Ask Ian..... 2 June 2002

Q		A
Do you know where I could find ‘Hovas vittne’ mp3 or any archive of this music?? Renato		I don’t know of any specific place where you might find ‘Hovas vittne’, but you could try looking on ABBA World (go to links > sites by category > music files). There you’ll find many sites that have ABBA songs in various sound formats. ‘Hovas vittne’ has been included on several bootleg CDs such as ‘Take A Chance On Us’ and ‘To All ABBA Fans’

Why is so difficult understand what the girls said in the choir of the song ‘On and on and on’ specially in the part "...Keep on rocking " It's seem to me that Agnetha and Frida said another thing as looking along but these doesn't has any meaning. From Venezuela South America		I think that’s just one of many examples of there being so many vocal overdubs on an ABBA song that it makes what is being sung sound less clear. The actual lyrics are "On and on and on/keep on rocking, baby/till the night is gone".

Hi, I can remember that some years ago a French singer produced an album with Frida covers, If my memory is not bad at all I can say that it had an ‘Like An Angel Passing Trough My Room’ cover in it. I was trying to find the name of that singer in the ABBAMAIL latest news month by month and year by year, but it seems that my eyes were so tired trying to read all the information and maybe I lost it. Can you help me? Thank you very much. Fernando Alvarez G.-Colombia.		The singer’s name was Philippe Elan. The CD featured covers of several ABBA or Frida songs (in French), some original songs, plus a tribute to Frida to the tune of ‘Like An Angel Passing Through My Room’. You'll find his website at www.phillipe-elan.com, but at the moment, the site says it's "under construction".

I would just like to know how I can find out anything personal and current about the 4 ABBA member. Everything is related to their music but nothing is said about their personal lives. Thanks Alison Dacomb South Africa		There’s not a huge lot to tell. Björn is still married to his second wife Lena and lives in Stockholm, after living outside London for several years in the 80s. Benny is also still married to his second wife Mona and still lives in Stockholm - their son Ludwig (now 21 years old) is currently performing in the Stockholm production of ‘Chess’. Agnetha remains living in her estate outside Stockholm and has not given any interviews since 1988, though she has made limited public appearances in recent years. Frida has returned to Sweden and has retired from public life (again) following the twin tragedies of the deaths of her daughter Anne (Lise Lotte) and husband Ruzzo in 1998 and 1999.

1. ABBA played six nights at Wembley Stadium during 1979 tour...right? If concerts were sold out, it would mean, that there were over 430,000 listeners in just those concerts. Wouldn't that be something! Were they sold out? 2. What's the connection between album ‘The Visitors’ and Edgar Allan Poe's novel ‘The Raven’. There are several similar parts in them. And just an opinion: In C.M. Palm’s FAQ of ‘Thank You For The Music’ is very often asked question about ‘Just Like That’ and why it hasn't been released. They (B&B) claim that Gemini and ABBA versions of ‘Just Like That’ are more close to each other than ‘Dream World’ and ‘Does Your Mother Know’, and that these are completely different songs. If you ask me, the Gemini version of ‘Just Like That’ is almost unrecognizable to be ‘Just Like That’. It doesn't have anything from original than ‘few’ lines in chorus. And its verse tune could be early version of ‘I Let The Music Speak’. (It isn't, but it sounds like it.... a bit.) What harm could it possibly do, if ABBA would release ‘Just Like That’. In the end there isn't that many people who have heard Gemini version, and those who have are mostly hardcore ABBA fans, and then of course Gemini fans. And they wouldn't mind if there would be two official versions (would they)... -Miikka Voutilainen		1. ABBA actually played Wembley Arena, a much smaller venue than the Stadium, though it's true that the concerts were sold out. The largest crowds that ABBA ever played to were concerts in Sydney and Adelaide in Australia during the 1977 tour, when they played to between 20,000 and 30,000 people. 2. I’m not aware if Poe's ‘The Raven’ was actually an inspiration behind ‘The Visitors’ - in interviews, Björn has only mentioned that he had "the situation of dissidents in the Soviet Union at the time" in mind. However, take a look at ABBAMAILer Cliff Docherty's fab site ABBA Etc. for a detailed comparison between ‘The Visitors’ and ‘The Raven’. 3. Regarding the unreleased 'Just Like That', the main reason given by Björn and Benny is that there can't be two slightly different songs with the same title and chorus. With other examples, such as 'Dream World' and 'Does Your Mother Know', the songs are essentially different and have different titles. For more on 'Just Like That', see below.

