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Post by richard on Mar 11, 2023 13:38:06 GMT
I'm sure some very well-known and commercially successful songs took a long time to appear in their final recorded form. Over time they might have been rejected, forgotten about, ignored, reassessed, and then committed to for completion. Maybe the unfinished songs from the Voyage recording sessions will see the light of day in similar fashion.
And regarding Just Like That, yes there are a number of us who rate the song highly. It's the demo-like roughnesses of the arrangement of the verses that need improvement, imo, but that chorus is something else. If the choruses of the uncompleted songs have half the potential, I hope to hear them completed before too long.
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Post by justabba on Mar 21, 2023 16:02:43 GMT
If ABBA were to release an anthology next year, which rare or unreleased tracks would you like to see included?
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 21, 2023 16:19:22 GMT
If ABBA were to release an anthology next year, which rare or unreleased tracks would you like to see included? Just off the top of my head: The two unreleased Voyage tracks Just Like That - whether updated a la Just A Notion, or the original recording WAISAD - the Voyage version The Chiquitita Story - and maybe a full-length recording of In The Arms Of Rosalita A full-length recording of one of the excerpts from FATSTAPA One of the alternate mixes (a single mix, maybe?) of IIWFTN The 'Switzerland' version of DYMK The Girl With The Golden Hair - live, 1977. Cobbled from multiple dates, I'm not fussy. The complete Dick Cavett live set Maybe the conjoined LAYLOM/SNC from Voyage. It's hard to know what's in the vaults but I reckon that anything that made it to Undeleted, or FATSTAPA or The Chiquitita Story has been digitised in its entirety and could probably be made ready to hear. It'd be interesting if B&B took to the mixing desk to prepare new mixes of tracks/mixes they previously expressed dissatisfaction with. I'm thinking MLML or IBWFY or HHH. In some parallel universe where they take fan requests on board, I'd like to ask that they remix L(LALL) and push those very high pitched tongue-twister BVs way back. The bass-and-drums stripped version that Diego posted shows how warm and sultry the chorus could be without them. |
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Post by Michal on Mar 23, 2023 20:18:43 GMT
If ABBA were to release an anthology next year, which rare or unreleased tracks would you like to see included? There are so many... as for the unreleased - Just Like That (obviously), Monsieur Monsieur (I actually prefer this version over MLML), Rubber Ball Man or Under My Sun, Hamlet, In The Arms Of Rosalita, Another Morning Without You... there must be more but these are among my favourites. rare... which tracks can we call rare? Åh Vilka Tider? You Owe Me One? I can live without those  Alternate mixes and versions would be nice (Does Your Mother Know at least, as it was actually already released as a part of the ABBA In Switzerland TV special) I would also add some live tracks, preferably from the 1977 tour, if we can't have one complete concert. Dick Cavett is a good idea. I still don't understand why didn't bother to find a complete version for The Complete Studio Recordings. |
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Post by Alan on Mar 24, 2023 9:36:10 GMT
Dick Cavett is a good idea. I still don't understand why didn't bother to find a complete version for The Complete Studio Recordings. The reason given at the time was because only five performances were in the SVT archives (did they only show five originally?). They clearly couldn’t be bothered to search for other sources. As far as I know the audio for all nine is available to Universal. Four appeared on ABBA Live and two in the 1994 4-CD set, leaving Knowing Me Knowing You, Summer Night City and Thank You For The Music unreleased. I’d definitely like to see all nine released. I do wonder if something like this (an anthology) might be in the pipeline. If they were just going to mark the anniversary with vinyl re-releases, they could have left last year’s album picture discs (and even 2020’s coloured vinyl album box) until next year. The fact that both of those options have already been used up makes me think there must be something special planned? |
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Post by justabba on Mar 24, 2023 11:22:28 GMT
Dick Cavett is a good idea. I still don't understand why didn't bother to find a complete version for The Complete Studio Recordings. The reason given at the time was because only five performances were in the SVT archives (did they only show five originally?). They clearly couldn’t be bothered to search for other sources. As far as I know the audio for all nine is available to Universal. Four appeared on ABBA Live and two in the 1994 4-CD set, leaving Knowing Me Knowing You, Summer Night City and Thank You For The Music unreleased. I’d definitely like to see all nine released. I do wonder if something like this (an anthology) might be in the pipeline. If they were just going to mark the anniversary with vinyl re-releases, they could have left last year’s album picture discs (and even 2020’s coloured vinyl album box) until next year. The fact that both of those options have already been used up makes me think there must be something special planned? Alan, we know SOMETHING is coming next year, due to billboard magazine interviewing Mia recently. It's the WHAT we don't know! |
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Post by Alan on Mar 24, 2023 11:36:28 GMT
I’m showing my ignorance here, justabba, but who is Mia and what did they say? (It was probably mentioned on here, in which case I’ve forgotten or missed it!) |
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Post by justabba on Mar 24, 2023 11:45:29 GMT
Hi Alan, I'm not sure it was mentioned. Mia is I think head of universal Sweden and works closely with Gorel. She won an award in the USA and in her interview mentioned plans were underway to celebrate Waterloo 50 next year. Will try to dig it out and post it.
