Let's Talk About ABBA

Roxanne Dickson

For a little look inside the upcoming book 'Let's Talk About ABBA' by Stany Van Wymeersch click on this link:

http://www.abbafanclub.nl/news/details/talk_about_abba.pdf

Available on 6th November it can be pre-ordered now from the ABBA Fan Club Shop:

http://www.abbafanclubshop.com/cgi-bin/user/show_article.pl?item=586

Roxanne Dickson

'Thank You For The Music' 4 cd boxset was released on this day - 31 October - in 1994.

To read all about it, click this link to go to Waterloo Radio Forum:

http://www.waterlooradio.net/forum/gallery/image_page.php?album_id=5&image_id=133

And click this link to read Carl Magnus Palm's essay about his involvement with this release:

http://www.carlmagnuspalm.com/abba/compilations-and-box-sets/thank-you-for-the-music/thank-you-for-the-music-the-making-of-a-box-set-part-1-of-8

Roxanne Dickson

Roxanne Dickson

A fabulous addition to my collection - another school bag !
These great school bags were by Reg Grundy Productions and sold only in Australia in 1976,
There are so many different colours - but I think I've got a good selection so far :)

The new bag: Red/Blue

Roxanne Dickson

Great Swedish poster with images of ABBA during their 74/75 Tour

'ABBA On European Tour"

"Four Swedish - an international success"

Roxanne Dickson

From Agnetha.com:

On 22 November the Deluxe Edition of Agnetha’s album “A” is released exclusively in Germany. The Bonus-DVD contains the one hour documentation “Agnetha: ABBA and after”.

Buy: http://amzn.to/1blK5zW...

We are working on plans to release the deluxe in other territories, as soon as we have any news on this you will be the first to know.

http://www.agnetha.com/news/news-for-all-fans-in-germany/

Roxanne Dickson

School autumn holiday at ABBA The Museum next week! No admission fee.

ABBA The Museum invites youth to write and perform their own songs! We will hold free student workshops during the autumn school holiday to inspire children to experiment with and create music in the spirit of the iconic Swedish pop group, ABBA.

The workshops will be led by Swedish TV personalities Rijal and Saleh Mbamba, two brothers who are also the driving forces behind a Helsingborg-based creative collective called S.T.I.C.S. Rijal is a well-known face to Swedish children due to his role as a TV presenter on Swedish Television’s Summer Break show.

“The passion of S.T.I.C.S. to encourage children to combine poetry and music in new creative ways fits perfectly with the spirit of our museum,” says Mattias Hansson, Director of ABBA the Museum. “We are very excited to be hosting these creative workshops and believe that great and surprising things can happen.”

Autumn school holiday

Rhythm is everywhere
The first workshop, which is designed for children between the ages of 7-10 years, will explore how to create your own songs and express them in a personal way. The focus of this workshop is on teaching children how to combine words and rhythms.

Workshop 1: Find your own rhythm!
Age group: Children ages 7 to 10 years
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Dates: Wednesday, Oct. 30th – Friday, November 1^st
Admission: Free with ticket
Rhythm is everywhere: in nature, in music and in yourself. As part of Workshop 1, students will listen to rhythmic parts of ABBA's musical repertoire in order to develop their own musical ear and to feel music in a completely new way.

Learning the art of songwriting
The second workshop is designed to provide children aged 11 to 15 with a basic understanding of how to write and perform songs. Not always as easy as it looks, songwriting can be done in many different ways. Where do you start? How should the song end? How do you create the right music for the refrain? How do you perform a song while standing in front of an audience?

Workshop 2: The art of writing and performing
Age group: Children ages 11 to 15 years
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Dates: Wednesday, Oct. 30th – Friday, November 1^st
Admission: Free with ticket

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/calendar

Roxanne Dickson

Scanning the photos!

