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Post by Michal on Aug 13, 2023 18:41:39 GMT
I've just realized it's not complete. I have it on a bootleg and it's much longer - more than 15 minutes. Frida seems to be unusually quiet because her parts were edited out. I tried to find a complete version but had no luck... HOMETIME - well spotted! @lycka - it is indeed the same day. Björn says at 1:04: "This morning we gave a satellite interview for Don Lane Show in Melbourne"
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Post by Michal on Aug 13, 2023 7:52:44 GMT
The Don Late Satellite interview is one of my all-time favourites - relaxed and funny. Björn's reply "She called me father this morning" is priceless :-)
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Post by Michal on Aug 12, 2023 20:25:55 GMT
Are the any other examples of Frida taking the high harmony? There are at least two I'm aware of: I've Been Waiting For You ("and finally it seems my lonely days are through") and Move On (the last verse). And now when I think about it, I think the unplugged version of Thank You For The Music from Nöjesmaskinen features high harmonies by Frida as well. These rare moments are absolutely magical in my opinion. As for GSYMLS, I agree it's an underrated song and Frida does a fantastic job on the lead vocals.
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Post by Michal on Aug 12, 2023 14:21:14 GMT
@lycka, finally a voice of reason. As much as Hughes deserves to be condemned, his crimes are no reason to lock up ABBA The Movie in the vaults forever. Punish him and not the others, who had no idea what he was like at the time. Someone mentioned Kevin Spacey here. Johnny Depp comes to mind too. They stopped giving him new roles, when he was suspected of domestic violence but would it be right to ban all movies he ever appeared in? Surely not. So as much as I like HOMETIME 's suggestions for a 1977 tour special, I think that The Movie should remain the way it is. Or better, expanded with extras and re-released.
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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 7:23:19 GMT
Interesting a bit of backlash against Voyage. Pretty sure there were more people on this Forum more favourable to it than me. Now Alan, says he's put it in the Live Without category and Michel doesn't have any Voyage song in his Top 20. It's really not a backlash in my case (BTW, you're confusing me with @michel all the time, but I can't really blame you ). In fact, I was disappointed by both the first two singles and the album on the first listen. It's true that part of the disappointment was caused by poor sound quality of the live stream, where the first two songs were premiered, and the YouTube version of the album, which I listened to for the first time (I switched my VPN to disguise me as a New Zealand citizen, so that I could listen to the album earlier ). It has grown on me since, even the least favourite tracks, and I played it almost every day for some time. Even now I listen to it quite often and the novelty aspect plays a part in that for sure. However, I have always found it difficult to rate against the original albums, which have been with me since my teens. In a way it feels like it is a different group and I believe it is the fact that we were made to believe it would never happen, that makes the album feel sort of surreal. That doesn't mean I would rather not have it released. I love the record, I love the fact that ABBA returned, I appreciate that I could hear Agnetha and Frida together again.
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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 6:07:10 GMT
If this was a list of 20 songs I could live without ever hearing again, I’m afraid I would put all ten from Voyage into it. That’s unfair and harsh, I know, but the fact is they will never hold the same place in my affections as the main bulk of ABBA’s output which I first heard in the late 1970s and early 80s "20 songs I could live without" is an interesting topic for a thread of its own and I can see the difference. While Voyage doesn't have the same emotional impact on me as ABBA's original output, I still like it very much. I tried to update my "Top 20" and "Bottom 20" lists quite recently and was surprised that none of the Voyage tracks made my Top 20, while two (Little Things and Bumblebee) made it into my Bottom 20. Still, if I had to sacrifice 20 ABBA songs, it surely wouldn't be Voyage - I would probably sacrifice the whole Ring Ring album (possibly with the exception of He Is Your Brother), plus the other 1972 and 1973 tracks (Åh Vilka Tider, Merry-Go-Round and Santa Rosa) and there would be just 5 or 6 more songs to choose. I can imagine LT, Bumblebee and OTF would be hot candidates. The rest would not be so obvious but I would probably be able to pick the remaining songs from my Bottom 20 (You Owe Me One springs to mind immediately).
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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 5:50:12 GMT
I have never seen the clip you mentioned - do you think you could post a link? Agnetha played a piano on the Gäst Hos Hagge show too - it's definitely on YouTube. Otherwise I can't think of any other example.
As for a performance changing a perspective of an ABBA song - He Is Your Brother from ABBA The Movie has done it for me. It's become one of my favourite songs thanks to that wonderful performance. Summer Night City from Wembley would be another example.
