Year 2000
Abba Gold #48

Year 2001
20th Century Masters #57
Abba GOLD #79
Mamma Mia! Soundtrack #152.

When was the last time ABBA had 2 albums in one country's Top 100 albums end of year???

Maria Rådsten's (One More Time) solo single has been delayed by a maximum of a month which means by the end of February at the latest. It's not quite finished since Peter (son of Benny) has been too busy on other projects. (Thanks to Gustav for this info as he saw Nanne perform at Globen Shopping Centre on Saturday)

Here are the dates of all the concerts of the tour.

It seems like a lifetime since we last heard from '80s diva Laura Branigan. After years of false starts and unfulfilled rumors, the diva behind such evergreens as "Self Control," "Solitaire," and "Gloria" returns with her take on the 1980 top 10 ABBA classic "The Winner Takes It All."

Stalwart fans of Branigan have likely shaken their booties to the lively strains of Agnetha, Frida, Benny, and Bjorn's original version, and that remains a tough act to follow. But Branigan gives it the gusto on a track that doesn't try to be self-consciously trendy.

It starts off slowly and quietly, and then explodes into a satisfying high-energy thumper, with that instantly recognizable soprano taking no prisoners. Those who long for the days when vocalists led the way on the dancefloor will feel like they're breathing in spring air with this welcome return.

For information, contact distributor Strictly Rhythm at 212-254-2400. Written by Chuck Taylor

This year a new LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARD has been unveiled, the AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR SHOW. For the first time, audiences across the globe can vote for their favourite long-running West End show. MAMMA MIA!, which enters its 4th sell-out year this April - and is still a standing-room only smash hit in London, Toronto, Melbourne and on Broadway and tour in the United States - has been short-listed for this award.

The LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARDS have long been recognised as the most prestigious theatrical awards in the U.K. They reward excellence amongst productions which have opened in the West End in the previous calendar year, and are voted for by panels of theatre and arts professionals as well as members of the public who have applied to be panellists.

The new AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR SHOW gives the theatre-going public the opportunity to vote for their favourite long-running production. There are two stages to the voting process.

Stage One - There are 14 shows eligible for the award and voters select which one they would like to nominate for the award. This will determine the final four shows to enter the second stage.

Stage Two - Between 31st January and 14th February, a second vote can be cast for the Award winner from the final 4 nominees.

The four shows nominated will be featured in a series of BBC 1 television documentaries, starting on Monday 11 February, entitled A WEEK IN THE WEST END.

THE 2002 LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARDS CEREMONY will take place at the Victoria Palace Theatre on Friday 15 February, and will be televised on BBC 2 on February 16.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Claire Thompson London,UK

FEATURE-Swedish music machine turns out stars By Elinor Schang

STOCKHOLM, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Why stop in Sweden when you can conquer the world, say Swedish pop artists. Sweden's pop phenomenon, which started with ABBA in the seventies, has exploded into a massive industry ranging from compact disc sales to royalties and concert tours.

But homegrown bands and CD makers are only part of the success. World stars are beating a path to Sweden's music producers whose studios and songwriters lie behind many an American and British success. Denniz Pop -- one of the greatest Swedish pop producers -- put Sweden on the map, writing and producing hit after hit for stars such as the Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi and Britney Spears.

All this has made Sweden the world's third biggest exporter of music -- and the biggest per head -- with music exports rising steadily throughout the nineties and into the 21st century. Music exports rose by five percent to 4.5 billion Swedish crowns ($423 million) in 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, according to a report by Export Music Sweden issued in November.

But other Swedes outside the limelight play an increasingly important role to Swedish music exports. French-Canadian Celine Dion, American boyband 98 Degrees and American singer Jennifer Lopez turn to Sweden for songs composed by music writer and producer Arnthor Birgison.

DREAMS COME TRUE

So how did Sweden, tucked away on the northern fringe of Europe, manage to spread its sound all over the globe?

Birgison, 25, believes the traditional Swedish approach to hard work influenced by the Lutheran church and an unfriendly climate are key to the music sensation. "I think a lot of the success lies in Swedish attitudes. We are prepared to work full days and practise and practise if we have the talent," he told Reuters. "I could never work anywhere else than Sweden. I've tried, but if I worked in Los Angeles it would all come to nothing. Here we have no hot sun, beach or city life to distract us."