The work on ABBA The Official Photo Book is moving forward at full steam.
Our team of repro experts is now scanning the original photographs to ensure the highest possible print quality for the book – it takes time and precision as every image is scanned carefully and needs to be just perfect.
After an image has been scanned the team works with the digital file to ensure colour and sharpness. At the moment they have scanned more than 500 images.

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/abba/updates/28035?utm_campaign=project7099&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pledgemusic

Roxanne Dickson

Pre-order Agnetha's 'The One Who Loves You Now' CD from Universal UK now !

http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/artists/agnetha-faltskog/icat/agnetha

Roxanne Dickson

Pre-order the fabulous new CD single 'I Should Have Followed You Home' now at Universal UK !
Released on 18th November.

Tracklisting:

1. I Should´ve Followed You Home - 7th Heaven Radio Edit
2. I Should´ve Followed You Home
3. I Should´ve Followed You Home - 7th Heaven Club Mix
4. I Should´ve Followed You Home - 7th Heaven Dub

http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/singles/agnetha-faltskog-i-shouldve-followed-you-home-feat-gary-barlow-cd-single/invt/0602537618743

Roxanne Dickson

Agnetha is set to release not one but TWO new singles in November.
‘I Should’ve followed You Home’, a duet with Gary Barlow, will be released on 18th November around the world except in the UK, Germany and Austria. For UK fans Agnetha will release ‘The One Who Loves You Now’ on November 25th. For for details on both releases please go to http://www.Agnetha.com/

Agnetha Fältskog will release the latest single from her international hit album ‘A’ on November
18^th. A duet with Gary Barlow, ‘I Should’ve Followed You Home’ brings together two of the best known and most loved vocalists in the world today in a new song that is set to become a pop classic.

‘I Should’ve Followed You Home’ was co-written by Gary Barlow and Jorgen Elofsson, the Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer who worked on Agnetha’s album ‘A’ with producer/arranger Peter Nordahl. Jorgen was looking for the ideal duet partner to match Agnetha for the album and was delighted to get his first choice: “To me Gary Barlow was the perfect partner,” he explains. “His warm and thick voice matched perfectly with Agnetha’s pop soprano voice. I must say I was nervous when I presented my favourite choice but luckily for me one of Agnetha’s favourite songs turned out to be ‘Back For Good’ by Take That!”
Gary and Jorgen have worked together in the past and recorded the song first with Gary’s vocals. Agnetha loved the track and was delighted to turn it into a duet, feeling that the two voices together were a fantastic combination. Both recording sessions happened separately so Agnetha and Gary did not finally meet in person until Agnetha visited London in May and the two met for the BBC documentary ‘Agnetha: ABBA and After…’ which was broadcast in June.

‘A’ was released in May by Universal Music and has been embraced by Agnetha’s fans around the world as welcome return from one of pop’s true icons. Debuting at number two in Sweden and Switzerland, three in Australia, Germany and Norway and at number six in the UK. Sales of ‘A’ are now at 350,000 copies worldwide and the album has been certified gold in the UK, Sweden and Australia.

Agnetha Fältskog has announced she will release her new single ‘The One Who Loves You Now’ in the UK on November 25th through Universal Records. It is the third single to be taken from her acclaimed new album ‘A’, which marked Agnetha’s triumphant return to music after almost a decade and her first original material for 25 years.
Upon its release in May, ‘A’ was welcomed with enthusiastic praise from critics who unanimously heralded it a return to form for one of the greatest voices in pop. It entered the Official UK Charts at no.6 and has since gone on to achieve Gold status in the UK selling over 100,000 copies.
‘A’ was recorded and produced by Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Jorgen Elofsson and acclaimed producer/arranger Peter Nordahl. The album features 10 tracks, including first single ‘When You Really Loved Someone’, ‘I Should’ve Followed You Home’ – a duet with Gary Barlow – and ‘I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed’, one of Agnetha first co-writes in many years: “I hadn’t written any music for a long, long time,” she says. “But I sat at the piano, and suddenly it was there.”