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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 5:40:41 GMT
Oh my god, he looks so uncomfortable. Why didn't they give him a guitar at least?
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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 5:36:51 GMT
I must agree with everything, that was said above. Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus is a great record and it is a pity that there are just two albums, which Agnetha composed almost completely on her own (the other being När En Vacker Tanke Blir En Sång of course). Also the lyrics are very clever in my opinion. But creating it must have been a gruelling process obviously, so there's little wonder Agnetha stepped back from making solo albums after that. We must remember that it took very long to finish the album - she started working on it in 1973 but before she managed to finish it, she gave birth to her first child (it seems Visa I Åttonde Månaden was inspired by her pregnancy with Linda) and then ABBA's success got in the way so it's actually a miracle she was able to release it at all. The approach of the record company didn't help too, I guess. The inclusion of SOS, which they demanded, was not the only problem - they also insisted on a different cover, than Agnetha and Bosse envisioned, so the conceptuality of the album was partly lost. En Egen Trädgård is on of my favourites too but there are so many good songs on the album! As far as I can work out, Agnetha has only written or co-written six songs in the 48 years since this album was released (I’m Still Alive, När Du Tar Mig I Din Famn/The Queen of Hearts, Man, I Won’t Let You Go, You’re There and I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed) You forgot Men Natten Är Vår. But that's probably it, no more Agnetha's composition have been released since 1975. However, she has obviously written more, even if they remain unreleased... well, to be precise, unrecorded. In one of the interviews she admitted that she had a drawer full of unfinished songs. She even wrote one more for ABBA in 1979 but they didn't even try to record it (was Turn Of The Tide the title??). I often wonder if Benny and Björn really urged her to write more for ABBA. The fact that even I'm Still Alive didn't make it to an ABBA album makes me doubt it.
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Post by Michal on Aug 2, 2023 14:04:16 GMT
It's available since 26th May - they were sold before the 1st anniversary concert for the first time. There are five different versions - the one shown here plus four featuring individual Avatars on the cover.
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Post by Michal on Jul 29, 2023 7:13:17 GMT
I like the setlist as it is (with the exception of the cartoons) and would be hard-pressed to choose a song to swap. On the other hand I would love to see some new performance, so it is a terrible dilemma I saw the show three times already and the reaction from the audience was always positive all the way through. The truth is that I've been to fan-exclusive performances only (the VIP opening, the official opening and the 1st anniversary show), so I don't know what the reaction of casual fans are, but I agree with Alan and @lycka that some deep cuts are welcome in any live show and it would be boring to have just the greatest hits.
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Post by Michal on Jul 22, 2023 19:48:36 GMT
Angeleyes has been my favourite since I first heard it on the GH2 album (the record that introduced me to ABBA in mid-90s) and it never leaves my Top 20. I like the rhytmic feel of the lyrics in the verses and the contrasting "flow" of the choruses. Also the joint vocals are pure heaven IMO. Voulez-Vous, on the other hand, was just "one of those disco tracks" for me for a very long time and even though it has grown on me since, it's still in the "average" ABBA song category (but as I like every ABBA song, "average" means pretty good :-) )
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Post by Michal on Jun 24, 2023 11:12:44 GMT
It's not about bonus tracks but rather about the way we listen to studio albums. I tend to listen to them from start to finish, no skipping, no interruptions. I actually love bonus tracks - the more there are, the better, but ideally I would place them on a separate disc. If they must be on the same disc, I like it when they're separated from the last track of the album by a longer pause (it was handled this way on the Marie Fredriksson's reissues - there are 20 or 30 seconds pauses between the closing tracks of the albums and the first bonus tracks). So you don't have to be ready with your trembling finger on the stop button, if you don't want to hear them.
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Post by Michal on Jun 24, 2023 5:32:25 GMT
My sentiments exactly! Alan, let's start s crusade together against these disbelievers, brother in arms!
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Post by Michal on Jun 23, 2023 13:10:56 GMT
I like those two videos too. Mamma Mia is also partly just a video (and now, when I think about it, I would swap this one for a new song). Actually, when you count the video part of Mamma Mia, there is quite a long sequence with very little Avatar performance - second half of Mamma Mia, followed by Does Your Mother Know, Eagle and Lay All Your Love On Me. I wonder it is a necessary precaution to let the system cool down before the second half of the concert.
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Post by Michal on Jun 23, 2023 4:06:30 GMT
Is it a myth that the two animation ones are there to allow the avatar generators to cool down? Myth or not, the same has been said about the "video performances" (or how should we call them) such as Knowing Me, Knowing You or Lay All Your Love On Me. It makes sense, as there are never more than three Avatar performances in a row.