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Post by justabba2023 on Mar 24, 2023 12:27:48 GMT
4 QUICK QUESTIONS: MIA SEGOLSSON BILLBOARD-LISTED GENERAL MANAGER, UNIVERSAL As the first Swede, Universal Music's Mia Segolsson is listed among the industry's most influential women. How did you find out and how does it feel? - I received an email from Billboard a month ago, where they congratulated me on being one of the women on the "Women In Music Executive List 2023". It felt surreal and big and I am so incredibly happy about this award. What do you think is the background to the election? - It is of course because I work with ABBA, who have made a successful "comeback" with the album Voyage, the first new studio album in 40 years! I have been responsible for their catalog for 20 years now and during these years I have created relationships and connections with people all over the world with a common denominator, ABBA. How do you summarize the work on Voyage – and everything with ABBA – from post-release? - It was a year of secrecy and we managed to keep everything a secret until the release in the fall of 2021. I am so proud and happy about the Swedish team who worked day and night for several months together with other responsible people at all the Universal offices around the world and with Voyage-team in London. I don't think we'll ever be part of a trip like that again. ABBA continues to reach many people of different ages, it's fun to see the success they are having on TikTok, among other things. We Swedes probably don't realize how enormously big ABBA is in the whole world. What happens next? - Now we work on and look forward to next year when we celebrate 50 years since ABBA's win with Waterloo. There is always something to celebrate about ABBA and we have a lot of fun planned ahead. Their success story seems to have no end. PS. I would not be where I am today without Görel Hanser's unfailing support throughout all the years. My mentor both in work and life! DS. www.musikindustrin.se/.../4-snabba-mia.../... |
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Post by ed on Mar 24, 2023 13:57:39 GMT
Thanks, justabba2023 for this gem of information. So we have something to look forward to. Things are really becoming interesting. If an ABBA anthology was released I would like a boxset of several discs including rare and previously unreleased outtakes of many of the popular ABBA hits and lesser known album tracks.
Also, I would welcome a deluxe version of " Voyage " with a bonus disc featuring the entire " Voyage " concert setlist. Wishful thinking on my part.
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Post by Alan on Mar 24, 2023 14:11:36 GMT
Not sure I’m keen on the sentence “we have a lot of fun planned ahead”, justabba. “Fun” could mean something much less than a serious anthology. We’ll see. The Waterloo half-speed, box and picture discs are a dead-cert for next year now that Ring Ring has been announced, but anything else is speculation for now. It had better not be a damp squib though! |
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Post by justabba on Mar 24, 2023 14:37:30 GMT
I agree , although I wonder if she meant it was fun doing the planning rather than what was planned was fun?
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 24, 2023 20:13:44 GMT
At least it's a kind of confirmation that something is in the works. Can't imagine they'll reveal much before January.