Why is Agnetha always written with "h"? Because in her passport isn't the "h" and I think the usual Swedish spelling of this name is without "h", too. Do you now the reason why she always added the "h"? Regards, Kati		Agnetha's parents actually named here 'Agneta', without the "h". For reasons known only to her, she added the "h" to her name later, though obviously before she released her first record at age 17.

I've just received this image with ABBA from a friend of mine. I'd like to know who the person standing behind ABBA is. Thank you for your time. Roxy.		That is singer and songwriter Ted Gärdestad. He first came to Benny and Björn’s attention in the early 70s when he was just 15. He went on to record several albums for Polar Music, some produced by Benny and Björn and featuring vocals by Agnetha and Frida. Sadly he later suffered from depression, and committed suicide in 1998, aged just 42.

Hello, do you happen to know either web site or email or address of the Stiftelsen Anni-Frid Lyngstad Environmental Foundation, in English? I was hoping to find a newsletter or membership or the actual web site address of this environmental foundation? Any help is truly greatly appreciated! :) Thank you very much for your kind assistance. Geraldine		I’m not aware of any website for Stiftelsen Anni-Frid Lyngstads miljöfond (The Anni-Frid Lyngstad Environmental Foundation) . Their street address as given in the booklet of the 1999 CD ‘ABBA - A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration" was: Kungsgaten 37, S-111 56 Stockholm, Sweden.

I would like to know the name of the song (I am assuming it is ABBA) that plays in the background of the movie ‘Karlsson on the Roof’ or ‘Karlsson på Taket’ as it is called in Swedish? Thanks, Leah		I’m not familiar with this movie. I presume that you’re talking about the 2002 version, though I've not heard of any ABBA song appearing in it.

On the way home from work today, a disc jockey on one of the local radio stations said something about ABBA preparing for a Reunion Concert Tour, including a guest appearance by the band, U2, and some other bands that I should know of as well. No, it wasn't on April Fool's Day. Do you know anything about this allegedly upcoming concert and what other bands will be participating? Thank you much for your kind consideration and prompt response! -- Tom Crabtree AND Have you seen the latest report that there is a ABBA Concert in the works? Please check out this MSNBC link. Are there any other reports or confirmation? http://www.msnbc.com/news/gossip_front.asp?0dm=C205L Thank you, John		How quickly these stories get twisted. This story originated from an article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet a couple of months ago, reporting on a proposed ABBA 30th anniversary concert to be held in Sweden in August. The original article clearly states that no performers have yet been confirmed, the four ABBA members will not be participating, and goes on to list some artists who in the past have covered ABBA songs or expressed a liking for the group. You'll find the original article translated on ABBAMAIL's Latest News pages for March and more information on the April News page.

In the new Celine Dion album ‘A New Day Has Come’ they mentioned in the track ‘Have You Ever Been In Love’: strings arranged by Rutger Gunnarsson and.... Conducted by Rutger Gunnarsson. As a fan of both, ABBA and Celine Dion I wonder if is the same person who played bass on most ABBA recordings. BTW Mono Music Studio and Polar Studio was used in the recording of this album, the last one recalled as ABBA own studio, could you tell me who is the owner of Polar Studio actually?? Thanks Tadashi Nakama, Japan		Yes indeed, that is the same Rutger Gunnarsson that played bass and wrote string arrangements for ABBA all those years ago. Polar Studios is now owned by Anderson Records, run by Stig Anderson’s daughter Marie Ledin, who is married to singer Tomas Ledin. Mono Music Studio is owned by Benny. Both are frequently used by many international artists.

How accurate is the book ‘The Name Of The Game’? Ted		Unfortunately, not very. Though there are some interesting stories told, and even some "new" information, the authors have relied too much on unsubstantiated gossip and hearsay presented as fact or based their information on previous books, continuing some frequently reported inaccuracies. There’s also many rambling passages comparing ABBA to other 70s groups, most of which were never really heard of outside the UK.

