ABBA News

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This page presents ABBA news arriving between the issues and is updated regularly.


News Archive 2009
News Archive 2008
News Archive 2007
News Archive 2006
News Archive 2005
News Archive 2004






February 5, 2012

• Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has published an interview with Benny and Björn today as they prepare to launch Kristina in Finland. When asked about the supposed "new" ABBA song on the upcoming Deluxe edition of The Visitors, the men said that was an exaggeration. "It's just a demo of 'Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'. It's a good illustration of the process through which the song developed," said Benny. When asked if there would be anything more from the ABBA archives released, he said "No, thank God".

February 4, 2012

• Swedish TV4 aired a segment on its Nyhetsmorgon show today on the upcoming production of Kristina från Duvemåla in Finland. It includes an interview with Björn and Benny, new rehearsal footage, and comments from the main actors; a lucky theatre painter even gets her old Björn and Benny ABBA Matchbox dolls signed by the men. Watch the segment here.
  
  
  
  

January 27, 2012

• In response to the many fan and media enquiries we have received as well as widespread but misguided press coverage, please note that there is no "new" complete unreleased ABBA song on the forthcoming Deluxe edition of The Visitors. "From A Twinkling Star to A Passing Angel" is a new title given to a string of previously-unreleased demo outtakes woven into one track on the new CD, similar to the track called "ABBA Undeleted" consisting of demos which was released in 1994.

January 24, 2012

• Universal have just announced the release of The Visitors Deluxe Edition on April 23, 2012. It will include a demo medley called "From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel", the first previously unreleased ABBA recording since 1994. The track listing:
  
  

  DISC 01: CD 1.  The Visitors 2.  Head Over Heels 3.  When All Is Said And Done 4.  Soldiers 5.  I Let The Music Speak 6.  One Of Us 7.  Two For The Price Of One 8.  Slipping Through My Fingers 9.  Like An Angel Passing Through My Room Bonus Tracks: 10. Should I Laugh Or Cry 11. I Am The City 12. You Owe Me One 13. Cassandra 14. Under Attack 15. The Day Before You Came Extra Bonus Track: 16. From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel (demos)

  DISC 02: DVD 1.  Two For The Price Of One (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA) 2.  Slipping Through My Fingers (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA) 3.  When All Is Said And Done (Original Promo Clip) 4.  ABBA In London, November 1982 (The Late Late Breakfast Show, BBC) 5.  ABBA In Stockholm, November 1982 (Nöjesmaskinen, SVT) 6.  The Visitors TV commercial I (UK) 7.  The Visitors TV commercial II (Australia) 8.  The Singles – The First Ten Years TV commercial I (UK) 9.  The Singles – The First Ten Years TV commercial II (Australia) 10.  International Sleeve Gallery

  
  
  

January 22, 2012

• Anne Wood, who played Donna in the Australian production of Mamma Mia! in 2009-10, is releasing an album of ABBA cover songs in a few weeks. She told Intermezzo: "The album has a kind of late night sound, with a small band and moody arrangements." Anne also told us that Benny and Björn have given her permission to have a go at a composition that has never been recorded before: "When the walls came tumbling down", a song originally written for an Elaine Paige/Barbara Dickson collaboration album that never materialised (see No. 55).
  
  More about Anne's new album in our next issue. Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany!
  
  

• Swedish newspaper Göteborgs Posten reported yesterday that Björn will be one of the 2000 guests present at the opening of a large new business hotel in Gothenburg's Drottningtorget (Queen's Square) this Thursday, January 26th. The Clarion Hotel Post is located in the heart of Gothenburg, in the old post office building next to the central station.
  
  

• Björn took part in a BBC4 documentary series on the history of musicals called "The Story of Musicals" airing in three episodes this month.
  
  Episode 2 – detailing the rise of British musical talent in the West End in the 1980s – references CHESS, with Björn discussing the genesis of the musical, the reviews it received and how the end of the Cold War affected its long-term prospects. Björn jokes: "The bloody Iron Curtain had to come down and ruin the whole thing for us! So it was bad timing." Tim Rice and Elaine Paige are also interviewed, and the episode includes footage from the London and Broadway openings. You can watch this segment here.
  
  In episode 3 about the rise of the "jukebox" musical, Björn discusses the creation of "Mamma Mia!". Judy Craymer and Catherine Johnson are also interviewed. Parts of the video for "Waterloo", rehearsal footage, and footage from the London and New York opening nights are shown. "I was ready at any point to put a stop to it, if I had felt that this isn't going the right way, this is not good for ABBA", Björn said. Watch this segment here.

January 21, 2012

• German MDR TV will show "ABBA - Die Poplegende" on February 5 from 20:15 - 22:00 local time.
  Thanks to Ulrike Kerrinnes!
  

• Here is a link to the full presentation of the ELLE Fashion Legend Award to Agnetha and her acceptance speech. Thanks to Karin Wolters!
  

• Agnetha was given the "ELLE Fashion Legend" award by the Swedish edition of ELLE magazine during its annual gala in Stockholm last night. The award was the last to be handed out at the ceremony, and a moved Agnetha received a standing ovation from the audience. The statement from the jury read: "A brilliant superstar – one voice in a million. A fashion legend, just as stylish now as then. Thanks for all the glittering outfits. Thank you for the music. You are forever our dancing queen – Agnetha Fältskog." More pictures are available on the ELLE website here, and here is a short video of Agnetha's acceptance speech taken by a member of the audience.
  



• Benny appeared briefly in a Swedish TV documentary called "Året var 1962" (The Year was 1962) broadcast on SVT on New Year's Day. He was shown in short segments about singer Anita Lindblom and famous chess player Bobby Fischer, who won a chess tournament in Stockholm that year. The programme can be viewed here through January 31.
  

• Both parts of last year's summer concerts by Benny Anderssons Orkester can now be viewed online on Swedish web TV until February 7.
  Thanks to Ralf Hendricks!
  

• German digital satellite TV ZDF Kultur will show the entire "Na Sowas!" episode with performances by Frida, Benny, Björn and Murray Head on December 31 from 18:15 - 19:45 local time and again in the night from December 31 to January 1 from 2:00 - 3:30 .
  Thanks to Christine Schuster and André Selbach!
  

• German TV 3SAT will celebrate 40 years of ABBA on February 19, 2012:
  
  
  • 20:15  Muriel's Wedding  (German audio version)
  • 21:55  Die ABBA-Story  (documentary)
  • 22:40  Musikladen - The Best of ABBA
  
  Special thanks to Holger Wiechmann!
  



• Here are some upcoming German TV programmes featuring ABBA:
  
  
  • December 28  22:15 RBB: ABBA - Der Film  (German audio version)
  • December 30    1:10 WDR: Musikladen - The Best of ABBA  (night from December 29 - 30)
  • December 30  23:00 MDR: ABBA - Der Film
  • December 30  23:10 NDR: Ein Abend für die Disco-Stars
  • December 31  14:00 BR: ABBA - Der Film
  • January 1  0:35 ZDF: Ich find' Schlager toll  (night from December 31 - January 1)
  • January 1  3:05 ZDF: Das Beste aus der Starparade  (night from December 31 - January 1)
  
  Many thanks to Helmut Rerig!
  

• A very Merry Christmas and all our best wishes for a very happy and healthy 2012 to all our ABBA fan club members and website visitors!
  





• The Bielefeld, Germany production of CHESS is still going strong and very successful. Therefore the theatre decided to add even more performances: April 28, 2012 at 7.30 p.m., May 27, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. and June 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. If you are interested in seeing this wonderful performance (sung in English with German subtitles and dialogue in German), hurry and get your tickets from the theatre's website.
  

• "Allt syns när man är naken" is the second single to be released as a digital download from BAO's latest album, O Klang och Jubeltid. The item number is MMCD-S 138.
  



• BAO has been nominated for a Grammis (the Swedish equivalent of the Grammys) in the "Dance Band of the Year" category. The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 and will be broadcast on SVT1 at 22.00 local time.
  



• The two-part BAO special featuring footage from this summer's 10th Anniversary Gothenburg and Helsingborg concerts will be broadcast on SVT1 on Sunday, January 8 and Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 20.00 local time.
  



• Following the decision of the Stockholm city council to move ahead with a controversial development plan for Slussen, and despite a petition by Benny and other Swedish celebrities, a disappointed Benny told Dagens Nyheter that he would rather have his picture be removed from Arlanda airport as he no longer wishes to be associated with the city. The image, a well-known 1979 concert shot which also features the other three ABBA members, welcomes visitors at the airport's international terminal.
  
  "I have no desire to be a billboard for a city that makes unreasonable decisions like this. I am not available for use anymore. I have not met a single person who is in favour of a highway straight through town," Benny told the newspaper. He suggested instead that the "face of Stockholm" be deputy major for culture Madeleine Sjöstedt – "although, ironically, most people will not know who she is," he said.
  
  "This is important, and the redevelopment of Slussen is a major planning decision. Why should I support a governing body that clubs through an important issue like this based on just three votes outweighing the opposition?" Benny added. A related article from The Local is here.
  
  On their part, Arlanda airport officials told DN that although they were ready to take down the picture if necessary, they hoped it was all a misunderstanding and that they had no opinion whatsoever about the Slussen project. They added that the city council did not govern the "Wall of Fame" at the international terminal, and that Benny had not requested termination of the image contract.
  

• ABBA No. 64 has now been published and is being mailed to our members!
  
    
  
     
  
     
  
  Our 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine is once again full of news, special features, exclusive photos and great prizes to be won. Inside this issue, you will find:
  
  - All of the latest news and ABBA/ABBA-related releases
  - An interview with original ABBA Musicians Mike Watson and Roger Palm
  - An interview and more information about the new German ABBA audio book, Die Audiostory
  - Our competition with exclusive prizes to be won; this time we've got copies of the "ABBA You Can Dance" Wii game and "ABBA-Die Audiostory" to give away
  - The next instalment of our special in-depth feature on Super Trouper
  - A fun travel guide to Skopelos, the "Mamma Mia! island"
  - More readers' stories
  - A special follow-up report on the making of the "ABBA By Micke" book
  - Songbook: Never Again/Ya Nunca Más
  - Continuation of our classic Posters series with more poster-magazines
  - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA during their "Chiquitita" single photo session
  
  We thank all of our members for your support and feedback and wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season!
  

• The Bielefeld, Germany production of CHESS has been so successful that all future performances are already sold out. In response, the theatre is offering additional performances on February 25, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. and April 8, 2012 at 7.30 p.m. If you are interested in seeing this wonderful performance (sung in English with German subtitles and dialogue in German), hurry and get your tickets at the Theatre's website.
  



• Carols for a Cure Volume 13, a new 2-CD set released by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (a theatre-based organisation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for AIDS-related causes across the U.S.), contains ABBA's brief rendition of the Swedish Christmas song "Nu är det jul igen" as originally broadcast on the West German radio show Mal Sondock's Hitparade in 1981. It is the first time this rare ABBA recording is legally released on CD. The short track precedes the performance of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by the Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!, though it is not actually listed on the CD. More info is available here and the CD can be ordered from the Broadway Cares online store. Thanks to Carl Magnus Palm!
  



• Benny has written an open letter to Stockholm finance mayor Sten Nordin expressing his opposition to redevelopment plans for the central area known as Slussen (the Lock) which connects Södermalm to the Old Town. The letter was published in Dagens Nyheter on November 21st. In the letter, Benny asks the mayor if he thinks it's a good idea to build an 8-lane motorway and another big mall, position the bus terminal 500 metres from the subway and limit disabled access, among other things. He also blasted the mayor for setting a November 28th decision date for the redevelopment plans without taking adequate time to consider opposing views. A related article from the Stockholm News is here.
  
