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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Mar 18, 2024 11:36:40 GMT
There is an ABBA 'Article' on Page 21 of Today's 'The Sun'.
(Monday 18th March).
It is about 'Found' TV Footage of ABBA on 'Top Of The Pops'.
See Link Below:
link
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Post by johnny on Mar 18, 2024 11:52:29 GMT
When ABBA Came to Britain looks like it could be interesting. There was a When Motown Came to Britain programme not too long ago on BBC 4. It was quite good.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 18, 2024 12:06:08 GMT
Thanks for that, Colin!
An improved/expanded/completed ABBA At The BBC would be welcome. The When ABBA Came To Britain documentary could be really interesting.
The 50th anniversary aside, this suggests (to me, anyway) that TV producers are finally realising that their previous laziness won't cut it any more. The Against The Odds production (of which I'm sure TV stations have seen by now for scheduling purposes) will hopefully knock future producers out of their complacency. Discrete parts of the overall story offer great opportunities for exploration.
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Post by justabba on Mar 18, 2024 12:36:39 GMT
Is it me or has there been a very well orchestrated release of news today? ABBA are all over the world media with various TV programmes, ABBA world coming to Malmo etc?
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Post by johnny on Mar 18, 2024 13:24:46 GMT
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 18, 2024 14:38:34 GMT
Little enough to scare the horses there, with all the re-runs. I think the bookies will give short odds on Dancing Queen as the ultimate ABBA song.
More ABBA at the BBC mentions Wogan - which will be Agnetha performing The Last Time, and possibly the related interview. Unless they propose to include Gemini's performance of Just Like That, with Benny on keyboards? Other than that, there's If It Wasn't For The Nights on Mike Yarwood and Lovers (Live A little Longer) from ABBA In Switzerland - both absent from the first ABBA At The BBC. Will they include the two brief appearances by Frida and Agnetha on TOTP promoting their respective albums? Will there be clips of Agnetha promoting A in 2013? Anything from Chess, maybe? Or will the focus be tightly trained on the group?
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Post by jj on Mar 18, 2024 16:16:25 GMT
will the focus be tightly trained on the group?
Given that even some hardcore ABBA fans mostly don't care about Chess, or Gemini, or the girls' solo careers, or anything that isn't focused solely on ABBA, I guess chances are the general public would be even less interested in after-ABBA activities, except maybe the "Mamma-Mia!" stuff.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 18, 2024 16:26:09 GMT
That's kinda what I was thinking too, so I don't know what they can use from the Wogan show, given that ABBA never appeared. Still, only few weeks before we get to see what the new show offers.
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Post by johnny on Mar 18, 2024 17:25:35 GMT
There was also a When Blondie Came to Britain programme which was pretty good.
It had interviews with all members during their 1977 to 82 period (but only Debbie and Chris together).
Their big breakthrough was in the UK, their biggest LP Parallel Lines produced in the UK, and 1999 comeback #1 with Maria.
Britain was also so important for ABBA too and they did make numerous TV appearances and toured too.
It looks like it will be an over -view of ABBA's career from UK perspective with Against the Odds being more in depth. Nice to have the contrast.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 18, 2024 19:47:30 GMT
I've just watched When Blondie Came To Britain over on YouTube. A really good production.
I wonder how much revisionism will be needed to give it the same kind of shape? Blondie had more critical acclaim and perceived cool because of the edginess of their music - the earlier stuff, especially. Looking forward to seeing what emerges. Where the Blondie show ends with their Glasto appearance, ABBA's will probably conclude with Voyage. A great ad for the show and it can only be cooler and more elegant than the stuff that came out in the Mamma Mia! early years.
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Post by johnny on Mar 18, 2024 21:26:45 GMT
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Post by jj on Mar 19, 2024 6:26:22 GMT
I've already noticed one tv website's blurb about one of its upcoming ABBA specials includes something like "So be sure to get out your silver platforms for this program!".
Ugh!!
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Post by jj on Mar 19, 2024 6:36:40 GMT
I actually believe the majority of people would actually be disappointed if ABBA were NOT treated as some daft, kitschy thing to be laughed at. I'm guessing a lot of viewers will probably switch the "Against the Odds" documentary off after a while, quite confused, because it just doesn't conform to their expectation of ABBA always being portrayed as a deliriously funny joke, who exist only to play in the background at their 70s fancy dress parties.
