More new songs from Voyage sessions? Or perhaps not…

Some good points. I have commented a few times on perhaps they were running out of steam hence the inclusion of JAN and time it took to finish those two songs.

Perhaps those 2 new Voyage songs should be on a deluxe edition after all - if they are nothing special. But I wouldn't expect a deluxe edition to sell very much.

I do think there should, and will be some sort of compilation next year. Perhaps a Voyage Show type compilation. Something that would be "new".

I would prefer it if Ode To Freedom was replaced its the one song on the Voyage album I am not keen on even when I first heard it

Hope I didn't give the impression in my previous post that I think that Just A Notion should be removed from the Voyage album. I don't think that. My point was that perhaps if they'd had more new songs which they thought were worthy and ready to go on the album at the time they wouldn't have turned to such an old track. Actually, I like the tune for JAN - I think it's a really good pop melody. But I don't like its revised arrangement - apart from the outro with Benny reiterating the tune on piano; I think that's great - in the new version on Voyage. In particular I can't take to the boogie shuffle rhythm. But I'm sure, as you say, many love this version of JAN and it should stay on Voyage.

Regarding adding tracks to a familiar album, it shouldn't really bother me because, once I got used to the songs on it, I often picked my favourites and listened to them separately. Even more so nowadays. My bad.

Took me a while to find it as it wasn’t in the most obvious thread!

That part of the interview was very swiftly removed from streaming platforms (including BBC Sounds).

I’ve moved the posts about it to this topic.

If we do get 2 more songs, I think it would be best to release one at a time, rather than both together. And with an ABBAtar video for at least one? What do you all think?

There is no reason why OTF cannot remain the album's closing track - for example, on a CD.  Two new songs could easily be added on a Deluxe Edition as tracks 10 and 11, leaving OTF as track 12....or the new songs could be slotted into other places.   There's no rule against not doing so.....

As an example, Sophie Elis-Bextor's 'Read My Lips' CD was reissued with bonus tracks a year after its original release - the song order was moved around and the extra tracks were not simply added to the end.

It was reported elsewhere in the ABBA community, so she definitely said it. However, the subsequent post by a member on here refers to a very reliable source. It is not related to what Catherine Tate said, though it supports it. I therefore definitely think it will happen, but it’s not yet confirmed.

I kinda like the idea of inserting extra tracks amongst the existing running order. Just because it's not commonly done, doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't. If ABBA can lead the way with the cutting edge concert idea, then why not go out on a limb in other areas? Even if the extra tracks were simply added to the end of the album, I think many of us would have fun jigging the running order around to satisfy fantasies.

I can see a downside, though. If new material suddenly appears as, say, track 5 and track 8, will it give the impression that the original album was rushed out, unfinished? Would people think they had been sold a well-marketed pup? Would ABBA look like they were beholden to, and under the thumb of Universal in getting ten tracks across the line for some notional deadline in 2021? Would it look like ABBA got retrospective cold feet about their album?

Now every dog on the street is releasing "deluxe" edition albums a year after the fact with new tracks and, sometimes, remixes attached. Nobody suggests that the artist shortchanged the audience with the original set. We're coming up on two years since the release of Voyage. To me, that seems about as long as you could stretch things for the standard "deluxe" edition approach. But what do I know? It could be a roaring success. Does anyone have stats about the hit rates for deluxe editions?

Personally, I'd like to see at the new tracks emerge as part of an anthology/career-spanning retrospective. 

You definetly have a point here. Let's face it: The Voyage album, and the vinyl version in particular, performed so well in sales because the crazy fans bought not "just an album"but more a bunch of versions of one album. I bought 8 different Vinyl versions alone plus the CD Deluxe and a Japanese CD and one Cassette all at once. I never did that before and surely will not do it again.
Issuing now a Deluxe Set with those two Songs would signal: "Hey, we might haven't done it properly first time around". But this never was or is how ABBA work.
There should be another way of releasing this new stuff....

But Alan, there is a difference, to pump up Editions of very old albums from a back-catalogue with some bonus tracks in retrospective or to add previously unreleased tracks to the latest oevre which,OK, is soon 2 years old but not a historical album yet.
Also, Just in the last year Universal re-vamped the Album Vinyl and CD boxes. Just to have an updated Voyage 1 year later?

I really hope that Universal/Polar/ABBA think of some other way to release new material, if they release it at all.

A new album it is then! 

I think its the quiet before the storm.we need to be patient. Not one of my best qualities! I cannot see anything happening before April 2024, so I guess they wish to keep things under wraps until then. I'm confident things are happening behind the scene. Whether the results and releases will be what we wish for is something entirely different...

Nicked from another forum:

“6th April 2024 marks 50 years since ABBA won Eurovision.

It’s a Saturday. There are no performances of ABBA Voyage or Mamma Mia! scheduled for that day.

I know there’s something going on….”