  After a response from the mayor and Slussen redevelopment project manager Andreas Burghauser, who said that Benny "seems to have misunderstood a few things", Benny retorted in todays DN edition: "It was not much of an answer, but I had not expected one", continuing that the mayor and project manager must not really understand the impact the changes are going to have on the pedestrians and businesses in the area.
  



• Expressen reported in mid-November that Tommy Körberg and Swedish Idol 2006 finalist Danny Saucedo are recording a new song together with lyrics by Björn, "I can see myself in you". The music is by Tobias Gustavsson.
  



• Frida visited the province of Agrigento in western Sicily, Italy in early November on holiday with friends and family. She stayed at the Verdura Golf Resort, visiting the Sciacca and Siculiana beaches and dining at the La Scogliera Di Spataro Paolo restaurant. Local paper Agrigento Notizie reported that Frida enjoyed her stay and expressed her desire to return to Sicily in the future.
  
  
  

• As reported in No. 63, the Wii game "ABBA You Can Dance" will be released on November 24, 2011. Up to four players can sing and dance along and they can act out the key roles in a mini-musical story based on ABBA's songs. "ABBA You Can Dance" features original music videos, live concert footage and original photos, giving an authentic game feeling.
  
  "In the video game market, Ubisoft is the dancing king", says Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA chief marketing and sales officer at Ubisoft. "With ABBA You Can Dance, players can dance, they can jive, and they can have the time of their lives, all thanks to ABBA's music and Ubisoft's latest entertaining dance video game."
  
  We will soon have some Nintendo Wii games "ABBA You Can Dance" exclusively to be won here on this page, plus more games to give away to our members in our next ABBA issue No. 64.
  
  You can watch a video trailer on Ubisoft's site or Youtube.
  

• The book "ABBA by Micke", already covered by our ABBA- Fan Club Magazine, is now finally available from www.amazon.co.uk after some delivery problems have been solved. This extraordinary book mainly reports about the ABBA / post-ABBA times during the 80's. It includes great fan stories from the author Micke Bayart himself plus many memories from the former official ABBA fan club, run by Micke with other fans back then. And it features a lot of great, previously unpublished photos. Finally comes a book about a time after ABBA released their last records! You can read more details in our fan club magazine and on the website www.abbabymicke.com.
  
  

• The musical CHESS will be staged in Gothenburg next year. Benny and Björn are not involved in this production, which will premiere at the Opera on September 8, 2012.
  Thanks to Niklas Albinsson-Collander!
  

• Frida attended the Zurich Film Festival awards ceremony at the famous Opera House on 1 October with her partner, Henry Smith. The Zurich Film Festival, founded in 2005 to celebrate the art of film and promote young filmmakers, is held annually in Switzerland. This year the event took place from 22 September to 2 October.
  
  
  

• CHESS is now playing in Toronto (Canada) until the end of October.
  Thanks to Ursula Weidlich!
  

• ABBA No. 63 has now been published and is being mailed to our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine.
  
  This time, we are very proud to present an exclusive, unpublished shot as a poster! The magazine is also full of news, special features,exclusive photos and great prizes to be won.
  
  Inside you will find:
  
  - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Benny
  
  - Special report on BAO's successful 10th anniversary tour
  
  - Our ABBA Competition with rare, special ABBA postcard sets to be won
  
  - The next instalment of our special feature on Super Trouper
  
  - Part 2 of our well-received series about ABBA in Spain
  
  - Continuation of our classic Poster series, this time featuring poster-magazines
  
  - Our Readers' Stories
  
  As always, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support!
  
  
  
  
  

• SVT1 aired the episode of "Moreaus med mera" featuring BAO yesterday evening (filmed in Dalarna on June 4). The band appeared throughout the show and performed "Månstrålar klara", "Allt syns när man är naken" and "Thank you for the music". Watch the entire episode (online until October 18) here.
  
  
  

• Benny and his son Ludvig Andersson with his band Atlas will be guests of the programme "Skavlan" on Swedish TV SVT1 on Friday at 21:00 local time. The talkshow will be repeated on September 17 (15:15) and 21 (23:25) on SVT1 and September 18 (21:00) on SVT24. Thanks to Steffen Stolze and special thanks to Micke Bayart for these exclusive photos from the taping!
  
  
  



• Unfortunately ABBA did not win the online music battle ABBA vs. Led Zeppelin last Sunday.
  

• The Online Music Battle continues with the quarter finals starting on September 11. Please tune in at 8:00 PM local time and vote for ABBA in the music battle ABBA vs. Led Zeppelin.
  

• French TV channel France 3 will show an ABBA special "La grande soirée ABBA" on Monday, August 29.
  Thanks to Annie Legand!
  



• BAO's new song "En Dag i Sänder" is number one on the Svensktoppen charts for three weeks in a row.
  

• The BAO concerts filmed by Swedish TV will be shown at Christmas.
  Thanks to Silke!
  

• BAO wrap up their 10th anniversary summer tour at Skansen in Stockholm tonight. The tour has been a big success, receiving glowing reviews, attracting big crowds and propelling "O Klang och Jubeltid" to the top of the Swedish charts. The CD has achieved gold status, having sold over 25,000 copies.
  
  Värmlands Folkblad called the show in Karlstad last Sunday "magnificent", reporting that the band played to approximately 3,500 people. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks in Oslo, Benny said in his introduction that it seemed strange to play and dance that particular evening, but that both band and audience would do the best they could while sparing a thought for friends in Norway. Meanwhile, the following show in Helsingborg was attended by about 7,000 people; a review by Helsingborgs Dagblad is here. Lastly, some great footage from the Gothenburg concert this past Thursday is available on YouTube:
  
  Hasta Mañana
  Why Did It Have To Be Me (with intro from Happy Hawaii)
  I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
  
  BAO's official page on Facebook reported that the Helsingborg and Gothenburg shows were filmed by SVT and will be broadcast on Swedish television in two 60-minute programs at Christmas.
  



• Frida visited Roxette in Locarno, Switzerland in mid-July, where they played at the Moon and Stars Festival as part of their world tour to promote their latest album, Charm School. A blurry but nice picture of Frida with Marie Fredriksson can be seen on Roxette's official Facebook page.
  



• The premiere of CHESS in Bielefeld, Germany will take place on September 25, 2011. Further dates are October 9, 11 and 14, November 17 and 23, February 10, 2012 and April 19 and 21, 2012. You can get tickets from www.theater-bielefeld.de.
  
  ABBA Fan Club members also have the chance to win tickets for October 14, 2011 (see ABBA No. 62).
  
  
  Photo © Matthias Stutte
  

• BAO kicked off their 10th anniversary tour in the central Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik this past Thursday, July 21, playing for over 3.5 hours to an audience of 4,000. Jens Peterson of Aftonbladet gave the show a very favourable review, calling it the best BAO concert he has seen.
  
  In addition to songs from its latest album, the band also performed a number of ABBA songs, including the newly-added "Kisses of Fire". More photos from Thursday can be viewed here from local newspaper Örnsköldsvik Allehanda and here from photo agency Rockfoto. Expressen's positive review is here. Local website Webben 7 published some video footage from the concert.
  
  Benny also gave an interview to P4 radio in Gävleborg yesterday ahead of the second show in Järvsö. It was attended by nearly 6,000 people according to local website Helahalsingland.se.
  

• Björn attended the premiere of the Mandarin-language version of Mamma Mia! in Shanghai on July 8. Here is an interview he gave from there to CNN International. A review from The Telegraph is here.
  



• Agnetha attended the 50th birthday party of Swedish director and actor Magnus Skogsberg in Stockholm on July 8. You can see a picture on this blog by Anders Öhrman of Swedish magazine QX. Magnus Skogsberg produced Agnetha's TV documentary for "My Colouring Book" in 2004.
  

• Universal will re-release the ABBA vinyl albums in Germany on August 9, 2011. They have the original artwork and will be available in a limited edition of 300 copies each.
  
  
  
  Here are the tracklistings:
  
  Ring Ring (0602527346472)
  1. Ring Ring (bara du slog en signal) (Swedish version), 2. Another Town, Another Train, 3. Disillusion, 4. People Need Love, 5. I Saw It In The Mirror, 6. Nina, Pretty Ballerina, 7. Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough), 8. Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother, 9. He Is Your Brother, 10. Ring Ring (English version), 11. I Am Just A Girl, 12. Rock'n Roll Band
  
  Waterloo (0602527346489)
  1.Waterloo (Swedish version), 2. Sitting In The Palmtree, 3. King Kong Song, 4. Hasta Mañana, 5. My Mama Said, 6. Dance (While The Music Still Goes On), 7. Honey, Honey, 8. Watch Out, 9. What About Livingstone, 10. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong, 11. Suzy-Hang-Around, 12. Waterloo (English version)
  
  ABBA (0602527346496)
  1.Mamma Mia, 2. Hey, Hey Helen, 3. Tropical Loveland, 4. S.O.S., 5. Man In The Middle, 6. Bang-A-Boomerang, 7. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, 8. Rock Me, 9. Intermezzo No. 1, 10. I've Been Waiting For You, 11. So Long
  
  Arrival (0602527346502)
  1. When I Kissed The Teacher, 2. Dancing Queen, 3. My Love, My Life, 4. Dum Dum Diddle, 5. Knowing Me, Knowing You, 6. Money, Money, Money, 7. That's Me, 8. Why Did It Have To Be Me, 9. Tiger, 10. Arrival
  
  The Album (0602527346519)
  1. Eagle, 2. Take A Chance On Me, 3. One Man, One Woman, 4. The Name Of The Game, 5. Move On, 6. Hole In Your Soul, 7. Thank You For The Music, 8. I Wonder (Departure), 9. I'm A Marionette
  
  Voulez-Vous (0602527346526)
  1. As Good As New, 2. Voulez-Vous, 3. I Have A Dream, 4. Angeleyes, 5. The King Has Lost His Crown, 6. Does Your Mother Know, 7. If It Wasn't For The Nights, 8. Chiquitita, 9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer), 10. Kisses Of Fire
  
  Super Trouper (0602527346533)
  1. Super Trouper, 2. The Winner Takes It All, 3. On And On And On, 4. Andante, Andante, 5. Me And I, 6. Happy New Year, 7. Our Last Summer, 8. The Piper, 9. Lay All Your Love On Me, 10. The Way Old Friends Do
  
  The Visitors (0602527346540)
  1. The Visitors, 2. Head Over Heels, 3. When All Is Said And Done, 4. Soldiers, 5. I Let The Music Speak, 6. One Of Us, 7. Two For The Price Of One, 8. Slipping Through My Fingers, 9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
  

• The Local, Sweden's English news website, has published a review of the recently launched Swedish-language ABBA walks sponsored by the Stockholm City Museum. English-language walks start later this month.
  



• Here is an interesting article by TIME magazine with accompanying video about the opening of a Mandarin-language production of Mamma Mia! in Shanghai, China on July 8.
  



• Speaking to Aftonbladet from London last month to promote his latest film, Mamma Mia! movie producer Tom Hanks said he wouldn't mind organising an ABBA reunion (at the paper's suggestion). "It would be great if they got together and did a reunion tour," he said, noting they could do something similar to what 70s rock band Cream did in 2005 with their reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
  
  Upon hearing of the idea, Björn said: "Ha ha ha. He can give it a try. But I say no. It's absolutely unbelievable there is still talk about it. We quit in 1982. The odds against this are very high."
  

