What is your favourite ABBA event of 2011?

There have been so many ABBA and related events during 2011. What have been your favourites? Chose up to five from the list below, or add anything else to the comments.

Happy New Year for number one

British fans are campaigning to get ABBA’s ‘Happy New Year’ as the number one single in the UK for New Year’s Day 2012. Join the Facebook group to show your support and for more information. If you’re in the UK and want to help go to any legal music download site by December 31st and download ‘Happy New Year’

Here we go again…

We’ve managed to go for almost 12 whole months without another ABBA reunion story doing the rounds of the world’s media outlets. Then Benny goes and opens his big mouth…

For the past few weeks Benny has been extremely vocal, mostly in the pages of newspaper Dagens nyheter, in his opposition to plans to rebuild Slussen in Stockholm. You can read several items covering the full story at icethesite.

In another interview in Svenska Dagbladet last weekend Benny sort-of jokingly offered to reunite ABBA and write a new song for the group to perform to oppose the development. “If I knew with 100 percent certainty that it would help, I would call the others and ask if we could do a gig. I’d try at least” he said.

And of course, here’s where the English-speaking media picked up on the story. First the English-language Swedish news site The Local (Abba great hints at reunification gig). Then Britain’s Daily Express asked the question (ABBA TO REFORM?), finally Austrian Times tells us it’s a done deal (Abba reunion says Benny).

Personally I don’t understand Benny’s objections to the redevelopment plans. Slussen is one of the most unattractive parts of Stockholm. In a city that is famously pedestrian-friendly it’s a notoriously pedestrian-unfriendly area. The current construction dates back to the 1930s, and apparently parts of it are sinking. Though I will admit I have not seen the plans in great detail, just various photographs of models that have accompanied many of the news stories over the past few weeks.

Not such a Happy New Year

On 22 November an email and simultaneous notice on the official ABBA site announced that orders were being taken immediately for a limited edition 7-inch vinyl single of ‘Happy New Year’/'The Way Old Friends Do’, for dispatch on 30 November. The single was only available from the ABBA site and the ABBA Fan Club Shop.

Within three hours both outlets had exhausted their allocation. While the Fan Club Shop limited to two copies per order apparently the ABBA site allowed orders of up to five copies.

The timing of the announcement left a lot of ABBA fans upset. Australia was just going to bed, Europe was at work, America was about to wake up. Between the timing and the number of copies available per order many, many fans missed out on the chance to order the single.

Unsurprisingly copies have already appeared on eBay for outrageously inflated prices. ABBA fan forums and the official ABBA page on Facebook have been flooded with comments from disgruntled ABBA fans. For many it was a reminder of 2004′s limited edition ‘Waterloo’ picture disc single, which was available through general outlets in the UK, but disappeared within days as all copies were snapped up – allegedly one person ordered 150 copies from an online store.

Perhaps there are lessons to be learned here. There could be a pre-announcement that orders for such limited items would be taken from a particular future date and time, so people could be prepared. And limit the number of copies available to avoid unscrupulous dealers ordering multiple copies to only to make huge profits later.

As if to make amends the official ABBA site is currently holding a competition to win copy #5 – the first four numbers copies have been given to the ABBA members.

ABBA CELEBRATION!

It’s been a long time since there has been a gathering for ABBA fans in Australia. It’s about time that we get together again to share our love of ABBA!

ABBA CELEBRATION! will be a night of ABBA music for fans and friends in Sydney. It will be held at RAILZ on Regent, 56 Regent Street, Redfern, from 7 pm through till midnight. Five hours of non-stop ABBA!

There is a $10 cover charge to cover costs  for security and DJ hire, plus a selection of hot snacks. We’re taking over the entire upper floor of the venue – there’s an outdoor area to grab some fresh air, and a pool table if you get bored with all that ABBA music – as if!

If you’re in Sydney, or can get to Sydney for the night, you’re welcome! See here for more information. If you’re on Facebook you can RSVP here.

ABBA – The Inner Circle Interviews

ABBA – The Inner Circle Interviews is a new book by Marisa Garau and Frédéric Tonan, authors of ABBA On Speaking Terms (Netherlands, in Dutch, 2002) and ABBA – Ihre ganze Geschichte (Their Whole Story; Germany, in German, 2005).

The book is built around extensive interviews the pair conducted for their two earlier books, with 38 people who had worked with ABBA or the individual members since the mid-sixties discussing their personal memories and experiences. All the interviews were originally conducted in English, making this book their first untranslated publication.

Interviewees include musicians, producers, colleagues, friends and others who worked with ABBA during the height of their career, those who collaborated with the members in various projects after ABBA, even a few whose involvement pre-dates ABBA. As the majority of those interviewed worked only with individual ABBA members after 1982, the story of ABBA as a group ends at page 92, with the remainder of the 230 pages dedicated to the post-ABBA careers.

Because the book is based around the various interviews biographical and historical details are fairly light, dependant on what memories the interviewees shared. This also means that some periods of time are quickly skimmed over, while others are covered in great detail.

The interviews are each individual’s uncorroborated memories that are sometimes conflicting and contradictory with each other or even with themselves, or can be out of context with the ABBA story. Despite this they make for interesting reading, as those who were there at the time tell the stories as they remember them.

The final chapter features an exclusive interview with Björn Ulvaeus, made a year after the the publication of ABBA On Speaking Terms, in which he addresses a few of the comments raised in that book.

Despite the flaws of the concept ABBA – The Inner Circle Interviews is a worthwhile read for its unique perspective on an often-told story, if only for the small peak behind-the-scenes with ABBA.