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Post by Michal on Mar 25, 2023 9:05:44 GMT
Dick Cavett is a good idea. I still don't understand why didn't bother to find a complete version for The Complete Studio Recordings. The reason given at the time was because only five performances were in the SVT archives (did they only show five originally?). They clearly couldn’t be bothered to search for other sources. Oh yes, I remember. However, it was also argued at the time, that the full version exists in the archives of other TV stations, for example German ZDF, and could have been licenced from them. And a release of this magnitude definitely deserved more effort. They will hardly ever release a more comprehensive set, so it is such a pity it has so many flaws (bad remastering included). |
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Post by Michal on Mar 25, 2023 9:15:28 GMT
At least it's a kind of confirmation that something is in the works. Well, I can't imagine that there would be nothing. They cannot let such an important anniversary pass just like that. There won't be any other that would attract so much attention in the next 50 years. I agree with Alan, that there will certainly be the half-speed double LP and the sets of singles but I doubt that it will be it. I wonder if the ABBA members were able and willing to return to studio to work on some unreleased songs that were deemed unsatisfactory in the 70s in similar way they did with Just A Notion. Probably not but such reworked tracks would make a very interesting addition to any anthology-like release. |
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Post by Liebezeit on Mar 28, 2023 21:27:14 GMT
I seem to have notice that TV performances - especially Dick Cavett - have been brought up. While I can't really say much about unreleased songs these days (the 1977 tour recoridngs are enough of a holy grail to root for unreleased recordings for me...), I would be very eager to see ABBA's TV performances in the United States straight from the tapes (no timestamp, no reference numbers...) on physical media in whichever anniversary it falls under; while it may seem very redundant given that they've performed in backing tracks on occasion, the inclusion adds a depth of ABBA history to better understand their presence in American media. Especially their appearance on Dinah Shore's TV show. In my recent observations, the American TV and film archives, while seeming strict in comparison to others to the point of erroneously called "lost media", seem to let themselves go. With the right social media people and outreach, there could be more incentive for showing older materials; Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special (they didn't appear until 1976, but it's an example) seem to have hopped on the trend by publishing some of the videos. I seem to have a bit more faith as the archives manage to do a 180. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 29, 2023 7:42:29 GMT
You're right: so much of the wishlist so far has been audio. There are many visual treats lurking in TV stations' vaults. Wasn't there a quickly withdrawn DVD of ABBA's (and some solo) appearances on German TV? It'd be great if those clips could be licenced. Likewise, their appearances on Spanish TV - most especially the ones for the Voulez-Vous album. ABBA looked amazing on those shows. I know the bulk of the TV appearances are lipsynched performances, but they're enjoyable all the same.
By contrast, the Dick Cavett performances are almost static. It's not the most exciting piece of television they were ever involved in. That may be why I thought first of the audio tracks. If the show appears on DVD, I hope the audio is also available separately on LP/CD/digital.
Ideally, the dreamed-of anthology would have a visual element too. A music-focused documentary alongside a collection of TV appearances, and all the videos upgraded to 4K. I realise that such a set would be horrendously expensive. Maybe it could also be made available to purchase in separate elements?
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Post by foreverfan on Mar 29, 2023 10:43:12 GMT
A anthology would be nice, but realistically it would have to be priced competitively, I’m not paying £100 plus for something I have many times in various guises, that’s just me of course, so it’s going to a big ask for me to part with money, it would have to be something new or finished off to make it worth while, and as awful as it sounds all the tracks end up on you tube....so again a £10-£20 cd/ vinyl of new music would work...
Let’s be honest , there’s not to many of us fans left out there, only 600 plus so called on here and only 20 or so post, so no great numbers , sales would be very small unless there is something new, so will the record companies go to great expense for a few 1000...
So a finished CD of new or put aside complete tracks please...
As cliche as it sounds and I had mentioned before, If Sweden win Eurovision and hosting in 2024 wouldn’t it be a fitting finale and a huge coup , for ABBA to be the interval act and say goodbye then ...full circle......
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2023 14:51:35 GMT
Yes it would be nice if the 2024 ECS was in Sweden and Abba said "thank you and goidbye". Better still if in the UK/Brighton. Now that really would be full circle.
I am not expecting great sales from any release next year - unless there's new stuff. And by new I mean really new not just previously unreleased.
IMO likely to be a range of compilations from 2 CD Definitive Collection type up to multi 4/5/6 discs with rarities, live recordibgs, DVDs etc
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Post by foreverfan on Mar 29, 2023 16:02:42 GMT
^^^ Your right Johnny, that would’ve been a perfect ending, alas the UK is unlikely to win, plus the UK only held the ESC by default in 1974....Luxemburg had won in 1973 and assume couldn’t afford to stage it , so UK stepped in.....
I’m guessing there would be a higher chance of ABBA performing in Sweden anyhow... it’s a long shot.. unlikely...but hey you never know..... we have guessed on many things like a new album !!!
So a new song? ..as long as it’s not Thankyou For The Music..lol....
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 29, 2023 16:04:09 GMT
I did some tossing around of ideas for how an anthology might take shape, assuming the singles/hits must be represented in a way that didn't threaten sales of Gold. From a PR/commercial point of view, it would need some unique selling points - something new, something rare etc. So I thought that maybe some of the hits could be presented in alternative ways...