Along with the beautiful new single ‘The One Who Loves You Now’, each track provides compelling evidence that the voice that soundtracked millions of lives is still capable of stopping you in your tracks, of causing your heart to miss a beat. Agnetha’s return was documented for a one hour TV special ‘Agnetha: ABBA & After’ which premiered on the BBC in June.
For the woman who started writing songs at the age of five, who first had a No 1 single when she was 18, and then went on to conquer the world with Abba, the journey continues – at her own pace, and on her own terms.

Roxanne Dickson

ABBA The Museum - Pop Talks #1 - Ring Ring
13th October 2013

Special guests include Mia Segolsson, Janne Schaffer (guitarist), Owe Sandström (costume designer), Claes af Geijerstam (Tour sound engineer).
Interview conducted by Mattias Hansson.

Roxanne Dickson

Press release 4th October

Ring Ring turns 40 –
ABBA The Museum celebrates with Pop Talks!

Monday 14th October is the release date for Ring Ring Deluxe Edition, and ABBA The Museum will celebrate with its first Pop Talks on Sunday 13th October.

The museum will feature specially invited guests such as Janne Schaffer, Owe Sandström, Claes af Geijerstam and Carl Magnus Palm, with ABBA The Museum CEO Mattias Hansson as moderator.

To really get to know how Ring Ring was created in 1973, on the Sunday, the museum has invited guests with a strong connection to the Ring Ring album. Visitors at the museum are welcome to attend. Mattias Hansson will talk to Owe Sandström, Janne Schaffer and Claes af Geijerstam (Clabbe) about the popular culture of 1973 and what the Swedish music business was like; the guests will share their memories from that time.

Owe Sandström designed many of ABBA’s stage costumes, among them the costumes worn in the ‘Ring Ring’ video. Janne Schaffer played the guitar on the Ring Ring album, and Clabbe won Melodifestivalen (the Swedish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest) in 1973 with the song ‘You Are Summer – You Never Tell Me No’, together with Göran Fristorp. That year, ABBA’s entry, ‘Ring Ring’, ended up in third place. Later, Clabbe was the sound engineer on ABBA’s world tours.
During Sunday 13th October, Carl Magnus Palm will also be interviewed by Mattias Hansson. Carl Magnus Palm is an author and journalist, and has conducted research on ABBA for 20 years. He has contributed his knowledge about ABBA to Polar Music as well as ABBA The Museum. In the interview he will talk about Swedish popular music in the early Seventies, ABBA’s emerging breakthrough, and their legendary, multi-layered. Pop Talks are held in Swedish.
ABBA The Museum also welcomes, as a special guest, Mia Segolsson, General Manager of Polar Music International, who will tell us how the new album Ring Ring Deluxe Edition was put together. During the weekend there will also be an opportunity to hear the album and to buy it in advance of its release date of 14th October.

Pop Talks starts at 15.00 and ends at 17.00. Together with a museum ticket, valid on

Sunday 13th October, admission to Pop Talks is free. The museum ticket may be

bought at abbathemuseum.com or at the museum ticket counter. The Pop Talks ticket

will be available at the museum on Djurgårdsvägen 68 from Wednesday 9th October

at 12.00. Please note that the number of seats is extremely limited.

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/

Roxanne Dickson

Violinist Andre Rieu has Abba Classics Covered

CONDUCTOR and violin superstar Andre Rieu rates The Blue Danube as his favourite piece of music, but Johann Strauss isn't his only inspiration.

The 64-year-old Dutchman has turned his back on classical music for his latest venture, paying tribute instead to the classic songs of 1970s pop phenomenon ABBA.

"Who is not an ABBA fan?" Rieu asked in Sydney on the eve of his And the Waltz Goes On Australian tour, which begins in Brisbane today.

The prolific musician is releasing two albums next month, one of which, Andre Rieu Celebrates ABBA, features his orchestral interpretations of ABBA hits including Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Thank You for the Music.

