feel isolated. You have to depend on boats to get there and back and I only drive them into the bridge. I just cannot learn how to dock the boat.

ABBA - October 1978

Here's an article about every day life with ABBA from VeckoRevyn 25 October 1978.

ABBA - glitter, gold and platform shoes. ABBA are rich as trolls, the most lucrative business in Sweden. That's two statements of our international pop wonder. On these following pages you will see what their ordinary days look like. There is an every day life for ABBA too. An ordinary day, an ordinary week 1978.

FRIDA DANCES
Eight and a half hours a week Frida goes dancing. Organised dancing that is. Jazz ballet. Then she goes out to discos. Often, often, several nights a week.
     The dance is, if not all of her life, a big part of her life. And it's a requited love.
     - Frida is a fantastic natural talent. She could have been professional. No doubt about it. Says Graham Tainton, ABBA's choreographer and Frida's dance teacher for many years.
     Five times a week she dances jazz dance. Three times at the Balettakademin, and three with Graham. He started teaching her even before the ABBA-era. A lonely girl who came to learn some dance moves together with allready big stars such as Laila Westersund and Tommy Blom.
     When ABBA was formed, Graham started to give both Frida and Agnetha lessons where the goal was their stage apperances when they performed with ABBA. As the shows became fewer and Agnetha had children, Frida stayed on to keep her dancing up to date.
     - She has developed very well. And that has only increased her love for the dancing, says Tainton. And when we sometimes meet out on the town, at some club or something like that, we dance and dance and dance, we can't stop.
     She dances with Graham. Not with Benny. Like most musicians he hates dancing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AGNETHA PRACTICES HER SCALES AND GOES FOR A RUN
If you are a pop singer you have to take good care of your voice, thought both Agnetha and Frida. So they made an appointment with singing instructor Inga Sundström. That was two years ago. Now Frida sees her every day and Agnetha two times a week.
     - Inga is very important to us, says Agnetha. We have become much more sure of our voices,  we feel that we have gained control.
     When she is at Inga's she is not allowed to sing pop music. Instead she has to sing scales, romances and every now and then an opera aria. Breathing- and speech techniques are also important things to learn.
     - Agnetha has been told that how she shall treat her voice in a more gentle way. I teach her how to relax, and breathing right during the song doesn't stress her voice as much.
     Both the girls and I have noticed a tremendous difference now after two years of hard training. They can sing for longer amount of time and they have reached new levels. In their job it's important that you sing "right". Otherwise it could cause damage to your throat.

Agnetha - just like Björn - enjoys to go for a good run in the woods to keep in shape. The pair of them were jogging long before it became so enormously popular as it is and has been for quite some time now. Björn even participated in the runner's competition Lidingöloppet, over 30 km. Agnetha doesn't run that far. She gives her all for 2 km in a fast pace. And afterwards she's quite exhausted. The only good thing about that is that she always beats Björn and arrives home first. So therefore Agnetha is faster, says their daughter Linda with her five year old logics.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BENNY FOCUSES ON THE SERVE
Benny's biggest problem right now is the serve. On the tennis court that is. Apart from that he is gifted in almost every other aspect of tennis, if you ask his coach Madelene Pegel.
     - For a beginner - he has only been playing since March - he is very promising, she says. When he wanted to start taking lessons I explained to him what a demanding sport tennis actually is. Then I tested him. And I saw that he definitely had talent. so I adviced him to keep it up.
     Benny had never done any sports earlier in his life. He has just not been interested in it. But with tennis, well, that's something completely different.
     - Yes, Benny really gets into the game so it's a joy to be his coach.
     - He is very strong and quick. An allround player. The basic moves he already has. Thanks to his strong wrists he gets a real good force in both forehand and backhand. His footwork is good and he reaches the net very quickly.
     - The only small problem we are dealing with now is his serve. But I think that's only due to the fact that we haven't practised that as much yet.
     Benny tries to fit the tennis in at least once a week. And then he plays opposite Rune Söderqvist (ABBA's Art Director). Benny even talked Frida into starting when he started, so who knows, maybe we will see a double mixed in the future.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
...AND THEN THERE WAS THAT ALBUM TO RECORD
Three times a week, 10-12 hours a day, ABBA works with their new album. It's hard work. But it is in the studio the group come alive. And so say all of the people who are allowed in the studio. This is especially true regarding Benny. He lives for the job in the studio - where he gets his chance to play with the music. Benny is a "musikant". And of course, he can play the accordion as well.
     The main reason is that demands have increased, both our own and the audience's. And the fact that we have gotten our own recording studio - now we can have all the time we need, says Michael B. Tretow, ABBA's sound technician.
     A Christmas release is what the group is hoping for. But they can't guarantee it. When we write this article  4-5 songs are completed. Björn and Benny constantly come up with new ideas. The only song they know for shure is going to be included on the new album is "Summer Night City", ABBA's latest single.
     - I think this will be the best record we have ever made, says Michael B. Tretow, and it seems like he means it.
     This record will probably be more "straight-a-head" than "The Album", which was released a year ago. On that record a lot of what we had to prove was to "spread our wings", find out how advanced you can be. This time I guess it will more of a happy album.