When ABBA performed ‘Why Did It Have To Be Me’, only Björn and Frida sung. Was this true for the recording also because Agnetha was pregnant? Where was Agnetha during the song? Did she and Benny have a part by themselves? Also, how many different variations did they have in set lists for their tours? I read in the beginning of the American tour they had ‘One Man, One Woman’ and ‘If It Wasn't For The Nights’, but they dropped those as the tour went on. What did they replace them with? Thanks Jim from Chicago, USA		On both the 1977 and 1979 tours, ‘Why Did It Have To Be Me’ was performed as a duet by Björn and Frida simply so that Agnetha would have time to change costumes - on both tours, this song was followed by ‘Intermezzo no. 1’, when Frida and Björn would also leave the stage for costume changes. However, both Frida and Agnetha sing the female vocals on the studio version on the ‘Arrival’ album, and performed it live on the TV special ‘ABBA-dabba-doo!!’ in 1976. Benny's "big solo moment" on both tours was 'Intermezzo no. 1', while Agnetha got the solo 'I'm Still Alive' on the 1979 tour. The playlists for the 1977 tour varied very little. On a couple of occasions songs were dropped from individual concerts, such as when Björn was suffering food poisoning and some of his lead songs were dropped from a couple of Australian concerts. The 1979 tour set varied a little over the duration of the tour, but not too much. ‘One Man, One Woman’ was performed at the first concert of the 1979 tour in Edmonton, Canada, but dropped straight away as it was thought that it didn’t work in concert. ‘Thank You For The Music’ was dropped part way through the North American leg of the tour and ‘Waterloo’ was added as an encore, though ‘Thank You For The Music’ was reinstated on the European leg. To the best of my knowledge, ‘If It Wasn’t For The Nights’ was performed at every concert of that tour.

Do you happen to know whatever happened to Charlie Bates of the ABBA Magazine? Stephen Curry, Coleraine Co Londonderry UK.		`I have no idea. Presumably when the ABBA Magazine ceased he went on to work for other magazines from the same publisher - he was a magazine editor, not an ABBA fan.`

Please could you help me by answering this question? What was ABBA's last number one? I would be most grateful. Sarah		That would depend on what country you’re talking about. The last UK number one was ‘Super Trouper’, while ‘One Of Us’ was the last number one in West Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. In Australia, the last number one was 'Money, Money, Money'. Check out ABBA - The Worldwide Chart Lists for more information about ABBA's chart positions in many countries.

I'm from east France and I have heard about ‘ABBA Gold’ and ‘More Gold’ on DVD available in South America (Argentina as I remember). How to get them? Best regards Gérald		They have been released in Brazil but they are not official releases according to Universal Music in Sweden.

Many years ago, I read an article (I still have it!) from the ABBF Fan Club Magazine (Mag N_24, Oct 1990) titled ‘ABBA-Affair’. It talked about the times when the story started in 1980, and when ABBA was suing their manager Stikkan Anderson years later. Firstly in that time, the press and the ABBF magazine didn’t have much information because all the ABBA members and Stikkan refused to talk about it. Then, Expressen and Aftonbladet (the well-known Swedish gossip newspapers) got the opportunity to speak with ABBA’s lawyer Lennar Kanter who told them some facts. (I guess those are the same that the ABBF magazine tells us.) I would like to know if you have another and more complete information about that "affair", that apparently had a happy end. Thank you very much. Fernando Alvarez- Colombia.		`Carl Magnus Palm’s recent biography ‘Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story Of ABBA’ goes into great detail about Polar’s business deals and the collapse of the relationship between Stig and the ABBA members - way more detail than I could go into here. If you haven’t already got this excellent book, I highly recommend that you do - it’s available from most on-line bookstores if you can’t find it locally.`

It is not too difficult to obtain information about Frida's relatives (her father, her children, her grandson and her stepdaughters). But do you have any information whatsoever about Frida's first husband, Ragnar Fredriksson AFTER they got divorced. Were Frida still in touch with him for some time or they absolutely went their separate ways? How has he been since then? Thank you. Dang Quoc Chi, Hanoi, Vietnam		When Frida moved to Stockholm and separated from her first husband Ragnar, their children remained living with their father. As they got older, they would visit Frida, and on some occasions as would stay with Frida and Benny for lengthy periods, as did Benny's two children. So presumably Frida and Ragnar would have been in contact over the years. As I understand, after Frida left he returned to his full time job as a carpet salesman. I’ve not heard anything about what he might be doing these days.