"It's such fantastic music," he said. "It's so unique. You cannot copy ABBA. All I could do was make my version of it. I can say I'm satisfied with the result."

Rieu is celebrating 25 years with his Johann Strauss Orchestra, which has helped popularise the work of Strauss and other classical composers all across the world. He also has turned himself into a global industry, releasing several DVDs and albums each year.

He admits to being a workaholic and says he has no plans to stop recording and performing. He'd like to be on stage when he's 120.

"Being busy is not bad," he said. "I like being busy. I like to be in control of everything and for that you have to work hard. That's my life."

Rieu has a huge following, not least in Australia, but he divides opinion over his treatment of the classics. His response to that is to paraphrase Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's put-down of detractors: "When did you ever see a statue of a critic?"

Rieu says he does his job "with honesty, with education and everything that I am. I know that I'm not lying. I try to have fun on stage and involve the audience. I like to play for the audience, to be with them. That's what I do. What's bad about that?"

The conductor's compulsive work rate has a downside. Twice in the past few years he has had to cancel performances because of illness.

Last year, he took on a personal trainer and now works out on a regular basis to keep fit.

After his Brisbane performance tonight, the And the Waltz Goes On tour travels to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

IAIN SHEDDEN

Roxanne Dickson

Video: researching the book pictures

Senior picture editor Bengt Wanselius tells us about the picture research for ABBA THE OFFICIAL PHOTO BOOK.
The picture research has been a challenge. The team has scrutinised almost 250,000 images, discovering many unseen and previously unpublished images.

Click this link to watch the video:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/abba/updates/27197?utm_campaign=project7099&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pledgemusic

Roxanne Dickson

The lastest addition to my collection:
The yellow Reg Grundy Australian lunch bag !
These were sold only in Australia in 1976 - 1977.
Made under licence to Reg Grundy Productions by the Kehole Bag Co.
Fabulous little bags - a real treasure.
Thanks to a friend for putting me on to this one :)

Roxanne Dickson

The standard version for this new upcoming release, 'ABBA: The Official Photo Book' can now be pre-ordered from Amazon for a more normal price of £35.00.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ABBA-Official-Photo-Petter-Karlsson/dp/9171262822/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379941233&sr=1-10&keywords=abba

Roxanne Dickson

Grab some nice items from the ABBA Museum web shop now !

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

Roxanne Dickson

Andre Rieu Celebrates Abba Double CD

http://www.derclub.de/de/product/standard/musik/sonstiges/sonstiges/andr-rieu-celebrates-abba/1/4530462

You can pre-order at the site above but it is a German page.

CELERATES ABBA - Music of the Night (double CD) Release date: 25.10.2013

Permalink: ANDRERIEUFAN.COM/2013/09/24/andre-rieu-celebrates-abba-double-cd.aspx

Roxanne Dickson

ABBA. The backstage stories
Ingmarie Halling and Carl Magnus Palm

format 245x283 mm, 80 pages, facsimile envelopes all in a box
rights sold: Denmark, UK, Germany, USA

We all remember ABBA for their fantastic music and countless hits – but also the visual side of the group. ABBA’s “outrageous” stage costumes were iconic of 70’s fashion in general and are, apart from the music, the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the name ABBA.

This book includes stories never told before. It includes also facsimile envelopes with personal memories from the four members, never shown before. The three major tours in 1977, 1979 and 1980 all visually rewarding, are given a lot of space in the book. Ingmarie Halling is a close friend to the members and she has made interviews for the book, therefore some of the text will be from today.

The book will be launched in March 2014, 40 years after the win in Brighton with “Waterloo”.

Ingmarie Halling was responsible for the dressing room on ABBA’s major tours. Thanks to Ingmarie’s wide circle of contacts, many other people that worked behind the scenes tell us what it was like in the good old days. Many of these people have rarely or never talked about their work with ABBA, so there will be plenty of new, fresh anecdotes and reflections from ABBA members.

