Collection Update - "Fernando" Import Single

The most recent addition to my collection is a 7" single of ABBA's "Fernando" from Japan. As with other imports from Japan the cover is a double sided page (see the second picture below) with the single held in a separate blank cover.

On the back of the single cover the lyrics are produced including those for the b-side "Tropical Loveland" - in the bottom left hand corner there are also two adverts for ABBA albums.

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ABBA Magazine Number 32

Another look back at one of the ABBA Magazines - this time issue number 32 which was published in February 1981 and has a stunning picture of Agnetha on the cover from the Super Trouper photo shoots.

The initial news section ponders what single ABBA were planning to release after "Super Trouper" - in issue 30 they had predicted it would be "Happy New Year" however in this issue they were betting on "On And On And On" - of course in most countries this turned out to be "Lay All Your Love On Me".

The first main article discusses the plan which ABBA had in place for December 1980 where they were due to visit France, Germany and the UK to record various Christmas specials to promote the "Super Trouper" album. Due to a security threat these visits were cancelled at the last minute and instead a German film crew flew to Sweden to film ABBA's appearance on "Show Express" where they recorded six songs including "The Winner Takes It All", "Super Trouper" and "Me And I".

The magazine then goes on to document on a number of reports where individuals have been selling record company promotional singles at inflated prices - although as this was 1981 the writer expressed concern that no ABBA fan would pay £11 for a single.

The next article then provides a track by track review of the "Super Trouper" album which had been released a few months earlier. The review concludes that "On And On And On" is the catchiest song but that overall the album is much more low-key than "Voulez-Vous" with a focus on ballads.

Collection Update - Dutch "Honey Honey"

This week I have added a Dutch 7" single "Honey Honey" to my record collection. The record was released on the Polydor record label and includes "Hasta Mañana" as the b-side.

On the back cover of the single there is an advert for the "Waterloo" album.

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ABBA Date - July 21st 1980

On the 21st July 1980 ABBA released "The Winner Takes It All" as their latest single in the UK. As well as the standard 7" single Epic also released a 12" gatefold version which included a pop-up ABBA.

On the 9th August the single reached number 1 - replacing Odyssey's "Use It Up And Wear It Out" - where it stayed for two weeks until it was knocked off the number 1 spot by David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes".

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"Finding Agnetha" Book

I have just finished reading a book by Real Laplaine called "Finding Agnetha" which was a heart warming tale of a small boys dreams to reunite ABBA by tracking down Agnetha. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it - you can purchase it from the Kindle store.

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ABBA on misheard lyrics poll

In a recent poll of the most misheard lyrics ABBA's "Dancing Queen" appears at number two based on some listeners thinking that Agnetha and Frida were singing...

"See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the Dancing Queen"

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Review Of Agnetha's New Single "Dance Your Pain Away"

Just read a great review (from Idolator.com) of Agnetha's new single "Dance Your Pain Away".

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ABBA Magazine Number 31

I recently added some copies of the ABBA Magazine to my collection so I thought it would be interesting to highlight some of the news and articles which were included. First up is issue number 31 which was published in January 1981.

At this point the "Super Trouper" album had only been released for a few months so the magazine is pretty much focused around this - as you can tell from the cover and some of the pictures inside. Also included is an interview with Bjorn (discussing Super Trouper) and Stig as well as an article on the impact of music videos which includes a shot of Lasse Hallstrom filming the video for "The Winner Takes It All".

The back cover of the magazine includes a lovely picture of Agnetha which based on the outfit must have been taken during the shoot for "The Winner Takes It All" video.

Collection Update - "One Of Us" Sheet Music

This week I have added "One Of Us" to my now growing collection of ABBA sheet music.

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Agnetha 100 days on UK Amazon Chart

Agnetha's album"A" has now spent 100 days in the Amazon Top 100 selling albums in the UK and is currently at number 14.

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Abba Date - 8th July 1978

On the 8th July 1978 Abba's latest single release in America "Take A Chance On Me" reached number 3 on the Billboard Hit 100 singles chart - a position it kept for two weeks. With the exception of "Dancing Queen" (which reached number 1) this was the highest position any Abba single reached in the US.

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Collection Update - Australian "Ring Ring"

Just added an Australian release of the "Ring Ring" album on the RCA record label to my collection.

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Abba Date - 4th July 2008

On the 4th July 2008 all of the members of ABBA attended the premier of the film Mamma Mia in Stockholm together with the stars of the film.

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UK Album Chart Update

In this weeks UK Album chart Agnetha's "A" dropped from number 18 down to number 26.

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