Ask Ian!

5 October 2002

There’s no particular significance in the B being reversed. It’s simply a design that makes a nice logo. ABBA’s art director Rune Söderqvist has said about the logo that "the group was two couples, it made sense for the 'B's to face the 'A's". The crown logo you mention was never part of ABBA’s iconography, but was created by PolyGram for the 'ABBA Gold’ compilation in 1992. One explanation I’ve heard about the crown logo was that it was in tribute to the well known three crowns symbol of Sweden.

It was on Saturday 6 April 1974.

What were ABBA's first 4 Australian hits? Corinne Krogh

For more on ABBA’s chart success in Australia and other countries, have a look at Trent Nickson's site ABBA The Worldwide Chart List, and for more about ABBA in Australia in general check out my own site The ABBA Phenomenon in Australia.

I do feel that it is long overdue for some "real"' collectors items to hit the market in the same way that the music industry honours Elvis and The Beatles. The demand is certainly there!

From one crazy fan to another what in your opinion is regarded as sought after memorabilia items, apart from those matchbox dolls which are almost impossible to find now! I am drawn towards trade cards, as they feature very early tacky photos with those dreadful crappy outfits! yours, Julian.

'The Definitive Collection’ was never intended to replace 'Gold’, but rather complement it (and replace the plethora of other compilations). 'Gold’ is the single disc of the "big hits" for those with casual interest, while 'Definitive’ is for the listener who wants more, but less than all the albums or the 4 CD box set. 'The Definitive Collection’ is actually my favourite compilation now - it’s what I (and many other fans) have always wanted in an ABBA collection, a chronological collection of all of ABBA's singles, rather than the random collection of 'Gold'.

As for something for "real" collectors, we already have that in disc 4 of the 'Thank You For The Music’ box set. It was hard enough to get Björn and Benny to agree to the release of those songs, and it seems highly unlikely (though not entirely impossible) that anything more will come out. 

It's funny you should mention Elvis and The Beatles. Just this week a read an article that mentioned that RCA and the Elvis estate have released over 400 Elvis compilations and boxed sets, occasionally with a previously unreleased track or two - and now there’s the first ever authorised remix of en Elvis song, which I understand was originally a B side, and only 90 seconds long. Big deal! As for The Beatles, the world at large appeared mostly underwhelmed with 'The Anthology’ series of CDs - sales of the second set of CDs were much less than the first, and sales of the third set were less than that! It seemed that many people (not the fans, of course) were expecting songs of the calibre of 'I Want To Hold Your Hand’ or 'Hey Jude’, and instead got what by comparison were inferior quality live versions and weird, half-baked, substandard and unfinished songs. And we had to wait until 25 years after the band split to get that! To top that off, after having 155 "new" tracks released, there were fans who still bitched and complained about supposed titles or alternate versions that hadn’t been released - and then they turned around and complained about which "hits" they already had umpteen times over were left off the compilation '1’.

Finally, it’s hard to say what might be the most "treasured" ABBA collectible. Many fans would say the ABBA dolls, but personally I don’t see the attraction in them. Some would say a record like the Japanese 'Slipping Through My Fingers’ album or the French 'Voulez-Vous’ picture disc LP. For some it may be the 2 ABBA perfumes and ABBA soap. And I think I’m offended at that comment about "those dreadful crappy costumes" - they may not be "stylish", especially by today’s standards, but most of them are better than what some of ABBA’s contemporary artists were wearing. And as designer Owe Sandström says, "you might remember the dreadful costumes, but at least you still remember ABBA".

Many of ABBA’s promo films were made not specifically to promote singles. For instance, when the 'ABBA’ album was released in 1975, four films were made (I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, SOS, Mamma Mia and Bang-A-Boomerang) and distributed to TV stations to promote the album and the group, even though only one song had been released as a single at the time (I Do…) and only one other was planned for single release (SOS). 'Mamma Mia’ was only released as a single after popular demand when the clip was shown on the Australian TV show 'Countdown’.

