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Post by undertheappletree on Jun 18, 2022 9:55:32 GMT
Thanks for posting the new lyric video for " SOS ", Undertheappletree. I will check it out. " SOS " is an undisputed ABBA classic. One of my all time ABBA favourites. It has all the key elements for a great pop song. Melancholic plaintive vocals, a soaring chorus and an infectious melody with classical undertones. Incredible song ! You’re spot on Eddie, One of my all time favourite"s also, and the Classical feel, partly led me into the Classical music genre, and the other part has a teenager waiting for my haircut at the Barber's and being bombarded with the sound of Piano concerto music from large speakers. |
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Post by gamleman on Jun 18, 2022 10:18:21 GMT
Thanks Gamelman, my memory is a little foggy, when l first noticed Abba, l remember watching parts of Eurovision 74 but nothing stood out. It was some TV Show, at a family gathering, they were wearing the Cat outfits, and l think my brother, said this is that Group, suggesting he was aware of them already, may not have been Christmas time, l do remember seeing them on l think summer special playing SOS and liking the keyboard sound. But it was not until probably the 90s that l actually saw Abba in Sweden, that So long' Performance being a favourite. I must have missed that show. I first saw them wear the cat outfits on the "Seaside Special" show and then again a few months later in the "Made in Sweden" show (maybe on TOTP in-between, but I don't recall). What was frustrating about the "Seaside Special" show was that it was filmed in Torquay and we had just returned from two weeks' holiday in Torquay, so ABBA may well have been in town while I was there and I wasn't aware. The "So Long" clip from the "Made in Sweden" programme was shown again a few weeks later by public request on "Ask Aspel". |
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Post by dankeepinganeyeonabba on Jun 18, 2022 13:31:03 GMT
Kate Bush is number one!
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Post by angela on Jun 18, 2022 13:34:43 GMT
SOS is one of my favourites, I remember seeing the film clip after the song Mamma mia, then they came out here to Australia to do the "Best of ABBA" special" with their cat costumes.
That Special was repeated a few times as everyone here wanted to see it again and again, I even remember they played it when another ABBA special couldn't be shown.
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Post by Michal on Jun 18, 2022 15:57:57 GMT
Going through your recent posts, guys, it seems that I am one of the youngest here and at the age of 41 that's saying something  I discovered ABBA around 1995 thanks to my grandfather's cassette copy of Greatest Hits Vol.2, which he bought on one of his travels around Europe after the fall of the iron curtain. I played the album so often that I almost erased the tape! I became a member of the Czech ABBA Fan Club in 1996 and the official Dutch fan club in 1999. Back then the magazines and the CD booklets were the only source of information for me, as I had no internet access. Looking back at those times, it's hard to believe from today's perspective. |
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Post by undertheappletree on Jun 18, 2022 17:22:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2022 21:32:00 GMT
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Post by gary on Jun 18, 2022 22:52:32 GMT
There’s no doubt that SOS is very important in ABBA’s career. But I think that its importance can be overstated. The song that broke ABBA in many parts of the world is not SOS, but I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Do,_I_Do,_I_Do,_I_Do,_I_Do.) To claim otherwise is a bit UK-centric. But of course SOS is sublime, and their first truly great song. For me personally, it’s the one that made me an ABBA fan. I was on a school trip, and SOS came on the coach radio. I was transfixed. It sounded amazing and like nothing I had ever heard before (and still does). I bought the single the next day and the ABBA album just afterwards. And I’ve been a fan ever since. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 9:17:43 GMT
They could make it into the Sales chart. The studio album most likely to re-enter the album chart is Voulez Vous. And So it proved. VV is greatly helped by streaming. It sold about 1500 to re-enter at #78. But a lot of that is down to streaming. It is only about #40-ish in the Physical Chart. |
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Post by gary on Jun 19, 2022 9:19:55 GMT
No disagreement here about your second paragraph!
But I Do x5 was a big hit in many European countries, including in Germany where it got to number six, and in Australia where it got to number one and started the ABBA boom. And ABBA’s success in Australia is sometimes credited with leading to ABBA’s success in the UK (particularly Mamma Mia).
The two songs cannot be compared in terms of quality though!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 9:23:25 GMT
SOS is one of ABBA's best songs and I Do x5 clearly is not.
ABBA's history was often written from a UK perspective so SOS seen a comeback single.
It was indeed bigger than I Do in both the UK and Germany but globally I Do was a sizeable hit. As big as SOS in the US and #1 in Australia before SOS.
It is right though it wasn't on Gold and has effectivy been airbrushed out of history. This isn't because it was a global failure, it wasn't. It just isn't very good. Simples.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 9:25:05 GMT
I think I was writing as Gary posted. We basically say the same on this. 😀
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Post by gamleman on Jun 19, 2022 9:30:10 GMT
Regarding "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" vs "SOS", I think the former was key in Australia, which in turn had a knock-on effect in the UK with the release of "Mamma Mia" - so it was important. But as pointed out above, "SOS" did better in certain influential countries and really resurrected their career in the UK, which was an important influencer at the time - when I got my first ABBA single from abroad, "Fernando" from Spain, it said on the front-cover "No 1 en Inglaterra". They both got to No 15 in the US, but "SOS" came first there. Today, nobody remembers "I Do" as a great song, like they do "SOS".