• One of the main French public TV channels, "France 3", is preparing an ABBA Tribute Show for September 2011 featuring the French cast of Mammma Mia! (5 songs) and many singers who will perform ABBA cover songs. French host Laurent Boyer spoke of the possibility of having interviews with ABBA members. The show will be recorded on July 5, 2011 in the Mogador Theatre in Paris (7:00 PM open to public, you can get free tickets at the theatre) where the French version of Mamma Mia! is playing daily. You will find more information in French on Facebook.
  Thanks to Marco Paulo!
  

• Here are photos from the BAO rehearsals that took place earlier in the day yesterday at Skansen. The band kicked off this year's "Allsång på Skansen" concerts by performing three songs from their new album: "Kära syster", "O klang och jubeltid", and "Allt syns när man är naken". The performances are available for viewing on SVT's website (click on "Klipp från programmet").
  
  
  
  
  

• ABBA No. 62 has now been published and is being mailed to our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine with news, feature, exclusive photos and lots of great prizes to be won. This issue includes:
  
  - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Benny
  - Exclusive interview with Murray Head, the famous "Freddy" from CHESS
  - Special feature on "Super Trouper"
  - Our ABBA Intermezzo Competition - enter to win tickets for CHESS in Germany, promo copies of BAO's new CD single "Kära syster", "Super Trouper" Deluxe CD/DVDs, "ABBA Gold" MP3 players, and signed copies of the great new book "ABBA By Micke"
  - A new series, ABBA in Spain
  - The second and last part of Agnetha on Gäst Hos Hagge, 1985 - you can also win a copy of the book "Gäster Hos Hagge" featuring Agnetha & Frida!
  - The last part of our Japanese Discography, this time covering MC releases
  - Part 7 of our Poster Special
  - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA during their "Super Trouper" session in 1980
  
  
  
  
  
  Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue, the last of four. This time you can complete your set with a beautiful card of Frida. Above you can see the complete series; if you are missing any of the cards, feel free to contact us for back issue information.
  
  Once again, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support!
  

• Swedish newspaper Hallandsposten published an article yesterday on BAO's new album and upcoming tour. In it, Benny says he's surprised BAO has been around for 10 years and that the band is becoming more and more important to him. "Writing music gets a bit lonely. To play with others - it beats everything!" He also commented on pop music: "It's been a long time since I stopped listening to pop. I lost interest when all the machines came and it was easy to get a great sound and groove." About Lady Gaga: "I know what she looks like in a picture, but I don't have a clue about what is going on in the 'contemporary world'". About ABBA: "The advantage of being in my situation is that you can do whatever you want. And it doesn't include an ABBA reunion. Not for any one of us. But the requests will never end. It is really funny!" About leisure activities: "I do things that people usually do in their spare time. I take it easy. I'm very good at taking it easy."
  



• Here is a short high-resolution video of BAO in the studio during the recording of "Allt syns när man är naken (Everything is visible when you're naked)", one of the tracks on the new album "O klang och jubeltid".
  

• Sven-Olof Walldoff, the Swedish record producer and orchestra conductor who famously dressed as Napoleon while conducting the orchestra for ABBA's entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, has sadly died at the age of 82. He also wrote the string arrangements for a number of ABBA songs.
  



• Mono Music is making available physical promo copies of "Kära Syster" for sale through the official BAO and Helen Sjöholm Facebook pages. Each copy costs SEK40 and can be paid via PayPal. We will also have 5 copies of the promo single to give away in our next magazine competition.
  



• BAO will be filmed for a new talk show on SVT hosted by Kalle Moraeus called "Moraeus med mera". Filming will take place on June 14th at 19.30 at the Orsa Camping site in Dalarna. There will be room for about 400 audience members, and ticket information for the taping (in Swedish) is available here. The talk show will begin airing September 4.
  



• BAO will be performing at the premiere of this year's "Allsång på Skansen", the annual open-air singalong event held in Skansen and broadcast live on SVT, on June 28th.
  

• Samples of all 13 BAO tracks from the new album "O klang och jubeltid" are now available on the British Amazon site. The album will be released on June 15.
  

• The ABBA City Walk will take place in Stockholm in July, August and September. The two-hour guided tours in English will start each Friday and Saturday at 16:00 at the oak tree located in the courtyard of Stadshuset (the City Hall). Tickets (120 Swedish Crowns) are available at the Stockholm City Museum, from Ticnet and probably at the Tourist Information opposite the railway station. Tours in Swedish will start in June on Tuesdays at 18:00.
  The ABBA city map showing 20 places included in the tour has now been released by Premium and is sold at the City Museum as well:
  
  ABBA Stockholm
  Premium Publishing 2011
  240 x 115 mm
  English/German ISBN: 978-91-89136-82-3
  Swedish/Russian ISBN: 978-91-89136-83-0
  
  
  



• The new BAO album O Klang och Jubeltid (Mono Music MMCD 027) will now be released on June 15. Here ist the tracklist:
  
  1 O Klang och Jubeltid
  2 Kära Syster
  3 Månstrålar Klara
  4 Midsommarpolka
  5 Allt Syns När Man Är Naken
  6 Alla Goda Ting
  7 En Dag I Sänder
  8 Flickornas Rum
  9 De Ljuva Drömmarnas Orkester
  10 Jag Hör...
  11 Sorgmarsch
  12 Vilar Glad. I Din Famn
  13 Brudmarsch
  

• The new single "Kära Syster" ("Dear sister", Mono Music MMCD S-137) by Benny Anderssons Orkester and Helen Sjöholm will be released on Monday, May 16. The single will only be released digitally, but is scheduled to be available globally. It will be available for digital download on Amazon.co.uk on May 23. The lyrics and a link to Itunes are here.
  

• The French TV channel M6 will show an entire evening with ABBA on June 2, including the Mamma Mia! movie, a report on ABBA and the 1979 Wembley concert. Later in summer a special ABBA show will follow, featuring the Paris cast of the musical and probably interviews with ABBA members.
  Thanks to Adeline!
  

• Here are some screenshots from an advance preview of the previously-unreleased "Somewhere in the Crowd There's You" featurette on the new deluxe edition of Super Trouper, released in most territories on 9 May.
  
  
  
  



• The Broadway production of Mamma Mia! has launched a sing-along contest to celebrate the musical's 10th year on the New York stage in 2011. The grand-prize winner will receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations in New York, two tickets to the 10th Anniversary performance on October 18, dinner and two passes to the after party with the cast. Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• Mono Music has published the artwork for the new Benny Anderssons Orkester CD "O klang och jubeltid" to be released on June 15. The first single, "Kära Syster (Dear Sister)", will be released in mid-May. From the press release:
  
  Benny Andersson Band, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, was formed in early 2001 in connection with the recording of its first CD, "Benny Anderssons Orkester", which was followed by four more CDs: "BAO", "BAO på turné" (BAO On Tour), "BAO 3" and "Story Of A Heart". Hits like "Vår sista dans" (Our Last Dance), "Du är min man" (You Are My Man) and Fait Accompli have become modern classics!
  
  The new CD contains 13 tracks including eight with vocals - three with Helen Sjöholm, two with Tommy Körberg and three with Helen Sjöholm, Tommy Körberg & Kalle Moraeus.
  
  This summer, BAB will participate in two major television productions and is also going on tour. At eight locations, the audience will experience an evening filled with music, joy and dance under colored lights on a dance floor which will be brought along.
  



• Mono is also currently promoting "Fågelsång i Sverige (Birdsong in Sweden)", a CD + 200-page book box set released in 1990 containing sounds from 90 commonly-known types of Swedish birds compiled by Benny in cooperation with two Swedish bird experts.
  



• This year's Polar Music Prize was awarded to American string quartet Kronos Quartet and to Patti Smith, an American poet and musician. The gala ceremony and celebratory banquet will be held in Stockholm on 30 August and will be broadcast live on national television.
  

• RMV, Benny's new recording studio adjacent to the Mono Music offices in Stockholm, had its opening party on 4 May. Benny is pictured here with Swedish singer and actress Anna-Lotta Larsson. Other guests included Helen Sjöholm, Peter Jöback, Anders Ekborg and Lars Rudolfsson.
  
  
  



• Benny is the featured interview in the April 2011 issue of Resolution, a British trade magazine on audio production. Back issues can be ordered on the magazine's website.
  
  
  



• Popular Czech singer Helena Vondrácková opened the Czech version of ABBAWORLD in Prague today. More pictures are available on the singer's website.
  
  
  

• The Estrel Festival Center in Berlin will present the two hour show "A tribute to ABBA & Boney M." from July 20 - 24, 2011. All visitors of the ABBA- website will get 10 Euros ticket discount (in all categories) when stating the keyword "SOMMERENTERTAINMENT".
  
  The Estrel Hotel has a special show offer including bed and breakfast buffet and the show ticket for 56 Euros per person in a double room. Reservation phone number: +49 30 - 683122522.
  
  ABBA- fan club members have the chance to win 2 x 2 tickets for the show (any date). Our members will receive an e-mail.
  

• Popular British music magazine NME has published a poll on their website for the Greatest Pop Act of All Time. Vote for ABBA here. Thanks to Lee G.!
  

• The official ABBA website posted a thank you message from Björn for the fan greetings he received on his birthday:
  
  A birthday at a certain age
  Becomes a dreaded day
  You reach it and you turn the page
  And hope it goes away
  
  But all good wishes you have sent
  Are making me feel great!
  They make a total non-event
  A day to celebrate!
  
  So thank you all for being there
  For always staying true
  For showing once again you care
  The way that old friends do
  
  /Björn Ulvaeus, Stockholm April 28th 2011
  

• The press conference for this year's Zermatt Unplugged festival took place at the Backstage Hotel with Frida in attendance. The event runs from 12 to 16 April. Artists this year include David Gray, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, James Walsh, Seal, and the popular Swedish rock band Mando Diao. According to press reports, advance ticket sales this year exceeded expectations, with concerts in increasing demand in the weeks leading up to the festival.
  
  The Swiss TV show "10vor10" featured a short report about Seal at the festival; Frida can be seen talking about him at 3:30.
  
  
  



• Mamma Mia! will go tour in France in 2012-2013, playing in Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Angers, Toulon, Nice, Caen etc. You can find the dates on the French Mamma Mia! website.
  Thanks to Annie Legand!
  

• Frida and her partner Henry Smith attended an event in celebration of a new boutique hotel in the center of Zermatt called Backstage. The "lifestyle" bed and breakfast, designed and built by Frida's friend Heinz Julen and run by his wife Evelyne, is part of the Vernissage cultural center where many of this year's Zermatt Unplugged concerts are taking place. You can briefly see Frida taking some pictures about halfway in this report on Zermatt Unplugged by Swiss TV station Kanal 9.
  
  
  

• The new BAO album will be released in early June, with the first single to be released a month earlier. The title is "O klang och jubeltid" ("O time of sound and rejoicing"). Björn has written lyrics for at least one song. Aftonbladet published an article on the making of the CD today with many great photos by Björn Lindahl, which were later published on the official BAO page on Facebook.
  
  
  



• Benny attended the last performance of the recent production of Chess (directed by Craig Revel Horwood) in the UK at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland last night. He signed autographs for a few fans and met the cast backstage after the performance. Here is an article from Scotland's Evening Times.
  

• Universal has informed us that the German release date of the "Super Trouper" Deluxe Edition will be May 6 and the international release date May 9, 2011.
  

• The international edition of the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat published a new interview with Benny and Björn to promote the upcoming Finnish production of Kristina. When asked why they are producing the musical themselves, Björn said "Because this is fun", with Benny adding: "We are very proud of this. We don't want to give this musical to anyone else, or to tell someone that they can do what they like with it." Benny also spoke about his 3-year old granddaughter, Viola, who loves the Mamma Mia! musical but is not yet able to make the ABBA connection! The entire interview is available here.
  