For more information about the book, details on the many people interviewed, and ordering information see the website www.abbatheinnercircleinterviews.com.

Book provided by Marisa Garau.

ABBA associate John Spalding dead

The Official International ABBA Fan Club reports that ABBA associate John Spalding died on Saturday 1 October 2011. Spalding was head of Bocu Music, the company that owned the publishing rights to most of ABBA’s songs in the UK and Ireland.

Due to his long business relationship and friendship with ABBA manager Stig Anderson, dating back to the start of the 1970s, Spalding became International Vice President of Polar Music International AB in the late ’70s.

Spalding became well known to ABBA fans through his regular appearances in the official ABBA Magazine, published in the UK between 1977 and 1983.

ABBA: You Can Dance

Product Description

The global love affair with ABBA just keeps on growing…
Get ready to glam, glitz and groove in platform shoes toone of pop music’s most outrageous groups!

From the creators of Just Dance, ABBA brings you an unforgettable experience of dancing, acting and singing along with one of the most timeless pop groups on the planet, with more than 375 million records sold worldwide. Re-live the best of 80’s music with ABBA!

Key Features

•Dancing queen
Dance and sing on centre stage along to 26 iconic ABBA tracks! Step up and performnew choreographies with all-time favourites such as “Money MoneyMoney”, “Dancing Queen”, “Mamma Mia”, “VoulezVous” and “Waterloo”. It’s your time to shimmy and shine with one of the most famous pop groups in history!

•Immerse yourself in ABBA’s world and take the stage under the spotlight!
Travel to music’s golden age and truly re-live the story of 6 of their most famous tracks to become a star!

•The real deal: featuring authentic video footage!
The greatest video clips are now available for all to enjoy as you dance your way through time with ABBA.

•Love to Dance… But even better… sing?
The Classic Karaoke mode allows players who prefer to use their voice rather than their body to join in and party with just a microphone. All the tracks provide song lyrics on-screen –so don’t worry about scoring points as it’s all about the kick you get from singing those all-time hits out loud!

•The more the merrier: up to 4 players showing off power moves under the spotlight!
All four of you get to dance with the iconic members of ABBA, but you can also have more fun with extra singers joining the party!

DANCE, ACT AND SING, with all the frills and thrills!

Media release courtesy of Ubisoft Australia. More information at ABBA: You Can Dance.

Hear me on the radio

This coming Sunday (September 25th) I will be in Canberra, joining Allison and (I hope) Luke in the studio for Gimme Gimme Gimme, the weekly ABBA radio show on 2XX 98.3fm Community Radio.

Not only that, but we’ll be talking to Donnie Sutherland, host of Channel 7′s Saturday morning music show Sound Unlimited (later called Sounds) from 1975 to 1987. Sounds was on air during the famous period of ABBA mania, but also continued to support ABBA when the bubble burst and the rest of Australia seemed to turn on ABBA.

If you’re outside Canberra, in Australia or anywhere in the world, you can listen to live streaming at 2xx’s website between 5-6 pm Australia Eastern Standard Time (7-8 am GMT, 3-4 am US Eastern – check here for your local time). Chat with us and other listeners during the show on Facebook.

ABBA book bonanza

Once upon a time fans complained that there weren’t very many books about ABBA, and most of the books available weren’t very good.

Today that has changed, with dozens of titles available in many languages. Biographies, memoirs, coffee table books. And not just printed books; there are also audio books and electronic books on the market. Just in the last couple of years there has been a selection of interesting books.

Carl Magnus Palm’s acclaimed biography Bright Lights Dark Shadows - The Real Story Of ABBA (originally published 2001) had an updated edition published in 2008. This version is now available for the Amazon Kindle ebook reader and also Kindle for iPhone. The updated edition is soon to be published in German (Licht und Schatten: ABBA – Die Wahre Geschichte), and has also been published as an audiobook. The audiobook, unabridged and running for 26 hours and 10 minutes, is available on 22 CDs, on 2 discs as mp3 files, or download from iTunes and Amazon.

Jean-Marie Potiez, author of the popular ABBA: The Book (2000) has added two more books in the last couple of years: ABBA The Scrapbook, which has hundreds of photographs and a cool 70s retro look throughout; and ABBA: Une légende nordique, a new French-language biography.

Elisabeth Vincentelli’s 2004 book ABBA Gold was made available as an audiobook, available on iTunes, in 2009. Elisabeth is also the author of ABBA Treasures – A Celebration of the Ultimate Pop Group (2010). ABBA Treasures is unique in that it features reproductions of various pieces of memorabilia, such as concert tickets, newspapers, tour programs, and other promotional items and merchandise. ABBA Treasures has appeared in English, Spanish, Danish and French editions.

Journalist Leif Schulman  and photographer Charles Hammarsten, who followed ABBA’s 1979 tour in North America, and released a book on the tour Succé på världs-scenen in 1979, have put together their stories and photographs in the book ABBA in America, a limited edition book published in English and Swedish editions.

Marisa Garau and Frédéric Tonnan, authors of the Dutch-language ABBA: On Speaking Terms (2002) and the German ABBA: Ihre ganze Geschichte (2005), have taken the interviews with ABBA insiders used to create those books for a new English-language book, ABBA - The Inner Circle Interviews (soon to be reviewed at ABBA Omnibus).

Sara Russell’s The ABBA Guide to Stockholm has proven extremely popular with fans, with many already using it to guide themselves to ABBA sites around Stockholm. The book has also led to the publication of an ABBA tour map of Stockholm and even a guided tour of the city.

Finally, Daniel Couri has written a new book in Portuguese, Mamma Mia! aimed at Brazilian fans; his second book aimed at that market.