ABBA Voyage: General Discussion 2022 Sept - Dec

Well, I've been a good boy all year (honest). So take note, Santa.

Great wish! I would like to re-design some Cover Artwork...😄

Gold dropping chart positions, not sales. As you say 4000 a week - and has been like that sonetime. Maybe top 200k sales for this year...

Taylor Swift's #1 debut with 204k is the amount ABBA got with Voyage on opening week.

Just had a thought, the producers of voyage live have always insisted that there would be no dvd of the show. It was only when I took my nephew to an amusement arcade and we tried the VR games that I thought that this may be the route ABBA go down? The live show is immersive, so perhaps you could experience it in your own home? I would love this!!!

I think this just came out today? It's an interview with Benny & Bjorn. Decent stuff (even if there are no earth-shattering revelations).

Ha! Snap, Tony!

Great interview, shame it’s pre Voyage show then are we never satisfied..also shame no girls...lol....
Perhaps it’s my own interpretation, but towards the very end, when the interviewer asks if there’s going to be another album. Listen to how Benny answers?
No album but.... am I reading to much into that...?

I've just watched the interview and enjoyed it - I wanted to it go on for longer. It makes a difference watching comfortably on your TV rather than on a computer and I could have sat there for another 45 minutes.

BEWARE of spoilers below!

Some random thoughts and interesting points (if I understood correctly)... I'm surprised they recognised the ABBA sound from "Hej gamle man", as the girls are barely audible on that track. It was interesting that they said the girls were 90% of the ABBA sound and that part of the magic of the vocal sound was Frida stretching her voice to match Agnetha's in pitch, with that metallic effect as a result - I had always put this down to vocal layering. When asked about favourite tracks that weren't singles, Benny mentioned "Eagle", obviously forgetting that it was a single in many countries. I'm glad that they mentioned the film Muriel's Wedding a couple of times, as I'm sure it gave them a leg-up in the 90s and prepared people for the Mamma Mia musical. It seems that certain decisions are still made collectively by the four of them via e-mail rather than just by B&B. Benny said that certain songs had to be in the Voyage show and mentioned TACOM, but it isn't in there, although it seems that he did veto some songs, like MMM. So we have another confirmation that there will be no further album but I wish the interviewer had asked whether there'll be any more music - that is, individual tracks.

Thanks Justabba, phew thought it was just me...
Yes to No being the answer to a new album.. but...... as Justabba says new music ? Definitely not a no......

I know they said No to a new album and not new music. (The question was about a new album)

But would ABBA release new music in the form of one-off songs?

Maybe if people didn't know about two unreleased songs from the Voyage sessions there wouldn't be any hopes raised.

Anyway, this is my interpretation.

Part of the discussion was about use of their music in films and TV series. Perhaps an opportunity for a new one-off ABBA song would be in a major movie (and NOT Mamma Mia 3).

Not aware of anything new. The links are:

Album: shop.abbasite.com/*/Abba-Voyage/

All music: shop.abbasite.com/*/All-Music/

Concert: shopmerch.abbavoyage.com/collections/the-concert-merch

Whatever may be in the works, you can rest assured that none of those involved will disclose anything until any such project is complete. Whether it's finishing off the two Voyage outtakes or writing/recording new ABBA music, it will be similar to last year's surprise announcement if indeed anything is forthcoming.

I will continue to hold out hope for one last album and believe that if the muse still serves Benny and Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida will definitely be involved.

It has been obvious for some time that Frida is on board but what surprised me was Agnetha's indicative enthusiasm, evident during her radio interview last year, her written comments and her comments/bemusement on the red carpet in May this year. Bjorn is cautious with what he utters these days, most probably due to a severe reprimanding from Benny (probably in the sack - hahahaha). Benny is just a gruff old bear and strives for perfection, not wanting to diminish the ABBA legacy. If he is secretly toiling away, we will only ever learn of this if the results are to his complete satisfaction and ultimately forthcoming.

I'd love to think that their collective creative juices and sexual chemistry (at least between Benny and Bjorn) is alive and well, which may well lead to new music, preferably an album.

I guess the other matter worth considering is that perhaps these two outtakes simply weren't up to the group's expectations. Generally speaking, a track that doesn't warrant inclusion on an album is considered to be less than but I actually don't subscribe to this belief. Some of my all time favourite tracks (by many different artists) have been relegated to b-side status, issued as latter day bonus tracks or not released at all (we all know the usual suspects).
I do recall Benny's comments from last year indicated that the two tracks in question were just unfinished and required some additional work, which may have come down to time constraints (despite the album's gestation exceeding four years, an eventual release date loomed so work had to cease at a certain stage). Therefore, they may be gems but knowing Benny and Bjorn, by the time they even get around to resuming work (if indeed they do), they may well have determined the songs worthless or even plundered sections of them in favour of new compositions.
That's why I'm not so convinced that these songs will become bonus tracks on a deluxe version of Voyage or a retrospective collection. I tend to think that if work resumes in any capacity, they will all get bitten by the bug and end up producing a whole album. Perhaps foolish thinking on my part but don't count these guys and gals out yet.