• ABBAWORLD will come to Prague! The exhibition will premiere on 6 May 2011 at Slovansky Dum. Tickets will be available 24th of March 2011 from TicketPro.
  



• Susan Boyle and Peter Kay have recorded a music video of "I Know Him So Well" from Chess to support the Red Nose Day charity. Here is the Daily Mail report.
  Thanks to Mal Mitchell!
  

• ABBA have won the first online radio music battle with 87.4 % votes! They will be back in the quarter finals in autumn. We will keep you informed.
  

• Thanks to all ABBA fan club members who have sent in their votes for an online radio music battle. The music battle broadcast (in German) will be here on March 20.
  
  Please tune in at 8:00 PM local time and vote for ABBA in the music battle ABBA vs. Smokie. Your Top 5:
  
  1. Dancing Queen
  2. The winner takes it all
  3. Knowing me knowing you
  4. Take a chance on me
  5. Mamma Mia
  
  Many thanks again!
  



• The ABBAWORLD exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has now been extended until 26 June 2011.
  

• From March 28, 2011 you can order tickets for "Kristina" in Helsinki, Finland from biljetter@svenskateatern.fi or phone +358-9-61621433. Groups with more than 10 persons can already order tickets now. More information on "Kristina" in Finland is here.
  Thanks to Marina Högström!
  



• In Belgium and France the following programmes will be aired in the next days (in French language):
  17 March RTL-TVI (Belgium) at 19:45 Generations ABBA
  17 March RTL-TVI (Belgium) at 20:25 Mamma Mia! (The Movie)
  17 March programme on Bel RTL Radio
  19 March Gulli (France) at 20:35 L'ecole des fans ABBA
  25 March Gulli (France) at 22:10 L'ecole des fans ABBA
  Thanks to Lutgart Smedts!
  



• The Stockholm Tourist Information Center has moved from Sverigehuset at Kungsträdgården to Vasagatan 14 opposite the railway station. They also sell tickets for concerts and events there.
  Thanks to Christine Schuster!
  

• The successful Milan production of Mamma Mia! will end at the end of March. However this doesn't mean the end of the Italian story. Next season 2011-2012 the show will open in Rome.
  Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany!
  

• Universal has revealed the track list of the "Super Trouper" Deluxe Edition. All tracks on the CD are new remaster versions and the DVD includes three ABBA TV performances from the German ZDF "Show Express". The video "Somewhere In The Crowd There's You" was made from previously unpublished footage recorded during the record sleeve photo session.
  

• A guided tour called ABBA - The Walk will take place in Stockholm from May 19, 2011. There are many ABBA related places in the city and Dagens Nyheter mentions the former Polar Studios and Mono Music.
  Tickets for the first walk are already available from Ticnet and probably at the tourist information at the railway station. The walks, arranged by Stockholms Stadsmuseum, are planned to start at the oak tree located in the courtyard of Stadshuset (the building on the book cover of The ABBA Guide to Stockholm).
  

• As reported in No. 61, there will be a Deluxe Edition of "Super Trouper". Universal has told us that it will be released in May 2011. More details will follow soon.
  

  

• ABBA No. 61 has now been published and is being mailed to all our members! It is again a 36-page, full colour A4 size magazine with news, features and exclusive photos. Included in our latest issue:
  
  - All of the latest news, including new interviews with Björn and Agnetha
  - Like An Angel Passing Through My Room: Chris Green Meets Frida
  - Special feature about the history of ABBA Fan Clubs
  - Report about a new ABBA fan book, "ABBA By Micke"
  - A look back at Agnetha on Gäst hos Hagge, 1985
  - Exclusive Interview with ABBA Musicians Ulf Andersson & Mats Ronander
  - ABBA Competition with great prizes to be won, including tickets to ABBA-The Show and ABBA 99
  - Readers' Stories
  - Part 3 of our Japanese discography, this time covering CD releases
  - Part 6 of our Poster Special
  - An A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot of ABBA from early 1975
  
  Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue (the third of four!).
  
  Once again, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support!
  
    
  

• Appearing in full Mamma Mia! costume, Björn was the surprise guest at the QX GayGalan 2011 in Stockholm on Monday where he handed over the award for Gay Person of the Year to Elisabeth Ohlson-Wallin, who photographed Benny for his interview in Vi magazine this past October. Björn thanked ABBA's gay fans for supporting ABBA throughout the years, particularly during the time in the 80s when the group were considered "distinctly uncool". Björn's speech (with English subtitles) can be viewed here.
  
  
  

• Frida has received an invitation to the German city of Plauen, as reported in the press (see right and here).
  Thanks to Dirk Hellwig and Uwe Aschendorf!
  

• Mamma Mia! has been nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award for favourite long-running London show along with 17 other shows. Click here to vote. Once the first round voting has closed, the final shortlisted shows will be announced and fans will be invited to vote again for their favourite. Thanks to Liz McGinity of LittleStar Entertainment!
  

• Mamma Mia! won a "Globe de Cristal" at a ceremony at the Lido in Paris as best musical on Monday evening. The "Globes de Cristal" are the French cultural prizes, voted for by the culture journalists. Other winners included actress Kristin Scott Thomas and fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. The event was shown live on FR3 TV.
  Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany!
  

• German ZDF TV will repeat Die ZDF-Kultnacht - Das Beste aus "Disco" on Saturday, February 12 from 0:20 - 5:30 AM local time, featuring the ABBA performances "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia".
  
  ZDF-Theaterkanal will repeat another "Disco" episode (from March 20, 1978) on Friday, March 4 from 11:05 - 11:50 AM local time including ABBAs "Take A Chance On Me".
  
  Also on Friday, March 4 from 20:15 - 21:45 local time MDR TV will show the comedy "Beiß nicht gleich in jeden Apfel" with one ABBA track.
  
  Many thanks to Holger Wiechmann!
  

• BBC Radio 2 will be broadcasting a programme dedicated to Benny and Björn this Friday, January 21 at 19.00. The show is called The Music Goes Round and is hosted by Desmond Carrington. Thanks to Ronnie Mehlis!
  

• Benny will be performing at the Rival Hotel along with other artists on Monday 24 January at 7:00 p.m. as part of a 25th anniversary celebration honouring a Swedish non-profit theatre, Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra. Kristina Lugn, the poet and playwright who wrote the lyrics for "Vilar glad. I din famn" performed at the Swedish Royal wedding last summer, has managed the theatre since 1997. Ticket reservations can be made here.
  

• Notable chart news:
  
  A new cover version of "Chiquitita" by Spanish singer/songwriter Amaia Montero has hit number one on the Spanish singles chart. See a performance here. Thanks to our Spanish correspondent José Luis!
  
  The original version of "Happy New Year" by ABBA charted in the Netherlands this week. It is currently at number 8 on the singles chart. Thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany!
  

• BBC 4 Radio will air a special called "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room" including an exclusive interview with Frida beginning on 16 February at 14.15. The interview was conducted by British actor, comedian, writer and stage performer Christopher Green, who is also a big Frida fan. The special traces the performer's lifelong admiration for Frida, and the interview was conducted in summer 2009; it will be available online for one week. More details and exclusive photos in our next issue.
  
  Special thanks to Michael Scheiber!
  
  
  

• The January 2011 issue of M-Magasin, featuring an exclusive interview and photo session with Agnetha, has now hit Swedish newsstands. In the very interesting interview, Agnetha discusses a variety of topics including fashion, turning 60, and of course, ABBA. Agnetha reveals that she has "a suitcase of half-finished songs", is interested in alternative medicine, would like to sing the theme song of a huge movie such as "Titanic", and that she has been in therapy regarding her fear of flying and it has helped (she celebrated her 60th birthday with family in Mallorca).
  
  On the inevitable subject of an ABBA reunion, Agnetha said: "No and yes. We would not reunite for a tour like the Rolling Stones and other old bands do now. However, I could see us doing something together in the future. It is just a feeling I have that it would be fun to get together, talk a bit about the past and maybe perform together. An occasional opportunity, maybe in connection with a charity event, I believe we could consider it." However, Agnetha also mentioned the topic had not been discussed with any of the other members and that nothing had been decided.
  
  Fans outside Sweden may obtain a copy of the issue by sending 10 Euros directly to the magazine's headquarters along with their mailing address. Here is a related report by The Local (in English).
  
    
  

• Dear ABBA Fan Club Members and Website Visitors,
  
  We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year 2011! Thank you for all your support in 2010.
  
  Warmest wishes,
  ABBA Fan Club
  

• German digital TV "ZDF Neo" will repeat "Kult am Sonntag - ABBA" on January 9, 2011 from 0:30 - 2:20 local time.
  Thanks to Steffen Stolze!
  

• Agnetha will be featured in an exclusive interview and photo session in the next issue of M-Magasin, a Swedish lifestyle magazine aimed at women over 50. The magazine's editor wrote that Agnetha drank tea with her on her couch in the hip Knivsöder neighbourhood in southern Stockholm on November 23 and that she was "starstruck for hours". The issue will be released at the end of December.
  

• German digital TV "ARD Festival" will show "Top of the Pops - Highlights of 1976" on December 24 from 18:20 - 20:00 local time, probably including an ABBA performance.
  Thanks to Steffen Stolze!
  



• Björn gave an interview via satellite from Stockholm to Australian morning programme "Today" ahead of ABBAWORLD's Sydney opening on the 17th. He spoke about ABBA's appeal in Australia and beyond, the costumes and the exhibition. Asked if he keeps in touch with the other members, he said: "I'm sure that I will see Agnetha on Christmas Eve, that's for sure, because we have three grandchildren together, and we spend a large part of Christmas together actually."
  

• German ZDF TV will have an ABBA night at Christmas:
  
  • Saturday December 25 at 20:15 local time "Mamma Mia!" (the Movie - German audio)
  • Saturday December 25 at 21:55 local time "Die ABBA-Story"
  • Sunday December 26 at 00:30 local time "ABBA - Greatest Hits"
  
  Many thanks to Helmut Rerig!
  



• ABBA Singbox is a new app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which will soon be available for Android as well. The fans can sing along to ABBA's music competing with other fans, like in the video game SingStar ABBA.
  

• Here are the 25 favourite ABBA songs as voted by ITV viewers:
  
  1 The winner takes it all
  2 Dancing Queen
  3 The day before you came
  4 Thank you for the music
  5 Knowing me, knowing you
  6 Mamma Mia
  7 Fernando
  8 One of us
  9 The name of the game
  10 Chiquitita
  11 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A man after midnight)
  13 Take a chance on me - tied with -
  13 I have a dream
  15 Lay all your love on me - tied with -
  15 SOS
  16 Super trouper
  17 Waterloo
  18 Summer night city
  19 Does your mother know
  20 Voulez-Vous
  21 Under attack
  22 Money, money, money
  23 I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
  24 Head over heels
  25 Ring ring
  
  
  Besides Björn and Frida, the show featured interviews with many other ABBA-related personalities, including Lasse Hallström, Janne Schaffer, Owe Sandström, Carl Magnus Palm, Sir Terry Wogan and Pierce Brosnan. Among Björn's comments: "I always dreamed to be a pop idol. It was at the same time as the Beatles made their entrance and I thought, 'I want to be like that.'" Frida: "The way Björn treats his lyrics, he does it with a passion like the way he treats women. He has wonderful respect for the female. Björn is one of the most respectful men I've ever met."
  
  Very special thanks to Ronnie Mehlis!
  

• Benny and Björn have written a new holiday song called "Merry Christmas My Friend" performed by the staff at the Rival Hotel.
  

• We have heard that fans are discussing whether it could be Universal objecting to the release of the Musikladen DVDs featuring ABBA performances. Unfortunately we can't tell you which record company is taking action against the release, but we can 100% confirm it's not because of the ABBA performances. A permission for this was granted long ago.
  