I just saw an ABBA documentary which featured a snippet of ‘The Name Of The Game’ featuring the same background and costumes as ABBA were wearing during the Japan special in 1978. I bought a copy of the original show off the Japanese TV station which broadcast it but ‘The Name Of The Game’ isn't included. I also have some bad quality recordings of this special but that song doesn't seem to be included in those either. Do you know what happened with this song and why it wasn't included in the broadcast? Was it performed on a different show? Thank you Toby Strebel		`While in Japan making their television special in 1978, ABBA appeared on another television programme and performed ‘The Name Of The Game’. Sorry, but I don’t know the title of that programme.`

`On page 534 of 'Bright Lights, Dark Shadows', it says that "Five further live recordings were released on singles or compilation albums: I Wonder (Departure); Hole In Your Soul; Summer Night City; Me And I; Slipping Through My Fingers." Could you tell me which singles/compilation albums contained live versions of these songs, in particular ‘Hole In Your Soul’ and ‘Summer Night City’? Thanks! Pipes`		The live recording of ‘Hole In Your Soul’ was included on the compilation ‘Por Siempre ABBA’ released by RCA in Argentina in 1982. However, the quality of the recording is not the best, and I’ve long suspected that it was actually taken from the videotape soundtrack of the ‘ABBA in Concert’ TV special. ‘Summer Night’ City’ was included on the 1983 Polar compilation ‘Äntligen Sommarlov’ in Sweden, which also included Benny's first released solo recording, ‘Den blomstertid nu kommer’. None of these recordings have been officially released on CD. 'I Wonder (Departure)' was the B side of 'The Name Of The Game' in 1977, and also appeared on the West German compilation CD 'ABBA International' in 1988 and the 1994 4 CD box set 'Thank You For The Music'. 'Slipping Through My Fingers' and 'Me And I' also appeared on the box set.

Why are there no DVDs on ABBA, including ‘ABBA - The Movie’? I've been searching for them in the USA, and can't find any? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Carl Hafner AND We would like to ask you if you could help us to get in contact with someone from Polar Music International, like Mrs. Görel Hanser, about a possibility of re-mastering ‘ABBA - The Movie’ for DVD. Thank you very much in advance. Sincerely, Pavel Kapinos.		There is no point in writing to anyone at Polar, Mono or Universal about it - they’re well aware of the demand for ABBA on DVD. As has been said many times recently in these pages, Universal are working on releasing several ABBA DVDs over the next couple of years. ‘The Definitive Collection’ is currently under development and is expected within the next few months. ‘ABBA - The Movie’ and ‘ABBA In Concert’ are also in the pipeline, though much work needs to be done restoring the film and soundtrack before they will be ready for release, so it’s unlikely we’ll see either of them until 2003. Meanwhile, the documentary ‘The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story’ was released on DVD in the USA earlier this year - only the second market to get it (officially) in that format after the UK.

I have an autographed (by all 4 members) souvenir programme from ABBA's concert in 1977 at the Perth Entertainment Centre in excellent condition. I have been trying to get it valued and was wondering if you could help me? It is A4 size with colour photos and full write-ups on each member, a true collector’s item. Thanks for your help Kylie		I actually think the valuable half of this equation is the 1977 Australian tour programme. I’ve seen very few on offer in recent years, and when it has appeared (on sites such as eBay), it’s usually sold for at least a couple of hundred Australian dollars. Autographs are fairly commonly available, but usually on postcards or record sleeves, though these too have been known to sell for a couple of hundred dollars. So add the two together, and you've got quite a valuable item.

Do you know where I can find the songs ‘Saltwater’, and ‘As Long As I Have You’ on CD? Also - Frida is the lead singer on ‘Cassandra’, but isn't it Agnetha who takes over on the chorus, especially on "and in the darkest of night, nobody knew how to fight, and we were caught in our sleep"? Thanks in advance if you are able to answer my questions, James Cox USA		Neither 'Saltwater' nor 'As Long As I Have You' are available on any official release, though they've both appeared on several bootleg CDs. Check out the fabulous Frida tribute site Twist In The Dark for more information. In ‘Cassandra’ both women are singing the chorus, a rare latter-day appearance of "the magical third voice", though in that part you mention, Agnetha’s voice does come to prominence.

