ABBA On Record

I've just had a UPS email to say it's arriving on Friday 😉

Just seen this comment online , my book not due until Friday from Carl Magnus Palm


Only a mention of what was the working title of 'Ode to freedom'; 'Hit by a train' and 'possibly other unfinished tracks'. At least what what I've read so far, there's 45(!) pages about the Voyage-project.

That's disappointing, Alan .

I can't say I find his books hugely exciting but they usually are informative. This particular book seems to promise a different angle to what's gone before. I'm guessing that most people will skip to the Voyage chapter for something that hasn't been retold umpteen times. In his Recording Sessions book, he sometimes tries to describe something only he will be permitted to hear. It's a fool's errand in many respects, because it relies on the reader being able to reconstruct that description as an imagined sound. Who among us can really do that?

I'm curious about what the rest of the book offers. Half a decade on sleeves, promo campaigns and reviews seems a lot. I hope it can bring something interesting (if not exciting). I still dip in to the Recording Sessions book. Returning to the BLDS book takes a lot more effort. I read it, cover-to-cover, but I think it really would have needed the cooperation and participation of the ABBA members to properly flesh out the personal biographies. It's a bit more academic than most personal biographies - a bit drier - and that kind of dials down the capacity for excitement. All that said, he can at least be relied upon to avoid the lurid, tabloidesque factoids and "dramatic licence" that reduced virtually every other attempt at a biography to subpar soap opera scripts.

You undderate his musical ability Alan. He told me once he could recall every aspect of a song and reproduce perfectly after one hearing. I was a professional singer some 30 years and a conductor the last 10, but couldn't possibly emulate that (!)

I'm similarly curious foreverfan. I suspect that many people will skip to the Voyage chapter first, in case there's anything genuinely new to be discovered. The rest of the book seems to focus on the promotional aspects of each release, which I'm still interested in. It might be another day or two before the first general reviews are in. They'll help me decide whether to order the e-book.

Well that seems all very disappointing ^^ if that is the case... perhaps Bjorn was telling the truth !!🤔

With nothing forthcoming in way of surprises music wise that we know of ....... is it all actually over !!

I couldn’t have put it better myself. Sadly there seem to be some fans that hang off his every word. He has very little/zero credible competition though, so he has the market stitched up. And having the AT lot onside is a bonus. He knows what he’s doing.

It’s only exciting if they’re going to be released. It would seem that they aren’t. Hit By A Train wasn’t a rumour - Little Boots mentioned it several years ago so there’s no revelation there. I gather that anything in the book about that song is from what Little Boots said.

It seems the Voyage chapter was a mere afterthought, and not the primary focus of the book. 45 pages isn’t that much.

He isn’t talking or writing in any official capacity (that’s proven by the fact he can’t use the ABBA logo), but my expectations for this year have rather fallen flat now.

Since then I asked Carl to produce context regarding the interview he mentioned. It turns out it was in the Guardian in October, a good 3 weeks BEFORE Benny's much more positive spin on the 2 tracks on German TV. So all may not be lost. We will see.

I received my copy yesterday and read the Voyage section last night. As already discussed, there wasn't much more revealed except 'Hit By A Train' was worked on throughout 2019/2020 and there are many early versions of 'Ode to Freedom'.

I finished the Tretow tapes section this morning and this was the chapter I was most anticipating. Although it's a nice read, I must say I found it a little underwhelming and my expectations were probably way too high. I think I was expecting to read about lots of alternate versions of familiar songs with different lyrics and vocal leads. The problem is that the Tretow tapes are soo scattered and random that you only get a few minutes from recording a backing track or vocals and they are not really complete. After the first read, the parts that stand out are:

Recording the vocals for 'That's Me' - the tapes include an hour of the sessions starting with a heated argument between the girls and the control room about the sound mix in their earphones

Complete early versions of 'Big John', 'Joanne', and 'Love For Me Is Love Forever', which would become 'Move On'. There's also a full demo titled: 'Golden Dreams and Golden Lies'.

Early version of 'One Man, One Woman' with vocals split between Agnetha and Frida with different lyrics

Early version of 'Hole In Your Soul' with lyrics titled 'High On Your Love' - features vocal lines from Agnetha, Frida and Bjorn;

Early version of 'Andante, Andante' with full completely different lyrics about a man leaving his wife for another woman - (Benny would leave Frida for another woman later that year)

Full recording of 'I Am That Woman' - a demo from 1981 with Agnetha on lead vocals and the chorus later used in 'I Am The Seeker'

The version of 'Another Morning Without You' included in the demos medley is actually the start of a full complete band recording

There wasn't much on the tapes from pre-1977 and disappointed there aren't recordings such as Gypsy Girl (Money, Money, Money) or Rio de Janeiro (When I Kissed The Teacher). There was more info from 1981 than I was expecting however. Obviously these chapters are only appendices to the main book so I think I'm being too harsh.

I’ve had quick read, read Super Trouper and The Visitors/82 chapters. There is a lot there, it’s interesting to read how the UK record company were desperately trying to keep Abba relevant and urging them to make more up to date music videos and being unhappy with certain song choices. I’m looking forward to delving in more.

Do these demos actually exist now, and has he heard them? This is where I have problems with it. If they exist and he’s heard them but no one else will, I’m not that sure I want to know about it! Ignorance is bliss and all that…

I’m probably in the minority there, and clearly enough people do find it interesting (and thanks matt for posting the info), but I just have real problems with it. You’ve got Björn fibbing his way through an interview and not long after CMP issuing his book and, if he has heard it, being the envy of the fans.

Thanks matt. Definitely not for me, I think I’d only be interested in it if we were to get to hear it. It’s like Benny mentioning the two unreleased Voyage tracks - either let us hear them or keep your mouth shut!

I’m assuming he only got to hear them the once, or for a limited time period, and wasn’t allowed a device on him which could have recorded anything. Even so, I do find it quite torturous to read about it!