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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 13:51:29 GMT
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Post by josef on Oct 26, 2016 14:27:41 GMT
Yes, I spotted this earlier and nearly had kittens.
It is all very mysterious but it will be interesting to see what this will be!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 15:42:40 GMT
They've certainly not tried to rein back expectations, have they? I hope they haven't oversold it. Anything less than something pretty sensational will seems a bit flat after this fanfare.
Most interesting quote is attributed to Benny: "A time machine that captures the essence of who we were and are." I think the word 'are' is the most intriguing of all, as it inevitably invites thoughts of something current/new rather than just old footage etc revamped and reimagined.
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Post by foreverfan on Oct 26, 2016 16:11:46 GMT
At least it will keep us talking...  all very interesting, the only thing I hope it isn't , is the hologram projections, as in the museum, as that will fall very flat indeed.. but hey hey if it's on the BBC website then it's got to be something worth while...  |
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Post by foreverfan on Oct 26, 2016 16:35:49 GMT
Just in time for Gold's reissue reissue reissue reissue 25 th Aniversary edition...not that I'm cynical .... |
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Post by josef on Oct 26, 2016 17:01:41 GMT
I suspect it might well be some kind of hologram thingy, but vastly improved. It's true that technology is amazing these days.
Imagine present day ABBA performing with younger versions of themselves or some such!
I hope they all embrace it, particularly Benny. As much as I like a great deal of post-ABBA work from all the members there's no doubt they are ALL going to be remembered primarily for ABBA, no doubt about it. That's just reality.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2016 4:04:53 GMT
I think that all ABBA Fans should give this 'Virtual ABBA' idea a chance.
The former Group members are obviously trying to both do something new for 'The Fans', whilst
trying to find another way to keep the 'idea' of ABBA alive - for Years in the future.
I knew that we would get something like this one day, as ABBA no longer need to actually
be together for people to be able to see them perform on stage.
Indeed, it may already be possible for Benny & Bjorn to write & produce brand new ABBA Songs,
that are then performed by an Hologram ABBA. We could have ABBA Studio Albums from that
method too.
It is just a case of using Technology & imagination.
Of course, some Fans would be outraged by such a thing, but I go by how something sounds
in my headphones, & not how it was created.....
In the meantime, there could be 'Virtual ABBA' Shows all over the World, as you can create
several ABBA's via that technology. Fans from Europe to North America, to Australia, and
Asia, could go and see a 'Virtual ABBA', as if it were ABBA's 1977 & 1979 Tours!
It would also promote ABBA & their Music all over again - Globally.
I've already seen some Fans saying that it is a terrible idea, but they should really see how
the initial idea pans out, before they condemn it.
With the Virtual ABBA being planned & 'Muriel's Wedding' set to be a Stage Musical, it
looks like the 'idea' of ABBA will never, ever fade away. It will be given a huge boost.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2016 4:37:11 GMT
Whilst the 'Virtual ABBA' News has now been reported all over the World, the USA Magazine,
'Billboard' has given more details than most.
NOTE - The Article says that 'ABBA Gold' has reached 5.7 Million USA Sales, according to their Chart
Compilers, Nielsen Music . It has really sold a lot more than that. The RIAA gave it a 6th Platinum Disk
way back on June 25th 2002 - for 6 Million USA Sales. It has sold steadily ever since. Nielsen Music do
not take into account USA Record Club Sales. 'ABBA Gold' had sold 884,000 via the, (long since closed),
BMG Record Club, by early 2003. None of those USA Club Sales have been counted by Nielsen Music.
'Virtual' ABBA Coming Soon Through Partnership with Simon Fuller and Universal Music
10/26/2016 by Fred Bronson
Promising the next step in virtual reality, the members of the Swedish quartet ABBA have teamed up with entertainment entrepreneur Simon Fuller and the Universal Music Group to launch a digital experience that will allow a new generation of fans to see, hear and feel ABBA in a way described by Fuller as “previously unimagined.”
