Mamma Mia! Swedish Band ‘ABBA’ to Reunite and Release New Music after 35 Years
At “The Show-A Tribute to ABBA” held at Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Bambolim-Goa on Saturday, 6 May 2017, Team Mangalorean had the VIP premium front row seats- And the best part was that after the end of the Show, Yours Truly had the privilege to meet the legendary sax player Ulf Andersson who toured with the original band, and co-wrote the musical composition for the hit song “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” with original ABBA member Benny Anderson. Ulf not only mesmerized the audience on his saxophone but also gave some tunes on his flute too- which received loud applaud from the audience. And on that Saturday Night of 6 May 2017, Ulf had mentioned to me that ABBA fans will have good news in 2018, hinting that the Band will be reuniting after over three-decades. But Ulf was very reluctant to say more on this good news! Yes, Ulf Anderson was right- 28 April 2018, has brought good news to the FANS of ABBA that the Band members of Sweden’s legendary disco group, have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single.
Mangaluru: The present young generation wouldn’t know this Band, because many wouldn’t have born during the ABBA era, but music lovers of the 80′ and 90’s and FANS of legendary Swedish band ABBA are rejoicing today with news the pop group are reuniting to release new music for the first time in 35 years- and among these FANS, and for that matter I am one among them. My memories of ABBA and their Songs was brought back when I patronized the concert- “The Show-A tribute to ABBA”, held at Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Bambolim-Goa on Saturday, 6 May 2017, which followed the ABBA story from their Euro-vision beginnings all the way to major chart success. Featuring classic songs such as Waterloo, SOS, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Knowing Me Knowing You, and many more, it was no doubt the best seen musical event of the year 2017! And I loved every bit of the “Show”, since like everyone, including myself, in the Indoor Stadium sang along with the Band members, to the songs that we all grew up with.
The ABBA Band Members -How They Looked Then…..
………………….And How They Look Today?
The performed just like the Original Band! They sang just like the Original singers! They sounded ditto like the original Band! They were all Swedish origin just like the Original members! Except they were not the “original band members” instead represented the Swedish band “Waterloo” playing tribute to ABBA, who gave Abba fans, old and new, the opportunity to once again get together and re-live the addictive Abba phenomena that swept the airwaves and discos during the 70’s and 80’s in a truly authentic, feel good, party style tribute concert. From Mamma Mia to Dancing Queen, from Super Trouper to Voulez – Vous, and many more, all of the greatest hits were performed with unrivalled authenticity from both an audio and visual perspective with an amazing jaw-dropping finale recreation which took the audience back to where it all began in 1974! ‘The Show’- Absolutely was the Best ABBA since ABBA!
And through the organizers, Team Mangalorean had got the best seats in the house- the VIP premium front row seats- and our sincere thanks to Loyld Monteiro- the Managing Director and David Vaz- Accounts Director of Alica Purple Avenues, the organizers of “The Show” for the VIP treatment. And the best part was that after the end of the Show, Yours Truly had the privilege to meet the legendary sax player Ulf Andersson who toured with the original band, and co-wrote the musical composition for the hit song “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” with original ABBA member Benny Anderson. At the “Show” in Goa, Ulf not only mesmerized the audience on his saxophone but also gave some tunes on his flute too- which received loud applaud from the crowd. Added to this the background music was provided by the National Symphony Orchestra of London directed by musical director Matthew Freeman. And on that Saturday Night of 6 May 2017, Ulf had mentioned to me that ABBA fans will have good news in 2018, hinting that the Band will be reuniting after over three decades. But Ulf was very reluctant to say more on this good news!
Yes, Ulf Anderson was right- 28 April 2018, has brought good news to the FANS of ABBA that the Band members of Sweden’s legendary disco group, have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. “We all four { Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus } felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did,” the group said in a statement after repeated comments that they would never reunite. Their band manager Gorel Hanswer has confirmed ABBA had recorded two new songs last summer, “I Still Have Faith In You”, and “Don’t Shut Me Down”. The news was announced in an Instagram statement from all the four Band Members.
Band Members of ‘The Show’- A Tribute to ABBA’ performing in Goa in 2017
The statement said the members reunited recently to plan a virtual tour featuring digital avatars, and decided to go back into the studio. “I Still Have Faith In You” is due to be performed by the group’s holograms in a December TV special broadcast by the BBC and NBC. But there was no word on when the second track will be released. Ulvaeus had also revealed that digitally created virtual band members – “Abbatars” – would perform in a television show in 2018, followed by a tour in 2019 or 2020.
The stunning announcement came as Sweden was mourning the death of another of its music sensations, Avicii, one of the world’s most successful DJs, whose real name was Tim Bergling. He was found dead a week ago in Oman where he had been on holiday with friends.
The band members have performed together just once since the 1980s, at a private party in 2016, and have long said they will never tour live together again. They split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Super Trouper. The group, who sold more than 400 million albums, have not sung together on stage since 1986. While they have appeared in public together on rare occasions, they have never reunited to perform as a group, and have vowed that won’t ever happen. “There is simply no motivation to regroup. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were,” Ulvaeus had said in a 2008 interview.
Legendary sax player Ulf Andersson who toured with the original band ‘ABBA’ performing the ‘The Show’ in Goa
Abba are one of the most popular musical artists in history, having sold hundreds of millions of albums worldwide since their formation in Sweden 1972. The group’s simple-sounding but highly sophisticated songs have endured since the group, consisting of two married couples, split amid the breakup of the two couples in 1982. They set a template for pop music that has risen to prominence in recent years, exemplified by the work of countrymen Max Martin (who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears to Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake over the past two decades) on the commercial side and Robyn on the innovative side. While songwriters Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus continued to work together (including a musical, “Chess,” with lyricist Tim Rice in 1984), the four members did not appear together publicly onstage again until 2016. The virtual reality tour is scheduled to begin next year.
On a final note, I still do remember seeing the 1977 “ABBA-The Movie” five times screened then at the New Chitra Talkies, Mangaluru bunking B Sc classes while at St Aloysius College. Until the Band members are ready to rock the stage at a concert venue, let’s ask the Band members to give their fans “Gimme Gimme Gimme” more of their music! ABBA-You Still Rock!
Listen to ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” song on YouTube below:
Must be desperate pension fund top up tour. Did they invest in Madoff?