Names like ABBA and Denniz Pop, Roxette, the Cardigans and Ace of Base also act as role models for new generations of Swedes. Their achievements make many believe their dreams can come true in the same way that Swedish tennis ace Bjorn Borg inspired later tennis stars such as Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander. "Success breeds success. Many have shown that it's possible, setting new limits for what is possible," said Export Music Sweden's Chief Executive Christer Lundblad.

Another piece in the puzzle is that Swedish children at an early stage get to try out musical instruments and learn music theory in school, at little cost to their parents. "It's rather unique in the world that you can practise music almost for free in school. I think this is probably part of the picture," Lundblad said. "Swedes are also very good at speaking English, which is important because very little music sung in other languages succeeds anywhere outside its home country."

HIT ON HIT

Britney Spears' dreams of stardom came true in Stockholm, where she came to record many of her hits at Cheiron studios, run by producers Denniz Pop and Max Martin, both awarded a Grammy in 1998 for their achievements. Max Martin went on alone after Denniz Pop's early death in 1998, writing most of the songs on the Backstreet Boys album "Millennium", the world's top selling album in 1999.

Arnthor Birgison, born in Iceland, created Jennifer Lopez's hit "Play" together with writer-partner Anders Bagge, a single that has sold 11,000 copies in Sweden alone and is close to selling gold in several countries, Sony Music said. Lopez first heard Birgison's song from Sony producer Tommy Motola -- former husband of soul star Mariah Carey. "Tommy Motola called me saying 'I have this hit for you, it's going to be great!' and so I listened to it over the phone and a few days later we were recording it," she told a news conference in Stockholm.

Birgison recently visited Atlanta for a week's music writing and recording with Grammy-winning girl soul group TLC and is meeting up this month with Latino heart-throb Ricky Martin in Miami to tape some tunes.

And now that Sweden's music snowball is rolling it seems nothing can stop it -- new talent is found almost every week. "Swedish artists have realized that you can be big in the whole world so why stop at Sweden?" Export Music Sweden's Lundblad said.

Thanks to ABBAMAIL's spunky-Swiss boy, Marc Moulin, Geneva, Switzerland

The beginning of 2002 has been good for ABBA on the charts.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Jeffrey de Hart Stockholm, Sweden

Number of Gold & Platinum Artist/Title
YEAREND LIST 2001
Singlesr
4 Platinum KYLIE MINOGUE CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
6 Platinum S E-TYPE LIFE
13 Platinum S ANTIQUE (I WOULD) DIE FOR YOU
14 Platinum S ROXETTE THE CENTRE OF THE HEART
23 Platinum S TITIYO COME ALONG
29 Platinum S FRIENDS LISTEN TO YOUR HEARTBEAT/LYSSNA TILL DITT HJÄRTA
31 GERI HALLIWELL IT'S RAINING MEN
39 Platinum x2 S A TEENS UPSIDE DOWN
49 Gold S BOSSON ONE IN A MILLION
54 Gold S A TEENS HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD
81 S BOSSON I BELIEVE
82 S BARBADOS POWER OF LOVE/ALLT SOM JAG SER
89 S A TEENS SUGAR RUSH

I just got the year-end issue of Billboard and noticed that the ABBA reissues were in Fred Bronson's Top 10 of the year (so was Tomas Ledin, who I also think I read was the best selling album in Sweden for 2001) and in his column Louise Pietre's The Winner Takes It All was in his top 10 album cuts list.

Ted Gärdestad goes #1 on the midprice chart, Frida dives to #29 on The Real Group's compilation album and the A*Teens take a leap to #8 on the singles chart.

For next year, it is predicted that Björn and Benny will release the best selling CD - the new music from the musical "Chess", which premieres in Stockholm this spring. It hasn't been decided which record company will release the album, but it'll be released near Christmas.

Expressen contacted the record companies about last year's Swedish best selling album and what they think about 2002.

Jonas Tedin, sales manager, Universal Music:

-Carola's "My Show" sold the best - 75 000 (Universal's best-selling Swedish CD that is - Claes' note). This year I believe, without any hesitation, that the new "Chess" in Swedish will be this year's best-selling CD. As far as I know all record companies are fighting for the rights to release that album.

Helen also performed two songs from Chess in Swedish for the first time, 'Inte jag' (Someone Else´s Story) and 'Du och jag' (You & I) with Tommy Körberg.

