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Post by WATERLOO on Mar 28, 2017 18:15:57 GMT
The end of this year will mark the 50th anniversary of Agnetha's career as a singer and composer. Since 1967 she has recorded and released 12 records and has written several songs.
I just wish any of the record companies Agnetha was signed to would bother to release a retrospective of her work. We are in desperate need of a DVD as Agnetha did quite a number of performances on Swedish and German TV pre (and of course post ABBA). Plus, we are yet to wait for an indepth interview that covered her career as a solo recording artist rather than a member of ABBA. With Agnetha's decreasing reluctance to public appearances I could see her doing an interview, especially if it's part of a release she has the control over.
However, there aren't even rumours something like this would happen which is a shame as Agnetha was the most successful artist of the four prior to ABBA and has the biggest back catalogue of all four members when it comes to solo work. And yet, nothing's happening.
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Post by Michal on Mar 28, 2017 19:00:54 GMT
I guess it's not a question of "bothering" but the problem of rights to the material available. Somebody once commented that a career retrospective release is highly unlikely because Agnetha recorded for all major labels and it would be difficult (and expensive) for one record company to buy the rights from all the others. It's a great pity. I would appreciate something similar to what Frida did for her 60th birthday too. And you're probably right that Agnetha would be willing to take part in it.
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Post by 1974 on Mar 28, 2017 21:12:15 GMT
The release of her first LP was in 1968, so thats considered when she started her professional career.
They are already releasing her first LP´s on vinyl. The boxed cd-sets was released only a few years ago.
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Post by Alan on Mar 29, 2017 0:06:50 GMT
Compilations have been done in the past by Polar/Universal (That's Me) and Sony (My Love My Life and My Very Best), all of which licensed tracks from the other two companies. Only Warners hasn't done one, but with just two albums under them, they'd be licensing the majority of the material.
I'd imagine that a DVD could be done with the co-operation of all three of them, but I don't think there could be a career boxed set or some major release like that. Warners don't seem interested in doing much with their albums, Universal have at least done deluxes of theirs, and Sony did their boxed set. Those will have to suffice I think.
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Post by WATERLOO on Mar 29, 2017 12:05:48 GMT
I guess it's not a question of "bothering" but the problem of rights to the material available. Somebody once commented that a career retrospective release is highly unlikely because Agnetha recorded for all major labels and it would be difficult (and expensive) for one record company to buy the rights from all the others. It's a great pity. I would appreciate something similar to what Frida did for her 60th birthday too. And you're probably right that Agnetha would be willing to take part in it. I agree but it is possible. Polydor/Universal bought the rights to Let It Shine / The Last Time / I wasn't the one from Warner and the rights to The Queen of Hearts from Sony when they released the compilation "That's Me". I know it is a matter of money but without wanting to start an AvfF-fight I guess that Agnetha is still the member people are most interested in so a box-set of any kind of her work would be the most profitable release of solo-material. EDIT: Weil, Alan basically said the same  |
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Post by wombat on Jun 22, 2017 17:38:43 GMT
Just curious, not arguing, but was Agnetha really the most successful prior to Abba? I know she hit big with Jag Var and Tara Vore Guld... and I know she had a bunch of singles out in Germany as well (which are all my favorites).
but was she really more popular than Hep Stars and Hootenanny Singers?
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Post by 1974 on Jun 22, 2017 19:15:20 GMT
Hepstars where the answer to Beatles in Sweden. In term of screaming fans, record sales they where the most popular among teens. Hootenanny Singers had an older audience. Agnetha had probably only 2-3 really big chart singles, and they where a few years later. Frida had no real chart success or sales before 1971.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 20:47:05 GMT
Yes, they had four completely different fan bases, interestingly. But they were all household names by the time they started collaborating. In fact, they were regarded as kind of desperately trying to revive their dwindling careers with their joint constellation!