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Post by Michal on Jun 22, 2023 19:43:31 GMT
I was at the first anniversary performance and though I half-hoped to see a new song before going to London, in the end I was glad they hadn't changed anything, especially the opening. The Visitors is amazing, as is Hole In Your Soul and it probably doesn't matter they're not widely known, because the impact of the Avatars, when seen for the first time, is so huge that you would be probably swept away by any song they would perform.
I think we would all agree that the two animations and DYMK would be least missed, if swapped, but it's unlikely to happen. DYMK is in the show to give the backing band and singers their moment in the limelight and the two animations are probably seen as a piece of art and some kind of break at the same time.
Personally I'm not sure which songs I would swap for others. As much as I would like to see for example Money Money Money included, I'm not sure which performance I would sacrifice. Probably Chiquitita or Fernando but with a heavy heart.
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Post by Michal on Jun 19, 2023 18:33:55 GMT
No, they are not real people. But they're not holograms either. The technology is completely new, it has never been used before, as far as I know.
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Post by Michal on Jun 14, 2023 18:46:05 GMT
As far as the 1982 recordings go in order of merit (to me anyway) they are: 1. TDBYC 2. JLT 3. IATC 4. Cassandra 5. UA 6. YOMO To me the last two are pretty awful and the only top quality song is TDBYC. The other 3 are pretty good. I would really like to know what everybody's problem with Under Attack is. I've always liked it. Actually, the only 1982 song I don't think much of is You Owe Me One. And it's actually the fact that it was released on the B-side of Under Attack, which supports the theory of JLT and IATC being saved for a future album. If they were not, why not release one of them instead of YOMO? Both were superior.
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Post by Michal on Jun 14, 2023 18:38:43 GMT
Just Like That remain a mystery though. They clearly must have liked the song, when they bothered to rewrite it for Gemini. Even the original verse was later used it Chess. And since then at least two covers of the original ABBA version were approved. So where does the defiance to release it come from? I think you’ve answered your own question there! Their opinion is that the original verses and chorus of Just Like That don’t go together. They then proceeded to try and prove their point by writing new verses for Gemini and using the original verse melody in Chess. Oh yes, I know the story of course My point was - Björn and Benny clearly like both the verses and the chorus, otherwise they wouldn't have released both separately. What I don't understand is why the alleged incompatibility of the original verses with the original chorus (in my opinion they go together very well, definitely better than the Gemini version) is such a big deal for them, as there are songs in ABBA catalogue, that have the same "problem" even more pronounced. I of course respect it's only up to them to decide what to do with their own material, I just don't understand it in this case. Even more so, when we know, that both Agnetha and Frida like the song.
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Post by Michal on Jun 11, 2023 16:25:30 GMT
It does beg the question - what could have become of I Am The City and Just Like That? There are those that believe these were being “saved” for a future ABBA album, perhaps for 1984 release. I’ve always doubted that they had any real intention to get back together again after 1982, and that they only avoided a split announcement as a fallback in case things didn’t work out for them individually. They didn’t give a damn that they hadn’t said a proper goodbye. I'm one of those who believe that I Am The City and Just Like That were considered good enough for an album but not for singles at the time they recorded them, so I believe they might have been "saving" them for a future album. However, back then they probably believed they would return to the studio in 1983. The decision to split up (or to "take a break") apparently wasn't made until late 1982. Even as late as December they were denying it. Only once it became clear that Björn and Benny would write a musical with Tim Rice, the plans for a new album in 1983 were abandoned completely. And you're probably right that they would hardly have resurrected them in mid 80s, had they returned as ABBA. Just Like That remain a mystery though. They clearly must have liked the song, when they bothered to rewrite it for Gemini. Even the original verse was later used it Chess. And since then at least two covers of the original ABBA version were approved. So where does the defiance to release it come from?
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Post by Michal on Jun 11, 2023 16:14:03 GMT
The two topics have been merged but elements of both titles retained. I appreciate this won’t please everyone but otherwise could have resulted in repetition or one of the topics being boycotted by advocates of the other. A very diplomatic solution!
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Post by Michal on Jun 11, 2023 16:12:04 GMT
I'm a fan of I Am The City too. I liked it since the first time I heard it on More ABBA Gold. And no, the reason wasn't that it was a previously unreleased track, because at the time I had no idea that it was a 1982 outtake I heard most of the songs for the very first time. I like the way Agnetha and Frida trade the vocal lines, the slight alteration of the second chorus... it's been my one of my favourite ABBA songs ever since.
