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Post by foreverfan on Apr 23, 2023 19:45:38 GMT
As so few of us posting these days, I thought there maybe a few facts that we may not know, plus it gets us participating..
probably we know everything..lol ....but here goes my facts , that I found in The Music Chronicle 1983,by Sean Gregory, a reliable source....
1. Greatest Hits Vol 1 , was the first album to sell 1.5 million copies in a calendar year (1976 of course ).
2. Greatest Hits Vol 1 , was the best selling album in the UK until Thriller by Michael Jackson took the lead in late 1983
3. ABBAs sales were low in 1983... Thank You For The Music ( Album ) sold 125k and was the 75th best selling album of 1983.
The Singles ( First 10 years ) sold 70k and was 122nd for the year, so adding in back catalogue , just over 200k for the year ? A big decline...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2023 21:16:04 GMT
Graham/Foreverfan
You mean well but the only ones here who are REALLY interested in that geeky stuff are you, me, and Colin/Onlyabba4meagain. There are chart/sales forums.
I do mention chart/sales stuff but it's more as an aside.
There's many reasons why there are lack of regular contributing members and why hardly any female members who contribute regularly. Go figure!
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Post by Alan on Apr 23, 2023 21:41:14 GMT
125K is not bad for an album that had absolutely nothing new to offer. OK, so it had a b-side and a Spanish version, but that wouldn’t have been enough to sell it. Three tracks appeared on the previous year’s The Singles, and three other tracks had been on the two Greatest Hits albums.
And 70K for The Singles isn’t bad, considering 16 tracks had appeared on the previous two Greatest Hits albums (which were both still readily available).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2023 22:16:02 GMT
The Singles sold about 500k in 1982 for mainly Christmas period.
As Alan suggested most fans had other compilations - so overall quite good. Plus this was the end after ABBA's last year together - and after a very sharp decline in sales.
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Post by lamont on Apr 24, 2023 9:17:24 GMT
I love the chart info too, I used to devour everything about ABBA. I bought back issues of a fanzine called Chartwatch that dissected the charts. I’m not sure I could add much to the Did You Know…. thread. In Chartwatch though I recall that Abba were the very first number one on the video chart, I think it was the Music Show Vol 2. This was impressive to me as at the time, sales included all video tape sales, not just music, so ABBA were competing against Hollywood movies and fitness videos etc. Abba were also listed as the 4th biggest act on the disco/club chart in the USA in 1981 (Prince was No’1.)
The only other trivia I have is my parents were on holiday somewhere in the early 2000’s, it was in Europe, somewhere warm. They met a couple of young ladies and when they said they were from Sweden, my Dad told them I loved ABBA. It was then they said they worked and lived on Agnetha’s farm looking after the horses. They said her daughter was a keen rider, and Agnetha drove Linda around for horse shows with a trailer for the horses.
I was excited to hear this, though now I’m wondering if it was true…
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Post by gary on Apr 24, 2023 10:44:06 GMT
Count me in for geeky chart stuff! I miss Colin’s posts.
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Post by Alan on Apr 24, 2023 12:42:34 GMT
In Chartwatch though I recall that Abba were the very first number one on the video chart, I think it was the Music Show Vol 2. That takes me back! My brother got Music Show Vol 1 and Vol 2 (separate) in 1983. We didn’t have a VHS but Video 2000, which my brother hoped would win the battle against VHS as it was, in many ways, a superior system. Alas, that didn’t happen. Anyway, he joined a V2000 rental shop that had both volumes. He rented them out a couple of times but as he was the only person to do so, they agreed to sell the tapes to him. He paid a ridiculous amount though, about £30 each I think. And there were only seven videos on each tape! I remember Vol 1 used Intermezzo No. 1 as intro music, with Vol 2 starting with the intro of If It Wasn’t For The Nights, but then also going into Intermezzo No. 1. The ABBA Gold VHS was amazing in comparison, a whole 19 videos on the one tape! |
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Post by richard on Apr 24, 2023 12:43:16 GMT
Although, by far, I'm mostly interested in discussing ABBA's music, I know that if I checked my previous posts here I'd find a fair number of repetitions of my opinions. And maybe that's partly why many don't post: they feel they would only be saying much the same things as others have posted before. But I've come to realise that that doesn't matter: times and circumstances and contexts change, and therefore the same topics can and do get naturally and periodically renewed.
Having said that, I'm not a collector of ÀBBA recordings, etc, so collection-related topics hold very little interest for me, nor do details of chart positions and sales much, so a lot of the time I just pass on those. But I also miss what Colin has to say.
