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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2021 8:34:02 GMT
Just read an interview with actress and author Claudia Carroll (not heard of her, sorry) - she was asked for her "Fantasy wedding/birthday party band"? her answer: "A reunited ABBA"!
My heart sank!! I know one of ABBA's strengths was their joyous sound but really - wedding parties etc?? is that all people think about when they think of ABBA??! I've heard it so many times!
If only there was an in depth programme discussing the melancholy, meaningful lyrics, technical brilliance, musicianship, vocal expertise/precision - but I guess it's only us die hard fans that can appreciate all this and more - sigh!!!!
Maybe it's only me that gets frustrated by what seems the lack of attention to their sheer brilliance?! and it probably shouldn't matter, but it does get annoying sometimes.
On a more positive note, the Manic Street Preachers have been influenced by them recently at least, if you read/hear their latest interviews!!
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Post by HOMETIME on Aug 11, 2021 10:55:20 GMT
Claudia Carroll is an Irish author/actress. She's not a huge star but well-known and liked here. She writes romantic fiction. I don't know her personally but she's a friend of a friend, who assures me that she's lovely. All irrelevant in relation to the question, but hey.
I think I kinda get her answer. The question looks like one of those tedious, lazy questions that go out to personalities when magazines/blogs/websites are creating fluffy material for casual readers. I doubt anyone - even Ms. Carroll - regards ABBA as a wedding band but if I was daydreaming at my hardest, I'm pretty sure I could conjure an outrageous fantasy in which ABBA performed at my wedding and/or landmark birthday (why not both? It's my fantasy!). If you're gonna dream, dream big! And it's nice to know she's a fan.
I totally agree with you that we need a proper documentary that looks at the heart of ABBA's music. The costumes, the glitz, the divorces, the money, Mamma bloody Mia! and the half-arsed opinions of C-lists celebs have been done to death. I think Mono/Universal/Netflix could do worse than commission a short series that looks at the music from a creative and analytical point of view. Something like the Classic Albums programmes would be great. An episode per album that also looks at the writing/recording process, the released product, some outtakes/early try-outs, standalone singles and maybe the cover art would be fantastic. It's the sort of thing that could create amazing DVDs for reissues of the albums (let's not kid ourselves that they won't continue to be a feature). Or they could form a standalone DVD box set. Or, better yet, they could be part of an amazing anthology - a multi-disc box set that gathers key tracks alongside early versions, outtakes etc. Something more carefully considered and expansive than the 1990s box set. The outtakes and early versions would have context in this kind of setting; there'd be no suggestion that they were being released as "lost classics" or "potential new hits." And it would make up for the hard work of getting through 23+ minutes of ABBA Undeleted for nearly 30 years!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2021 13:32:24 GMT
I know what you mean - my dream would just be to meet ABBA all together and do an in-depth interview, but no chance of that happening - anyway, I would suddenly not be able to talk if I did meet any one of them lol! I guess we should be pleased that people remember them in whatever manner!
Love your ideas - I wonder if anyone from Universal does read our threads - would be great if something serious was put together.
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Post by richard on Aug 11, 2021 14:58:48 GMT
I find this a very interesting topic, and I hope it will get a few responses.
Probably most people who enjoy popular music are not all that interested - not at a conscious, 'intellectual', level, anyway - in how a song is written, arranged, and recorded: bass lines, vocal harmonies, instrumentation, mixing, and so on. But I'm a 100% with HOMETIME - I'd love to watch and hear such a documentary. We're ABBA fans here, of course but I think this could be a great series for those really into pop/rock at this deeper, more detailed, level, covering ABBA, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and others. It might even have some commercial viability done this way. Just a thought.
But another aspect of 'Party ABBA' occurs to me: that there is a sometimes shallow and ludicrous conflation of perceptions - and preference for - someone's looks and their music and musical abilities.
It's this sort of nonsensical equation: 'X is prettier/more handsome and therefore he/she is a better singer than Y'. Yes, I do believe it can operate at this childish level!
I feel this sort of thing happened quite a bit - no doubt still does - among some more casual ABBA fans - and it used to annoy me intensely! Two female members. I need say no more. Fleetwood Mac also springs to mind for the same reasons.
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Post by HOMETIME on Aug 11, 2021 15:25:43 GMT
I think a music-focused documentary would help (further) rehabilitate ABBA's image and legacy. The Channel 5 glorified karaoke shows featuring washed up soap stars hoping for an inroad to the music industry just doesn't do it. I do not need to see/hear Pete Waterman crop up on any more shows about ABBA. We don't need to hear any more about marital strife, bigger-than-Volvo, sexy bottoms, pussycat costumes and jukebox musicals. The simple act of broadcasting a respectful programme would be valuable in marking 50 years and setting the bar for future productions. Or maybe I'm naive?!
The sexism at the heart of so many of these attempted "insights" is appalling. Agnetha and Frida endured it for years during the group's heyday. There is no reason it should be tolerated any more. But brace yourselves, because the reaction to the new music is going to be partly toxic. It will have nothing to do with the quality of the songs, the performances or the recordings: it'll be a case of "oh my, she's aged quite a bit." Benny and Bjorn will be subjected to less of it, but the entertainment media won't be able to resist juxtaposing flattering 1976 shots beside images of 70something women and, to a lesser extent, men. I could rant all day on this, but I'll stop.
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Post by richard on Aug 11, 2021 16:23:56 GMT
[...] brace yourselves, because the reaction to the new music is going to be partly toxic. It will have nothing to do with the quality of the songs, the performances or the recordings: it'll be a case of "oh my, she's aged quite a bit." Benny and Bjorn will be subjected to less of it, but the entertainment media won't be able to resist juxtaposing flattering 1976 shots beside images of 70something women and, to a lesser extent, men. I could rant all day on this, but I'll stop. That's what concerns me, too. For a lot of the media 'copy' seems to be all: a good line - according to them - matters more than honesty or fairness or accuracy, provided they can get away with it legally. Happily, not all, of course. But, at best, something like this might be expected from some media: "Somewhat surprisingly, a few quite good tracks from an aged group who haven't been in the studio for decades". In other words, damning with faint praise, even if a far more positive review was deserved. Hopefully, my doubts will be invalidated. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Aug 13, 2021 8:32:15 GMT
[...] something like this might be expected from some media: "Somewhat surprisingly, a few quite good tracks from an aged group who haven't been in the studio for decades". In other words, damning with faint praise, even if a far more positive review was deserved. Hopefully, my doubts will be invalidated. Yes. I wouldn't be too surprised to learn that some of those reviews have been drafted already and are just sitting in a folder waiting to be published. There are plenty of contrarian "Devil's advocates" whose raison d'etre is raining on other people's parades. The Devil has enough advocates, thank you very much. |
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Post by justabba on Aug 13, 2021 13:13:05 GMT
My first singing teacher taught me a wonderful lesson early on. He said critics are like eunuchs. They know how but they cant do it. It kept me in good stead throughout my career!
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