Agnetha's breakdown, the new lonely life outside ABBA broke her.

I find that it's very difficult to find old articles about Agnetha that are positive. So many are just focusing on her being alone, abandoned, sad etc. Going through many magazines and clippings I'm quite surprised that these negative articles started so early. But I'll keep digging. Anyway here's an example from VeckoRevyn 17 October 1979.

Agnetha got sick from missing her children
It wasn't only air sickness and stomach problem that broke Agnetha down i America. A large part of it was the fact that she felt lonely and no longer a "real" part of the group. And the longing for her children.

What was it that really happened to Agnetha Fältskog, over there in America? Air sickness, stomach flu and high fever were reported. Agnetha had simply become ill by many different reasons, so sick she had a breakdown which led ABBA to cancel their concert in Washington.
     But all of us who have followed the tour closely, couldn't ignore what we saw, something was very wrong with Agnetha Fältskog, even before the horrendous plane flight between Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
     Agnetha was serious, gloomy. She suffered in silence, from the very first day in Edmonton, Canada until her total breakdown in Washington D.C. 20 days later.
     At first she had big problems with the time difference between Europe and the US. Then she started to miss her children, who were at home in Sweden, so badly . Agnetha became a loner on this tour. When the rest of the group rented a yacht to go sunbathing on for a day, Agnetha stayed at the hotel pool. Alone.
     This was the first big tour in two years. Two years that has meant a lot of changes in her life. Agnetha Fältskog divorced Björn Ulvaeus, several young men has been pointed out as "Agnetha's new man". In an interview in VeckoRevyn in May this year she said the following:
     - ABBA was brought together by love. Björn and I was in love. And so were Benny and Anni-Frid. We were all in love and happy. Not at least when we were recording our music, when we were working together.
     That was not the case in America. It wasn't the "in love" ABBA who crossed the American continent. Agnetha stated from the start that the only thing she really thought of and cared about was her children, Christian, 2 and Linda, 6.
     - The children mean everything to me. My stomach hurts when I see other children playing in the pool, when my children are so far away. I missed them terribly, so intense. I just can't be away from them for this many days, that's just how it is.
     After a few days in America the first sign of Agnetha not coping appeared. One night she broke down and cried. But that incident was kept quiet. Nothing was allowed to ruin this the most important concert tour in the band's history.
     But the story came out when they were in Los Angeles. Agnetha was fragile, she had had a nervous breakdown. But now at least, she got to see her daughter Linda again who had travelled there from Sweden with Lena Källersjö (Björn's girlfriend), Stikkan Anderson and his wife Gudrun and other family members.
     In Los Angeles Agnetha could live a "family life" again. She lived in an apartment hotel. Linda spent the nights in Björn Ulvaeus and Lena Källersjö's hotel room and her days with her mother Agnetha. And then came the problems with Agnetha's flying. Flying, this horrible way of transporting yourself from city to city is just hell for someone, like Agnetha, who suffers from a terrible fear of flying.
     Back in May, when VeckoRevyn interviewed Agnetha about flying she said:
     - The more I fly, the more anxious I get. I think it's challenging higher powers and I always say a prayer just before start or landing. I would prefer to stay on the ground. But we have had to fly a lot in our line of work. I quite enjoyed it in the beginning. Then I wanted to come home to my children, put a pair of jeans on and take care of the daily chores.
     Now all of that happened at one time, her fear of flying, not having her children with her, and she is no longer Björn Ulvaeus' wife. Agnetha talks about the divorce:
     - Björn and I lived together for 10 years. We were together for 3 years before we were married and then we were married for 7 years. But then it crumbled. We developed into two completely diffent kind of people. I didn't feel free, I felt trapped. We just ran out of love and started annoying each other, and we argued. Finally we made the decision and got a divorce and moved away from each other. And with doing so, Agnetha felt that she wasn't as much of a part of ABBA as she had been before. I wanted to get away from it all. The islands in the Stockholm Archipelargo she no longer visits. The other three are still there during the summer. The big question now is how much ABBA will matter for Agnetha in the future. She has already stated that when Linda starts school next year, Agnetha will be a stay at home mom. And nothing can make her change that decision. Not even the biggest, best, most profitable ABBA tour ever.