I'm wondering if you can give ma a bit of info regarding the 'When All Is Said IS Done' picture sleeve. I have had one for many years & would really appreciate anything you can tell me regarding the rarity/value/desirability of it. Best wishes Garry		The ‘When All Is Said IS Done’ cover is extremely rare. In fact, your copy is only the third one that I’ve ever heard of being in a collector’s hands. What its value might be I couldn’t be sure - I’ve never encountered a copy for sale. However, despite its novelty, I don’t think it would really sell for much - most people don’t even know it exists. For those who don’t know the story, when RCA in Australia released the single in 1982, they designed a picture sleeve that gave the song title ‘When All Is Said Is Done’, though the error was noticed before the single was released and the cover was reprinted with the correct title. The wrong covers were said to have been held back and destroyed, but obviously some did indeed leak out.

Where can I buy the single ‘Bravo Tu As Gagné’ recorded by Mireille Mathieu with the help of Benny, Bjorn and Frida? AND I've read somewhere on the past editions of ‘Ask Ian’ that some years ago, there was a plan to release a video of ABBA appearances on TV but that plan was ditched. Is it because of too much money poured in for copyrights (as discussed recently on the ABBAMAIL list, I am also a member of that list, anyway) or are there other main reasons? I always highly value ABBA appearances on TV. They are even far more superior than some official video clips (watch, for example, the snippet of ‘If It Wasn't For The Nights’ on the video ‘The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story’. Incredibly superb and professional!) Thank you very much! Dang Quoc Chi, Hanoi, Vietnam		The single ‘Bravo tu as gagné’ hasn’t been available for many years now (it was first released in 1981, after all!), though it has appeared on eBay in the past, so you could try your luck there.. I believe that it has been available on Mireille Mathieu compilations, though it would seem from checking amazon.fr none that are available today. A proposal to release a video collection of ABBA's TV appearances was indeed under consideration by PolyGram several times, though it was continually dropped because of issues of copyright, or concern that there may not be a market for such a compilation, until finally the plan was completely abandoned. Universal in Sweden is currently gathering together copies of ABBA TV appearances from television companies around the world, and it had been mentioned that perhaps one day, depending on sales of 'The Definitive Collection' and other planned ABBA DVDs, such a compilation may eventually see release. Olvier Witt from Germany writes: By accident I came across a Mireille Matthieu web-page called 'A Une' and found the CD 'Greatest Hits' which was released in Denmark in October 2001. It features 'Bravo tu as gagné' with Björn, Benny and Frida on backing vocals. If anyone is interested in ordering the CD you can go to the web-page http://www.cdskiven.dk. The album was released on a small label called CMC Records International A/S.

I recently downloaded an mpg video of ABBA performing ‘People Need Love’ on ‘3sat’ channel. It's obviously one of their earliest performances on TV, as they are credited as Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. And everything would be just fine, but there’s a blonde girl in Agnetha's place, who is definitely NOT her! And she's there with the rest of ABBA, singing (or lip-syncing, to be exact), as if she was a member of the group! Do I need to visit my eye doctor? George, Greece		No, you’re eyes aren’t deceiving you, that is indeed another woman in Agnetha’s place. In January 1973, and again in April, Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid did brief publicity tours through several European countries, making TV appearances performing songs like 'People Need Love' and 'Ring Ring'. Due to Agnetha’s pregnancy and then birth of her daughter Linda in February, she was unable to go, so Frida’s friend Inger Brundin took her place. To quote 'Bright Lights, Dark Shadows' "Presumably, the individual members weren't sufficiently well known outside Scandinavia for anyone to notice the difference."

I read somewhere that ‘One Night In Bangkok’ started life as an unreleased ABBA song, is this true and if so - which one was it? Loz Asher UK		Several of the tunes that were used in ‘Chess’ had been floating around for several years during composing sessions for ABBA songs - for instance, the chorus of ‘I Know Him So Well’ was first publicly heard as the unreleased song ‘I Am An A’ during ABBA’s 1977 tour of Europe and Australia. However, as far as I know, ‘One Night In Bangkok’ wasn’t written until after ABBA.

We wonder some things about ABBA. The history of the song ‘Mamma Mia’, not the musical. Who wrote it and things about it. Answer please!!! Love Sandra and Alexandra		‘Mamma Mia’ was written and recorded in March 1975. It was written by Benny and Björn and ABBA manager Stig Anderson, as were most of ABBA’s hit singles until 1976.