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Post by lamont on Apr 24, 2023 12:55:38 GMT
In Chartwatch though I recall that Abba were the very first number one on the video chart, I think it was the Music Show Vol 2. That takes me back! My brother got Music Show Vol 1 and Vol 2 (separate) in 1983. We didn’t have a VHS but Video 2000, which my brother hoped would win the battle against VHS as it was, in many ways, a superior system. Alas, that didn’t happen. Anyway, he joined a V2000 rental shop that had both volumes. He rented them out a couple of times but as he was the only person to do so, they agreed to sell the tapes to him. He paid a ridiculous amount though, about £30 each I think. And there were only seven videos on each tape! I remember Vol 1 used Intermezzo No. 1 as intro music, with Vol 2 starting with the intro of If It Wasn’t For The Nights, but then also going into Intermezzo No. 1. The ABBA Gold VHS was amazing in comparison, a whole 19 videos on the one tape! I got Music Show 3 for my Christmas, must have been 1986 or 1987, and that was £29.99 from Adrian’s music store. I was in the Boys Brigade at the time and a fellow cadet who was about 4 years older than me had Vol 1 and 2, I was desperate to see them but he wouldn’t loan me them. I can understand now, incase he didn’t get them back. My Dad’s friend worked for a video rental store and gave me a copy of The Movie to keep! I was in seventh heaven, in fact if I was naughty my parents confiscated the tape as a punishment. If I remember right, The Movie peaked at No’3 in the video chart in 1983, the Virgin Video Biography was No’9 in 1987 and the Video Hits 1 and 2 peaked just outside the top ten in 1988, maybe 12 or 13 (the last two I saw on the video charts on Ceefax!) |
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Post by jj on Apr 24, 2023 13:40:19 GMT
Count me in for geeky chart stuff! I miss Colin’s posts.
I miss Colin's posts, too.
It seemed to me Colin was somehow disappointed that Voyage and its singles hadn't performed better than they did, or as well as he'd hoped. This, despite the fact that, objectively, they did indeed do exceedingly well, even better than most new/younger/current artists usually manage.
That, plus knowing that this was certainly ABBA's last big chance to appear in the charts, and that he felt they could have produced something much better, also seemed to sadden Colin. This is just what I sensed from Colin's last few posts, and I'm really sorry if he indeed felt this way.
Come back, Colin!
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Post by foreverfan on Apr 24, 2023 14:36:36 GMT
My fault I expect, but it was meant to be a general “ Did You Know “ It was just that I started off with some 1983 chart trivia, I also have 1980 through to 83 so I’ll trawl the books for any more info, but please, add anything else that you think we may not know or find of an interest.....
As for Colin, well he’s still the guru and had an email not so long ago, he’s ok.
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Post by richard on Apr 24, 2023 16:09:53 GMT
I remember seeing a photo of Frida (I assume it was before ABBA), sitting at the piano, but her hand positions are all wrong for someone used to playing the instrument. So I assume it was just a posed photo and that she didn't t and doesn't play piano.
Agnetha does, or did, play piano, of course. Does anyone know about how good she is or was? Have any recordings appeared in which she's playing solo piano? Did she play piano much on her solo albums?
Hopefully this post is a bit more in keeping with this thread, Graham,than my previous post was!
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Post by lamont on Apr 24, 2023 16:16:06 GMT
There is a video of Agnetha playing piano on Swedish TV show in 1985. She was following sheet music, can’t recall name of show…Gaste Hagg?? Something like that.
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Post by foreverfan on May 3, 2023 10:13:49 GMT
In the newspapers this week, there are talks albeit provisional regarding Mamma Mia 3. Again Judy Cramer has said it’s always been a trilogy... which we’ve heard before..
From memory 2025 was mentioned !!!
Here we go again...lol
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Post by foreverfan on May 3, 2023 10:29:37 GMT
Looking back at my 1981 The Music Chronicle by Sean Gregory....
The upto date final chart of 1981
One Of Us sold 400k in its 4 week stint in 81 and was 31st best selling single. ( this I guess ties up with the 500k plus we hear about, adding it’s 6 weeks in 82).
LAYLOM, sold 120k and ended up 156th best seller, not bad for a 12 inch only
The Visitors ( album) when adding in those final few weeks which was left off sold 570k and was 4th best selling album of 81
Super Trouper, shifted another 175k and ended up 37th
Greatest Hits 2 sold 65k and ended up 119th
Apparently a lot of research had gone into these figures. And as stated takes into account the final 2/3 weeks of the year that are not published under Wikipedia for example
By the end of 81..
Super Trouper single , was the 6th best seller of the decade ( so far ). On 820k
Abba were also the 6th best selling singles artist on approx 2,050,000
Super Trouper ( album) by end of 81 was the best selling album of the decade with 1.025,000
Abba were 2nd best selling artists( behind The Police) 2,095,000
Hope you find of interest.. more to follow....
