ABBA in Australia doco for ABC

By David Knox on December 21, 2011 - TV Tonight

New funding approvals for documentaries from Screen Australia include ABBA: Bang-a-Boomerang, which tells the story of ABBA in Australia for ABC TV.

Eight doco projects attracted $2.6 million of investment.

ABBA: BANG-A-BOOMERANG
57 mins
Gulliver Media Australia
Producer Larry Zetlin
Producer/Writer/Directors Rebecca McElroy, Matthew Crocker
Broadcaster ABC TV
Synopsis The inside story of Australia’s role in the rise and reinvention of Swedish Supergroup ABBA.

*This is the doco all us fans know about and many are a part of. How exciting !!!!*

ABBA Competition !

Win the fabulous new Limited Edition 'Happy New Year' vinyl single !

http://www.abbafanatic.com/#/abba-competition/4558658616

ABBA November 1975

In November 1975, 'The Best Of ABBA' was released in Australia.

This album sold over 1 million copies here - when we had a population of just over 14 million.

It stayed at number 1 on the charts for 16 weeks.

It was said that 1 in 4 households in Australia had an ABBA record - my guess is they all had this one !

New ABBA Collection Item - Jigsaw Puzzle

Another jigsaw added to the collection .. these ones are from the UK and there are 4 or 5 different designs.

I now have 2 - still need the rest !

My other one from the UK:

This beauty is from Sweden - it's a wooden puzzle rather than the usual cardboard:

And of course, the fabulous Aussie one:



New ABBA Collection Item - Concert Ticket

Fabulous ABBA concert ticket from Adelaide in Australia - 8th March 1977

I love the Aussie tickets ! They are unique in the world with the photo of ABBA on the front and printed signatures on the back ... each concert here had a different colour ticket (although Perth did seem to miss out on these lovely tickets - theirs was just a basic ticket)

Still searching for other concert tickets from Australia apart from the ones pictures below which I already have ... please contact me by email if you have any to sell :)

More Frida Pics From Zurich

These were taken on 1st October at the Awards Ceremony for the Zurich Film Festival ... obviously it was mentioned that Frida was in attendance and she was given the attention she so rightly deserves.

She seems quite pleased :) Love that !!

Frida Attends Zurich Film Festival

50,000 attended the screenings at the 7th Annual Zurich Film Festival - and one of those people just happened to be our very own Frida Lyngstad !

Looking lovely here as she waves from the VIP box !

New Australian Collection Item - Pillow Case

The latest addition to my collection ... number 6 Australian pillowcase ... love this one with the picture taken of them on the set of the Banstand Special 'The Best Of ABBA'

Frida White Vinyl

I have also just added this beauty to the collection ... love coloured vinyl !!

Agnetha Faltskog Solo Albums

I have just added these gorgeous albums to my collection .. really love these early covers of Anna as well as the Tio Ar Med one.

New ABBA Dance Game Coming In November !

Ubisoft® announced the development of a new video game based on the music and performances of Swedish supergroup ABBA. The name of the game? ABBA You Can Dance. Developed exclusively for the WiiTM system from Nintendo by Ubisoft Paris, the studio that created and defined the genre with the Just Dance® series, as well as Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Bucharest, ABBA You Can Dance will be released worldwide in November.

ABBA created music that spanned generations and has inspired millions to sing and dance. ABBA You Can Dance features 25 ABBA songs, including all of the group’s biggest hits, such as “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “Waterloo.” The game’s professionally choreographed routines and unique environments were inspired by the group’s music videos and live performances.

“In the video game market, Ubisoft is the dancing king,” said Tony Key, U.S. senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft / Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA chief marketing and sales officer at Ubisoft. “With ABBA You Can Dance, players can dance, they can jive, and they can have the time of their lives, all thanks to ABBA’s music and Ubisoft’s latest entertaining dance video game.”

With ABBA You Can Dance, Ubisoft is making it possible for more people to join in on the fun of a dancing game. Two players can sing along to lyrics that appear on-screen, while up to four players can simultaneously perform the dance moves. A mini-musical mode lets players act out the key roles in a love story based on some of the group’s classic songs. ABBA You Can Dance also includes original video clips and displays anecdotes about the group that even die-hard fans will find entertaining and informative.