Carl Magnus Palm has been the world’s leading authority on ABBA for the past two decades and has written a number of books about the group. In this book, he will be sharing his knowledge about the history of ABBA.

Roxanne Dickson

In an exclusive interview with Land magazine the Abba icon Agnetha Fältskog dishes on her new life in the country, her love of dogs, the picture the media has of her and the therapy that changed her everyday life.

– I can see myself working with rescue dogs, she says about her future.

Read the whole interview in this week´s edition of Land or on tidningenland.se!

http://www.e-magin.se/v5/viewer/files/viewer_s.aspx?gKey=1bbv66s8&gInitPage=1

Roxanne Dickson

“I am thrilled with all of these pictures, some of which I am seeing now for the very first time. The book provides a real trip down memory lane” says Frida after going through the layout of ABBA The Official Photo Book. The regular book-store edition will be available in spring 2014. We are overjoyed with the response to the launch of The Super Trouper Limited Collectors’ Edition of the book – thank you! And to those of you who are wondering – yes, that's Benny and Frida flying the helicopter (with a little help from a pilot)

Read more and pre-order at: www.pledgemusic.com/abba
#abbaphotobook

Roxanne Dickson

http://www.abbafanclubshop.com/cgi-bin/user/show_article.pl?item=586

Let's Talk About ABBA

Roxanne Dickson

Roxanne Dickson

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/abba

For the first time ever — a major authorised photo book on the lives and the fabulous career of ABBA and its members. We are proud to present a lavish limited edition – including the opportunity of having your name published in the book!
ABBA – THE OFFICIAL PHOTO BOOK is the first authorised and official photo book about one of the greatest pop groups of the 20th century. The group has sold almost 400 million records, in some markets topping The Beatles, and still selling millions every year!
“I am thrilled with all of these pictures, some of which I am seeing now for the very first time. The book provides a real trip down memory lane” – Frida.
The book has the full co-operation of Björn, Benny, Frida and Agnetha, who have contributed a foreword. This extraordinary book contains more than 600 pictures, more than 100 of which have never previously been published.
See images from the pre-ABBA years, the formation of the band, ABBA’s incredible rise to success with their break-through at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton and the rocket ride to global super-stardom that followed. Private photographs are included as well as unpublished pictures by famous press photographers, alternative shots from album cover shoots and behind-the-scenes pictures from the major tours.
There are photographic insights into their subsequent careers as well as brand-new photographs of the four band members taken during the last few months.
Take an exclusive look inside the book here.
ABBA have chosen to work with Max Ström, one of Europe’s finest illustrated publishers, to produce this official book. Award-winning picture editor Bengt Wanselius and Petter Karlsson, one of Sweden’s most talented writers, scrutinised almost a quarter of a million pictures to bring you this unique collection.
The regular bookshop edition of the book will be published in April 2014, as ABBA and their fans celebrate the anniversary of that fantastic Eurovision Song Contest triumph. This lavish coffee-table book has more than 400 pages and is in the format of a classic LP. It is printed on high quality matt art paper and is designed by Patric Leo who also designed Benny Andersson’s latest records.
ABBA fans all over the world can now pre-order two very special collectors’ editions of ABBA – The Official Photo Book.

The Super Trouper Limited Edition
· is limited to 5,000 copies worldwide
· is presented in a beautiful bespoke presentation box
· is numbered and signed by the authors
· includes a high quality numbered photographic print – a rare alternative shot from the cover shoot for Super Trouper, size 21 X 30 cm, perfect for framing as the ultimate ABBA memento
· includes 18 postcards containing exclusive and never-before seen ABBA images, each postcard printed 15 × 10 cm
· has a special extra section of 40 pages with images from major live concerts from ABBA’s entire career (total page count of the Super Trouper Limited Edition is 460 pages)
· includes a brand new DVD documentary: ABBA IN PICTURES – The Photographers’ Stories, specially produced for the limited editions
· includes an extra section of 20 pages listing all the dedicated fans who have made this limited edition possible: If you order before December 15th your name will be inscribed in the book. Make history and be a part of creating this extraordinary edition!
The first 4 copies are reserved for the group members. Agnetha, Frida, Björn and Benny will be ceremoniously presented with their copies immediately on publication.