I reckon you could have a 6 LP vinyl set, which could probably span 3-4 CDs, with selections for cheaper 2-disc sets for the casual buyer. When it comes to the extra verse edition of I Dox5 or, say, the single mix of IIWFTN, I'm just speculating on what might be available in the archives. I'm suggesting bilingual mash-ups for Honey Honey and IHAD just for the sake of offering extra new material.
LP#1: People need love / He is your brother / Love isn’t easy / Ring, ring / Waterloo / Honey, honey (Eng-Swe) / I do, I do, I do, I do, I do – extra verse / SOS / Mamma mia / Dancing queen
LP#2: Money, money, money / The name of the game / Take a chance on me – acapella ending / Eagle – edit / Chiquitita / Does your mother know? – Switzerland version / Angeleyes / Voulez-vous / I have a dream (Spanish 3rd verse) / The winner takes it all
LP#3: Lay all your love on me / One of us / When all is said and done – from Voyage / Head over heels / The visitors - from Voyage / The day before you came / Under attack / I still have faith in you / Don’t shut me down
LP#4: Just a notion / Little things / Hit me like a train / Other Voyage extra / Just like that 2024 / If it wasn’t for the nights – single mix / Another morning without you / In the arms of Rosalita / The Chiquitita story
LP#5 - LIVE 1977: Fernando / So long / I am an A / THE GIRL WITH THE GOLDEN HAIR: Thank you for the music / I wonder (departure) / I’m a marionette / Get on the carousel
LP#6 - LIVE 1981: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! / Super trouper / Two for the price of one / Slipping through my fingers / Me and I / On and on and on / Knowing me, knowing you / Summer night city / Thank you for the music
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Post by Alan on Mar 29, 2023 21:22:58 GMT
Let’s be honest , there’s not to many of us fans left out there, only 600 plus so called on here and only 20 or so post, so no great numbers , sales would be very small unless there is something new, so will the record companies go to great expense for a few 1000… Let’s face it, we’re just a tiny microcosm of the fan community. I’d say there would definitely be enough of a market for unreleased material. Much less so a new compilation of already available stuff. It’s got to offer something new or otherwise it’s pointless. (Thanks for your post… I decided to have a clearout of members who have never made a single post. It’s reduced that 600 figure by almost half, but some of those that have posted haven’t been online for years!) |
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Post by Alan on Mar 29, 2023 21:27:09 GMT
I got the second edition of that, with the cardboard box and a single or two left out. Got it in the HMV sale in 2000 for about £30. Loved it at the time, despite the awful West German artwork and the dodgy mastering. I often saw the tin box version in shops with dents.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 30, 2023 7:11:02 GMT
Yes! The 1983 Tretow mixes - I had totally forgotten them. They'd be the perfect inclusions. It'd be fantastic is the Hot Tracks and Disconet mixes could be licenced and included. I think it's time they were acknowledged as the earliest parts of the rehabilitation of ABBA in the early 80s, when the derision was being ramped up in other quarters. The only problem I can forsee is the sound quality: those mixes were done from the original vinyl, so the vocals might not cut through quite as crisply as on other tracks in the set. Still, deft mastering could really help elevate the tracks. I'd certainly sign any petition for their inclusion.
I always coveted the tin box. Then I got the cardboard version at a low price. The German artwork really is ugly. I think it's a part of my erratic little collection I'd be least upset to lose.
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Post by Alan on Mar 30, 2023 20:38:22 GMT
I always coveted the tin box. Then I got the cardboard version at a low price. The German artwork really is ugly. I think it's a part of my erratic little collection I'd be least upset to lose. What saves it is that it’s the only issue of the singles in CD format. Some of the later singles do use the Polar artwork (albeit rather poor quality scans, though disguised because the reproductions are smaller). I did love playing those singles in the days before downloads (I didn’t have iTunes until around 2005). Yes, there were some annoying aspects for us UK/Irish fans (Mamma Mia with the wrong b-side, the wrong Lovelight, Voulez-Vous and Angeleyes the wrong way round and no Lay All Your Love On Me) but on the whole it was a nice set at the time. And we’ll never get such a collection again (not on CD anyway). Also it was the first CD issue of the Ring Ring remix (mastered from a vinyl single - they didn’t recover the UK sub-masters from Sony until the following year). Oh, and one of the first appearances of the awful error Eagle edit. That one still rears its ugly head to this day. |
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Post by Michel on Mar 31, 2023 15:42:55 GMT
I checked my copy of the tin box and the lid has not rusted. I also have the vinyl issue of this box from 1984. That's where I first heard a couple of B-sides that were unavailable elsewhere, like Merry-Go-Round and Crazy World.
