Abba

ABBA is a musical formation Swedish founded with Stockholm in November 1970 by Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (known as Frida), which sold to date more than 370 million discs (2007). The initial ones of the 4 first names forming the Palindrome ABBA, it is only in 1976 that it from now on logo celebrates (with a B reversed) will be used (this logo is a Ambigramme).

History

Large winner of the Eurovision Contest of the song in 1974 with Waterloo , n° 1 with the international scales, ABBA modestly begins his career with the titles People Need Love and Ring Boxing ring in 1972 and Hasta Mañana (in certain countries) in 1974, I C, I C, I C, I C, I C and S.O.S in 1975. In addition, the group is one of the pioneers as regards Vidéo-clip S and its image with the eccentric costumes is quickly associated with the Kitsch.

Its members having already known glory in an individual way in the Years 1960, ABBA is up to all the tricks and does not neglect anything in all the aspects production. All is carried out by the group, of the writing of the texts by Björn to the musical composition by Benny while passing by the vocal techniques of Anni-Frid and Agnetha. Arrangements, the Mixing, the Marketing and all important decisions pass between the hands of the four members of the group, which they are of a musical nature, artistic or of businesses. To note the importance of the manager Stig Anderson, often called fifth member of the group, and which Co-writing texts on the first albums.

In 1976, this image and its ABBA are henceforth recognizable. The melodies are accrocheuses and arrangements more than perfect; thus Mamma Mia and Fernando (in spite of some errors of English grammar!) occupied the first place of the world prize lists in first half of the year of this same year. In June, ABBA is invited to occur at the Palais Royal of Sweden at the time of the celebrations of the marriage of the king Charles XVI Gustave of Sweden and Silvia Sommerlath. For the occasion, ABBA interprets a very new song whose title will make history, Dancing Queen . This tube belongs to the album Arrival , which will be sold with more than 10 million specimens in the world.

At the time of its exit in prize list with the autumn of the same year, instantaneously, Dancing Queen is a world success striking down and is quickly associated, wrongly, with vagueness Disco of the time. The song holds the first position of the prize list of certain countries during several months and ABBAmania henceforth makes fury everywhere in the world, as far as Australia, country where the group was to meet besides more the big hit. Only, the North America is reticent with phenomenon ABBA. The group multiplies the tele, young appearances and less young people post themselves with clothing with effigy ABBA, the sales of albums do not cease increasing and the radio stations did not dérougissent successes of the group.

Other successes followed: Money Money Money , Knowing Me, Knowing You (title sublimated by John Lennon), The Name off The Range , Take has Chance One Me , Eagle (in certain countries) and Summer Night City .

At that time and with an aim of avoiding national taxes of almost 75  %, ABBA invests and becomes a gigantic economic company. The group (and his members) invest in the company of production which saw it being born, Polar Music International, inject 1 million USD in the construction of his clean Studio of recording, Polar Music Studios, and buy factories of assembly, chains of restaurants and cinemas, a Art gallery, a company of Pétrole and are with dimensions with the Bourse of New York.

The final sacring arrives in 1978 at the time of the exit of film-documentary the ABBA-Tea Movie (known to France under the title Vive Abba) collected in Australia during the round White & Gold Tour in 1977 and carried out by Lasse Hallström, originator of the near total of the clips of ABBA. This film burst the screens in the United States and the month of May 1978 was declared there “  ABBA  month; ”. At the end of the year, the film will be classified in 5th position with more than 20 million entries! However, a shade in the table takes shape partially, whereas Agnetha suffers from this popularity. She fears crowd and the Avion. Also, the distance of his/her children weighs to him enormously. Agnetha and Björn divorce in December 1978.

In spite of these tests, ABBA refute the rumors of separation and continues on the same impetus. In January 1979, the group takes part in the official reception televised has on line Gift Of Song organized by UNICEF at the time of the international Année of childhood retransmis of the building of the the United Nations of New York. As a contribution, ABBA interprets the very new song Chiquitita and bequeaths of them all royalties generated by its sales to the UNICEF and this, until the end of times.