• British ITV1 will show The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song on Sunday, December 5 from 9:00 - 10:30 PM local time. Featuring an exclusive interview with Frida and Björn, the programme will also tell many stories behind 25 ABBA hits.
  

• Björn and his wife Lena as well as Agnetha with a friend attended an opening for a new luxury hotel called the Nobis Hotel last night in Stockholm. The hotel opens to the public on December 1 and is located in the city centre.
  



• Agnetha was also spotted attending the premiere of the movie "Cornelis" in Stockholm on November 8. The film is about Cornelis Vreeswijk, a well-known (and Dutch-born) Swedish folk musician.
  



• Expressen and The Local report that Frida and her partner Henry Smith were unsuccessful in their efforts to impose a bankruptcy order on the company that operates a Buddhist resort and spa in Sweden. The court also ordered Frida and her partner to pay 170,000 kronor to Qigong Resort operator Master Marcus Bongart to cover his court costs. Frida's claim was ruled as being in dispute because "the circumstances around the signing of the promissory note are unclear in several respects". Despite the ruling, Frida's attorney stated that efforts to get the funds returned will continue.
  

• The 3 DVD box sets "Musikladen", featuring all ABBA and solo performances on German "Radio Bremen" TV, can no longer be ordered because a record company is enforcing their rights. The box sets are not for sale in the course of the lawsuit. We hope they will find an agreement and the DVDs will become available again. We will keep you informed.
  



• A book about "Musikladen" will probably be released in December, containing previously unpublished ABBA photos. The exact publishing date and details will follow.
  



• Benny Anderssons Orkester will go on tour next summer. They will begin to record a new album in January and Benny has written some new songs for it. Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg will again be the singers on BAOs 10th anniversary tour with a big dance finale at Skansen. The dates:
  
  
  • 21 July 19:00    Örnsköldsvik, Parken
  • 22 July 19:00    Järvsö, Stenegård
  • 23 July 19:00    Leksand, Sammilsdalsgropen
  • 24 July 18:00    Karlstad, Sandgrundsudden
  • 27 July 19:00    Helsingborg, Sofiero Slott
  • 28 July 19:00    Göteborg, Trädgårdsföreningen
  • 29 July 19:00    Mariefred, Gripsholms Slott
  • 30 July 19:00    Stockholm, Skansen (Galejan)
  Tickets can now be ordered from Ticnet.
  
  Thanks to Niklas Albinsson-Collander!
  



• The German releases of the ABBA Gold Special Edition and the LP box set ABBA The Vinyls will be a bit earlier than planned: next week, on December 3rd.
  

• Breaking news from Touring Exhibitions: ABBAWORLD will be showing exclusively at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia beginning 17 December 2010 and running through 6 March 2011.
  
  Björn said: "We really had an up-hill struggle after Waterloo and our follow-up singles didn't do well. Then the Australians came to our rescue. They released SOS and Mamma Mia and both songs made the charts in a big way down under. Suddenly everyone else around the world realized there was life in the band that was supposed to be dead. I'm forever grateful to the Australians for that!"
  
  For the Sydney version of the exhibition, new content about the group's appearances in Australia and their impact on Australian pop culture will be added. Magnus Danielsson, President of Touring Exhibitions, said: "This is a unique opportunity for the people of Sydney to see original ABBA material. The Sydney exhibition will be running in parallel with a run of ABBAWORLD in Györ, Hungary. ABBAWORLD has a universal appeal and we work hard to make it available to fans around the globe."
  
  
  

• Happy 65th birthday to Frida! To mark the occasion, Deutsche Welle produced a short report about Frida with the help of Wolfgang Heilemann and ABBA . Here is the link (in German), while the English version can be found here. Special thanks to Bubi Heilemann.
  

• ABBA No. 60 has now been published and is being mailed to all members! We continue the special 20th anniversary celebration of our fan club with a 36-page, full-colour A4 size magazine packed with news, features and exclusive photos.
  
     
  
     
  
  Included in our latest issue:
  
  - All of the latest news (including the recent Mamma Mia! premiere in Paris) and info on new releases
  - Exclusive coverage of the Mamma Mia! Danish premiere in Copenhagen
  - A special report on the 10th anniversary of the Australian Mamma Mia! tour, including an interview with two of the main characters
  - A report about Frida's new recording
  - The final part of our 20th anniversary series, including greetings from Görel Hanser, Bubi Heilemann, Carl Magnus Palm and others; Görel answers our questions
  - A new special 20th anniversary competition with lots of fantastic prizes, including the new ABBA–The Vinyl Collection box and new ABBA Gold CD/DVD set
  - The final part of our ABBA Typography series
  - Part 2 of our Japanese discography, this time covering album releases
  - An A3 poster/2011 calendar featuring an alternate shot of Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida from 1972
  
  Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue (the second of four!).
  
  Once again, we look forward to your feedback and greatly appreciate your support!
  

• We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gudrun Anderson, widow of ABBA manager Stig Anderson. She died at the age of 79 this past Sunday. All our sympathies go to her family.
  

• Björn attended the Mamma Mia! gala premiere in Paris last night together with his wife Lena. He spent quite a bit of time with the fans on the blue carpet, signing lots of items. Fans sang "Thank you for the music" while a delighted Björn smiled and then clapped his hands. Here is a short report (in French) by TF1, while photos of some of the other stars that attended the premiere can be seen here. More photos of Björn in Paris to follow in our next issue, No. 60.
  
  
  

• The French edition of Metro newspaper has published a short interview with Björn on the occasion of Thursday's Mamma Mia! premiere in Paris. When asked if it was necessary to adapt the songs in the musical to the French language, he said: "Yes, it is the only way to be drawn into the story. And even if you think you know them in English, it is once you hear them in your language that you really understand the meaning." About the role ABBA plays in his daily life, Björn said: "ABBA never leaves me. There is not a day goes by without someone or something reminding me of this group." When asked if there was even a 1% chance of an on-stage reunion, he said: "0% chance! If we did, it would destroy forever the image of these four young ambitious people that you love in the videos! I'll never let that happen."
  

• A medium size venue version of ABBAWORLD will launch on the 4th of December in Györ, Hungary, which is located in between Budapest (100km), Vienna (100km) and Bratislava (50km). It is a collaboration between promoters ShowTime Budapest, ETO Park in Györ and Viva Art Music. "We are very happy to see ABBAWORLD come to Hungary," the group said in a joint statement. "We never managed to tour Eastern Europe, and it feels great to finally give our fans there the opportunity to recreate the experience through ABBAWORLD."
  

• To the surprise and delight of just about everyone, Björn attended the Danish premiere of Mamma Mia! at the Tivoli theatre in Copenhagen with none other than a glowing Agnetha on his arm. They spent time on the red carpet posing together for the press, with Agnetha waving the entire time and visibly moved by the attention. After the show, Agnetha went on stage with Björn, marking her first time ever on stage at the end of a Mamma Mia! premiere. She and Björn remained on stage for several minutes and clearly seemed to be having a great time. More photos and a report to follow in our next issue, No. 60.
  
  Special thanks to our Belgian correspondent Stany!
  
    
  
  
  
• Benny's son Ludvig Andersson has performed in Germany for the first time with his band Atlas. Here are a video and some photos taken at a fashion event on October 6 in Munich.
  Thanks to Silke Esser!
  

• Frida and her partner W.H. Smith have filed a bankruptcy order against Swedish Medical Qiqong Investment AB, which operates a Buddhist temple and resort near Hörby in southern Sweden, after the firm missed a payment on a 46.2 million kronor ($7 million) loan. The firm and resort are run by Master Marcus Bongart, who founded and built the centre on the site of an old village school house. Bongart is claiming that the funds were given to him as a donation. Read a report by The Local here.
  

• Frida and Björn are among the notable figures with ties to Sweden lending their voices to a campaign on U.S. satellite radio Sirius XM. The campaign will promote World Childhood Foundation USA, a non-profit organisation founded in 1999 by Queen Silvia of Sweden dedicated to the prevention of abuse and exploitation of children.
  
  The public service announcements (PSAs) are 30 seconds in length and will be airing across numerous SIRIUS XM channels this month. Other participants include Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson of Roxette, director Lasse Hallström, actress Isabella Rossellini, and chef Marcus Samuelsson.
  
  Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• As part of its promotion for the upcoming concert by The New York Pops called "The Music of ABBA" featuring popular Finnish vocal ensemble artists Rajaton on October 15 (see issue No. 58), Carnegie Hall is sponsoring a "Disco Glam Attire" contest. Participants are encouraged to "embrace the spirit of the decade and come flaunt their finest leisure suits, bell bottoms, glitter gowns, and other 1970s attire while enjoying the performance of some of ABBA's most popular chart-topping hits". The contest will take place during intermission on the night of the concert. Carnegie Hall has also produced a related short promotional film which can be seen here. Tickets for the concert are still available from the Carnegie Hall box office.
  

• Universal has confirmed that the ABBA 9 Vinyl Box Set will be freely available in stores as well. In Germany it will probably be released on December 7, 2010 in limited edition. The "ABBA Gold" Special Edition will be released on November 26 in Germany.
  



• Niklas Albinsson-Collander informed us about a quote from whisky expert Max McFarlane, talking about an exclusive 50-year-old whisky distilled on the Scottish islands of Orkney:
  "You could say that the taste reminds you of one of the former ABBA singers; still extremely attractive and with lots of character. Like someone you would like to get to know better."
  

• Realtid.se has posted an excerpt of an exclusive in-depth interview with Benny just published in Swedish magazine Vi ("Us"). In this excerpt, Benny speaks frankly about his decision to stop drinking alcohol nine years ago. "Had I not stopped, I probably wouldn't be sitting here today," he said, adding: "Alcohol is a kind of filter that gets in the way of reality. This is the best thing I've done for myself. If you notice that you do not feel like yourself if you don't have alcohol in your body, then it is time to stop."
  
  Speaking about his musical career and successes, Benny says in the interview: "The life I have lived is ridiculous. It doesn't exist. It's not my merit. It's pure luck." More information on the October issue of Vi (which includes a great new photo of Benny on the cover and more inside) can be found here.
  



• Agnetha attended a product launch event for luxury retailer Georg Jensen on Wednesday 29th September in Stockholm.
  



• British tabloid newspaper Daily Express published a story on Wednesday claiming that Agnetha and Frida are planning a reunion. The paper quotes Frida from her interview to Dagens Nyheter from September 19 where she mentioned that she and Agnetha had spoken about recording together in passing, but makes it seem as if plans are underway whereas no such plans exist. The latest false reunion story was picked up by numerous news outlets worldwide.
  

• The German music video station "Deluxe TV" recently had a poll (now closed) on their website asking for this year's favourite summer hit. Here are the Top 10 results:
  1. ABBA: Summer Night City, 2. Michael Jackson: Billie Jean, 3. 10CC: Dreadlock Holiday, 4. Chris Rea: On The Beach, 5. Die Fantastischen Vier: Tag am Meer, 6. Mungo Jerry: In The Summertime, 7. Wham: Club Tropicana, 8. DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince: Summertime, 9. Will Smith: Miami, 10. A-ha: Summer Moved On.
  

• The Copenhagen Post reports today that Björn has criticised a Danish political party for their use of the song "Mamma Mia" at their national congress over the weekend. The occurrence was discovered after an activist group sent an email to Görel Hanser asking if Björn supported the party. Universal Music sent a response from Björn back to the activist group stating that ABBA 'does not allow their music to be used in any political context'. The matter is being looked into further to determine whether additional action will be necessary.
  