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Post by WATERLOO on Jun 24, 2017 20:00:40 GMT
Yes, they had four completely different fan bases, interestingly. But they were all household names by the time they started collaborating. In fact, they were regarded as kind of desperately trying to revive their dwindling careers with their joint constellation! Agnetha's career was hardly dwindling in 1970/72 when they started working together. She had two #1 on Svensktoppen in 1973 (for the first time actually). I do agree, though, that my comment on how she was the most successful one prior to ABBA was maybe a bit over the top. According to this site The Hep Stars had five #1-hits on Swedish Tio i Topp-charts, fifteen #1s on Kvällstoppen and two Svensktoppen #1-hits. Svensktoppen, however, is just a list for Swedish songs and since The Haps Stars mostly recorded English music, they were rarely featured there (they had seven songs on Svensktoppen lost all in all). Agnetha had – according to wikipedia and radiosverige.se – four Svensktoppen #1 (Vart ska min kärlek föra, En sång om sorg och glädje, SOS and Nur du tar mig i din famn - the latter blocking the top for five consecutive weeks and then returning to the top for another week), one #1 on Kvällstoppen (Jag var så kär) and 18 hits on Svensktoppen list all in all. The Hootenanny Singers had 41 songs on Svensktoppen, some of them without Björn though. I haven't found any data on how their respective albums charted which would be interesting to know. So I have to rephrase what I originally said – Agnetha was the most successful solo artist prior to ABBA because neither Frida nor Björn (Benny never did solo recordings) had as many songs on Svenstoppen (or Kvälsstoppen) as she had. Agnetha als had more songs on Svensktoppen then Benny & Björn as a duo. So she's only beaten by The Hep Stars and The Hootenanny Singers. |
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Post by shoshin on Jun 24, 2017 20:56:05 GMT
In terms of total sales the jury may be out, but I was under the impression that there's not much argument about the fact that Agnetha had the most to lose career-wise when the four of them focused on ABBA. The Hep Stars' halcyon days were 1965-66; not so much fun being the Swedish Beatles, once the English Beatles were no more. Agnetha's German adventure may have lost her a little traction back home, but in 1972 she starred in Jesus Christ Superstar, which spawned a Svenkstoppen number 1. The following year she had a 'Greatest Hits' album out, aged 23 and after just five years on the scene. According to Wikipedia 'Out of the eleven songs included, ten had reached the top 10 of the important Swedish radio chart Svensktoppen'.
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Post by WATERLOO on Jun 25, 2017 7:46:41 GMT
I wouldn't even say that the German single affected her Swedish career as back in the day more or less every Swedish artist recorded German songs (Germany was, next to GB the biggest record market in Europe). But I agree that she was the now whose career as a solo artists was in the greatest shape when they started becoming ABBA. That maybe explains her reluctance to get signed to Polar as well as her unhappiness to include SOS on Elva kvinnor which was a project where she didn't only work as a co-writer and performer but also as a producer which was more than uncommon for women back then.
I'm pretty sure that if she hadn't had a family that early she would have continued to work as a solo-artists besides her work in ABBA. But it seems she was too busy with the group and her children, she basically gave up song-writing after Elva kvinnor which is quite interesting as she had to go through quite a fight to be able to record her own material when her career started as Dieter Zimmermann seemingly thought he was the better composer which resulted in very very week German singles (except for the last two which were dine for another label that a allowed her to record her own compositions) and imho a very weak second Swedish album.
Sometimes I wonder how it would have affected her English solo career if she had continued writing her own material as I think that many of the songs she recorded post ABBA, especially in the 80s, made her stay below her possibilities in terms of a singer as they were not complex enough and didn't grasp her as a person and performer. The title track of her first English record is one of the few exceptions, it's really a song she could have written her self, the lyrics and the melody (that kind of unexpected development of the melody after "let your love surround me" is something she did in her own compositions as well – sadly I'm too poorly educated musically to explain what I mean) were something that totally suited her and went hand in hand with her own compositions prior to ABBA.