In the same year, not less than five songs with success will break on the prize lists throughout the world. In addition to Chiquitita , Does Your Mother Know , you Want , Angeleyes (in certain countries) and Gimme Gimme Gimme will come to feed the glory which ABBA.C' knows is as this year as ABBA carries out a live round world in Europe and North America. The success of the group reaches its paroxysm…

In 1980, the quartet which knows much success with I Cuts has Dream , Super Trooper and The Winner Takes It All , also records Gracias Por Musica , an album compilation joining together ten of its successes recorded in Spanish. Throughout its career, ABBA will have used the Swedish, the English, the Spanish , the French and the German for the ends of a powerful international marketing. Anni-Frid, Benny and Bjorn take part in the choruses in the French adaptation by Mireille Mathieu of The Winner Takes It All under the title Bravo, you gained (French text of Charles Level) which will leave at the beginning of 1981.

In February 1981, Anni-Frid and Benny divorce in their turn and the pleasure of creating and of singing is exhausted more and more within the group. Although qualified masterpiece, its last album, The Visitors does not remain about it less the flag of end of the road. Any song is interpreted there in solo and the chemistry of the voices is present there only by the harmonies, aspect for which ABBA became Master. Only One Of Custom succeeds in with good being dissociated on the prize lists with the difference of When All Is Said And Done and Head Over Heels which knew only one short passage on the radio waves.

In spring of 1982, without to have taken some the decision, ABBA carries out its last session of recording. The arrival of its electronics making its appearance and faintnesses interpersonal being part, the festival is not there any more and all seems confused. Only 6 songs will be recorded: Just Like That , Cassandra , You Owe Me One , I Am The City and both simple The Day Before You Cam and Under Attack which was not the discounted success and which appeared with the end of the year on the album compilation doubles The Singles - The First Ten Years .

The group sees its declining popularity and, without however announcing its dissolution, ABBA officially its last public appearance on television the December 11th 1982 carries out. However, at the time of an interview granted to a Magazine Swedish appeared the January 23rd 1983, Agnetha entrusted that each member wished to make evolve/move his career solo and that it was not very probable that the members of ABBA begin again where they had left us.

In January 1986, ABBA meets the time of 2 songs Hovas Vittne and Tivedshambo interpreted at the time of the televised celebrations returned in homage to the 50e birthday of Stig Anderson, then managing group (not to be confused with Benny Andersson, member of the group).

After ABBA

Dramatic turn of events in 1990, Stig Anderson sells Polar Music and ABBA with Polygram Records catalogs it which, in its turn passes to the hands of Universal Music. ABBA and its music will never have profited from as much care and support but between the hands Universal Music. Nevertheless, and in spite of its renewal of popularity, continuous ABBA to claim that never the group will not be reformed.

In February 1999, a consortium of businesses offered to ABBA the sum of a billion dollar for the reformation of the group, the creation of a new original album and a round of spectacles of good-bye throughout the world, which the members of the group refused. It will be necessary to wait in February 2005 to find the four members of the group in a single place, is at the time of the first of the musical comedy Mamma Mia! with Stockholm.

Nevertheless, made remarkable for an inactive group for more than twenty years, still today, nearly 2 million albums ABBA have been sold each year all over the world. The April 6th 2004, 30 years day for day after its victory with the Eurovision Contest of the song, Universal Music offered to ABBA a special certification attesting of the sales of more than 360 million musical supports (2004) since its creation in 1970, thus classifying ABBA with the 3rd rank of the total world sales after The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Unfortunately for the fans, nothing of this memorable event was officially photographed, it is however possible to see of them some video sequences in the report " ABBA the légende".

Career solo of the members of ABBA

Anni-Frid takes to service solo with the albums Something' S Going One again realized by Phil Collins in 1982, Shine in 1984 and Djupa Andetag , remarkable Swedish album recorded in 1996. In addition, back-to-back, at the end of the Years 1990, misfortune the striking of full whip. His/her daughter Lise Burbot loses the life in an car accident with the the United States in 1998 and her husband, Prince Ruzzo Van Plauen dies out continuations of a cancer in 1999.