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Post by Michal on May 3, 2023 17:13:01 GMT
There is a video of Agnetha playing piano on Swedish TV show in 1985. She was following sheet music, can’t recall name of show…Gaste Hagg?? Something like that. The show was Gäst hos Hagge (Hagge's guest) - it was quite funny, for example she was singing while cutting onions. If ever they decided to release a career-spanning DVD! There is so much material to include. |
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Post by Michal on May 3, 2023 17:15:40 GMT
Agnetha does, or did, play piano, of course. Does anyone know about how good she is or was? Have any recordings appeared in which she's playing solo piano? Did she play piano much on her solo albums? I'm quite sure I've read somewhere that she was a very talented pianist, playing quite difficult pieces at early age. Also I remember that one of the session musicians praised her in an interview but I can't remember which one. She played piano on some tracks on Michael Tretow's Let's Boogie album. |
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Post by HOMETIME on May 3, 2023 17:45:08 GMT
Agnetha plays piano on "I'm Still Alive" - there are plenty of photos and, of course, it's audible on the live album.
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Post by gary on May 3, 2023 23:15:53 GMT
Thanks, foreverfan, that’s interesting. Did anyone ever figure out the sales of Money, Money, Money, including the missing end-of-year weeks?
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Post by foreverfan on May 4, 2023 6:12:12 GMT
^^^ Alas Gary my sources only go back to 1980, I believe anything prior is quite sketchy in getting true figures, therefore Guesstimate only MMM being a prime example as we know.
The Official Charts Company here in the UK has just presented ABBA ( and a few others) with an award for 1 billion plus streams here in the UK, not bad for a so called heritage act ....
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Post by foreverfan on May 4, 2023 9:08:41 GMT
From Colin...
Waterloo got a UK Platinum Award on 14th April for 600k sales ( streams ) along with its previous sales ( mostly physical ) it has sold about 1,000,000 since 1974.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2023 18:42:18 GMT
Thanks, foreverfan, that’s interesting. Did anyone ever figure out the sales of Money, Money, Money, including the missing end-of-year weeks? Basically, no. We know it was certified for 500k sales - or rather shipments. As you know its sales are under-reported by the OCC in its list of ABBA's top songs probably because they only looked at 1976 not 1977 or forgot the last 2 weeks of 1976. As for downloads/streaming it is not eligible for a Silver (200k) or Gold (400k) because it already has them. This despite physical and digital are not added together for certification purposes. |
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Post by gary on May 4, 2023 20:35:57 GMT
Money, Money, Money seems to be popular at the moment, because of some TikTok thing. Its views on YouTube have just exceeded 100 million, and it’s the eighth most viewed ABBA video (above some more likely candidates, such as KMKY and SOS).
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2023 7:10:11 GMT
ForeverFan
Interesting stats
I saw references to Super Trouper (single) sales to be 709k for 1980. I take it that's the chart run: 13, 2, 1,1,1, 4,5
The 111k extra sales for it's 1981 chart placings: 5, 8, 28, 48, 71
Am I right in assuming these were the Top 3 acts of 1980
Singles.
1. Blondie - who had 3 #1 singles
2. ABBA - 2 #1 singles and IHAD at #2 first week or so of 1980
3. The Police - the year's best seller and other hits
Albums
1.The Police 2nd and 6th best sellers of 1980.
2. ABBA 1st and 17th best sellers of 1980.
ABBA's sales dropped sharply in 1981 and Blondie's even more so. The Police fell back too but still having a #1 single and album..
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2023 7:30:27 GMT
Money, Money, Money seems to be popular at the moment, because of some TikTok thing. Its views on YouTube have just exceeded 100 million, and it’s the eighth most viewed ABBA video (above some more likely candidates, such as KMKY and SOS). It is 13th on Spotify's ALL TIME ABBA songs. For a while it was stuck at 18th. As you say doing well with Tik Tok and is #4 on Current Spotify Streams (Top 3 current 1. DQ 2. GGG 3. LAYLOM). These are global stats. |
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Post by foreverfan on May 18, 2023 16:04:25 GMT
As good a place as any to post this...
So far in 2023, Gold has sold approx 84,000 and is the 11th best selling album in the U.K.
On average it sells between 4000 to 5000 a week mainly made up of streams and so far has been a constant in the top 20 and been at number 10 four separate times it's highest position so far in 2023.
On course yet again for around 175-200k by the end of the year.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2023 17:51:25 GMT
Yep, pretty right about those sales stats.
I'd break it down 4000 streaming equivalent, 600 to 800 sales weekly.
Fleetwood Mac's 50 Year best of "sold" slightly over 200k in 2022. ABBA Gold a fration under.
But real sales for FM about 2k and for ABBA about 40k.
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Post by foreverfan on May 19, 2023 18:28:46 GMT
Gold falls from 10 to 14 this week on the official U.K. Album charts on approximately 5100 sales mainly streams of course, total of 1098 weeks in the top 100.
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Post by foreverfan on May 23, 2023 7:08:27 GMT
In the U.K. Mid week album charts Ring Ring quietly enters the top 100 at 72...
alas unlikely to be in top 100 by Friday, but hey you never know....only needs about 1500 sales......
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2023 16:00:13 GMT
It has never made the charts. Nice it it finally did but realistically it won't.
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