ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2021 Jan - Aug

I'm afraid I can't remember the chart rules and they have probably changed since I worked in the industry. I'm sure zeus would know...

I remember erasure doing a remix ep of the ABBA songs that somehow didn't meet the criteria for either chart in 1992

Being practically totally naive on how the industry works... That said I cant see why they would release something that wasn't going to be a hit in one form or another..
It has to be singles or an Album, surely an EP wouldn't work these days.......

If its singles, they would have to be released at separate times, as if on an EP I believe these days only 4 tracks are allowed to chart , here in the UK,  so one would miss !!  ( I think rules were changed when Ed Sheeran dominated the top 20, a while back ) .
Again, i feel as time goes by , and please correct me if i'm wrong Bjorn actually hasn't mentioned exactly how many tracks, its always come from the interviewer side ?, therefore (I hope) there are more than 5 and it will turn into an album....


As we have said for years... time will tell... 

Personally I think they should forget the idea of singles. The chances of them having a hit single must be extremely low, but a number one album would be a near-certainty. However, the likes of Radio 2 need a reason to play it, so songs released as singles to radio would work in order to promote the album. It was very successful for Agnetha’s album in 2013 and seems to be the done thing these days. All the acts I’m into can’t have hit singles anymore but all have successful albums.

  The Official Charts Company, do allow, quite a lot of New Music, to be added to 'Old' Albums,
  and still count it as being the same Album. Lady GaGa did it in November 2009. She had 
  already been in the UK, (and other Countries), Charts, all Year. That was with 'The Fame'.
  Then she added a 2nd Disk to it, in November. That Disk was called 'The Fame Monster'.
  It had 8 brand New Songs on it. They added up to 34.09 - which is 1 Minute longer than
  'Arrival'. The OCC not only let the 2nd Disk be added, but they combined the Sales and
  Chart places, with 'The Fame', and called the 2 Disk version 'The Fame'. (No mention of
  Disk 2 being called 'The Fame Monster'). Some Countries had 'The Fame Monster' treated
  like a New Lady GaGa Album. It was allowed to Chart on its own. Not added to 'The Fame'.

  So, The OCC, will allow quite a lot, of New Music to be added to an 'Old' Album. 'ABBA Gold;
  could have an 8 Track 2nd Disk added, and it would still be called 'ABBA Gold'. The reason
  why The OCC won't add, the 2014 Triple Disk 'Gold', to 'ABBA Gold', is because the 2014
  Edition, has far too much 'Bonus' material added. There are the original 19 Tracks, plus
  the 20 Songs on 'More Gold', plus 20 'B' Sides. Any Bonus Material, has to be far less, than
  40 extra Songs. I recall that one Week, in 2014, 'ABBA Gold' was at No.57 and the Triple
  CD was at No.59. The OCC refused to combine their Sales. (W/E 19th April 2014).

  Graham -- I was just pointing out that a 2nd 8 Track Disk, could be added to 'ABBA Gold'. I never said that 
  I approved of it! No. I think that it would waste the New Songs, to be added to 'Gold'. They would be 'buried'
  on that Compilation, if they were added to it. I think that it would be awful, if they were added to 'Gold'. By
  the way, 'ABBA Gold' has sold a lot more than 5,500,000, in the UK. Wikipedia is way behind in its estimate. 
  'Gold' has now sold about 5,800,000 in the UK.

  I've been using my imagination, trying to work out, how just 5 New ABBA Songs, could be turned into an Album.
  One idea, was to combine them with the 'New', (to 'The Public'), ABBA Songs in the 2 'Mamma Mia!' Films. I
  mean ABBA's original versions, of course. That would mean creating a New ABBA Album, by using the 5 New
  Songs, plus: 'Slipping Through My Fingers', 'Kisses Of Fire', 'My Love, My Life', 'I've Been Waiting For You', 
  'Andante, Andante' and 'Why Did It Have To Be Me'. None of which are on either 'Gold' Album. I'd add in
  'Happy New Year' too, as that should be better known, and that is on neither 'Gold' Album. That would
  make a 12 Track Album.  So, that is an idea that I thought of. I find it ridiculous, that there are 39 Tracks
  between the 2 'Gold' Albums, and there are 6 'Mamma Mia!' Songs, that are on neither of them. I'm aware
  that the 7 Songs, that I've Listed, are not 'New' to we Fans, but they were to 'The Public', when they heard
  them in the 2 Films.

