Friday 31 January 2014

ABBA Date - 1st February 1984

On the 1st February 1984 Frida started recording her second post-ABBA solo album "Shine" in Paris with her producer Steve Lillywhite.

 

ABBA - The Rock

Below is a picture which my parents sent me from their holiday in Santa Cruz...

 

Thursday 30 January 2014

ABBA Date - 31st January 1976

On the 31st January 1976 ABBA's latest single "Mamma Mia" hit the number 1 spot in the UK singles chart replacing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The single stayed at number 1 until 13th February when "Forever And Ever" by Silk took the top spot.

 

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Collection Update - "Super Trouper" Box Set

In the last couple of weeks I managed to buy a copy of the "Super Trouper" box set which I have been looking to add to my collection for some time. Along with a copy of the "Super Trouper" album the box set includes John Tobler's book "ABBA For The Record" and a large poster.

 

Sunday 26 January 2014

Collection Update - Frida CD Single

The latest Frida item I have added to my collection is a CD single for "Aven En Blomma". The single includes two tracks and was released in 1996 on Anderson Records.

 

Friday 24 January 2014

ABBA Magazine #12

Issue 12 of the ABBA Magazine was focused on the "ABBA In Switzerland" special which was due to be shown in the UK over the Easter period. Across seven pages of the magazine the reporter tells the story of ABBA arriving in Switzerland attending a press conference, ice skating and filming the special.

The magazine also included a spotlight on Micheal B. Tretow mentioning his work on Agnetha and Frida's early solo albums. The remainder of the managine included the regular content such as updates from the UK ABBA Fan Club, crosswords, song words ("He Is Your Brother"), special offers and the latest pictures of the group.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Collection Update - Agnetha Import

The latest 7" Japanese import I have added to my collection is the duet "Never Again" with Agnetha and Thomas Ledin. The single was released on the Discomate record label in 1982 and also had "Just For Fun" on the b-side.

 

Monday 20 January 2014

ABBA Date - 21st January 1982

On the 21st January 1982 ABBA were filing the video for their latest single "Head Over Heels".

 

Saturday 18 January 2014

Official Chart Company - "The Day Before You Came"

The Official Chart Company website in the UK includes a mention of ABBA's single "The Day Before You Came" - click on the image below to jump to the article....

 

ABBA Magazine #11

This week I have been re-reading ABBA Magazine number 11 which announced that the group planned to tour at the end of 1979 together an update on the TV Special which was due at Easter. The magazine included two major articles the first provided some behind the scenes information during the recording of a TV show and the second included details of what was involved when the group were on tour.

 

Thursday 16 January 2014

Collection Update - 7" Single From Bolivia

In the last few weeks I added a copy of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" single from Bolivia to my collection. The 7" was released on the RCA record label and as with other versions the single included "Elaine" on the b-side.

 

Wednesday 15 January 2014

ABBA Date - 16th January 1979

On the 16th January 1979 ABBA released their latest single "Chiquitita" in Sweden (it was released in the UK on the 26th) where it reached number 2 in the charts. The single also peaked at number 2 in the UK however it reached number one in a range of countries including Spain, South Africa, Finland, Ireland and Mexico.

 

Sunday 12 January 2014

ABBA Date - 13th January 1978

On the 13th January 1978 ABBA released "ABBA The Album" ; in the UK the album had advanced orders of over £1,000,000 and upon release it went straight to the number 1 spot in the charts (replacing "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac) where it stayed for 9 weeks spending over six months in the top 10. During March 1978 both "Arrival" and "Greatest Hits" were also in the top 15 selling albums meaning ABBA had three hit albums at the same time.

 

Saturday 11 January 2014

Collection Update - Agnetha Japanese 7"

The latest item added to my collection is a Agnetha's "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)" on a 7" single imported from Japan. Released in 1987 on the WEA record label the single includes "If You Need Somebody Tonight" on the b-side.

 

ABBA Magazine #10

Time to look back at another issue of the ABBA Magazine ; this week its number 10 which from what I can tell must have been available around January 1979. The magazine mentions the UNICEF concert in New York, the planned Snowtime Special, a review of a fans collection and a six page interview with Benny and Bjorn who were working in the studio with Micke.

Bjorn and Benny mention the poor state of Swedish radio, their pre-ABBA work and their plans for the group in 1979 - they also mentioned two of the records they had been working on for the next album "Love Lght" and "Love Is A Little Longer" (which I assume ended up as "Lovers Live A Little Longer").

The magazine then includes the regular features such as letters to the group, a crossword, ABBA Grub (Fernando's Mexican Toast), Pen Pals as well as some recent pictures of the group.