The new compilation CD ‘The Definitive Collection’ lists the song ‘The Visitors’ with ‘Crackin' Up’ in brackets. This has been bugging me as this full title has only been used a few times before i.e. the original '81 album on the inner lyric sleeve and the new 2001 remasters in the lyric booklet. Is the official title ‘The Visitors’ or ‘The Visitors (Crackin' Up)’? Thanks Darren Lucas N. Ireland		Well, both really, though prior to 2001’s ‘The Definitive Collection’, the only time that the subtitle ‘Crackin’ Up’ appeared was on the lyric sheet with ‘The Visitors’ LP (and subsequent CD reissues)

On a record-fair today I bought 2 seven-inch singles ‘Sang till Görel’ and ‘Hovas vittne’. I read somewhere that these are bootleg singles, but do you know more about them? When were they pressed etc. Happy thoughts, Lex Corbach Groningen, The Netherlands		Yes, these two are indeed bootleg singles. I believe that they were produced about 6 or 7 years by a fan from Germany. There used to be a website called ABBA Mainpage with information about them, but it seems to have disappeared from the net.

Do you have any info regarding the lyrics of the second verse of ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’? They were printed in the songbook ‘More ABBA Gold’ but I have never heard them, not even on the extended version of this song. Were they really recorded? Thank you Toby Sheldon, USA		These lyrics first appeared in ABBA music folios in the 70s, probably first in the 'ABBA' album folio (which seems to have only been available in Sweden – I’ve never actually seen it) and in ‘Greatest Hits’ published in the UK. They’ve since been reprinted just about every other time the sheet music has been reprinted. As far as I know, these lyrics were never recorded (at least, no recorded version has ever surfaced), but were replaced by the saxophone solo in the middle of the song. Those lyrics were: Let's get together every day will be better I love you I do, I do, I do, I do, I do Leave it or take it I believe we can make it don't you too? I do, I do, I do, I do, I do

I have a post card sized picture of the band, signed in pen by all members, also a gold medallion marked with 'ABBA, 1977 TOUR'. If I were to sell this how much do you think it would be worth? Ben Brockhoff		It’s hard to put a price on autographed items, but a postcard signed by all four would probably sell for at least a couple of hundred (US) dollars. Check out eBay or other auction sites – they’ve often got autographs listed. The medallion I’m not so sure – I’ve never seen one for sale for years! It’s a rather nice item though, and would probably fetch quite a nice price, though I’m hesitant to take a guess.

What do we fans need to do to convince Bjorn & Benny to finally agree to release an OFFICIAL full length version of the song ‘Just Like That’?!?! There are at least five versions I have heard which are bootlegged. I have heard that Bjorn has said that the song was just never finished, yet interestingly enough the 2-minute snippet that is on the box set is a complete match to the bootlegged full length ‘sax’ version.... only obviously of much better quality. So we know it's completed, and maybe up to this point they haven't released it because they weren't happy with the end result.... but us fans ARE more than happy with it!.... shouldn't that count for something? And if B & B and Universal don't want to spend the money compiling yet another full-length collection to staple it onto.....why not just release even a limited edition CD single of it? I know that would sell quite well with the ABBA fans of the WORLD. :-) Quite a few years back, Richard Carpenter demanded that the 1980 ‘Karen Carpenter’ solo album (which she herself decided to shelf after its completion) would NEVER materialize for official release...... he changed his tune in 1996 because he realized that her unheard/unreleased recordings were a true treasure that should not be kept locked away from the fans who so dearly longed & deserved to hear them!.... Can't B & B realize that this is how we feel about their recordings as well??? Frustrated fan, Mark :-(		I have no doubt that Björn and Benny are well aware of the fan interest in ‘Just Like That’ – it seems that virtually every time fans meet them (at ‘Mamma Mia!’ premieres, Mono Music offices, wherever), they’re asked about that song. Yes, of course there’s a completed recording by ABBA (the final so-called "sax" version has been circulating through the fans since 1983, after all!), but B & B are adamant that ABBA’s version won’t be released, because they half rewrote the song for Gemini’s self-titled album in 1985, retaining the title and most of the chorus, and feel that there can’t be two slightly different (but similar) songs with the same title. Maybe one day they’ll soften up, but I really don’t think that there’s anything that we fans can do to convince them to release it, no matter how much we want it. Personally, I wish they would release it so that people stop asking for it all the time! For the record, there are only three ABBA versions – actually different mixes of the same recording: the "slow" or "relaxed" version, the "na-na" version (the same as the "slow" version, but with Agnetha singing "na na na na…" over the introduction, bridge between verses and outro), and the "sax" version, a slightly sped up remix of the "slow" recording, with saxophone overdubs. Any other versions circulating (and I’ve heard of a few) are fakes, probably rejigged by fans as "another version".

