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What if ABBA were still
together in 2007?
ABBAMAILer and Guest Columnist, Jurgen Parys from Belgium speculates...
What if ABBA were an active band
in 2007 ?
If you take a look at the way
popular music and it's marketing have changed in the last couple of years, and
especially the speed by which these changes have been taking place it might be
interesting to see how ABBA would fare, if they were they be an active unit
today rather than some 30 years ago.
Would they achieve the same
amount of success ? Would they be able to adapt? One thing about ABBA that would
not have to be changed is their music. Their songs have more or less stood the
test of time and still sound much fresher these days compared to the output of
most of their seventies contemporaries.
In terms of production, Björn
and Benny were quite ahead of their time and always eager to add new elements
into the ABBA sound making them arguably the only band who never seemed to be
out of fashion during the period from 1974 to 1980, surviving trends like Disco,
Punk and New Wave. So, the combined talent within the band, and on top of that
their ability to move along with new trends, would undoubtedly ensure that
purely music-wise ABBA's output would be just as much loved and appreciated
today as it was back then. So what would have to be different ?
Well, first of all, when ABBA
were a recording group, there was no such thing as a compact disc. Compact discs
were not only revolutionary in that they offered far superior sound and were
less prone to quality loss due to scratches compared to vinyl. One of the
biggest advantages the CD has was that they allowed artists to put more music on
them than on their predecessor, the LP.
LPs mostly contained between 7
and 12 songs; a CD could easily hold up to 15 or more songs. These days if
someone released a new CD album, and it only contained 10 songs, most people
would be very disappointed. The same thing applies to singles. Prior to the CD
revolution, a single had only room for 2 songs - an "A" side and a "B" side,
with both songs mostly also appearing on the album. These days, a CD single has
several "B"-sides, remixes, videos, you name it.
Now what would the consequence
of all this be for ABBA, considering that they were not the most productive band
ever, mostly only recording about 10 new songs each year?
Benny and Björn would have two
choices. Either they would release albums at a different pace, not one each year
like they used to, but maybe one every two years, filling the gaps maybe with
the occasional EP. Or they would have to drastically change their working
methods, spending more time working on new material and, in that way, have more
songs to release.
Now, knowing that in the 70s
they constantly strived to not release anything they would consider "inferior",
in 2007 they would probably choose the first option. But without a doubt, some
of the songs they discarded back then, would end up on a "B"-side these days.
And what about remixes ?
Björn and Benny would have to
let go of their reluctance to have anyone else toy around with their music.
ABBA's music was very often targeted at audiences who liked to go clubbing, so
remixes would be essential and the two beards would have to accept this
situation and allow remixers to put their own takes on songs.
And how would ABBA deal with the
Internet as a very powerful tool in making or breaking a band ? Well, I see no
problems there. ABBA didn't like excessive touring or travelling and therefore
were pioneers when it came to making video-clips. The Internet would have
provided them with just the right vehicle for making their music and video's
available throughout the whole world. Stig Andersson, ABBA's manager would have
absolutely loved the idea and embraced it passionately.
But what about the press ? We
have so many more magazines and tabloids these days, more TV- channels than ever
before, more paparazzi, who follow stars around hoping to catch them in the most
embarrassing situations. This would probably not pose such a big problem for
ABBA if they are really the normal and serious people they appeared to be back
then, but Agnetha for one would absolutely hate being harassed even more than
she was in the seventies. And it's also unsure if ABBA would like to participate
in the many award ceremonies that are being organized these days.
And finally, what of ABBA's
image? What would be different these days, compared to the seventies? Well, we
are not going to talk about the outfits. They were fashionable then, and no
doubt ABBA would wear outfits that are modern and appealing today. But an army
of stylists and dance instructors would be needed. No more video close-ups of
broken teeth, no more bad hair-days, no more amateuristic photo-shoots, no more
days out-and-about without make-up, no more unflattering spandex outfits and
most of all no more out of synch improvised dancing.
So to conclude, if ABBA were a
new band in 2007, Björn and Benny would have to be a bit more productive, a
little less self-critical and more open towards working other producers.
Meanwhile Agnetha and Frida would have to spend much more time working on their
image, frequenting the gym and learning new dance routines. And all four of them
would have to spend more than just a few hours on making a video. And they would
also have to show up at awards ceremonies and other publicity-related events.
I believe they would have a very
very hard time embracing all of this. Agnetha would still be a mother, would
still feel uncomfortable in the spotlight and would still not want to invest
more time than necessary in the band's career. Björn and especially Benny would
still have their principles and would not like the pressure. And Frida, well she
would probably adapt, just like she always has.
But would that be enough ?
Jurgen Parys |