If I'm not mistaken almost all single sleeves from The Name Of The Game onwards are the Polar designs (except Under Attack).
This singles box also included an edited version of Angeleyes. For some unknown reason the West-German single had an earlier fade, immediately after the last "Oh no no no no". That's the only difference. Odd that the "edited" version was maintained for this box set, yet the proper single edit of Eagle was replaced by the - indeed awful - new edit by Jon Astley. Still don't understand how that butchering job got pas quality control.
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Post by Michal on Mar 31, 2023 19:08:38 GMT
Mine has rusted too, even though it was stored well. I remember it was very expensive at the time and I was very happy to have it, as it was the first time I got to hear some of the B-sides. I'm less fond of it today but still I regret it's no longer in perfect condition.
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Post by evilincarnate on Apr 1, 2023 1:56:54 GMT
Mine has rusted too, even though it was stored well. I remember it was very expensive at the time and I was very happy to have it, as it was the first time I got to hear some of the B-sides. I'm less fond of it today but still I regret it's no longer in perfect condition. My tin box is still sealed from when I purchased it upon release but is in storage so I don't know whether it may have begun to rust or not. I think I have the card version as well, but once again, it would be in storage. I guess both sets would have worn out their usefulness in this day and age. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Apr 7, 2023 11:18:04 GMT
In the other thread, both foreverfan and johnny posted updated news on the continued phenomenon that is ABBA Gold, and it completely underlines how pointless "just another compilation" would be. And it kind of gives me a little hope that Universal and the broader team (including Ludvig) might be able to persuade Benny - because let's face it, everything seems to rest on his approval - to think outside the box. I can't imagine that there won't be a new release. I just hope it has a thought bigger than "ch-ching!" behind it. I know it's happened across the span of 30 years, but ABBA Undeleted, FATSTAPA and the unreleased Chiquitita Story show that they have at least some regard for the stuff in the vaults, that even they can see why this kind of stuff is interesting. Maybe context is the key? Context like a documentary/anthology-type release? If they can revisit JAN, why not e.g. JLT? Both Agnetha and Frida have spoken glowingly about that song. I never heard either of them utter a word about JAN. We've had to manage our expectations over the years, but I hope that someone somewhere behind the scenes casts an occasional eye in the direction of forums like this and online discussion groups. Obviously, not every suggestion we make is a winner, but even the craziest wishlists include ideas worth at least a brief chat by the powers-that-be. No doubt there'll be some kind of splash for 6 April 2024. But there are eleven other months in the kind of anniversary that offers incredible scope for celebration and context for retrospection/analysis. It'd be such an incredible shame if it were squandered. |
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Post by Alan on Apr 7, 2023 11:50:16 GMT
A quick re-cap of how previous anniversaries were marked:
1984 (10th) - UK and and the (then) West Germany separately issued their own 7” singles boxed sets. For the UK, this was the first commercial coloured vinyl issue for ABBA. Fantasy (and incorrect) artwork in some cases but did at least provide an opportunity to get the increasingly hard-to-find b-sides.
1989 (15th) - nothing, as PolyGram were waiting for worldwide record company licences to expire. Also not a significant anniversary and commercially, ABBA at lowest point.
1994 (20th) - the big one. That 4-CD Thank You For The Music set. Two completely unreleased songs, an unreleased alternative version, ABBA Undeleted medley and first issue on CD of many b-sides (and some not previously released in many countries).
1999 (25th) - CD singles boxed set. A novel idea at the time, despite the awful West German artwork. Only rarity was first CD issue of Ring Ring single remix.
2004 (30th) - Waterloo 30th anniversary edition and single picture disc (again based on dodgy West German artwork). Over in Japan, CD boxed set. Nothing new but does at least re-create UK artwork on CD. The 2005 Complete Studio Recordings could be regarded as a late addition to this anniversary, which did offer a few rarities.
2014 (40th) - Live at Wembley album, including a previously unreleased track (I’m Still Alive). 40-single boxed set. Nothing new but first recreation of Polar artwork (and some non-Polar releases). Deluxes of Waterloo and Gracias Por La Música and a 7” picture disc (deluxes concluding a long-running series, so not particularly significant anniversary releases. Gracias was somewhat unexpected though).
2024 (50th) - TBC, but at least Waterloo half-speed, three or four 7” picture discs, three or four 7” coloured vinyl box (as part of an ongoing series, this isn’t really that significant in terms of an anniversary).
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