It was suggested above that "SOS" was more key to ABBA's career than "Waterloo". I'm not sure about that. An interesting question is whether "SOS" would have been a big hit without the Eurovision win with "Waterloo". I'd say it has sure-fire hit ingredients and stands up on its own but, at least here in the UK, it would have struggled to get air-play without the history of "Waterloo" and the minor hits that followed. If it had been a huge European or US hit, I dare say the UK would have eventually taken it on-board, but otherwise we may never have heard it.
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Post by welshboy on Jun 20, 2022 9:30:33 GMT
Yes I remember watching SOS on the Seaside Special and then on Top Of The Pops. But what got me hooked was seeing then on TOTP singing Mamma Mia. But it was not until my birthday the following year that I got my first Abba album Arrival.
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Post by richard on Jun 20, 2022 10:37:05 GMT
It'll be interesting to see how the Voyage album's songs will be regarded as time goes on.
I'm surprised by how many of ABBA's pre-Arrival tracks I like: I thought they would be far outweighed -as they used to be - by my preference for their later stuff. But not quite so much now, I realise. And so, although I find it too repetitive, I actually like I Do, I Do... The bridge, especially, has a certain pathos for me.
Regarding SOS, I think it's one of those songs that come earlier in an artist's career that turns out to be as good as, if not better than, a lot of what comes later. Indeed, as a brilliant, accomplished single, I wonder if ABBA did anything better. Had ABBA reached the stage of success they did in '76, without SOS, and then SOS released as a single during the time of Arrival, doubtless it would have been No 1 in the UK charts. So much depends on timing.
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Post by bennybjorn on Jun 20, 2022 11:27:00 GMT
Anyone been following the fortunes of Voyage in the physical albums chart since it came out?
Just spotted that it's at #13 but wondered if it's always been around that level since the initial album-release hype died down?
Thanks.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2022 13:59:49 GMT
It has been in the Physical Top 20 almost every week since release - 30 weeks out of 32. It dropped out Top 20 late April (due to huge amount of nee and re-enyties) and in May but returned the week before the show started .
In the Sales chart which includes Downloads it has been out of Top 20 for 3 or 4 weeks.
Since leaving Main Top 100 first time round I would estimate sales of 1,000 to 1,200 a week. A little higher when it re-entered.
A few more points.
*the radio single No Doubt About It failed to revive sales or add to more streams for that song
*Any Voyage Show effect very brief and shortlived
*It doesn't seem to have benefitted from the picture disc sales otherwise it would have remained in the chart. They would be extra to the 1000+ it would expect.
*Voyage did well on week 1 in Vinyl (picture discs then) but vinyl sales dropped rapidly.
*It never did well on Streaming. Only #3 in the Streaming Chart and only 4 weeks in the Top 100.
*the vast majority of its sales on CD.
*Gold and Voulez Vous in Main Chart due to streams which Voyage doesn't get. It sold more than either in real sales last week.
*in this week's Physical Chart, Ed Sheeran's equals at #10, Voyage at #13 and Adele's 30 a lowly 71.
*in sales chart Ed is #9 and ABBA #14. Not a huge difference. But because if streaming Ed is at #3 in Main Chart and ABBA not in the Top 100.
Don't blame me for Voyage not in Top 100. I am only the messenger and don't make chart rules. 😀
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wayne
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Post by wayne on Jun 21, 2022 13:06:10 GMT
Has anyone received their souvenir ticket(s) yet? If not, what is the process to raise this as an issue?
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Post by welshboy on Jun 21, 2022 14:42:04 GMT
Hi Wayne I went to the show on the 26th May. This is the first I have heard of this can you tell me more.
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Post by wayne on Jun 21, 2022 15:58:12 GMT
Hi Wayne I went to the show on the 26th May. This is the first I have heard of this can you tell me more. Hi There, I was at the 30th May performance (my first of five lol!!!) and had included a souvenir tickets in my purchase, along with the Departure Lounge and The concert itself. The ticket is a physical version that you would normally receive to retain as a memory of the concert and were available when booking with Ticketmaster. I have, however, yet to receive this ticket and emailed Ticketmaster today; they responded very quickly stating that; Quote: "....souvenir tickets are normally despatched within 7 days of your event date and so we would have expected you to have received them by now....I have now asked for your souvenir tickets to be re-printed and sent to your address, you will receive these within 7 working days..." It may be worth send Ticketmaster and email/tweet to their CS team to ask if you were due to receive one, where is it? or If you'd like a moment of your first night VIP event, how can you get one? Regards, Wayne |
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Post by welshboy on Jun 21, 2022 19:27:44 GMT
wayne , Thank you for letting me know. I had no Idea that you could get this. But I will be going again at the end of August so I will look out for this. Thank you again.
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Post by undertheappletree on Jun 22, 2022 7:21:59 GMT
New Photos, from one of the members from the Voyage' Show; attending the New Elvis Movie, which is receiving rave reviews.