 ('Our Last Summer', 'When All Is Said And Done', 'When I Kissed The Teacher', 'Angel Eyes', 'Honey Honey',  
  and 'I Wonder', were also pretty 'New', to most of the 'Mamma Mia!' Viewers, but they are all on 'More Gold',
  so they are not as 'unknown' as the rest, that I've Listed).
  

  

Bjorn has a lot of confidence in the New Songs. He recently said, that the plan, is
to give ABBA a 'Happy Ending'. In other words, he is confident that the New Songs
are going to uplift and fulfil ABBA's Legacy. A good ending for ABBA.

When did we first hear that there were 5 new songs? Was it about a year ago now, or more like 6 months?
If a year or more, I expect they've probably got pretty close to an album by now (although that's obviously just conjecture).

Thanks for these dates. So, it's now at least 18 months since we were first told there were 5 songs?
My hopes for a whole album have now risen a little!

It has its own thread: abbachat.com/thread/845/live-studio :-) And you have mentioned Hole In Your Soul there. But you're welcome to make more suggestions :-)

  ABBA seem to have started some kind of 'Countdown'. It began today - 22nd May - Eurovision Day.
  It seems to be going to carry on - Day after Day - until we reach the Day that ABBA have chosen 
  to end the 'Countdown'. At that point, I 100% believe, that ABBA plan to give us all a big surprise.
  That 'surprise' will either be 1 New Song, or more than 1 New Song.

  ABBA want Fans to join them on Instagram. You give your Email on the ABBA Page there, and ABBA
  will regularly tell you any News, that is happening - regarding ABBA.

  Like many Fans, I got sent an Email about it all, last Night. However, it is an Image, and I cannot
  copy and Post it here - I don't know how to do that with Images.

  In the Image, ABBA say:

  JOIN US ON A MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH TIME!

  Have you really heard all the tracks ABBA released in the early 70s?
                     How about 'Watch Out' or 'My Mama Said'?

  You are now the first to know that on May 22nd we will start a musical journey
through ABBA's catalogue on our Instagram. The journey will be filled with new and old
    commentary from ABBA. Videos from the archives and material you've probably 
                                              never seen before. 

                               FOLLOW ABBA ON INSTAGRAM   

'Dancing Queen'  -- In the meantime, in the past Day or so, the main 'Dancing Queen'
Video on YouTube has gone over 500 Million Views - the first ABBA Video to manage it.
To 'Celebrate', Universal have up-graded the Video, to something called 4K. You can see 
the change, (Picture Quality), if you watch it. (I've heard a rumour that all of ABBA's
Videos are being up-graded and repackaged. It may, or may not, be true).



                 

Interesting about the 'musical journey' but I'm not sure that I'm reading a 'countdown' to anything in those words - perhaps more of a 'raising of awareness' in ABBA. I'm not on Instagram - if it's an official campaign, why not on Facebook too?

Of all the ABBA songs from the early 70s to mention, why "Watch Out" - not exactly a good advert for encouraging people to dig into ABBA's back catalogue, unless this title was included as a hidden message to watch out for something special

By the way, onlyabba4megain, was your use of the phrase "Day after Day" a nod to the ABBA-esque (or Waterloo-esque) Swedish Eurovision entry by Chips in 1982?

I agree with abbafishballs, above: they don't need the money. But the Mamma Mia! stage shows and films are primarily money-making businesses anyway (with notions of 'ABBA's legacy' perhaps mixed in there somewhere, somehow.)
Indeed, wasn't it commercial considerations, more than musical ones - the avatar project and the desirability for new songs - that instigated their getting back in the studio at all to record after decades of not doing so?

Just my opinion of course, but if the music had been their primary motivation, we'd have had a new album from ABBA well before now, with yet another one - their final one, perhaps? - for their 50th anniversary. Isn't that what musicians want to do - make music - especially when they realise there remains a lot of interest around?

But I'm still very much looking forward to the new songs - two, five, or ten - whenever they turn up. I have every confidence they will be stunningly superior to most of today's pop music that I've heard. Yes, I freely admit I'm prejudiced - I'm far away from being a teenager! I even prefer, mostly, non-pop music nowadays. :-)

ABBA at the BBC was on BBC Four yet again last night (always good for a laugh as it includes so many official promo videos at the expense of genuine BBC performances).

Does Kisses of Fire ever benefit in the streaming world from these showings? I think it’s the only non-single included. Probably not as anyone interested would flock to YouTube rather than Spotify for it (another reason why a new ABBA single wouldn’t do well chartwise).