Fuller, the creator of American Idol and manager to acts like the Spice Girls and Annie Lennox, has been quietly investing in virtual reality technologies, developing hyper-realistic digital humans in the field of entertainment. “I was imagining who would be my very first choice to work with on an extraordinary new virtual reality experience to capture the world’s imagination,” the XIX Entertainment founder and CEO tells Billboard. “In a second, I thought it simply has to be ABBA. I approached them directly and thankfully they all fell in love with the idea and now that idea is fast becoming a reality.”
The Swedish group is personally involved in the creative process. “The creativity and ideas flowing from the members of ABBA over the past few months have filled me with great excitement,” Fuller said. “We are exploring a new technological world, with virtual reality and artificial intelligence at the forefront, that will allow us to create new forms of entertainment and content we couldn’t have previously imagined.”
Speaking for the group, Benny Andersson added, “We’re inspired by the limitless possibilities of what the future holds and are loving being a part of creating something new and dramatic here -- a time machine that captures the essence of who we were. And are.”
ABBA parlayed their win at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with “Waterloo” into international success, breaking out beyond the borders of Sweden. A long string of pop hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “The Winner Takes It All” continued until 1982. Then Andersson and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus turned their attention to a stage musical, Chess, written with Tim Rice. ABBA never recorded or toured together again.
A revival began in 1992, with the U.K. duo Erasure recording a four-song EP of ABBA songs, Abba-esque, and the release of ABBA Gold, a greatest hits compilation that has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. U.S. sales have reached 5.7 million, according to Nielsen Music, and in the U.K. the album is 17-times platinum, making it the second-best selling album in British history, runner-up only to Queen’s Greatest Hits.
It is now almost 35 years since ABBA performed live together, and interest in the group has never waned, helped along by stage productions of the musical Mamma Mia!, which opened in London’s West End on April 6, 1999 and is still playing. The New York run lasted from 2001 to 2015 and is the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history. The movie adaptation of Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep, opened in 2008 and was an international box office success. It is the highest-grossing movie musical in U.K. history.
As a group, ABBA has resisted calls to reunite. They have famously turned down a billion-dollar offer to perform live. An appearance of all four members in June at a party celebrating the 50th anniversary of Andersson and Ulvaeus’ first meeting generated headlines everywhere. “Our fans around the world are always asking us to reform and so I hope this new ABBA creation will excite them as much as it excites me,” said Frida Lyngstad.
The ABBA catalog has turned into crown jewels for the Universal Music Group. “Having the privilege of working closely with the band for over two decades, I can comfortably say there are few recording artists who like ABBA bring together their mastery of craft, a high level of professionalism and enormous commercial success,” said Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG. “I’m thrilled to be involved in this innovative new project that will introduce the band who are responsible for some of the greatest songs and melodies in pop music to a new generation of fans.”
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Post by wombat on Oct 27, 2016 15:26:48 GMT
This is apparently big news, as it has just made its way over to 2 musicians forums I read.
Most are mis-interpreting it to read as a physical real -in-the-flesh reunion by Abba, which it isnt, and I still dont think ever will be, but, who knows.
Maybe if people are interested enough in this even Benny will agree to do one more show or something.
20 years ago you would have NEVER seen musicians discussing Abba in any kind of conversation. This just goes to show how their music has been re-discovered, and judged favorably, by a lot of people who previously did not like them.
of course there are, and always will be, a large number of people that STILL dont like them.....
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Post by Fafner on Oct 27, 2016 15:40:50 GMT
I hope there will be some new music.
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Post by foreverfan on Oct 27, 2016 16:39:47 GMT
We can all dream.... it appears at this early stage stage it could be based on the 77 and 79 tours. However I can't see them missing out some tracks from 1980 onwards, so like always we'll have to be patient, at least another year. the rumours will be aplenty , like only in Las Vegas, can't see that when there's millions in Europe, and it will go where there's the money. but I guess to really make things interesting, ....will they throw in an unknown or new track? time will tell |
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Post by wombat on Oct 27, 2016 18:04:12 GMT
I'm wondering, like you, if it will be some kind of holographic psuedo concert experience, where you can somehow view it from multiple 3d angles.