"The Halls are alive with the sound of Abba" by Tom Austin

The people who brought you the Sing-A-Long-A-Sound of Music phenomenon are back with another show.

Sing-A-Long-A-Abba premieres at Blackheath Halls on Saturday, January 19 and promises to have people singing and dancing in the aisles. It will have the usual ingredients of a singalong spectacular, with a compere, a fancy dress competition and song lyrics appearing on a screen. This time the audience are invited to dress up as in seventies gear and sing the hits with an Abba tribute band performing live. So it's out with the nuns' habits and nazi uniforms and in with the platform boots and glittery costumes.

Ben Freedman, one of the show's producers, says the original idea for the Sound of Music singalong took off in August 1999 at the Prince Charles cinema, just off Leicester Square.

"The plan was for seven shows to coincide with the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, but there was such a positive response that the show took on a life of its own," he says. It has toured Australia, North America and most of Europe and is still playing on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons at the Prince Charles.

Ben puts the show's success down to the fact that people love to get involved and that they enjoy the interactive side of things. Each member of the audience is given a Magic Moment goody bag with assorted props to be used at specific times in the show. It's all designed to make the experience as fun as possible. He's quietly confident that the new show will go down as well as the last.

"Disney tried to do a singalong with Mary Poppins and Evita in America, but it flopped," says Ben. "We've been doing this for two-and-a-half years now and we think we have a pretty good idea of what does and doesn't work." Ben, a Canadian who has lived here for the past 38 years, continues: "You need to respect the core product. It's not about making fun of something but of having a celebration. So we're throwing an Abba party this time." He's keen to stress that the band isn't the star of the show - it's the audience. Company research shows that their audience for Sing-A-Long-A-Sound of Music was 80 per cent female aged between 20 and 50.

This new show is already booked for a 50-date tour of the country and the producers are looking to find a resident base in London. So, if you're an ABBA fan up for a communal karaoke experience or the pantomime season has got you hungry for more audience participation, Blackheath is the place to be next Saturday night.

Sing-A-Long-A-Abba live in concert, Blackheath Halls, Lee Road, Blackheath, London SE3, Saturday January 19, 8.30pm. Tickets £14. Box office 020-8463-0100.

The article is accompanied by a picture of 'audience' members, three adults, one blonde female and one brunette standing aside a bloke dressed vaguely like Napoleon, and three kids in silver tinsel wigs and shades, one of whom has a makeshift London Underground Waterloo sign hanging around their neck.

Cosy settings for a party:

Consert - Thirteenth day consert at the Bergwaldhallen:

No, I'm sorry, it's sold out. No, not a single ticket. The woman in the ticket boot had to repeat the phrase several times. A few managed to get last minute tickets that was returned. That was how it looked at the traditional thirteenth day concert in Bergvaldhallen the day before yesterday. Because this is really popular and with predictable ticket boot scenes like that dissapointed case. Strong artist added upon this: to put together Helen Sjöholm, Tommy Körberg and Benny Anderssons Orkester in front of Radiosymfonikerna can not exactly be called brave.

It was all set for a cosy evening. Baluns på Bergvaldhallen! (Party at Bergvaldhallen!) was the night called and a lot of people left the hall with a smile in their face after a musical night partid in two hour-long periods. Körberg is of course a super-secure singer and dancer, a stage man who with a glimpse in his eye danced himself through among other thing Bo Nilsson's beautyful "Ravailac", Gösta Kullenberg's "Möte" (Meeting) or Jaques Brels "Vid min fontän"(by my fountain).

Helen Sjöholm is as secure but she lacks Körberg's vocal tricks. Her wiry, rather fast vibrato sounded fittingly Frensh in "Snurra min Jord" (Spin my Earth) even if it was performed in the great declamatory way that Jan Malmsjö uses to do it, and Helene could have added a few things to the performance. In the ABBA-hit money Money Money she finally lowered her defence so the slick musical surface was roughed up a bit. Ander's Hillborgäs "Before the love arrived" is a kind of "small font classic" even if it lacks the dark mood of Eva Dahlgren. but it was beautyful.

Radiosymfonikerna, conduted by Kristjan Järvi and Benny Anderssons Orkester took part in backing up the various numbers. And Benny Anderssons latest constellation is the typical happy go lucky music tailor setting.

. . . then the rewiever goes on to describe the other artists appearing, like Carl Nielsen performing a Russian (!) sounding "Negerdans" (African native dance), and that some numbers from the upcoming Chess was performed - the reviewer did not say which but that they sounded like a trailer for the musical. . .