  In 2008, American presidential candidate John McCain had expressed interest in using 'Take A Chance On Me' as his campaign theme music, but his request was quickly turned down.
  

• Dagens Nyheter has published a great new interview with Frida on the occasion of her new recording for Georg Wadenius' album "Reconnection". Regarding the origins of the project, Frida said: "Georg and I are very good friends. I've known his wife Brit since the 1970s. We talked about doing something together for a long time." She said that Brit had visited her in her home in Zermatt and encouraged her to do something after listening to her sing along to a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album. "So she inspired me to take the first step. You always need to hear that [your voice] is good enough," she added.
  
  Frida ruled out future live appearances but not recordings, saying she is friends with many international musicians and that "there is always a light that burns within, that you would like to do something else. You never know." When asked to name another singer whose voice quality she admired, she named Agnetha and said: "We talk [about singing together again] and laugh about it sometimes, but life is changing and there are so many other things that are important. But of course it would be great to do something with Agnetha." Read the full interview (in Swedish) here.
  

• ABBA Gold is being released yet again in a new CD/DVD Special Edition on November 29, 2010. The CD features the latest remastered version of the album, while the DVD features newly remastered versions of all the video clips featured on the original DVD.
  
  The DVD will also include what are being called "before-and-after" split-screen comparisons of five original film clips and their remastered versions as well as something new: a rare cartoon version of 'Money, Money, Money' produced around 1977 by Australian company Reg Grundy and only screened briefly during the group's heyday.
  
  
  

• Frida is a guest artist on the new album "Reconnection" by Georg Wadenius, a Swedish musician, composer, producer and singer best known for his children's songs during the 1970s. Other participating singers include Nina Persson, Helen Sjöholm and Peter Jöback. Thomas Johansson, who worked closely with ABBA on their world tours, had the idea for a solo album by Georg featuring Scandinavian artists. Frida opens the album with the song "Morning Has Broken". The song is a well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931 and made popular by Cat Stevens in 1972.
  
  The release date for the album is October 27. Here is a report from Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish).
  
  
  

• A new LP box set ABBA: The Vinyls may now be preordered from Universal. It includes ABBA's 8 vinyl studio albums plus the bonus LP "ABBA Tracks" with 10 songs not found on the albums.
  The first 2000 pre-orders before September 25th, 2010 will have their name mentioned in an included book when the box set is released on December 6th, 2010.
  See the above link for further details.
  



• The Manchester Evening News reports that Mamma Mia! is returning to Manchester next year for a run from April 26th to June 11th, 2011. Tickets go on sale Friday 17th September but there is a link to get exclusive early tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  Thanks to Darren Bunn!
  



• ITV1 in the UK will broadcast a 90-minute special called "The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song" later this year and you can vote for your favourite on their website. Björn and Frida will paricipate in the program, discussing how 25 different ABBA songs came about.
  
  Frida said: "Discussing all of our singles for The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song was great fun. There are many fond memories – memories about writing the songs, recording and promoting and performing them."
  Björn said: "We're all curious and excited to see which songs appear where in the countdown. The British people took us to their hearts, completely... and... made us their own, which we are very proud of. It's very nice to come to England because it's like going home."
  
  Thanks to our UK correspondent Lisa and Alan Hogg!
  

• Our Spanish correspondent José Luis reports:
  Mamma Mia! comes back to Madrid for 3 months, playing at the Teatro Coliseum. The opening was on September 8th.
  The winner of a contest has won a trip to London for two persons and 24 hours with the cast. Here is the musical's Spanish website.
  



• The new CD "Anthems" by Kerry Ellis will be released next week. Produced by Queen guitarist Brian May, the album includes "Anthem" from Chess and "You Have To Be There" from Kristina plus more musical numbers and other symphonic rock songs.
  The CD can be ordered from Sound of Music or Amazon UK and you will find the tracklisting on their pages.
  
  Youtube has a TV appearance by Kerry Ellis and Brian May performing "Anthem"!
  

• ARD Video has announced that the Musikladen DVD box set release date has been pushed back to September 24. To compensate for the delay, they are sending out two "Best of Musikladen" DVDs to customers who have already purchased any of the box sets as a "warm-up".
  



• The run of the new American production of "Chess" at the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. has been extended by one week to Sunday, October 3. The production has been a hit. Director Eric Schaeffer said, "It's exciting that Chess has been so embraced by everyone! It's wonderful to see packed houses rockin' out to this amazing score and breathtaking performances night after night." The production has received positive critical reviews from The Washington Post, Variety and other sources. Here is a related article from Broadway World.
  
  Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• Special thanks to Adrian Keller from Switzerland for letting us know about an ABBA exhibition taking place there.
  
  ABBA is featured in an exhibition called "Three Pop Legends" which also includes Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. The ABBA portion features original costumes including prototypes certified by Owe Sandström. There is Björn's cape costume from 1975, Benny's boots from the "Waterloo" costume, fabric/material examples of the costumes from the 1977 and 1979 tours and even costumes made for Frida, Benny and Björn but never used in the end.
  
  Next to the showcases there is a lot of text (biographies) as well as many photos. The exhibition is selling special ABBA postcards as well as records and CDs; unfortunately, there are only Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley memorabilia items.
  
  The exhibition will be on display in several locations in Switzerland. Here are the forthcoming dates:
  
  - Einkaufszentrum Rheinpark, St. Margrethen: through 4. September 2010
  - Züri-Oberland-Märt, Wetzikon: 7. - 18. September 2010
  - Herblinger Markt, Schaffhausen: 21. September - 2. October 2010
  - Einkaufszentrum Seepark, Kreuzlingen: 5. - 16. October 2010
  
  
  
  
  

• Dagens Nyheter reports that a Stockholm city arts council approved a location for an ABBA museum next year that would serve as the permanent ABBAWORLD exhibition. "We expect to get a building permit this autumn and aim to open next year," said Magnus Danielsson, president. The building will be shaped like a long tent and given a five-year permit that can be extended a further five years, the report said. The museum will be on the Stockholm waterfront and can also be accessed by ferry.
  



• U.S. newspaper The Washington Post has published an article about the new and significantly altered American production of "Chess" in Washington, D.C. by artistic director Eric Schaeffer (currently running). Speaking to the paper via phone from Sweden, Benny said: "I'm curious to see what Eric has done with this. Maybe this is the right version. You never know." Referring to New York Times critic Frank Rich's famously bad review of the 1988 production, Benny said: "I could understand all of his objections in hindsight. Maybe he wasn't all that wrong."
  
  Tickets for the show are available via the Signature Theatre's website.
  

• Universal Music Group is releasing a new budget compilation CD on August 31 called "Icon". It is a repackaged version of the "20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection" release from 2000. The track listing is exactly the same. You can buy it from CDUniverse or Amazon, among other sources.
  
  
  



• Swedish-language newspaper Österbottens Tidning, published in Finland, is reporting that most of the applications submitted for participation in the Finnish production of Kristina från Duvemåla so far have been from Sweden. About 100 people have registered interest from Finland. It is hoped that as many Finnish voices as possible can be heard on stage when the musical opens. The deadline for applications is September 10 and Benny and Björn will be in Helsinki in November to oversee the auditions.
  
  Kristina is scheduled to premiere at the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki in February 2012.
  

• On a visit to London with Benny to promote the double Kristina-The Concert CD, Björn spoke out against reality music shows such as The X Factor, describing them as "cruel". "I don't like the way a young person is standing there and is sometimes humiliated. Such shows want to polish off anything that is original. They want to polish off the corners to make them all smooth and mainstream. I think that's wrong." He added: "There was nothing mainstream about The Stones or The Beatles, who were our big influence when we started out as ABBA. This way of picking people by audition is very different from how ABBA started out in the music industry. We just happened to get together and we found that we had common interests. We started to play and sing together. We were not auditioned and that's a big difference."
  
  Read more from The Daily Mail.
  

• Benny performed on stage with Orsa Spelmän and other Swedish folk musicians this past Saturday, August 7 at the annual Skansen folk music celebration in Stockholm. During the soundcheck earlier in the day, Benny played a bit of "Thank You for the Music". The concert started at 17.00 with "Klinga mina klockor" and "Lottis Schottis". Benny said that over 10.000 visitors came in spite of the pouring rain.
  
  Thanks to Klaus-Peter Berg!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• A new production of Mamma Mia! will be staged in Brazil this November, making Portuguese the 15th language into which the musical will be translated. The musical will play for one season at Sao Paolo's Teatro Abril beginning on the 10th. The Brazilian production of Mamma Mia! will feature original scenery and costumes, with lyrics in Portuguese and a cast entirely from Brazil (to be announced shortly). Tickets will be available to the general public beginning September 26th. For more information, please visit www.musicalmammamia.com.br.
  
  Over the next year, productions of Mamma Mia! will premiere in Milan, Copenhagen, Paris, China, Madrid and South Africa.
  

• SVT is airing a 10-part musical series dedicated to the 1970s. In Part 7, scheduled to air on Saturday, August 28 at 21:00, the featured year will be 1976 and the programme will be dedicated to internationally-known Swedish artists. The show will include new interviews with Benny, Björn Skifs and Kenneth Gärdestad (brother of the late Ted).
  

• Benny with Orsa Spelmän will be taking part in this year's open-air folk music celebration at Skansen. They will perform on Saturday, August 7, during the opening ceremony at 12 noon and in a folk music concert on Solliden stage from 17.00-18.00.
  



• A full American production of CHESS will be staged in the Washington, DC area August 10 through September 26. Cast info can be found here and tickets may be purchased at the theatre website. Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• ABBA No. 59 has now been published and is being mailed to all members! We continue the special 20th anniversary celebration of our fan club with a 36-page, full-colour A4 size magazine packed with news and features.
  
    
  
  In our latest issue, you'll find:
  
  - Latest news and info on new CD, DVD and book releases
  - Reports on the Kristina concert in London and the Australian opening of ABBAWORLD
  - Part 2 of our 20th anniversary series, including greetings from Agnetha and Benny; Benny answers our questions
  - An exclusive interview with Ad Visser, legendary host of TOPPOP, who shares his memories of working with ABBA
  - The return of our popular "Rare ABBA Posters" series and the first part of a new discography series which this time looks at Japanese single releases
  - Another 20th Anniversary special competition with lots of fantastic prizes, including items autographed by ABBA
  - A3 size poster featuring an alternate shot from one of ABBA's famous 1976 photo sessions
  
  Each member also receives a special anniversary postcard with their issue (the first of four).
  
  As always, we look forward to your feedback and thank you for your support!
  
    
  

• Contrary to previous information supplied to us, we are now able to confirm that ABBA's interview snippets in the "Best of ABBA" Musikladen episode will be included in the DVD release! Total run time will be 36 minutes and 31 seconds (10 songs + interview). Special thanks to Philippe Elan!
  

• Björn is supporting a campaign in Sweden to eliminate cash in place of debit and credit cards as a way to reduce crime. "There are no direct practical reasons, as far as I can see, to have coins and banknotes," he wrote in a recent blog post. "There are obvious advantages in getting rid of them. Sweden should be able to be the first country in the world to do this. There are, of course, those who need help, but if as a result they run less of a risk of being robbed, then perhaps it would be worth the inconvenience," he continued. Here is a related report by the BBC.
  

• ARD Video in Germany have informed us they will be releasing a series of 3 DVD box sets containing all Musikladen programs from 1972 to 1984 on August 19. Each box will contain 10 DVDs and may be purchased separately or together at a discount. The first box will contain over 24 hours of footage featuring episodes aired between 1972 and 1976, including the well-known "Best of ABBA" episode aired in August 1976. The second box will contain ABBA's performance of "Chiquitita" from 1979, while the third will feature the Agnetha and Frida solo apperances on the programme in 1982, 1983 and 1984. Info and ordering information (in German) as well as a PDF overview of all 90 episodes is available here.
  