Why do the jacket covers of ABBA books have to feature 'ugly' photos of the band - particularly with Frida's horrid 1973-4 perm? The most beautiful photo of ABBA was taken during the ‘ABBA - The Album’ sessions and used for the inner gatefold sleeve of the UK version of that LP. Stephen Curry, Coleraine, Co Londonderry.		"Ugly" is a subjective term. For example, the photo session you describe is one of my least favourite – all four look as though they got out of bed, brushed their hair, threw on whatever clothes were handy, then took a long bus ride and stopped by a fountain for a quick photo shoot. But back to the main question… In the context of the time, many of Frida’s hairstyles, thought rather "ridiculous" in some people’s eyes by today’s standards, were actually quite in fashion or even "trendy" in those years. During ABBA’s early peak years (1975/76), these photos were widely used, even though Frida had ditched the circa ‘Waterloo’/’ABBA’ LP perms for the shoulder-length straight bob cut. But in these revival years post ‘ABBA Gold’, most often we see photos from the "peak years" post 1975, with the exception of the many photos circa Eurovision 1974.

In ‘As I Am’, will I see a picture of Agnetha's sister and parents? Tinkerbell AND Do you know anywhere I can find a picture of Birgit, Ingvar, and Mona Fältskog, I have looked everywhere, but have had no luck. I recently ordered ‘As I Am’ and am waiting for it to arrive, will that be any help? Thank You, Alice from Wonderland.		There are a couple of photos in ‘As I Am’, taken when Agnetha was a child. You might find some in the ABBA Gallery site

We have found in attic an ABBA 78 called ‘Made In Sweden For Export’ any comments please? Keith Harbour		That LP was released to coincide with the 1975 television special ‘Made In Sweden For Export’, which featured ABBA amongst other Swedish artists such as Björn Skifs. I’m not sure if it was just a promotional LP or commercially released.
.
I have just noted in the ABBA book ‘Abbamania Vol.1 The Singles’ that it lists a Spanish version of ‘The Winner Takes It All’. It says it was released in Argentina and is called ‘Tado Al Ganador’. Is this for real? I have never read that ABBA recorded this song in Spanish. If they had I would have thought it would be on the ‘Oro’ collection. Please can you tell me if you have heard of this. Best wishes, Kevin Lambert.		'Va Todo Al Ganador' was actually the Spanish language title of the English recording of the song. It was rather common in Spanish speaking territories to actually translate the song titles on the record sleeves and labels. No Spanish version of ‘The Winner Takes It All’ was ever recorded by ABBA, though there is a theory that they may have been planning one - see The Ultimate Spanish ABBA Page (Rumours and Gossip page) for more information about that.

When’s the ABBA Behind The Music on VH1 coming? Thanx. an American Abba maniac.		I’ve not heard of any plans for an ABBA ‘Behind The Music’ special from VH1.

Just wondering, is there an official list or count of all the different ABBA or related merchandise that was produced? I'm sure it would be quite large, but does anybody really know all the ABBA goodies that were once, or are available? (I'm excluding CDs, albums etc.) Perhaps a fan has some sort of list made up? Thanks, Barb (USA fanatic)		Such a list of all ABBA merchandise would indeed be very large! To the best of my knowledge, no one’s ever attempted to list all the merchandise released around the world. My ABBA Phenomenon in Australia site lists many items that were available in Australia during the 70s, while the ABBA Time Tunnel also showcases many Australian merchandise items.

I have one question concerning Agnetha’s and Björn’s son Christian. There are always some news about all the other ABBA-children but I’ve never heard anything about him. What does he do? Kerstin Germany		Last I heard he was studying at University in Stockholm. Agnetha bought him an apartment in Stockholm a couple of years ago, where I imagine he still lives.