I imagine the technology is already there... the girls could find the old costumes and the production company could hire models and watch the concert films, then mimic the movements and film against a green screen. There is surely enough footage of the girls' faces and heads at all angles, to be able to somehow super-impose them onto the heads of the models used..
in abba talk, just a massive series of visual over-dubs. It might work, but that wouldnt support being able to watch the entire concert like that, only the human figures.
In any event, its just exactly what they keep giving us instead of a real reunion... another trip into the Abba time-machine.
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Post by Zeebee on Oct 27, 2016 20:49:08 GMT
Indeed, it may already be possible for Benny & Bjorn to write & produce brand new ABBA Songs, that are then performed by an Hologram ABBA. We could have ABBA Studio Albums from that method too. And perhaps an ABBA version of Another You, Another Me. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2016 1:37:46 GMT
Certainly intriguing news! Since it's been a terrible decision to bet against ABBA for the last 45 years, and since we all know that Mr Fuller knows how money smells, it will probably not be a losing proposition, financially. And now that Benny, the musical guardian of their legacy, is apparently on board, I'm bracing myself for the very best/worst!
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Post by WATERLOO on Oct 28, 2016 8:57:14 GMT
I'm a bit skeptical. After Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia the party and all the weird ABBA-related stuff they did, this could totally damage their legacy if it's all about platform boots and weird costumes. However, it seems that it's rather Björn then Benny who is responsible for all the rather unflattering things that happened with the ABBA-brand in the past. And if this is a way to get new music as they could all stay and home and let the holograms to the promotion, why not?
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Post by chron on Oct 28, 2016 11:36:04 GMT
all the weird ABBA-related stuff This is the nub; ABBA has been turned into a brand, to be stamped on all these 'day out' type enterprises - the museum, the Mamma-Mia night venue thing. Thing is; they are/were a pop group, not Disney or McDonalds! In lieu of new material, they should be tending to their legacy in a dignified manner; they shouldn't be diluting it by throwing the same few hits, along with the platform boots and the flared karate suits, into a mixer and churning out yet another reformulation of 'the ABBA experience. It's odd; it took ABBA a good while to climb free of the taint of Eurovision, and the stigma of being thought of as corny and guileless, but eventually they managed it, and by the end of their working career, they'd established themselves as a mature and refined but still popular group, a goal that B&B have often indicated was the one they were ultimately aiming at. And now - from about the point where Mamma-Mia went galactic - a lot of the good work they did in the latter half of their career has, to a degree, been unravelled. Just my thoughts. |
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Post by shoshin on Oct 28, 2016 11:45:20 GMT
I'm a bit skeptical. After Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia the party and all the weird ABBA-related stuff they did, this could totally damage their legacy if it's all about platform boots and weird costumes. However, it seems that it's rather Björn then Benny who is responsible for all the rather unflattering things that happened with the ABBA-brand in the past. And if this is a way to get new music as they could all stay and home a nd let the holograms to the promotion, why not? I agree; it all depends on whether Benny or Bjorn is the creative force behind this. If we didn't already know it by his stage costumes and occasionally (let's face it) through his lyrics, Bjorn demonstrated with his restaurant idea that he lacks an internal quality control function when it come to matters of taste. A Greek-themed eatery in Sweden celebrating an Italian-titled English language song: how did that serve ABBA's musical legacy? Benny was wise to steer clear of it. I'm afraid that if Bjorn gets his hands on this initiative, it may end up being all about marketing the lowest common denominator of ABBA kitsch to the widest possible audience, whereas Benny will have a rather more elevated vision of securing ABBA's hard-won 'more than just a sexy bottom' 21st Century credibility. Regarding staying at home to watch the holograms, my guess is that this will initially be a physical tour of a 3D holographic virtual reality show, which the audience will pay near enough gig-price sums to witness. If they can restrict spoiler video access, and people come out saying how amazing it was, they will really be on to something. They always liked the fact that videos saved them from touring, but now they can tour without touring! It could all be released to DVD or some sort of holographic equivalent later, when the virtual tour demand abates. It could be an incredible spectacle if they get it right, because visually the abbachronistic technological possibilities are more or less limitless. They could write a new song and put it into the 1977 tour set, or they could duet with their former selves. It makes your head spin thinking about the creative potential. I'm enthusiastic about it, as long as Bjorn is kept on a leash |
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Post by Alan on Oct 28, 2016 18:48:21 GMT
I'm decidedly underwhelmed about this so far, but I suppose I should reserve judgement until it happens.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 22:36:07 GMT
We'll just have to wait and see how this latest ABBA 'Project' develops.