Frida takes part in the French musical comedy Abbacadabra in company of Daniel Balavoine, whereas Björn and Benny write new musics for the english language version which will be played London in December 1983.

Benny and Björn work with the development of musical comedies of which Chess in 1984 and Kristina Fran Duvemala in 1994 while creating and carrying out albums for Swedish artists. For its part, in addition to inaugurating its own recording company/studio of recording Mono Music, Benny also evolves/moves in solo with the albums Klinga Mina Klockor in 1987 and November 1989 in 1989.

Agnetha records as for it the albums Wrap Your Arms Around Me on which it preserves the style and its ABBA in 1983, Eyes Of has Woman in 1985 and I Stand Alone carried out by Peter Cetera in 1987 for finally withdrawing artistic medium the following year. Seventeen years will be passed before seeing its return on disc with a compilation of songs having marked its youth and magistralement taken again on the album My Coloring Book in 2004.

The phenomenon “ABBA-revival”

This nostalgia with regard to ABBA will quickly take the name of “ABBA-revival” as of 1989, at the time of the first concerts of Björn Again, a group Australia N clonant with humor appearance, as well as the repertory of ABBA. Quickly, of many other artists homage to ABBA in taking again some paid their titles. In 1992, whereas a return is being born in the clubs of London and Sydney, the group English Erasure was illustrated with an mini-album homage to ABBA (entitled Abba-Esque ) which was classified n° 1 in several European countries, of which the Sweden and the England. The same year, ABBA leaves a compilation " Abba Gold" who is sold to more 22 million specimens in the world and who is classified n°1 signal 10 in several countries. Two years later, in 1994, the films Australia NS Muriel (in which young heroin listens to ABBA inlassablement) and Priscilla, insane of the desert ( The Adventures off Priscilla, Queen off the Desert ) (in which the music and mimicry of ABBA are used and tenderly parodied in a spectacle disguised worship of Sydney) reflect another blow of accelerator to the renewal of notoriety of ABBA.

Throughout the Years 1990, the wave “ABBA-revival” will not cease developing with the wire of the Reprise again S ( A*Teens , inter alia), republications and compilations various (see the section Discographie), to culminate in 1999, at the time of a Musical comedy event, entitled Mamma Mia! .

The April 6th 1999, 25 years day for day after its victory with the Eurovision Contest of the song, ABBA indirectly remade there surface with 23 of its songs génialement inserted. According to the country, Mamma Mia! is presented in English, in Swedish, Spanish, Korean and German. The spectacle is resounding of life, colors, humor and revives great successes of ABBA through a sentimental comedy written by Catherine Johnson and produced by Judy Craymer and three of the members of ABBA, in fact Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn. To date, Mamma Mia! was presented in front of 20 million spectators divided in sixteen international cities.

In 2005, Madonna carries out a Sample song " Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (Man After Midnight has) " for its individual " Hung Up".

At the beginning of 2006 appears a German group, Abba Gold, not taking again for point scenography, the costumes and the repertory of ABBA and revive on scene the mythical group to mistake there. Concerts with Olympia in July 2006 and turned to Europe.

The opening of an official museum on the group in Stockholm is envisaged during 2009.

Discography

Videotex

  • 1978 Abba The Movie (or Lives Abba)

  • 1984 ABBA In Concert
  • 1994 Thank You ABBA
  • 1998 Essential Stockholm
  • 1999 The Winner Takes It All - Documentary
  • 2003 The Definitive Collection
  • 2003 ABBA In Concert (DVD)
  • 2003 ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits
  • 2004 The Last Video
  • 2004 Super Troupers - Documentary
  • 2005 Music In Review
  • 2005 ABBA The Movie (DVD)
  • 2005 The Supplements Studio Recordings
  • 2006 The Ultimate Review
  • 2006 ABBA 16 HITS
  • 2006 ABBA Number Ones

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