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Post by jj on Mar 19, 2024 19:42:10 GMT
I've just watched When Blondie Came To Britain over on YouTube. A really good production. I wonder how much revisionism will be needed to give it the same kind of shape? Blondie had more critical acclaim and perceived cool because of the edginess of their music - the earlier stuff, especially. Looking forward to seeing what emerges. Where the Blondie show ends with their Glasto appearance, ABBA's will probably conclude with Voyage. A great ad for the show and it can only be cooler and more elegant than the stuff that came out in the Mamma Mia! early years. [that is my highlighting of HOMETIME's text above, the bold type ^^]
I just saw "When Blondie Came To Britain" on your rec and it was very good, so thank you.
What it underlined for me was how very different ABBA is/was to Blondie. Personality-wise, and also culturally.
I'm not exactly sure I understand what you mean by "shape". Do you mean the treatment, the style in which the subject and the facts are presented? What would be impossible to do, on the other hand, is to try to make ABBA seem as edgy or as cool as Blondie presented as, or were perceived to be. Not gonna happen! ABBA have that very Swedish self-effacing, modest and humble character trait about them that makes them appear really, really, really nice. There's just no way you're ever gonna make a sow's ear out of a silk purse. ABBA will forever be stuck with their friendly, smiley, happy family image.
I recommend When Blondie Came To Britain on YouTube too.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 19, 2024 20:14:42 GMT
I totally take your point. The WBCTB docu paid almost as much attention to the people in their orbit as it did to Blondie. PR people, promoters, photographers, producers and crew. There was a sense of many of these people revelling in their own perceived coolness/relevance. And fine, go for it. The end result was excellent. From what I've seen (I've been catching up on those episodes I've missed) the other programmes in the series didn't really deviate from that kind of approach.
But the feel of the programme seemed reliant on cool - both Blondie's, and that of the people around them. ABBA, by sharp contrast, faced a lot of sneering, snobbery. Sexism plagued both - it was the 70s after all. I'm wondering how any of the people from back then will account for themselves - media heads, journalists, reviewers, etc. And that might well be the whole point of the exercise: maybe those attitudes will be explored. I'm really curious about whether any of the ABBA members will take part, as Blondie did?
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Post by jj on Mar 20, 2024 7:25:44 GMT
The WBCTB docu paid almost as much attention to the people in their orbit as it did to Blondie. PR people, promoters, photographers, producers and crew. [...] The end result was excellent. From what I've seen (I've been catching up on those episodes I've missed) the other programmes in the series didn't really deviate from that kind of approach. Ah, thank you. I now get what you meant by "shape". You mean the "format" of this and other episodes in the series ("When ... Came to Britain"), with interviews of people who were involved in different aspects of the group's activities in Britain. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
So yes, if the ABBA episode follows this format, it'll be interesting to see ABBA's own group of British actors (those people in ABBA's orbit during the group's UK visits and tours) talking about ABBA's impact and their own personal interaction with the group, as well as more intimate, private vibes they were getting from the four group members at different times. I have a gut feeling "When ABBA Came to Britain" won't be a revisionist take at all, that it won't even try making ABBA seem to have been more cool or hip in any way, so much as it might even focus on the opposite, with all the interviewees basically saying how amazed they were that ABBA, despite their being seen as totally uncool and politically incorrect, still managed to excite so much interest and hype, despite their wholesome family image and reluctance to throw tv sets out of hotel windows. Could it be that the episode will propose that ABBA were so shockingly, so defiantly uncool in the face of the times (punk, youth rebellion and contemporary socialist Labour government policies) that it made them cool again? That's how I think they might tackle this episode. That's how I might couch it, anyway! 
In any case, I can't wait to see it, and I'm glad to learn it's a series, as I'll now be chasing down all the others too! Hopefully they're also available on Youtube.