Check out the trailer !

ABBA September 1975 and 1976

In September 1976, ABBA are in the UK filming for the 'Seaside Special' on which they performed 'Waterloo' and 'SOS' live ... fabulous performances !

In September 1976, recording for 'Arrival' is completed !



More Australian ABBA 'National' Brochures

These are the latest 'National' brochures in my collection .. I even have an actual catalogue !

Check them out !!

Special Deal On 'ABBA: Let The Music Speak'

Fabulous new deal on the book 'ABBA: Let The Music Speak' by Christopher Patrick
Now just $45.00 including postage with Australia and New Zealand or $60.00 including postage for the rest of the world.
Will also be personally signed by the Author to you.
Grab one now and see why it was approved by ABBA and included for sale at ABBAWORLD in Australia ! Here is the link to buy the book:  http://www.christopherpatrick.com.au/index.html
A little on the book:

Remember the feeling of elation when you heard an ABBA song for the very first time?

Christopher Patrick explains in his book 'ABBA: Let The Music Speak', why you felt that way ...

 Abba is known as the ultimate ‘pop‐kitsch’ band but, as Chris explains, their music is much more than that…

Revealing the secrets of ABBA’s musical success and surprising facts including:

• How, contrary to popular opinion, Frida could sing as high as Agnetha (Anna) in falsetto and did so on several ABBA songs.
• Why the ballad The Winner Takes It All and feisty Super Trouper have a lot in common.
• Why humming the first verse of Dum Dum Diddle and The Way Old Friends Do betrays the secret to much of ABBA’s success.
• How certain songs have the same melodic hooks – and you will be surprised at which ones…
• Which songs fell short of the ABBA blueprint for success and why.

• Why B‐sides and cast‐asides like “Crazy World”, “Put On Your White Sombrero”and “Just Like That”deserve their moments in the sun, excerpts from each appearing in print for the very first time!

New Collection Item - ABBA The Movie

'ABBA The Movie' original cinema film reels !

A major addition to my collection are these mega rare film reels.

These are the original reels used to show the movie in a cinema in Australia - and very rare to find these days as cinemas used to destroy these films after the movie was finished it's run.

The canisters even still have the Reg Grundy stickers !

New ABBA Collection Items - National TV Brochures

National TV Brochures

In 1976 ABBA signed on to advertise National products to help fund the 1977 Tour.

These double sided brochures could be found in all electronics shops in Australia  .. there were many versions of these .. here are 6 of them !

New Collection Items

I have just recently added these 2 beautiful T-shirts to my collection.

They are official Polar Music International merchandise and were probably sold in the 80's.

Just stunning to see up close. Although I think they could have chosen better images - especially for Frida.

Nonetheless, beautiful rare items !

ABBA In Sweden With Molly Meldrum - July 1976

During July in 1976

An Australian film crew is in Sweden with Molly Meldrum to interview ABBA for the TV Special "ABBA In Sweden". This special also features the Musikladen Special 'The Best Of ABBA'.

The ABBA Logo officially has the backwards B - created by Rune Soderqvist - although if you notice in this photo shoot from February 1976, Benny already had ideas !

The backwards B logo is first used on the Dancing Queen single.

ABBAWORLD Sydney Closing !

After an amazing run of 7 months, ABBAWORLD in Sydney will close tomorrow.

Where to next ?

I hope everyone who wanted to see it had the opportunity to do so ...... it was definitely a 'not to be missed' exhibition.

BAO New CD

Don't forget to grab a copy of Benny's new BAO CD 'O Klang Och Jubeltid'.
The album has 13 tracks, with 8 having vocals including:
3 with Helen Sjöholm
2 with Tommy Körberg
3 with Helen Sjöholm, Tommy Körberg and Kalle Moraeus
A Mono Music production, produced by Benny Andersson and released with Universal Music Sweden.
Available now !



Frida Answers Fan Questions

Frida has answered many fan submitted questions for the latest edition of the Official International Fan Club magazine.She was asked a variety of questions including: "Do you have a favourite ABBA costume?" -- her response: "Yeah, Agnetha's white body stocking".To read the full Q and A and all the other fabulous items in the magazine, simply go to http://www.abbafanclub.nl/ ... join the club and order a copy !