New ABBA compilation

Universal has released a new ABBA compilation called "18 Hits". It's one of those low price things so I was quite surprised that the little booklet was so nicely put together with colour pictures. And not just the usual ones. There's even a picture behind the disc tray.
     Another unusual thing with this release is that it has four Swedish tracks and among them is "Åh, Vilka Tider". I assume this is a Swedish/Scandinavian release only, but I know that the ABBF Fanclub sells it. You can order it from their site.

     The tracklisting of the CD:

1. The Winner Takes It All
2. Super Trouper
3. Waterloo
4. Gimme! Gimme Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
5. The Name Of The Game
6. Ring Ring
7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
8. SOS
9. Fernando
10. Hasta Manana
11. Mamma Mia
12. Lay All Your Love On Me
13. Thank You For The Music
14. Happy New Year
15. Waterloo (Swedish version)
16. Honey Honey (Swedish version)
17. Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal)
18. Åh, Vilka Tider

Frida's 40th birthday party in Paris

I can't believe it's 20 years ago... This article was published in Svensk Damtidning 25 November 1985.

Frida introduced her new fiancé
at her happy birthdayparty in Paris
For two fun filled days Anni-Frid Lyngstad celebrated her 40th birthday in Paris. A party her friends will never forget. Frida's new fiancé was of course present. But she kept his name secret
     - I'm very happy with my new man, said Frida. The only thing I will say is that he is born in Sweden, but lives in Switzerland.
To further keep his identity a secret, the fiancé was wearing a green punk rock wig throughout the party.
     Frida was 40 on the Friday 15 November. Early in the morning ten of her Swedish friends had flown down to Paris and were taken by bus to a small hotel in Montmartre. During the day the rest of the party participants arrived there. From London came Frida's daughter Lotta with her American boyfriend Mike. From Lech in Austria came Egon and Charlotte Zimmerman and from Majorca came her friend Marie Ekorre and her husband Christo.
     From Sweden came the Polar people Tomas and Marie Ledin, Claes af Geijerstam, Görel and Anders Hanser and Thomas Johansson from EMA Telstar.
    Kristina Forss, a very close friend to Frida, arrived with on the Friday flight with stylist Cay Bond and her daughter and fiancé. Tinnie Fredell, Barbro and Love Lundqvuist and Finn Kalvik and his wife Britt was also on the plane.
     - When we arrived at the airport in Paris we had no idea where we were going that evening. Everything was kept secret. We were picked up by a bus at the airport, were driven to our hotel, the only thing we knew was that we were going to celebrate Frida's birthday for two days, says one of the guests.
     Everybody dressed up, the invitation said black tie, at the hotel. It was a large group with dressed up, happy people who entered the bus at 8.30 on the Friday night and we were taken to the secret location for the party.
     The bus stopped at the famous night club Castell where the party started. Frida was showered with gifts, champagne was flowing and an exquisite dinner was served. The party went on into the early hours of the morning.
    The next evening, on the Saturday, a formal dinner was held at Maxim. Frida had reserved the whole restaurant, but being very secretive, she and her husband arrived through a back door. Claes "Clabbe" af Geijerstam sat next to Frida during the dinner. The party lasted until 3:30am and at that time it was almost impossible to find a taxi, so most of the guests had to walk back to their hotel. But that didn't matter, it had been a great night to remember.
     Frida was the last to leave the party, it had been a success. It was a starting point for her new life. Frida is rich, beautiful and has a lot of friends. Who all are anticipating her next move. The world is her oyster. All she has to do is decide.