I know that several Fans are not enthusiastic, but it is too soon to be pessimistic
over something that has yet to be fully explained & created. It is better to wait,
before passing negative, (or positive), judgements.
Bear in mind that a lot of people actually cannot stand ABBA & they ridicule every
'ABBA Project' as soon as soon as the Media first mention them. It is people like that
who will hope & pray that the entire 'Virtual ABBA' idea turns into a disaster.
I thought that the 'Mamma Mia!' 'Eatery' idea was very silly & tacky, & I knew that it did
nothing for ABBA's reputation. Bjorn seems to think that 'Mamma Mia!' is a fitting tribute
to ABBA & I don't. To me it is far too silly & simple, & it may help to promote ABBA, but it
certainly is not as great as their actual Music. The 'Eatery' idea was just a spin-off of that
& not a very sensible one.
The best thing about the 'Virtual ABBA' idea, is that it need not have anything - at all - to do
with 'Mamma Mia!'. We will see ABBA Songs promoted again, without being involved with the
simple minded nonsense that oozes from that 1999 Stage Show & 2008 Film.
By the way, much as I loathe 'Mamma Mia!', I am aware that it did much to sell their back
catalogue. The 1999 Stage Show caused ABBA Gold to return to No.1 three times, in the UK
that Year. The Film caused ABBA Gold to get to No.1, for a 5th time, in 2008.
I also recall at least one person, at the UK's Official Charts Company, telling me that the Staff
there had seen the Trailer for the Film. I was told that they had 'very little faith', in what they'd
seen. That the Film was going to 'Flop'. Then it ended up as the UK's 'Biggest Box Office Hit Of
All Time'. (It is about 7th or 8th now). The Film came out & about 22 ABBA Hits re-entered the
UK Singles Top 200 & 14 ABBA Albums re-entered the Albums Top 200. So that was a big shock
to The OCC, who thought that the Film was going to be an enormous flop.....
So, there is always negative 'vibes' towards any ABBA 'Project'. They are very often wrong.....
I hear that only 'Full details of 'Virtual ABBA' will be given in 2017. That the 'Show' will not
actually be seen until 2018. So, it will not be ready for many Months.
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Post by wombat on Nov 1, 2016 13:21:54 GMT
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope it will be good. I'm wondering if it will be a virtual concert performance, I'd like that. I think both of their concert movies were pretty good.
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Nov 1, 2016 15:31:21 GMT
Ooh, I wonder if they would be doing the 1975 tour  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2016 14:31:01 GMT
Here is a new 'Daily Mail' Article - 12th November. Bjorn & Benny are shown meeting Simon Fuller, again. Obviously to further discuss their plans for 'Virtual ABBA'. It looks like Benny & Bjorn see this as their most important ABBA related 'Project' in many Years. As always, it is interesting to read the Comments under the Article. (I've added a reply to the Comment by the Pink Floyd Fan). LINK:goo.gl/c5MSz1 |
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Post by josef on Nov 15, 2016 15:46:06 GMT
If I can stand at the front of a virtual stage and feel as though I'm at their concert in 1977 (''Hello, Sydney!'' Very glad to see you!'') and see Frida run out with that flash of red hair joined by Agnetha and the guys blasting out 'Tiger' to ecstatic delight, I'll die a happy man.
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