DAILY EXPRESS Monday January 31 1977

This is a great article from England in 1977 about ABBA's 1977 Oslo concert. I have been true to the text and have included original paragraphing, errors [the most glaring ones marked with (sic)], captions, and sub headings. Enjoy!

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For royals and ravers across the world - at last it's that phenomenon in the flesh ABBA Live!

By GARTH PEARCE in Oslo for the start of ABBA's road-show rolling towards London

Like a heavy-weight boxing champion of the world under deep suspicion for refusing to defend his title, ABBA had to come out fighting.

For the Swedish group, who have created entertainment history by becoming the most popular since the Beatles while not performing live on stage in two years, this was the moment of truth.

Outside it was minus 9 degrees centigrade and black market tickets were exchanging hands at £60 a time.

But in the packed 6,000 capacity Ekeberg Hallen, which looks like a forbidding aircraft hanger on the edge of this city, Norway's Crown Prince Harald and Princess Sonja had arrived to make it a royal occasion.

Then with lights out and a rolling drum beat thundering like a locomotive fast gathering speed in the darkness, ABBA took to the stage.

It was as breathtaking as the cutting night air. Everything in glistening white. The swirling full length cloaks, the long leather boots, and skin tight clothing.

Bouncing

Blonde Anna Faltskog (sic) and red head Frida Lyngstad have incredible impact. Their shoulder length hair seems to swing in unison as they claw towards the audience singing 'I am a Tiger' (sic).

They are straight into their next song, 'That's Me' without drawing breath. Bearded Benny Andersson is fairly bouncing behind the keyboards.

Bjorn (sic) Ulvaeus, thrusting his guitar around like a loaded machine gun, has surprising power.

Then it's into their Eurovision hit, 'Waterloo'.

The girls fling off their stage robes to reveal short sleeved tunics and white satin trousers. As an opening, both for energy and visual impression, it is spectacular.

Even the unresponsive Norwegians, whose normal excitement level barely edges above freezing point, react as if they have been handed the crown jewels.

At last, a pause, and Bjorn announces that he has something spcial (sic). They play a little ditty composed by Princess Sonja. A nice homely touch which goes down particularly well.

Two things are already apparent. Firstly ABBA's ability to give warmth to a stage performance which has been dehumanised so often on television. Secondly the element of surprise that their music brings.

The girls, so much a visual part of their success, play out their stage roles, superbly.

Excitable schoolgirls for 'When I Kissed The Teacher', the cynical women about town for 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' which will be the new single next month.

There is an attacking thrustful spirit about the whole group, which gathers momentum with the knowledge and confidence that the concert is going well.

And throughout the sound production is the best I've heard in pop anywhere in the world. A twelve strong team of instrumentalists and back-up vocalists ensure this.

Just at the right moment, they break to do a light-hearted send-up of themselves called 'ABBA-we are a simple four-letter word'.

It's funny and comforting, in a strange sort of way. There are human beings up there.

But it's back to business with 'Mamma Mia', which topped the charts in 11 countries and their even bigger hit 'Fernando'. with a star-lit sky affect (sic) behind them. Then another surprise. The announcement by Bjorn that they have always wanted to write a musical and here is their first effort-a 25 minute show within a show called, suitably, 'The Girl with the Golden Hair'.

This is no longer just another pop concert. It is real Show Business. ABBA proved, and no doubt will go on proving in a European tour which ends on St. Valentine's Day in London's Royal Albert Hall, exactly what makes them unique.

Afterwards at a small celebration party, Bjorn told me: 'Fifteen minutes before we were due to go on we were so nervous we were not talking to each other.

'I felt like saying "Let's forget the whole thing. If this is what touring means, let's not bother"

Exciting

'But I had forgotten how tremendously exciting it is to appear in front of a live audience', he added. 'You can get so cut off from it all working in studios'.

Their studio work has given them the quiet private lives they prefer. Bjorn, 31, is married to Anna, 26, and they have a three-year-old daughter. Benny and Frida live together.

Filmed and packaged for television across the world, their robot-style promotion has brought them 40 million record sales in three years.

When they decided to go on the road again a year's planning went into ensuring the studio perfection was reproduced on stage-including six months of rehearsing and ordering three specially designed lorries to carry their equipment.

Benny revealed: 'We are losing about three million kronor (more than £400,00) by doing this tour, despite being sold out everywhere within 24 hours.

'But we felt that we owed it to the people who have supported us and bought our records to appear in this way, whatever the financial losses'.

Whatever debt they feel they owe their fans, on this showing I believe their live tour will repay it in full.

Pictures: John Downing

Anna-from excited schoolgirl to cynical woman

Grand finale-with Bjorn on banjo, blonde Anna (centre) Benny on accordion and Frida, far right

Frida-Incredible impact and playing out stage roles superbly.

ABBA-BY ABBA. Read the group's own account of their rise in their forthcoming book 'The ABBA Phenomenon'-the one all the fans will want-in the Express this week.

TRANSCRIBED BY BRYAN ANDERSON FOR ABBAMAIL DEC 21 2002