A thank you-message from Björn regarding the congratulations on his birthday!

A birthday at a certain age

Becomes a dreaded day

You reach it and you turn the page

And hope it goes away

But all good wishes you have sent

Are making me feel great!

They make a total non-event

A day to celebrate!

So thank you all for being there

For always staying true

For showing once again you care

The way that old friends do

/Björn Ulvaeus, Stockholm April 28th 2011

New Australian ABBA Trading Cards

This is a set of 60 trading cards - 1977 Australian Tour Set
These cards are the same size as the original Australian Trading Cards

When put together they make a nice poster on the back

These cards were made by me !



If you wish to use the image of the cards, please contact me with details of use
Unauthorised use is not permitted

Greying Men Of ABBA Still Going Strong

by Mari Koppinen, Helsingin Sanomat

Benny & Björn in Helsinki - photo: Olle Lindberg

Life wasn’t easy for the artists in the 1970s. When the Swedish band Abba won the Eurovision Song contest in Brighton in 1974, the performers had to wear costumes that were uncomfortably tight.
“Björn couldn’t sit on the bus with the overall that he was wearing”, laughs Benny Andersson at the plight of his friend Björn Ulvaeus.
He forgets to mention that he would never have managed to get into Björn’s costume himself.
So here they are, these Nordic superstars, known simply as Benny and Björn. Both are easy-going and cheerful, with a good sense of humour.
Both could be any one of us – unless we consider that few of us have had to wear full-body lurex.
It is Monday, and the men are in Finland with director Lars Rudolfsson. They are here to work on and market their musical Kristina från Duvemåla, which has its premiere at Helsinki’s Swedish Theatre in less than a year.
Tickets are now on sale.
When the trio joined the project, at the suggestion of theatre director Johan Storgård, they joined in with full vigour.
Last autumn they spent three weeks in Finland listening to nearly 700 singing actors in Finland. When rehearsals begin in Helsinki in November, the trio will move to Helsinki.
The men would not need to do this, as they are massively wealthy – but they want to. “Because this is fun”, says Ulvaeus, who is 65 years old.
They also want to make the effort because the musical is their “baby”.
“We are very proud of this. We don’t want to give this musical to anyone else, or to tell someone that they can do what they like with it”, says Benny, 64.
Abba’s career spanned just ten years, and later the two very active men have been involved with any number of projects.
They have come up with three musicals, all of which are projects spanning several years.
They have also had other business activities. Benny has racehorses in Sweden and Britain, as well as his own hotel in Stockholm, loosely themed after Abba.
Then there is folk music.
Back in 1987 Andersson was among the founders of the Orsa Spälman group, and today he has a 16-member Benny Andersson Orchestra.
“Five violinists, a tuba, two singers, myself, and Lars on the accordion, and Björn writes for us”, Andersson says with enthusiasm.
He also looks enthusiastic in the numerous YouTube videos where he plays music ranging from Bach to Swedish folk music and dance music. “We have eight gigs in the summer. We will bring a dance floor with us to let people dance to the music.”
They also have time for their beloved grandchildren. Benny has six of them and Björn has four, and a fifth one is on the way.
The grandchildren may be the reason why the Abba grandfathers have kept their feet firmly on the ground.
Benny tells about three-year-old Viola who, like many other children, loves the musical Mamma Mia! more than anything else.
“Her father tried to explain that the music from the movie was from Abba, which her father used to be a part of. Viola did not understand it at all. For her we are Mamma Mia men.”
Although next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Abba single, the group follows Benny and Björn wherever they go.
They are not bothered by this.
“You have to be proud and humble. Our music is still being played, even though it happened 35 to 40 years ago. It’s a miracle”, Björn says.
Amazingly enough there has also been a renaissance in the colourful overalls, shoes, and other paraphernalia of the 1970s.
Now they can be admired at exhibitions in Sydney and Stockholm.
But do the Abba men ever wear these clothes themselves for the benefit of the people at home? “Not very often”, Benny jokes.
“Well, I tried on one suit”, Björn unexpectedly discloses. And he adds: “It still fitted. However, I didn’t look quite the same any more.”

Eurovision Anniversary

Today, 6th April 2011, is the 37th Anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision with 'Waterloo'

Who would have thought that we would all still be here talking about ABBA now !