(Thirteenth day refers to 13 days after Christmas - when according to the bible the Babylonian wise men Baltsar, Caspar and Melker visited the baby Christ)

Frida is at #8 (on The Real Group's hit compilation) and Josefin with Ainbusk falls from #2 to #7 (the single falls from #46 to #57).

A*Teens inch up to #17 on the singles chart and Ted Gärdestad's selections CD from the box set is at #2 on the midprice chart.

Carola's new album seems to be losing steam, but I really like the album quite a lot despite her narrow-minded views in the Swedish press of late. (There's a fantastic track called A Kiss Goodbye that I'm convinced could be a *huge* club hit.)

On the US Billboard Top Pop Catalogue Album chart, ABBA GOLD falls off again after a one week re-entry thanks to many other re-entrys of hits collections and Beatles related stuff.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Cathy Olds Newcastle, Australia

The show is broadcast on ITV1 in England & Wales, Scottish & Grampian TV in Scotland and UTV in Ireland. Starting: 18:10 on Saturday 12th January.
Duration: 1 hour. Complimentary programmes (not necessarily ABBA-themed) are being broadcast on ITV2 (available on SKY/ITVDigital and many cable services) on Friday 11th January at 17.00 and 20.30, and on Saturday 12th January at 13.05-14.30, 19.05-20.10 & 20.50-22.00.

ABBA took the music world by storm in the mid 70s and remained at the top for over a decade. They are said to have sold over 280 million records over the course of their career and their music continues to win new fans to this day. In fact, 3000 ABBA albums are still sold throughout the world every day. In a new appraisal of their work, Richard Allinson considers the art behind one of the most successful pop acts of all time.

But Thank You For the Music is more than just a story of ABBA's success. It goes behind the glittering façade and attempts to reveal the secrets of the Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus' songwriting partnership, one of the most successful in the history of pop. They've since gone on to write for the stage, culminating in the massive success of Mamma Mia!, a musical based around ABBA songs.

In the first of three programmes, we find out how the rock oriented Benny Anderson and the folk inspired Björn Ulvaeus combined their skills to conquer the language barrier and create a universally accepted pop group. The programme considers how their approach to writing changed from their early rhyming tunes such as I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and Nina, Pretty Ballerina to the lyrical depth of The Winner Takes It All.

As well as interviews with Björn, the programme includes contributions from Barbara Dickson, Paul Gambacinni, Pete Waterman, Roxette, Elaine Page, Trevor Nunn, Elaine Page and more.

And from their Pop Profile on ABBA, this is what the BBC has to say: [ahem! Not altogether accurate!]

Sweden's largest export industry Nine #1 UK singles and ten #1 UK albums Agnetha Fältskog's first public performance was at the age of five - halfway through her performance she dropped her trousers First single to feature all four members was credited to Benny and Björn and was called "Hej Gamle Man!" ("Hey Old Man!") Unaccountably huge in Australia Songwriting team behind four consecutive Swedish Eurovision entries Production values held in such high esteem that Led Zeppelin recorded their final album in their studio in 1979 Sampled illegally on the JAMS/KLF instantly deleted 1987 What the F*** is Going On?

More ABBA - Recommended: listening, reading, interview clip, web links

ABBA. What's in a name? Does it mean anything to you?

As an acronym conjured up from the initials of three wholesome Swedes and a Norwegian, the name is likely to be forever synonymous with one of the biggest-selling pop bands of all time. If it isn't, then chances are you work for one of Sweden's largest fish-canning operators, with whom in 1973 Benny Andersson negotiated the use of the title for his then-fledgling band. Visit www.abba.se for more information on fish processing.

Of impeccable pop pedigree, Benny Andersson (b. 16.12.1946), Björn Ulvaeus (b. 25.4.1945), Agnetha Fältskog (b. 5.4.1950) and Frida (Anni-Frid) Lyngstad (b. 15.11.1945) already knew varying degrees of domestic success before coming together pre-Abba as the less snappily monickered Festfolk Quartet. In particular, Andersson as a member of the Hep Stars had outsold the Beatles in his native country, and in 1968 an 18 year old Faltskog had scored a #1 hit in Sweden with the bittersweet "Jag var så kär" ("I Was So In Love").