Frida: - I couldn't handle this job without Benny

This article about Frida was published in Hänt I Veckan on 3 April 1980, after ABBA's tour in Japan.

ABBA-Frida loves being on stage. She gives her all to the audience, and feels that's her obligation to do so. But she couldn't handle this hard job if Benny wasn't by her side - 24 hours a day. Travelling around the world with someone waiting for her at home would be impossible for Frida. Dangerously breathtaking Frida. ABBA's own Dancing Queen who loves being on stage and who loves her audience. If Agnetha Fältskog represents the Nordic sweet, motherly and secure in ABBA, Anni-Frid Lyngstad is her complete opposite.
     Anni-Frid is the tough, cool babe in a luxurious package. Who loves to travel, enjoys good food, likes to have fun, likes fashion. And loves to perform.
     - I have always enjoyed the attention on stage, Frida has said.
And you can't deny that it shows when she is running around the stage. She doesn't stand still for a second and she is always the one who dares to go closest to the edge of the stage. Towards her audience. And she never forgets about the parts of the audience who don't have as good seats as the ones in front. She makes sure they get their fair share of the show. She is always trying to be there for her fans.

NICE TO THE FANS
Here's a scene from the American tour last year: Frida is sitting by the pool outside the hotel when a couple of fans approach her after discussing among themselves if they dare to or not. They ask for her autograph and Frida strikes up a conversation with them. She answers all their questions with no signs of irritation. Ten minutes later the fans have gotten their autographs and a good conversation with their idol.
     Frida doesn't just dance on stage. She jokes a lot in a couple of songs . In "Why Did It Have To Be Me" she wears a big hat and a sports sweater and does some "weight lifting" with the microphone stand. In "Money, Money, Money" she makes perfect diva imitation with a long cigarette holder.
     - If I hadn't become a singer I probably would have been a dancer, she has said.
     Dancing is one Frida's biggest interests. She dances jazz ballet three times a week with her teacher Graham Tainton, who is the choreographer who has helped her create her dance routine in "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!". To be able to keep up the hard physical work of ABBA's shows she trains for at least an hour every day while they are touring. Recently when ABBA was in Tokyo, Frida used their gym every day.
     Singing and dancing may be her biggest interests, but most of her free time she spends with Benny. Benny Andersson whom she has lived with since 1970 and she married him in 1978.

WONDERFUL TO SHARE EVERYTHING
Benny once said:
     - It's an advantage to be able to work together with the one you love. It would be impossible to live with someone who would have to stay at home while you are travelling around the world. It's wonderful to share everything.
     Benny wears his wedding present from Frida around his neck: A heavy gold plate with Frida's right hand thumb print imprinted on it.
     Benny shares Frida's interests. To travel for example. Since neither of them have small children anymore they can travel far and for long periods of time. To the West Indies, like they did last Christmas. Or to Switzerland for skiing. Or maybe what they prefer most going on a cruise in one of their own boats along the Swedish coast line. And naturally they bring their children if it's possible.

Clothes is another interest of Frida's, and she is the one who has the final saying about ABBA's stage costumes. She takes part in designing them and chooses fabrics and materials together with Owe & Lars Artistdressing.
     - Personally I prefer French and Italian fashion, she says.
     Also when it comes to food she likes France and Italy.
     - The Italian cuisine is wonderful, she says. Spagetti and pasta. When we're at home I prefer to cook myself. That she likes food is nothing you can see on her figure, but she works out all the time.
     - I play chess in front of an open window, says Benny when the world press ask him what he does to keep in shape.