As for the other clips you mention, 'Lay All Your Love On Me’ was put together by Epic Records in the UK (not ABBA/Polar) when that song was released as a limited edition 12 inch single in 1981; 'Al Andar’ was a montage of clips from the 'ABBA In Concert’ TV special put together for a South American special 'Por Siempre ABBA’; 'When I Kissed The Teacher’, 'My Love, My Life’, 'Tiger’ and the alternate clips for 'Knowing Me, Knowing You’ and 'Money, Money, Money’ were made for the special 'ABBA-dabba-doo!!’ (a.k.a. 'ABBA From The Beginning’); 'That’s Me’ was made when the song was released as a single in Japan in 1977; and 'Happy New Year’ was vaguely under consideration for single release at the end of 1980.

As for a compilation of Björn and Benny compositions, personally I don’t think that there’d be enough interest in such a compilation to warrant the bother that would be required to compile it - sourcing the master tapes, licensing the tracks from various record companies, etc. There have been a couple of compilations of Benny and Björn songs in recent years, but there were either newly recorded versions or live performances.

I don’t know why the sheet music folios for the various albums haven’t been re-released, but again, I’m not sure that there’d be a particularly large market for them. However, there is a new book called ABBA Complete Chord Book. with the music for 71 ABBA songs, which includes all album tracks and some (but not all) B-sides. It's available from Music Sales in the UK.

Lambrini, Greece

According to fans who were there, when she performed 'The Day The Wall Came Down’ at her recent concerts Barbara announced that it was a new song written for the proposed Elaine and Barbara album that eventually was cancelled. Reportedly, in the liner notes of her new compilation album (which doesn’t include the song) states "An impressed Björn and Benny have recently written a new song, 'The Day The Wall Came Tumbling Down' especially for her" (thanks to ABBAMAILer Michael Price for this last tidbit)

Thanks Wolfgang Kaemmer Stuttgart/Germany

AND

My daughter is dressing up as Agnetha from ABBA for a talent show. Her and her friends are singing 'Waterloo’. Do you know where I could borrow (or buy cheaply) some look alike clothes, particularly the hat. Any ideas would be helpful Sue

AND

Do you know where I could find the ABBA girls dance routines? My friend and I really want to exercise to the proper ABBA dances, we're also looking for the outfits too! Thanks in advance Flustor

Cassandra, in Greek mythology, daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. The god Apollo, who loved Cassandra, granted her the gift of prophecy, but when she refused to return his love, Apollo made the gift useless by decreeing that no one would believe her predictions. Cassandra warned the Trojans of many dangers, including the wooden horse by which the Greeks entered the city, but she was dismissed as a madwoman. After the fall of Troy, she was dragged from her sanctuary in the temple of the goddess Athena by Ajax the Lesser and brought to the Greek camp. When the spoils were divided, Cassandra was awarded to King Agamemnon as his slave and mistress. Cassandra warned him that he would be killed if he returned to Greece; again she was not believed. Upon their arrival in Mycenae she and Agamemnon were murdered by Clytemnestra, queen of Mycenae and wife of Agamemnon.

I don’t know of any specific site where you might find that. I’d suggest try looking on ABBA World (links > sites by category > music files).

AND

I would like to know if there is any news on the (new) Agnetha Fältskog album. Greetings Claudia

Staffan Lindé, Agnetha’s manager/financial advisor/whatever recently announced (yet again) that recording will commence in the northern autumn. He also says that stories that have been circulating (and apparently reported in the book 'ABBA On Speaking Terms’) that she is recording cover versions of well-known songs are incorrect.

AND

Do you know where I can get a videotape of the 79 ABBA tour? Valerie B

You’ll mostly find 'Mamma Mia!’ branded merchandise at theatres where the musical is playing. Check out the 'Mamma Mia!’ website for the sort of stuff that’s on sale. The only ABBA merchandise you’re likely to see are the video 'The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA story’ and the book 'From ABBA To Mamma Mia!’.

You said in a previous answer that a reunion was unlikely! Never? Respect for ABBA grows all the time. I am a recent convert. It would be great to see them make music again. Do any of them want to work together again? Who is most against it? Nice web site by the way. Cheers, John Mooney

The real reason that the extended version of 'On And On And On’ is being released on the forthcoming DVD is because that’s the way the video clip is supposed to be! (and ABBA consultant Carl Magnus Palm insisted that Universal trace the proper recording, rather than do something like the shonky edit on the 'More ABBA Gold’ videocassette) - really, not so much of "what fans want", but "what should be".