Two men, two women - surely love couldn't be far away. By the time of their 1974 Eurovision-winning and subsequent UK #1 "Waterloo", in which the battle and defeat of Napoleon by Wellington was somehow allegorised into the ineluctable coming together of two hearts, Benny and Frida, and Björn and Agnetha were each an item. Perfect pop by perfect people; an arrangement to rival any of the hits that followed.

And that is how it was; the eloquent songwriting of Ulvaeus and Andersson, fronted by the crisp vocal and homely sex appeal of Agnetha and Frida, mirroring nuptial harmony. Whether or not the references within "Waterloo" held any historical appeal was not the issue: living rooms throughout Europe were offered a vision of happiness and health all the more potent in an era of economic gloom. Live from Brighton, England, "Vingt-quatre points" said it all at the same time as thankfully kicking into touch the forgettable second-placed Italian entry, "Si" by Gigliola Cinquatti.

Victory with "Waterloo" was only the beginning. Though no guarantee of future success, often leading to hotel-band obscurity, Eurovision proved to be the showcase for a Swedish phenomenon to rival the northern lights. Managed by longtime mentor and sometime lyricist Stig Anderson, the years 1974-80 saw ABBA rack up the hits. Signed to his nascent Polar label, Ulvaeus and Andersson's alchemic musical formula, a combination of finely orchestrated arrangements with melodies that could override any other form of cerebral activity, besieged charts around the world.

The ABBA sound could be heard from youth club to prime time. Boys, despite themselves, fantasised about the merits of the blonde-haired one and the dark-haired one, awkwardly attracted by rumoured Scandinavian liberalism, while girls worked on their glitter eye shadow. Family saloons visited relatives and went on holiday to the soundtrack tape of Arrival, jazz-fan fathers inadvertently tapping steering wheels in the grip of ubiquitous ABBA mania.

Their singles (and it is for the singles that they are primarily known; the mark of pop greatness), were instantly recognisable without being the product of a one-trick pony. Though with a noticeable addiction to repetition in the chorus [think "I Do I Do I Do I Do" (1975), "Money, Money, Money" (1976), "Knowing Me Knowing You" (1977) and "Gimme Gimme Gimme" (1979)], the mark of the group's musical genius was that whilst they were definitely Abba and definitely pop, their signature was variety. Ranging from the anthemic ("I Have A Dream", "The Winner Takes It All") through to the later proto-disco of "Lay all your Love" via varying degrees of nightclub-lite ("Dancing Queen", "Super Trouper", "Take a Chance on Me"), Ulvaeus and Andersson compositions stood out from their imitators. Who else could incorporate the Mexican Revolution into a tender love story and keep you dancing ("Fernando")?

As a measure of their success, Greatest Hits, released scarcely two years after Waterloo, became the first of eight consecutive UK #1 albums. Three years later, Voulez-Vous (1979) sold one million copies in the UK alone in its first five weeks of release and the group received a mention in the bible of extremes, the Guinness Book of Records.

On the other side of the world, when ABBA embarked on their 1976 Australian tour they had five singles in the Top 30 including a #1. Fathomable perhaps only to commentators on national psyche, Antipodeans went ABBA mad and never came back, to the extent that current estimates suggest one in four Australians has Greatest Hits in their collection. Check the audience on the not-all-that-revealing celluloid portrait ABBA: The Movie, recorded during the tour; or, more recently, the references in the feature films Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Muriel's Wedding (1994), not to mention New Zealand's Flying Nun Records, 1995 compilation of ABBA covers, Abbasalutely. Bjorn Again, top-flight ABBA  tribute band? - Australian. Case rested.

Only America seemed resistant to the obvious charms. Otherwise phenomenally successful, the biggest market of all appeared suspicious of the European arrivistes. Despite numerous TV appearances, favourable Billboard reviews and plenty of airplay, proportionally sales in the US never paralleled those elsewhere. Paradoxically, however, the "limited" success in the US only serves to highlight their popularity in the rest of the world: The Album sold itself into platinum and both, Voulez-Vous and Arrival were certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Such success however came at a price. The strains of touring (hinted at in "Super Trouper" (1980), and a schedule that included incessant promotional appearances, meant that within the ABBA caravan, "I Do I Do I Do I Do" was heard less than "I Don't". Despite the release of UK #1 album The Visitors in December 1981, by 1982 distinct personal lives were mirrored by increasingly independent musical projects. For a group so tightly knit both privately and in the public's perception, it was clear that Arrival was about to become "Departure" and although no public announcement was made, by 1983 Abba the group were no more. Fans wept, pretenders to pop's satin crown breathed a sigh of relief and the Swedish Post Office released an Abba stamp.