  
  

• A new song written by Benny was performed at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Daniel Westling on June 19. It is called "Vilar glad. I din famn" (Happily rest in your arms) and the lyrics were written by Kristina Lugn. Orsa Spelmän, the Swedish Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and two choirs performed the song in the church just after the wedding ceremony.
  The CD single is already out and can be ordered from the links on Mono Music's website.
  

• Agnetha and Benny kicked off ABBAWORLD's Melbourne run with a touching video message recorded in Stockholm and broadcast at the gala ceremony Wednesday evening at Federation Square. Click here to see it. Here is a transcript:
  
  A: Hello Australia! Hello Melbourne!
  B: Hello Federation Square, and welcome to Stockholm! We're sorry we can't be with you tonight, or if it is today, but we have good memories from Australia. Especially from Melbourne actually, because we came to Melbourne in 1977, the whole city was full of people... and we thought they were there to cheer ABBA but we found out that it was Moomba Festival!! But we still had a wonderful, wonderful time.
  A: Björn and Frida are not with us today, but they send their love as well to you.
  B: So, we shall hereby declare... A: Hereby, we declare ABBAWORLD... open!
  B: You wanna cut this? A: OK. Ta-da! B: Have a nice time.
  
  The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday and will run through 31 October.
  

• German ZDF TV will show ABBA - Greatest Hits on Saturday, June 19 from 11:05 - 12:50 and the digital channel "ZDF Neo" will repeat Kult am Sonntag - ABBA the following night from 0:10 - 1:50 local time.
  Thanks to Andrea Ebeling!
  



• German TV 3SAT will repeat the "JazzBaltica Festival 2004" featuring the Nils Landgren Funk Unit with Funky ABBA on July 23 at 3:15 AM local time.
  Thanks to Holger Wiechmann!
  

• Lawyers for Universal Music in Sweden have sent out legal notices to more than 15 ABBA tribute acts telling them to stop using the name "ABBA" in their names because it is an infringement of the band's intellectual property rights. Acts in the UK including Abba Queens, Abba Mania and Swede Dreamz Abba Tribute have all been ordered to change their names immediately. A spokesperson for Universal Music told The Stage: "We've had complaints from all over the world where fans feel they've been misled, and we feel it's our duty to protect the ABBA brand from misuse."
  

• A new Chinese language version of the Mamma Mia! musical will open in China in June 2011, according to Theatermania.com. Mamma Mia! China will be the 13th foreign language production of the show. The new production will begin its casting process later this year with auditions in August, November, and January. It will be first time that a successful contemporary musical has been presented in Chinese within China itself.
  
  Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• Thank you to all our members for their entries for winning tickets to the opening gala of ABBAWORLD in Melbourne. Congratulations to the winners who have been already informed!
  

• Björn has spoken with Australian media ahead of the ABBAWORLD opening in Melbourne on June 19. "We experienced a feeling of coming home and it was as if Australia felt 'ABBA is ours' and we loved that," he said. "It was the obvious choice for the movie and if ABBA ever were to reform we'd be back, but the chances are zilch." Asked about relations between the members, Björn said: "We certainly speak and are the best of friends really. I don't see the girls that much but me and Benny work together. We were under the same ceiling for the first time in ages when Mamma Mia! opened in Stockholm. The feelings came back very quickly and it was just like it used to be."
  

• Even more to come on German TV: May 22 at 22:30 local time on NDR3 "Ein Abend für die Hits aus Skandinavien" featuring ABBA, followed by "Der schönste Grand Prix - mit den Hits aus 40 Jahren" possibly with ABBA again. ARD TV will show "Die schönsten Grand Prix-Hits aller Zeiten" with "Waterloo" on May 27 at 20:15.
  Thanks to Martina Wiemar!
  
  The ZDF Neo show on May 23 already starts at 23:30.
  

• Some upcoming German TV programmes may be of interest for ABBA fans: (see also here)
  
  • May 21 at 16:25 local time on 3SAT "Reisewege Stockholm" featuring Benny's hotel
  • May 22 at 3:00 on "Eins Festival" an old "Top of the Pops" show with "Waterloo"
  • May 22 at 21:45 on "Eins Festival" "ABBA - Thank You For The Music"
  • June 13 at 18:00 on ARD "Reisewege Stockholm" featuring Benny's hotel
  • June 16 at 21:00 on SWR "Reisewege Stockholm" featuring Benny's hotel
  • June 19 at 11:05 - 12:50 on ZDF a programme titled "ABBA - Greatest Hits"!
  
  Many thanks to Thomas from Dortmund!
  

• Well-known ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm has posted an article about his involvement in the forthcoming Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition release on his website. In it he reveals that the version of "Dreamworld" included on this release is the full version without fade-in, as a master tape containing the full version was recently discovered. CMP's detailed liner notes will also be of special interest as they contain fresh input from Benny and Björn.
  



• ABBAWORLD will open at Melbourne's Federation Square on Saturday 19 June, not 12 June as was previously publicised. The re-scheduled date, one week later than planned, is due to freight delays caused by the recent volcanic ash clouds experienced in Europe. Tickets purchased dated for sessions between June 12th & 18th will be honoured for all future sessions; patrons should bring their tickets to the box office and will be issued new ones for the next available session. Ticket holders will also be issued an additional complimentary entry for each ticket they hold to the same session as they attend.
  



• Björn has invested 70 percent in a holding company that will develop an abandoned property in Slottsholmen in his home town of Västervik. "I imagine a combination of hotel accommodations and commercial activities, and I'd like to tie in an entrepreneur that will manage the restaurant and cafe, hold concerts and conferences, and manage renting timeshares", said Björn. More information and press releases (in Swedish) are available at the official website of the Västervik municipality, and local newspaper coverage can be seen here.
  

• The double CD "Kristina", recorded at the Carnegie Hall concerts in New York, is available in Germany as of May 4: Decca 0602527349817. Look forward to the next issue of ABBA- as we will have three double CDs to be won.
  



• This year the musical Mamma Mia! will be performed in Italy as well. Dialogues and lyrics are in Italian and Benny and Björn plan to attend the premiere on September 24 in Milan.
  Many thanks to Luca Privinzano!
  

• A new promotional video has been published on the website of the Mamma Mia! French production, Mamma Mia Le Musical, which opens in Paris on October 28. It includes some great new footage and quotes from Björn and Benny.
  
  
  

• A TV talk show on ABBA recorded on April 29 will be shown by German digital channel "ZDF Neo" in the night from May 23 - 24 from 23:30 - 0:30 local time and on May 29 from 3:30 - 4:30.
  Thanks to Jörn!
  

• The German digital TV channel "Eins Festival" will repeat the documentary "ABBA - The Winner Takes It All" from 1999 four times: May 22 from 20:15 - 21:40, May 24 from 3:25 - 4:55 and 16:10 - 17:37 and May 25 from 11:00 - 12:30 local time.
  Thanks to Holger Wiechmann!
  

• Björn and Benny received new gold records from Universal Music on Wednesday commemorating ABBA music sales of 375 million units worldwide. Pictured with Björn and Benny are Per Sundin of Universal Music, Görel Hanser and Mia Segolsson of Polar Music International.
  
  
  

• Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail has published a new short telephone interview with Björn on the occasion of the return of the stage version of Mamma Mia! to Canada. The musical started playing again at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto on Wednesday and will run until June 27.
  

• The English original version of the Musical Mamma Mia! will be performed in Germany at the Arena in Leipzig from September 10 - 12 and at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg from September 17 - 19, 2010.
  Thanks to Sylke Gaidies!
  

• Mamma Mia! will be performed in French at the Theatre Mogador in Paris from October 28, 2010 until January 30, 2011.
  Thanks to Dmitry Shipov!
  

• The English original version of the Musical Mamma Mia! will be performed in Germany in Düsseldorf at the ISS Dome from September 24 - 29, 2010.
  Thanks to Claudia Brinck!
  

• Here is The Guardian's take on Kristina by Alex Petridis, the newspaper's head rock and pop critic.
  



• Aftonbladet reports that last night's presentation of Kristina – The Musical at the Royal Albert Hall was a big success. U.K.'s The Stage has already published its review, while more pictures taken by London photographers Mark & Marianne (on assignment for Expressen) can be found here.
  
  
  

• Here are photos of Frida with Jon Lord at a press conference in Switzerland on Tuesday to kick off the third Zermatt Unplugged, the 5-day music festival which runs through April 17. Also pictured is festival director Thomas Sterchi. Performing artists include Lionel Richie, Billy Idol and Stephan Eicher. More info is available at the festival's website, where the programme is available for download (in German and English). The program includes Frida's interview from earlier this year in Zermatt Magazin.
  
  
  



• Our special 20th anniversary issue, ABBA No. 58, has been published and mailed out to all members! We're celebrating our fan club anniversary with all of you with an extra-packed, 40-page, festive colour A4 size magazine. In it you'll find:
  
  - All of the latest news
  - A full behind-the-scenes report on ABBA's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from New York with exclusive pictures
  - Our report on Frida and Björn's kickoff of ABBAWORLD in London and our full review of the exhibition
  - Presentation on new ABBA books just out by Premium Publishing, including an interview with one of the authors
  
  
  
  Plus:
  
  - The first in our special series about the 20th anniversary of ABBA Intermezzo with personal messages from Björn and Frida – Björn also answers our questions!
  - Special-edition poster with a never-before-published image
  - Competition: 20th Anniversary Edition with great prizes to be won
  
  As always, we look forward to your feedback and thank you for your support!
  
  
  

• Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports today that Benny has been commissioned to write a special song on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Daniel Westling on June 19. The song is to be performed during a gala the day before the wedding.
  

• Björn will join Per Gessle of Roxette to host U.S. satellite radio SIRIUS XM's Scandinavian music show Nordic Rox this Sunday, April 11 at 8:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time. Björn will talk about ABBA's recent induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and play songs by artists who have influenced him throughout his career. The show will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 18 and XM channel 45 in the U.S. and you can also listen live online through a free 7-day trial. (Note: This is a paid service using the WMV format with DRM. Please read the station's terms and conditions and privacy policy carefully.)
  
  Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• The BBC has published a Top 10 list of the most played artists of the decade. ABBA are number 9!
  Thanks to our UK correspondent Lisa!
  

• Thank you to our members for the many emails we have received regarding our next issue, No. 58, which is also our 20th Anniversary issue. Rest assured that it will be on its way to you soon. As soon as it is printed and mailed out, we will post an update here. Thank you for your patience!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• In an interview with Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France on Friday, Björn said that "Benny was joking" in reference to the "Sure, why not?" reunion answer given to the UK's Times journalist last week that sparked a worldwide media frenzy. Benny added: "Sorry if I distracted everyone, but we get asked this question at every interview since 1982. I do think it is better to save the public image of four sextagenarians on stage!" The full French version of the Mamma Mia! musical will premiere at the Théâtre Mogador in October 2010. The full interview (in French) can be found here.
  

• Universal has informed us that the catalogue number for the upcoming Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition is 060251797144.
  

• In an interview with a British newspaper, Benny and Björn have spoken about a possible ABBA comeback "if the girls would join them". They meant it almost as a joke. There will be no ABBA reunion. Here is a correction by the Telegraph.
  

• Here is a BBC article with a video about ABBA's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  Thanks to our UK correspondent Lisa!
  

• ABBA's big moment finally arrived when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City tonight. Although the group was actually the last to be inducted, Benny and Frida were the first inductees to pose for pictures and answer a few questions in the press room before attending the ceremony.
  