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Post by jj on Jun 22, 2022 12:52:07 GMT
Regarding a few recent comments here about past ABBA forums dying or becoming deathly quiet / almost inactive, I think it's just a cyclical thing.
Once the Voyage album and Voyage concert effervescence dies down, this forum, too, will go back to being very, very quiet.
The thing is, when it comes to ABBA, every 5 or 10 years there's another massive ABBA release or project (like the Mamma Mia! stageshows and movies, and currently, Voyage, etc.), and so the forum(s) again become active with conversation and discussion.
So what I'm saying is, it's only a matter of time before this forum goes very quiet again, but there will always be a new ABBA project that comes along to reignite the forum(s)!
I wonder what Bjorn, Benny, and his son Ludvig, have in store for us as far as new ABBA projects is concerned?
I have a feeling that with Ludvig Andersson taking over and running things, that there could be many, many new ABBA-franchised offshoots and projects well into the future! 
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Post by jj on Jun 22, 2022 13:19:34 GMT
Speaking of Ludvig Andersson, I'm sure everyone realises that, without him, the whole Voyage project and the resulting new ABBA album/music (an album made to help promote Ludvig's Voyage concert project) would not have eventuated. Without Ludvig, there would have been no new ABBA album! I'm sure there were other people around him who gave Ludvig this idea, or at least got Ludvig thinking about different ways he could further monetise his father's old group's legacy. I can imagine a few of Ludvig's friends said to him "Hey, Ludvig! Why don't you think about doing this with ABBA? It could make a lot of money! I know some people who've told me to ask you to ask your dad x, y and z. Hear me out on this! We could make lots of money, you and me, if you could only get your dad onboard with you/us about this!" And then Ludvig would have started working on his father and convincing him (Benny) to come onboard and support Ludvig and his friends' new ABBA project (Voyage). And once Ludvig had made a slick business presentation to convince Benny, Benny then went to his ABBA colleagues and said "Hey, guys! Look at this great idea Ludvig had for a new ABBA project!" And then Benny would have given Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida Ludvig's spiel and convinced them to come onboard too. And Benny, all enthusiastic would have said to Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida "Why don't we record some songs together as ABBA, just for fun, and use them to support my brilliant son Ludvig's exciting new ABBA project?! And the others agreed, and so we now have a huge new project and even a new ABBA album, and it's all thanks to Ludvig Andersson's business acumen! We mustn't forget that without Ludvig and his business partners' ideas, ABBA would not have a new show or a whole new album for all of us to enjoy. All hail Ludvig Andersson! Benny has to be very proud of his son and leaving him in charge of ABBA's legacy. I guess Ludvig will be in charge of many new and exciting ABBA projects in the future. Isn't it comforting to know that ABBA's legacy has passed into the hands of a new generation while still keeping the ABBA project safely in the family, through Benny's own son?
EDITED to correct spelling of "Ludvig" - thanks, gazman
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Post by gazman on Jun 22, 2022 16:05:17 GMT
All hail Ludwig Andersson! Benny has to be very proud of his son and leaving him in charge of ABBA's legacy. I guess Ludwig will be in charge of many new and exciting ABBA projects in the future.
I'm quite sure Ludvig was capable of coming up with his own ideas, but your basic premise is quite right - ABBA's legacy future is in good hands with him.
Do note how his name is spelt though - he's not German ;-) |
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Post by HOMETIME on Jun 23, 2022 8:10:25 GMT
Thanks for posting those new photos of Agnetha, undertheappletree. She looks great. Love to see her out and about, looking relaxed. If Ludvig can coax more of this kind of magic out of ABBA, I will join any campaigns for Nobel prizes, sainthoods, freeman-of-the-city etc. Bring it on! Anyone who can tame Benny's "no" reflex deserves all the muffins. |
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Post by Gillian Taylforth on Jun 23, 2022 8:48:17 GMT
Maybe Ludvig can persuade his dad to release Just Like That and just get it over with!
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Post by justabba on Jun 23, 2022 16:33:15 GMT
My friend in Germany messaged me to say two radio stations there have said "keep an eye on Dan" will be the next single, accompanied by a video. I cannot find any information to verify this.
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wayne
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Post by wayne on Jun 23, 2022 22:19:16 GMT
Getting ready for my 6th & 7th visit to the show in August...love thinking what to wear in advance then delicately adding to it!!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2022 17:03:49 GMT
Gold remains only ABBA album in the Main Chart at number 11.
Voyage takes a tumble in both Sales and Physical Charts to 39 and 43 respectively. It's fair to say it hasn't had a revival with the concert.
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I discovered ABBA around 1995 thanks to my grandfather's cassette copy of Greatest Hits Vol.2, which he bought on one of his travels around Europe after the fall of the iron curtain. I played the album so often that I almost erased the tape! I became a member of the Czech ABBA Fan Club in 1996 and the official Dutch fan club in 1999. Back then the magazines and the CD booklets were the only source of information for me, as I had no internet access. Looking back at those times, it's hard to believe from today's perspective.
