ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2023-24

I think the prices were the same and they were reduced, compared to the standard shows. But the gold members were offered the tickets first.

There are seats available in January 2024 (and maybe other months) for £21.50. Prices of £100+ are more than I would want to pay but £21.50 is a bargain, surely? As far as I know, all seats have good views.

That actually beyond argument, since irrefutably the group members themselves do not perform in person. That's why it can be described as a show or a virtual performance or an 'experience' but not an ABBA concert, since a band concert is, among other things, an agreement between artist(s) and fans to assemble at a given place and a given time, and to interact in real space and in flesh and blood in order for each to feed off something sui generis provided by the actual presence of the other. I've always disliked the idea of the Voyage show for its implications: you wonder where it will end and what it will ultimately add up to. (I now gather that the fashion world is toying with the idea of creating virtual animations of retired catwalk models and dead pop icons such as Marilyn Monroe to somehow parade at clothes shows.) There's something depressingly vacant at the heart of this idea of virtually re/animating aged and retired or dead stars, a feeling of a 'Body Snatchers culture' evolving that is speeding up what Bifo Berardi has called "the slow cancellation of the future", but that's for another discussion)

You're right, the way it was worded just made it possible to take things in another direction—this has become the catch-all thread, after all. (It's difficult to voice concerns about what the Voyage show represents or presages, because you can easily end up sounding dramatic or defeatist when doing so.)

I have just been listening to Hovas Vittne and it has a really good backing track I would love to see the song get an official release on an ABBA compilation its a great shame that ABBA never decided to rewrite the lyrics with a completely different meaning and record it in English it was recorded on 20th January 1981 two months before ABBA began recording sessions for The Visitors album I know that parts of the melody of 'Hovas Vittne' were reused in the Chess song 'Merano' in the line 'Where breathing will turn you on, where water tastes like wine'.

It would have been interesting to see how ABBA could have adapted 'Hovas Vittne' had they decided to record an English version.

AdamDawson2003, I agree Hovas Vittne is a great song. The original lyrics are funny and I think the song could be released as it is.

No comment 😀

I can imagine an English-language version of it on Voyage. It has a slight WYDWM vibe to it.

There are six versions of Ring Ring - English, Swedish, German, Spanish, UK Remix and US Remix. There’s also a four minute 22 second medley of the Swedish, Spanish and German versions issued on the 1994 Thank You For The Music 4-CD set.

For Waterloo there are five - English, Swedish, German, French and Alternate Mix (the latter of which didn’t surface until 2005). There’s also the live version from 1979 but I wouldn’t count that (possibly two different live versions if the one on the 1986 ABBA Live album is a different date from the 2014 Live at Wembley. Either way, they’re mixed differently). Similarly there’s a medley from 1994 of the French and Swedish versions.

Does anyone know if there were ever discussions of Bjorn & Benny doing an album with Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson I have just been listening to 'I Know Him So Well' and the part where they sing together 'Didn't I know, how it would go, if I knew from the start, why am I falling apart' the way their voices blend together so well on that part is stunning and their voices go well together its also how interesting how Barbara's voice dominates the start of that verse I think it would have been wonderful had Bjorn & Benny doing a full with Elaine & Barbara instead of Gemini.

Also has anyone noticed how similar 'Keep An Eye On Dan' is to 'Ghost Town' by Gemini in the verses in particular and the backing track.

That’s a very sweeping statement! I don’t spend anything on takeaways. Where did that info come from?

There are seated tickets for about £55. It’s still more than I paid to go the first time (which was also seated) but OK I suppose. Dance floor tickets seem to be about £77.

I was just thinking: imagine that the old videos, featuring the real ABBA back in the day, could be enhanced with big screens, a live band, and a live audience. Do you think that would really be the next-best-thing to seeing ABBA live during their heyday rather than these avatars? And if the answer is no, is it because these avatars are as you want ABBA to to be now, in your imagination, instead of how they were back then?

This video popped into my YouTube feed. "ABBA's best selling albums worldwide." I wonder how reliable the information is?

A recent article from Sweden's
www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/8JRkO1/abbas-miljonvinst-efter-comeback-albumet-voyage

Google Translate

"Abbas's comeback: the members take out many millions in profit

"Money, money, money" - that's how much money Abba got after "Voyage"

The members of Abba are in no trouble after the great success with "Voyage".

Agnetha Fältskog almost tripled her turnover and Benny Andersson took out many millions in profit.

Abbas' long-awaited comeback album " Voyage " took the music world by storm when it was launched in the fall of 2021.

Not only was it nominated for four Grammys, it also became a unique virtual concert - which resulted in a million rain for band members Agnetha Fältskog and Benny Andersson .

Something that Expressen was the first to report on.

The show goes on - for three years

A concert, without any artists in place. Abba's 3D show "Voyage" is in full swing in the Abba arena in central London and has attracted so many curious people to the audience that it may continue until at least 2026.

According to Expressen, 650,000 tickets were sold for the concert, just in the first four months.

But it wasn't just the concert that paid off. The album, with the same name, has been number one in 18 countries and sold over 2.5 million copies.

Millions rain over the members

The enormous success has caused Agnetha Fältskog's company, Agnetha Fältskog Produktion AB, to more than double its turnover from 2020 to 2021.

In 2020, the company had a turnover of SEK 9 million, which in 2021 would increase to SEK 26 million.

The annual report states:

"The increases are due to increased royalty streams in most of the company's business lines, but they are particularly related to the company's interests in the master recordings made for the new ABBA album called Voyage."

But she is not the only Abba member who made a big profit after the album release. Namely, Benny Andersson took out 80 million kroner from the profit in his owning company Nyckelbrädan AB.

1221 = ABBA

The "Voyage" record is owned by the band members' joint company 1221 AB, i.e. the numerical equivalent of Abba.

The company was founded in 2020 but has no turnover for that year, however, the figure skyrocketed in 2021 and the company landed on a turnover of 46 million.

All members sit on the board and own a quarter of the company each, but according to the latest general meeting minutes, which Expressen has seen, it is Benny Andersson who owns all the shares via his production company".