  Among other questions, Benny was asked about a Mamma Mia! sequel which he said he knew nothing about, while Frida spoke about the fact that only 15% of inductees in the history of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were women. Answering two questions asked by our American correspondent Maria, a positively radiant Frida said that she had met her "lovely and wonderful friend" Phil Collins at the ceremony (with Benny joking "I met him too!"); when asked about a possible new collaboration with Jon Lord, Frida said: "We are talking all the time about maybe doing something together, we are really close friends but I really don't know, he is very busy with his crossover music tour... but we'll see. Maybe in the future."
  
  After all the other inductees had received their awards, a nice introductory ABBA video with some rare clips was aired and Barry and Robin Gibb walked onto the stage. The brothers spoke of ABBA's impact on music and how they collaborated together 31 years ago for Unicef. In their acceptance speeches, both Frida (who spoke first) and Benny said they felt "very, very honoured" to be inducted. Frida said she had spoken with Agnetha earlier today and that she was "emotional and honoured". Frida also thanked Stig Anderson, without whom she said ABBA would not be where they are today, ABBA's loyal fans, and said that her grandson Jonathan, who was in the audience, was ABBA's "biggest fan, even though he is a heavy metal musician!"
  
  After Benny's speech, Benny took his place at the piano and played "The Winner Takes It All" with a backup band and American country singer Faith Hill performing the lead vocal.
  
  Watch a video of a backstage interview with Benny and Frida here.
  
  Read our full report with additional exclusive pictures in the next issue of ABBA-!
  

• Here is an article from U.S. website iVillage with some of the latest information concerning tonight's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in New York City.
  
  Interestingly, Agnetha and Frida are the only two female artists being inducted this year. No women got in last year, and of all the artists who have ever been inducted, only about 15% are women.
  

• As the publicity surrounding ABBA's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this Monday continues, USA Today has published an article featuring some more new quotes from Benny and Björn. Björn said he couldn't make the trip because of "a big family thing", while Agnetha "doesn't like to fly". Benny said: "I may perform something on the piano, with someone else singing", but he said it would not be Frida: "I don't think she wants to. It's been so long." Benny also joked that Björn no longer performs because "he's a pensioner, a senior citizen".
  

• Benny and Frida will be attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in New York this Monday on behalf of ABBA, Billboard magazine has confirmed. "I take it as a true honor", Benny told the magazine. He also expressed interest in performing at the ceremony: "If someone asks me to, yeah, I will. I'll see if I can play something from the old catalog." Benny also told Billboard he is planning on recording a new BAO album later this year.
  

• Here is a new article in the UK's Telegraph about the London premiere of the Kristina musical next month featuring some new quotes from Benny and Björn.
  

• The Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in association with Michael James is presenting the Broadway production of Chess from March 7 through April 25 in Chicago, Illinois. The book is by Richard Nelson, a Chicago native. Info on show times, exact location and tickets can be found here.
  
  Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  
  
  

• Many thanks to Touring Exhibitions who have informed us that the London ABBAWORLD exhibition will be closing on 28 March as planned. The organisers are now looking into a permanent home for this version of the exhibit in or near the Leicester Square area.
  



• Kristina: The Musical (at Carnegie Hall) is available for pre-order as a double CD from Amazon.co.uk with a release date of 12 April.
  
  
  

• The international release date for the Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition has been set for May 31, 2010, with the exact release date possibly varying from territory to territory. Track listing:
  
  CD
  01 As Good As New
  02 Voulez-Vous
  03 I Have A Dream
  04 Angeleyes
  05 The King Has Lost His Crown
  06 Does Your Mother Know
  07 If It Wasn't For The Nights
  08 Chiquitita
  09 Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
  10 Kisses Of Fire
  
  Bonus Tracks
  11 Summer Night City (Full Length Version)
  12 Lovelight
  13 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
  14 Dream World
  15 Voulez-Vous (Extended Remix, 1979 US promo)
  
  DVD
  01 ABBA In Switzerland (television special, BBC)
  02 Chiquitita (Music for UNICEF)
  03 I Have A Dream (extended promo)
  04 If It Wasn't For The Nights (Mike Yarwood Christmas Show, BBC)
  05 Chiquitita (ABBA Snowtime, BBC)
  06 Björn & Benny Interview (Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, BBC)
  07 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Television Commercial I
  08 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Television Commercial II
  09 International Sleeve Gallery
  



• Benny and Björn gave separate in-depth interviews to British journalist Alex Belfield in Stockholm ahead of Kristina's musical debut in London next month. Benny was interviewed at his office at Mono Music, while Björn spoke from his home. Listen to both interesting interviews here.



• American entertainment magazine Entertainment Weekly has given "Story Of A Heart" a B in its review.



• Here are a few spreads from the great new book by long-time ABBA fan Sara Russell, "ABBA Guide to Stockholm", to be published next month and available for pre-order from Amazon UK. More info in our next issue!
  
  

• Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees will induct ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, the organisers have announced. As a reminder, the induction ceremony will take place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel New York City and will air live on local channel Fuse TV at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!

• The much-anticipated Deluxe Edition of Voulez-Vous is finally on the way. The deluxe edition will feature Voulez-Vous era bonus tracks, as well as a DVD featuring related television performances and interviews. We will inform you as soon as we know the release date.



• After its London debut last month, ABBAWORLD will be opening in Melbourne, Australia in June 2010. The exhibition will be held at Federation Square and will be sponsored by Touring Exhibitions in conjunction with Australian promoter Dainty Consolidated Entertainment. Tickets will go on sale in March. Meanwhile, Australian and other media are reporting that Dainty is offering a reward of AUS $10,000 for access to a white jumpsuit worn by Agnetha during the 1977 tour, reportedly stolen from a shed in Melbourne and sold at a garage sale last year.



• Continuing its 10th Anniversary Australian Tour, Mamma Mia! opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne on 13 February and will continue until 30 May. The musical is scheduled to travel to Perth in June and Brisbane in August.



• Decca Records will be releasing Story Of A Heart by The Benny Andersson Band in the USA on March 2.
  

• Here are the final covers of the new books "ABBA In America" (English edition) and "ABBA I Amerika" (Swedish edition), available now from Premium Publishing.
  
  
  

• Many thanks to Premium Publishing for sending us the final covers of Sara Russell's new book "The ABBA Guide to Stockholm" scheduled to be released on 10 April 2010. The book will be available in both English and German. More info in our next issue.
  
  
  



• CHESS will be performed at the Royal Theatre in Newcastle from August 27 to September 11, 2010 and will then go on tour in the UK.
  



• A CHESS performance takes place in Germany at 19:00 on April 18, 2010 at the Kurhaus in Hamm. For tickets ring +49 2381-105477 or mail to ticket@wa-online.de .
  



• CHESS is also being played at the Theater Lüneburg until end of May. We have received nothing but positive reviews from our members.
  



• The ABBA cover band "Abba Hautnah" will perform at the Maxipark in Hamm on March 10, 2010 at 20:00.
  
  Many thanks to Christine Osborne and Daniel Schmucker!
  

• German RBB TV will show ABBA - Der Film (German audio version) on Saturday, February 27 from 23:45 local time.
  Thanks to Holger Wiechmann!
  

• The New York Pops, the largest independent symphonic pops orchestra in the United States, has announced it is planning a concert of ABBA music to kick off its 2010-11 season. The Pops will present "The Music of ABBA" with guest artists Rajaton, the popular Finnish vocal ensemble, on October 15 at 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. Thanks to our American correspondent Maria!
  

• Here are exclusive photos of Björn and Frida at Earl's Court in London for the ABBAWORLD world premiere gala this past Tuesday 26 January. The two ABBA members had been in the exhibition centre since approximately 16.00 for a short private tour and interviews with selected media; at around 19.30, they re-entered the centre, posing for pictures and waving to fans outside. Other celebrities attending the gala included Boy George, Stephen Baldwin, Heather Mills, Dionne Bromfield, Lucie Jones, Donald MacIntyre, Brian Friedman and Sisqo.
  
  
   
  
  Speaking to gala attendees inside the centre, Frida said: "We've already been through the exhibition and I must say I'm so proud of the team that has worked here and also to be part of what is happening here tonight. We have been on a journey again, in a way. Björn and I sang a song together down there! It was not like it was before, but it was a lot of fun." Björn added: "We feel like pioneers again, like with Mamma Mia!, and I'll bet other acts follow us."
  
  
  
  Björn and Frida were introduced to the stage by Universal Music Group International chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, who called the band "incredible ambassadors for our industry" and presented them with a plaque commemorating 375 million record sales worldwide. Magnus Danielsson, president of Touring Exhibitions, confirmed plans for a version of the exhibition in Australia and North America later this year.
  
  Although Frida had to leave in a taxi immediately after the ceremony, Björn signed autographs for patient fans braving the London cold. Frida was also on the cover of the Thursday, 27 January edition of the UK tabloid Daily Express.
  
  Stay tuned for the next issue of Intermezzo for an exclusive in-depth review of ABBAWORLD featuring many photos of Björn and Frida and the exhibition itself. As a reminder, the exhibition can be seen in London through 28 March. Meanwhile, here is another video report from ABC News; a short radio interview from the BBC; and a review by The Independent.
  
  
  
  

• Here are more reports on ABBAWORLD in London by the Guardian, even more photos from the exhibition, a video in German and two from British news shows.
  To be continued...
  

• Frida and Björn were the special guests at the opening of the ABBAWORLD exhibition in London. Here are the first two reports by BBC News, by Sky News and photos by NPR and Facebook.
  More news will follow soon!
  

• An ABBA Party featuring "The Real ABBA Tribute Band" will take place at the U4 in Vienna on February 11, 2010.
  

• The only Kristina concert given in London for the time being will take place at Royal Albert Hall on 14 April 2010. You can order tickets directly through the venue.
  
  
  

• It has now been officially announced that Frida and Björn are expected to attend the premiere gala of the ABBAWORLD exhibition in London.
  

• Special thanks to Premium Publishing who have just sent us the final book cover for the second edition of "From ABBA To Mamma Mia!".
  
  
  

• Zermatt Unplugged, Europe's biggest acoustic pop and rock music festival, will be taking place this year from from April 13 to April 17. Frida is supporting the festival together with Jon Lord. Read an interview with Frida (in German) in the latest edition of Zermatt Magazin where she talks about the festival and her life in Zermatt. Many thanks to Susanna Staritz from Switzerland.
  
  Photo: Marc Kronig
  





• The winners of the tickets for the ABBAWORLD VIP Gala on 26 January 2010 in London have been informed in the meantime. Because we got so many mails, we would like to tell you again that these tickets are not for sale and unfortunately there are no more left.
  





• Exhibition with photos by Wolfgang "Bubi" Heilemann!
  From February 8 to April 30, 2010 the "ALTSTADTHAUS" in Bad Bentheim, Germany (Wilhelmstraße 1) will show an exhibition with photos of various artists taken by the former BRAVO photographer and book author of "ABBA Fotografien 1974-1980" in the 60's, 70's and 80's. The highlights will be his ABBA photos. Admission is free. A limited edition of the photos shown will be for sale as well.
  
  The vernissage will be on February 6 at 7:00 PM, free admission, where Bubi Heilemann will be present!
  
  Bubi Heilmann has also provided 7 photos for the ABBAWORLD exhibition in London.
  

• Many thanks from the management of ABBA - The Show for all your messages. They are happy to announce that the winning song "The Day Before You Came" will be included in their new show. The song might be not performed at the very first concerts of their tour, but they will do their best to make it part of the show as soon as possible.
  



• We have deleted some old messages. If you found this page by a search engine, don't miss the whole site!
  
  You will find the old messages from the last years in our News Archive 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.