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Post by wombat on Jun 26, 2017 13:14:09 GMT
She's always seemed a bit of a mystery to me. I've said this before, but, when her contract to Cupol lapsed, the conventional wisdom is that she was just too busy with Abba by then, and her family, and didnt have time for it. Altho we dont know if there were any other reasons, that guess makes sense.
The curious part is what follows. She stops writing songs, or, at least does not offer a song to the group, for years. (Unless she did and they turned it down and nobody ever breathed a word of it after). Plenty of musicians with families continue to write songs. I do not know her or her family or anyone connected, so I am just speculating about people I dont know - but this has always seemed strange to me. Why stop? Was she tired of the whole thing? Did she not have confidence in her own material? The melodies on 11 Women are every bit as good as most of the stuff on the Abba albums.
I agree, the farther into the future one goes, the worse her original material becomes. Like she lost her muse somehow. Its not unique or even complex in anyway. Jimi Hendrix once said something like "songwriting is just like playing guitar - you have to keep doing it and practicing, if you stop, you forget how".
In any event, I like all her old stuff, the 80s stuff, I dont. And to me, just my opinion, I consider the HepStars as Bennys pre-abba solo stuff, and the Hootenanny Singers, same for Bjorn. So, in my opinion, those two were arguably more successful than Agnetha pre-Abba, but, thats splitting hairs.
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Post by WATERLOO on Jun 26, 2017 16:56:00 GMT
I agree, the farther into the future one goes, the worse her original material becomes. Like she lost her muse somehow. Its not unique or even complex in anyway. Jimi Hendrix once said something like "songwriting is just like playing guitar - you have to keep doing it and practicing, if you stop, you forget how". I wasn't talking about her own material but about the songs that were written for her. Imho, Man is a bit dull but I Won't Let You Go was definitely a stand out track on Eyes of A Woman and with a good reason the lead single. it was the only song next to One Way Love maybe that had the potential to be a single track. I also think that I Keep Them On The Floor … blows all other nine tracks on A easily out of the water. |
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Post by Michal on Jun 26, 2017 18:39:37 GMT
The curious part is what follows. She stops writing songs, or, at least does not offer a song to the group, for years. (Unless she did and they turned it down and nobody ever breathed a word of it after). Plenty of musicians with families continue to write songs. I do not know her or her family or anyone connected, so I am just speculating about people I dont know - but this has always seemed strange to me. Why stop? Was she tired of the whole thing? Did she not have confidence in her own material? The melodies on 11 Women are every bit as good as most of the stuff on the Abba albums. I've always wondered the same. There is conflicting information on the matter - according to Björn and Benny they often urged Agnetha to write something for the group and according to Agnetha she thought her material wasn't good enough. On the other hand she said she was happy they wanted Disillusion and disappointed when I'm Still Alive didn't make it to the Super Trouper album (who made the decision then?). I kind of feel she was a bit protective of her own material and somehow preferred to keep it for her solo records too (even Disillusion was later transformed into Mina Ögon). And why she stopped completely is another thing I don't understand but all the aspects you mentioned are probably right - i.e. she was tired of it (mentioning in an interview that she struggled with I Won't Let You Go whole summer) and probably with passing years she faced the same problem as Björn and Benny - i.e. her demands on herself were growing and unlike B&B she wasn't able (or willing) to continue with songwriting that would be satisfactory for her... |
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Post by wombat on Jun 26, 2017 20:14:07 GMT