I’m thinking of getting this CD called ‘The Real ABBA Gold’ from an Internet company. but that title isn't on your list of album releases and I was looking for the track listing of the CD. Is it a genuine album or a sort of fake if u get what I mean!? Thanks for your help. - Ellie		The Real ABBA Gold is the name of a tribute band from the UK. This CD was recorded by that band in 1999, and contains several ABBA songs plus a few songs written by the band. I’ve never heard it, so I can’t comment on what it’s like. See the group's website for more information.

This may be a question you have answered before but I would question the answer given! In every picture I have ever seen including the one at the top of your page Frida appears to be half to one inch taller than Agnetha and yet the official heights given are apparently both 172cm! I cannot believe that Frida always wears higher heels so can you throw some light on this please? John Bandy		Well, I can only go on the information that’s been given that they’re both 172 cm tall. There could be many reasons why Frida frequently looks a little taller than Agnetha – higher shoes, standing straighter, or standing closer to the camera.

Not too long ago, I found what I thought was a poem about ABBA on a Latin American website. I loved it (‘I Am An A’). Somewhere I was reading that this was actually an intro song for ABBA's Australian Tour. Is this true, and is there anyplace I can locate a copy of it? I'd love to have a copy. Thanks in advance for your time, Laura Scherry		Yes, this was indeed a song written especially for ABBA’s 1977 tour of Europe and Australia. Sadly, it’s never been officially released (either a live version or studio recording). There are many "audience" recordings in circulation, many appearing on unofficial CDs, including ‘Live! At Last’, available from ABBAMAIL – check out the Merchandise page.

My question is: Why do you write ABBAMAIL on the photos of ABBA Pictures of the Month? Always near their faces. That’s really a pity, I know more ABBA fans do not like this. Maybe you can write it on a place under at the photo, or has it a specially reason? Thanks for your answer greetings from Helen from Holland soooooooooo long!!!!!!!!		For the same reason that many commercial sites do the same sort of thing - to stop the uncredited use of photographs. There are a lot of lazy or unscrupulous people who will pilfer pictures from all over the net and put them on their own website. Many of the photos used on the ABBAMAIL site are sent in by fans to share with others, and its unfair to them to see their hard work borrowed uncredited.

What's your opinion on the rumour that the last six ABBA singles all featured Agnetha on lead vocals purely because of her alleged demands for this in order to remain in ABBA, and not split the group up? On reflection, ‘The Winner Takes It All’, ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’, ‘One Of Us’, ‘Head Over Heels’, ‘The Day Before You Came’ & ‘Under Attack’ do have Agnetha's vocal as being lead. I appreciate that ‘When All Is Said & Done’ featured Frida, but that wasn't a generally released single. If this rumour is true, I wonder if this a main reason why there seems to be a distance between the girls, as Frida has admitted there's not a lot of contact with Agnetha now. Pure speculation, or an element of truth? Regards Simon Hoare		I didn’t know that it was actually a rumour – this has been a (semi-in-jest) theory of mine since the early 80s! Of the last six official ABBA singles released by Polar from 1980 to 1982, Agnetha sang lead on five of them (the one exception being ‘Super Trouper’). Just as telling is that while Agnetha got the bulk of the singles, Frida got the title tracks of the LPs during the same period. Whether it's true or not, I don't think we'll ever know. But even if it is, I doubt that it would be the reason why there's not a lot of contact between Agnetha and Frida - both have said in interviews over the years that they were very different people. Similarly, the same thing happened with the Beatles. For their last 3 years together, and following the death of their manager Brian Epstein, every single bar two was a Paul McCartney song. Though in that case, he had actually taken over the direction of the band.

What was the hardest ABBA song to arrange and record was it ‘Take A Chance On Me’? I would like to know what the hardest ABBA song to produce and record was also what is being talked about during the ‘Abba Undeleted’ in the ‘Thank You For The Music’ CD set. I thought that Frida or Agnetha was yelling or getting mad because a song was about something. Bgehr11272		According to the book ‘ABBA - The Complete Recording Sessions’, there were many songs that went through several different arrangements before the ideal one was found. It would seem that possibly ‘Like An Angel Passing Through My Room’ was particularly difficult - it went through several different recordings and mixes, including one that allegedly sounded a lot like ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’. The translations for the spoken word parts of ‘Abba Undeleted’ can be found on several websites, but they’ve almost all pinched the words from The ABBA Internet Database, the first site on the net to feature the full translation.
MORE ASK IAN