All orders will be dispatched to reach you before 6 April 2014, so you will receive your special editions before general publication.
Pre-ordering gives you access to updates with news features on the exciting production process.
All prices shown include postage and packaging and all local import taxes and duties.
Be a part of one of the most prestigious music books ever!

Roxanne Dickson

Expect exciting news at 12.00 GMT on Sunday about ABBA : THE OFFICIAL PHOTO BOOK. Get a sneak preview and exclusive info on how to pre-order the strictly limited Collector’s Editions. The book will be published in spring next year but pre-orders of the Super Trouper Limited edition and the Deluxe edition – with amazing extra material – can be made from Sunday at 12.00 GMT (13.00 UK time, 14.00 Central European Time, 22.00 Australia Eastern Standard Time, 08.00 EST). Stay tuned!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/ABBA

Roxanne Dickson

The Official International ABBA Fan Club:

A new ABBA book, Let's Talk About ABBA, written by our member Stany Van Wymeersch, is on its way. It includes more than 40 exclusive interviews with people who have an ABBA connection, original graphics and photos old and new, many of which have never been published before. The book is out in November, and we will give you an exclusive insight on our website around that time, but you can already pre-order it from our shop.

http://www.abbafanclub.nl/

Price for this book is $67.00USD

Book Let's Talk About ABBA
Written by Stany Van Wymeersch

published 2013
language; English or Dutch - DO NOT FORGET to let us know which version, under 'comments'
288 pages
size: 23 x 28 cm
hardback

To be released November 6th.

Roxanne Dickson

The World Music Awards

The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS honours the best-selling recording artists from every continent. The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS are presented on sales merit and voted by the public on the Internet. There is no jury involved and the Awards truly reflect the most popular artists as they are determined by the actual fans that vote and buy the records. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) provides the organization with the names of the best-selling artists from all major territories. The world's best-selling recording-artists in each category are determined by a thorough enquiry conducted by the organization, which includes sales figures and record certifications in 2013. Awards for World's Best Male Artist, Best Female, Best Group, Best Electronic Dance Music Artist, Best Entertainer of the Year, Best Live Act, Best Song, Best Album and Best Video are voted online by the general public.

Vote for Agnetha's new album 'A' in the World's Best Album catergory here:

http://vote.worldmusicawards.com/selectnomination.asp?cat=2

Roxanne Dickson

Benny visited ABBA The Museum today with friends from Eric Sahlströms Minnesfond.

Roxanne Dickson

37 years ago today, Dancing Queen reached number 1 in the UK.

It also reached number 1 in the following countries:

Australia - of course ! :)
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Ireland
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Rhodesia
South Africa
Russia
Sweden
United States - Billboard Hot 100
Eurochart Hot 100

It was a top 10 hit in the following countries:

Austria
Canada
Finland
France
Spain
Switzerland

Top 20:

Italy
Japan

A selection of the classic covers for this magical song:

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About My Blog

Friday, 1 November 2013

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Monday, 14 October 2013

Sunday, 13 October 2013

Friday, 11 October 2013

Thursday, 3 October 2013

Friday, 27 September 2013

Thursday, 26 September 2013

Wednesday, 25 September 2013

You can pre-order at the site above but it is a German page.CELERATES ABBA - Music of the Night (double CD) Release date: 25.10.2013

Monday, 23 September 2013

Saturday, 21 September 2013

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Let's Talk About ABBA

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Friday, 13 September 2013

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

The World Music Awards

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

You can pre-order at the site above but it is a German page.

CELERATES ABBA - Music of the Night (double CD) Release date: 25.10.2013