There has been a slight change in schedule for the premiere of VH-1's "FanClub: ABBA" show. Here is the US schedule for the premiere week, with repeats anticipated as well:

Saturday, January 5th -- 12pm, 9pm
Sunday, January 6th -- 11am
Tuesday, January 8 -- 6pm
Friday, January 11 - 9pm
Saturday, January 12 - 7 am

Also, I was sent a couple of updates from the Mamma Mia! website with details about the VH1 special that's going to be shown and some new stuff they're selling - details as below. I remember them filming outside the Winter Garden on the day of the premiere, so let's just hope it's done in a positive light.

VH1 ABBA FanClub celebrates MAMMA MIA! Jan 5 at 12 Noon

Who were those people screaming outside the Winter Garden Theatre at the premiere of MAMMA MIA! last October? Had they really travelled from as far away as Australia to be at the Broadway opening of the smash musical based on the songs of ABBA?

ABBA FanClub, a documentary about the Swedish supergroup's fans will premiere on VH1 in North America on Saturday, January 5, 2002 at 12 Noon. (Repeat airings will run on Jan 5 at 9PM and Jan 6 at 6PM).

Several fans will explain their devotion to ABBA and can will be seen meeting their idols, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA!'s composers on the red carpet on Broadway.

----------------------

NEW ITEMS ADDED TO THE UK MAMMA MIA! STORE

We've now added some exclusive new merchandise to the UK's online store including:

LIMITED EDITION 2002 POCKET DIARY
Strictly limited to only 200 diaries - Early buying recommended to avoid disappointment! Price: £ 8.50

PEN
Elegant ball-pen with silver logo print, refillable Price: £ 3.50

POCKET UMBRELLA
Ultra light foldable umbrella that fits in almost any bag or pocket! Logo print on pouch and umbrella Price: £ 16.50

While reading this, I was watching the Dick Clark New Year's Eve special and they had four cast members from Mamma Mia! wish happy New Year to the world.

There's a couple of familiar names on the official Swedish Chess site listed as being involved in the production: Lasse Wellander is down to play guitar in the orchestra, while Ludvig Andersson is a 'statist' which I think means he has a walk-on extra role. I wonder if he's got the role of Vigand, the second Russian Chess player?

Merry and happy everything.

Aftonbladet, 25 Dec, by Björn Solfors:

THEY TURNED DOWN (SEK) 10 BILLION

ABBA does not wish to reunite. Almost 20 years have passed since ABBA was disbanded. For just as long, fans and record companies have hoped for a comeback. This year the group was offered over (SEK) ten billion if they were to reunite.

The billion offer is revealed in a radio documentary called Thank You For The Music which is to be broadcast on British Radio 2 on January 8.

-- It was an incredible offer, and we considered it. Who wouldn't? But in the end we decided that it would be wrong to try to turn back the clock, says Björn Ulvaeus in the interview [from the documentary].

The ABBA clock started ticking more than 30 years ago. In 1971 the quartet was formed, and two years later the debut album Ring Ring was released. It is said that the group since then has sold over 280 million records and that 3000 records still are being bought daily around the world.

-- When you've created something, it feels both absurd and fantastic that it's still current 30 years later, he [Björn] says.

The documentary also tells the story of how Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson once met, and how they combined their different talents into what became the successful formula for ABBA. Eight studio albums and twelve successful years were spawned before ABBA was disbanded in 1983. The last album was The Visitors from 1981.

- When we broke up I thought it was over -- it was in the past. I thought it was the end of ABBA and that we would be forgotten, says Björn Ulvaeus.

Nothing could be more wrong. After several hit collections and the musical Mamma Mia! in London and New York, the ABBA fever is higher than ever. But no millions in the world seem able to lure the quartet back onto the stage.

- I'm very flattered by the interest for the group, but I also feel that the magic would disappear if we were to reunite, says Björn Ulvaeus.

It is going to be an album of duets with other Swedish stars, including Carola, Tommy Körberg, Patrik Isaksson (Anders is also his producer) and Kindda.

The first single will be released in January and is titled 'Lust och välbehag', and is a duet with Kindda.