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Post by Michal on Jun 11, 2023 16:02:53 GMT
...the 1982 songs to me represent a step even further back, for ABBA, to 1973 ("Under Attack", "You Owe Me One")...
Comparing Under Attack with the 1973 songs is a step too far in my opinion. Yes, it seems that after The Visitors they were turning back to the 70s style with joint lead vocals and less theatrical songs but I don't think it was necessarily a step in the wrong direction. As much as I like The Day Before You Came, it would be a bit boring to fill a whole album with songs like that.
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Post by Michal on Jun 11, 2023 15:56:13 GMT
Respectfully, I don't think this thread should be merged with yours, Johnny, not because I started it, but because I believe your proposition is nonsensical. Sorry, but there's nowhere to go with such a statement as "The Voyage album was 1982 recordings part two" because it is simply not true to most people.
Well, if you take this way, than those, who don't agree with the title of this thread should start their own, instead of replying to yours. It doesn't make sense. It this respect I'm with johnny that one thread is enough.
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Post by Michal on Jun 2, 2023 19:15:44 GMT
I'm flying back home today and already thinking about an excuse to come back next spring 😄 Well, what about April 6 2024, the 50th anniversary of the Eurovision win . That day is blocked from general ticket sales so I'm sure there will be some kind of celebration that day. Well, yes. I've been thinking about it from the moment I heard about it. But I will really need a very strong argument to justify going to London again. It's extremely expensive and it's a small wonder that my wife has already let me go twice without objecting too much...
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Post by Michal on May 30, 2023 10:49:13 GMT
I was at the anniversary performance and I was delighted that the three ABBA members were present. It was known that Björn and Benny would attend the concert and I was hoping for at least one of the ladies to turn up. And it happened! Of course, it would have been sensational if all four were there but I did not expect it.
Another thing is, as @alan rightly pointed out, that they made a big deal of the first anniversary and nothing special actually happened, except for new merchandise going on sale (the new programme is fantastic and there is a really cool jeans jacket). But not having seen it for a year, I enjoyed the show even when it was exactly the same. And I enjoyed being in London again. I'm flying back home today and already thinking about an excuse to come back next spring 😄
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Post by Michal on May 30, 2023 10:38:04 GMT
Voyage is a very good album in my opinion. I still find it difficult to rate it against the original albums but I like it a lot. The least favourite tracks are Little Things and Bumblebee but even those have grown on me. So no, they shouldn't have stopped after ISHFIY and DSMD. It would be a great pity.
As for 1982, the mood within the group was probably too tense and it was necessary to take a break. They could and should have returned after Chess though. An album every three or four years would have been fantastic and wouldn't have demanded so much of their time. Pity we had to wait forty years. So much more could have been achieved.
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Post by Michal on May 8, 2023 10:36:13 GMT
I could not enjoy AI music knowing the artists did nothing to create it. It is musical fraud. The question is - would you know? I mean, in the case of long deceased artists it would be obvious but what if Madonna decided to let AI do the work and just pretended it was her. We wouldn't be able to recognize it.. The whole AI business is getting dangerous. Soon we won't be able to tell what's true and what isn't with deep fakes all around internet.
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Post by Michal on May 8, 2023 10:31:04 GMT
The one thing I would like to see released is Agnetha's carreer-spanning DVD. It's long overdue and there is plenty of material available. But the problem really seems to be the three labels involved... "sigh". I don’t think that is the problem. Over the last 30 years, there have been three main Agnetha compilations (My Love, My Life in 1996, That’s Me in 1998 and My Very Best in 2008) and all three companies collaborated for each of them. Of the three, it’s Warner that is less interested in doing anything on its own but it supplied tracks to those three compilations (two of which were released by Sony and the other by Universal). The real issue is the lack of interest in either the CD or DVD format by record companies. A DVD could have been released for My Very Best but the fact it wasn’t suggests the boat has long since sailed. The lack of interest by record companies? I don't understand it. Can't they see the potential? Frida - The DVD and 4xCD 1xDVD are fetching sky-high prices on Discogs and eBay. The interest in Agnetha's DVD would be just as huge. However, I think the fact that the three labels collaborated on the CD releases in the past doesn't mean it's not complicating matters in the case of a DVD. I guess it would be a bigger challenge, as it means licencing various material from SVT and maybe other TV stations as well. But you may be right that the interest in physical formats other than vinyl are at historical low. I expected a carreer-spanning compilation and possibly a DVD for Marie Fredriksson after her passing away but nothing happened at all. And she is one of the most popular Swedish artists, I believe.
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