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Post by HOMETIME on Mar 20, 2024 16:21:25 GMT
I guess we'll find out soon enough! The good thing is that the format seems to avoid the schlocky tabloidesque guff that tainted some other ABBA "documentaries." It seems like a genuinely respectful series. Given the guest talking heads that appear, I can't help wondering whether Pete effing Waterman will manage to insert himself into this one!  I have a hunch that the likes of John Tobler and Judd Lander will appear. Will they drag Charlie (Bates?? am I misremembering his surname?), the editor of the ABBA Magazine, in front of the camera? |
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Post by Alan on Mar 20, 2024 17:11:13 GMT
Will they drag Charlie (Bates?? am I misremembering his surname?), the editor of the ABBA Magazine, in front of the camera? Yes, it was Charlie Bates. I wonder what happened to him? Someone on a previous forum said he wasn’t actually an ABBA fan and it was just a job. He hasn’t turned up in the ABBA-speaking world since, but I wonder if he remained in the publishing industry? If so, I’ve never seen his name crop up. I associated the name “Charlie” with an older person for some reason, and that’s the image I had of him. There was then a photo of him in the final issue and he was clearly in his 20s! Dark photo but here is the page. It always amused me that they were all smiles when in reality they were about to lose their jobs.  |
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Post by johnny on Mar 20, 2024 17:54:30 GMT
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Post by Alan on Mar 20, 2024 18:09:55 GMT
I’m sure I read somewhere once who the names in Hole In Your Soul were, but I can’t find anything. It’s plausible that Sam really was their chauffeur. They possibly never even met that Sue as she merely ran the British ABBA Fan Club. Sounds like the Sue in the song led a very easy life, though unless it was an indoor pool I can’t imagine there were that many days in Sweden where she could lie by it!
*Edit - I asked someone about this and they think the names were all connected to ABBA’s American record company (Atlantic). That’s plausible being as The Album is their most American-sounding album. Source for this info is thought to be John Tobler’s ABBA Gold book from 1992. Sam could have been their chauffeur when they were in the US, his daughter Annie at school. Record company bigwig Jerry, and his wife Sue that didn’t need to work.
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Mar 30, 2024 10:11:58 GMT
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Apr 6, 2024 10:04:26 GMT
A Double Page ABBA Article - In Colour - On Pages 38 and 39 of Todays's - Saturday 6th April - 'The Sun'.
It has many Statistics about ABBA. But, it is odd in places. It gives them 6 UK No.1 Albums, because it only
counts their 6 Studio Album No.1's. Their 4 UK No.1 'Hits' Albums are not included. It - rightly - says that
'ABBA Gold' is their biggest Selling UK Album, but it ignores that it got to No.1. It gives 'ABBA Gold' just
5.6 Million UK Sales. That Total is Year's out of Date. It got its 21st UK Platinum Award in June of 2023 -
21 x 300,000 - for 6,300,000 UK Sales. It is well past 6,400,000 UK Sales by now. 'The Sun' gives ABBA
15 Million UK Album Sales. Far too low. They were on 21,800,000 UK Album Sales, over a Year ago. Enough
to be in 6th place, in the All Time UK's Best Selling Albums Acts. They will be on over 22 Million UK Album
Sales, by now. Plus -- 15 Million UK Album Sales would 'only' put them in 18th place, in the UK's All Time
Albums Acts, List. I cannot 'Link' to Today's The Sun' Article, as I cannot find it on their Site.
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Post by johnny on Apr 6, 2024 10:56:51 GMT
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Post by Tinneke on Apr 6, 2024 11:07:43 GMT
Thank you. How low the sales for The visitors album were!
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Post by johnny on Apr 6, 2024 11:34:56 GMT
Well, yes. About a 40% drop from Super Trouper from just one year earlier. I think claims of around 5 million for The Visitors may be generous. It had abysmsl sales outside Europe and even though #1 in a number of European countries sales down substantially from Super Trouper.
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Post by BAAB on Apr 6, 2024 16:01:14 GMT
To me it seems that at one time point in the ABBA Story, the sales figures reported in the Media changed from "X million records sold" to "X million Albums sold" but not adjusting the sales without the singles sales. If the realistic sales are around 150 million albums, another 60 or 70 million singles would be realistic too.
Stig Anderson reported in 1977 that Police in Australia and HongKong confiscated lorries full of pirate copies of ABBA Albums. Maybe He added pirate copies to the general sales.
In addition, are the copies sold in East Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland and Czech Republic also included? Of course they were only allowed to produce limited amounts but for Arrival Alone, Poland used the complete Budget for one year to make 800.000 copies of Arrival.
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I have a hunch that the likes of John Tobler and Judd Lander will appear. Will they drag Charlie (Bates?? am I misremembering his surname?), the editor of the ABBA Magazine, in front of the camera?