I've always wondered the same. There is conflicting information on the matter - according to Björn and Benny they often urged Agnetha to write something for the group and according to Agnetha she thought her material wasn't good enough. On the other hand she said she was happy they wanted Disillusion and disappointed when I'm Still Alive didn't make it to the Super Trouper album (who made the decision then?). I kind of feel she was a bit protective of her own material and somehow preferred to keep it for her solo records too (even Disillusion was later transformed into Mina Ögon). And why she stopped completely is another thing I don't understand but all the aspects you mentioned are probably right - i.e. she was tired of it (mentioning in an interview that she struggled with I Won't Let You Go whole summer) and probably with passing years she faced the same problem as Björn and Benny - i.e. her demands on herself were growing and unlike B&B she wasn't able (or willing) to continue with songwriting that would be satisfactory for her... yes nobody really knows the answer except Agnetha and probably Bjorn. There could be a million reasons. I've often wondered if she got tired of it all, writing and producing - and simply decided it was easier to let Bjorn and Benny do it all (they were good at it) - maybe that gave her more time and freedom for whatever else she wanted to do. I guess I could understand that, but a talent like that, basically just giving it all up? Seems strange, but, plenty of musicians have grown tired of the whole thing. Maybe at that point in her life, it was easier to just show up and sing when they were ready for her. I dont know... its one of the great mysteries of Abba |
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Post by WATERLOO on Jun 27, 2017 16:26:10 GMT
On the other hand she said she was […] disappointed when I'm Still Alive didn't make it to the Super Trouper album (who made the decision then?). Where did she say that? I never read that anywhere. |
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Post by shoshin on Jun 27, 2017 16:58:54 GMT
'I'm still alive' did make it onto the Super Trouper album though  What am I on about?  |
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Post by shoshin on Jun 28, 2017 5:56:17 GMT
'I'm still alive' did make it onto the Super Trouper album.. Call yerselves ABBA fans? Then tell me why this statement is correct. Come on!  |
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Post by Michal on Jun 28, 2017 6:41:01 GMT
'I'm still alive' did make it onto the Super Trouper album.. Call yerselves ABBA fans? Then tell me why this statement is correct. Come on! I'll make a guess... Are you referring to the ABBA Live at Wembley Arena album? At Wembley there were definitely some super troupers in the lighting system 
Or more likely to the line in the Super Trouper lyrics?
So I’ll be there when you arrive
the sight of you will prove to me
I'M STILL ALIVE
and when you take me in your arms
and hold me tight
I know it’s gonna mean so much tonight
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Post by Michal on Jun 28, 2017 6:46:34 GMT
On the other hand she said she was […] disappointed when I'm Still Alive didn't make it to the Super Trouper album (who made the decision then?). Where did she say that? I never read that anywhere. I'm sorry, I don't remember. But it definitely was a reliable source and as the information was suprising for me too, it got stuck in my mind... |
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Post by Michal on Jun 28, 2017 6:50:37 GMT
I've always wondered the same. There is conflicting information on the matter - according to Björn and Benny they often urged Agnetha to write something for the group and according to Agnetha she thought her material wasn't good enough. On the other hand she said she was happy they wanted Disillusion and disappointed when I'm Still Alive didn't make it to the Super Trouper album (who made the decision then?). I kind of feel she was a bit protective of her own material and somehow preferred to keep it for her solo records too (even Disillusion was later transformed into Mina Ögon). And why she stopped completely is another thing I don't understand but all the aspects you mentioned are probably right - i.e. she was tired of it (mentioning in an interview that she struggled with I Won't Let You Go whole summer) and probably with passing years she faced the same problem as Björn and Benny - i.e. her demands on herself were growing and unlike B&B she wasn't able (or willing) to continue with songwriting that would be satisfactory for her... I guess I could understand that, but a talent like that, basically just giving it all up? Great pity indeed. Her self-composed albums (När En Vacker... and Elva Kvinnor) are the best ones she ever recorded. |
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Post by shoshin on Jun 28, 2017 7:45:27 GMT
Call yerselves ABBA fans? Then tell me why this statement is correct. Come on! ..Or more likely to the line in the Super Trouper lyrics?
So I’ll be there when you arrive
the sight of you will prove to me
I'M STILL ALIVE..
That's it, well done! I didn't need my final clue: Frida sang 'I'm still alive', not Agnetha |
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Post by Michal on Jun 30, 2017 19:01:00 GMT
Oh, it made my day! Have I won something? |
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