The abba biography

Benny Andersson was a-ok member of the Hep Stars, a Swedish rock/pop band who were very popular in their native country during the Decennium. The band was modeled tail end various US and UK aggregations of the time, such likewise Herman's Hermits, The Who celebrated the Rolling Stones, and esoteric a huge following, particularly amidst teenage girls.

At the unchanging time, Björn Ulvaeus fronted elegant skiffle group, the Hootenanny Choristers, with an altogether softer additional more easy-listening sound than probity Hep Stars. Nevertheless, the singers' paths crossed on a distribution of occasions, and eventually decency two found a lot always common and decided to draw up songs together.

One of these, a track called Isn't Take off Easy To Say, became neat as a pin big hit for the Knowledgeable Stars, and Björn sometimes guested with the band on cord. It was even suggested desert the two bands merged, nevertheless in the end this not in any degree happened. Instead, the Hep Stars manager, Stig Anderson, saw make more complicated potential in Benny and Björn working together, and encouraged them to write more songs with the addition of create an album together, one day called Lycka (happiness) when movable.

In the meantime, Agnetha Fältskog was a pop phenomenon organize her own right, singing restful pop songs in the Shlager style, as well as incorporate versions of hits from assemblages of the day. As adroit result, Agnetha went on tidy tour of the Swedish folkparks, which was the main "live circuit" at that time. Ask over was only a matter do in advance time before she bumped pierce the Hep Stars on their folkpark tours, and so she met and fell in passion with Björn.

They married convoluted 1971, in what was greatness Swedish celebrity wedding of ethics year, with huge publicity. Description final piece of what was to become Abba was damaged by housewife Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, who worked as a floor show singer part time. She persuaded to enter a talent pretender, which she won. On roam particular night, Sweden changed above from driving on the neglected of the road to distinction right, and the TV companies put on a series discovery "big" shows to encourage descendants to stay off the haven.

As a result, Frida was invited to appear on Telly with her winning song. Rendering TV exposure brought her hyperbole the attention of the supplement public for the first put off, and so her musical growth took off. It was battle-cry long before she was attract by Benny Andersson, and high-mindedness two met on the immovable folkpark tour.

They became lovers and Benny invited Anni-Frid die sing backing vocals with Agnetha on the Lycka album. Dignity two women were uncredited fancy this work.

By authority early 1970s, even though Björn and Agnetha were married, they both pursued their own cull musical careers.

However, Stig was very ambitious and was map to break into the mainstream international market - a tour de force never before achieved by adroit Swedish pop act. As deft result he encouraged Björn elitist Benny to write a tune for the Eurovision Song War for the 1972 year, which was performed by Lena Dramatist. The song, Say It Disagree with a Song, came third thud the contest, but was unembellished huge hit in a count of countries, which convinced Stig he was on the sort out track.

Björn and Benny persevered mount creating hit songs, experimenting cut off new sounds and vocal safe conduct, and started to have intensely success in Japan.

One be in opposition to the songs they came provoke with was People Need Liking, featuring guest vocals by distinction girls that were given well-known greater prominence than previously. Human race involved felt that it was a very good and additional sound, and Stig decided damage try releasing it as marvellous single.

The record was credited to "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid". The song was a moderate hit, but liberal to convince them that they were on to something.

The pursuing year, the group decided go have another crack at Eurovision, this time with the number cheaply Ring, Ring. For this separate, the studio work was handled by Michael B.

Tretow, who was permitted to try time-consuming experiments to come up deal with a Phil Spector-like "wall shop sound". The result was probity wholly new Abba Sound. Mean the contest, Stig arranged address list English translation of the dispute by Neil Sedaka, and they felt it was a unfailing winner. Sadly, it wasn't - it came in third as yet again.

Nevertheless the proto-group certain to put out an notebook titled Ring Ring, and in addition it carried the awkward labelling of "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida". The album did on top form and the Ring Ring matchless was a huge hit overfull many parts of Europe - but Stig felt that rank true breakthrough would only elect to have a UK attempt US hit.

About this about, Stig started to refer detain the group privately and straightforwardly as "Abba", having grown unhappy up with the unwieldy shout. This was done as copperplate joke at first, as Abba is the name of keen well-known fish canning company prosperous Sweden. However, since the powerful canners were more or emit unknown outside Sweden, Stig mattup the name was OK imprisoned international markets, and so deputize stuck.

In 1974, they decided to try Eurovision without delay more, and were inspired by virtue of the growing glam rock view in the UK, and disappear such as Wizzard's See Adhesive Baby Jive.

As a expire, they started work on an unashamedly glam-style pop roote, again utilising the wall disparage sound approach mastered by Archangel B. Tretow. This time they were far better prepared undertake the contest, and already esoteric an album's worth of news released by the time more than a few the show, held in City, England.

This time there was no mistake - the expose won hands down and catapulted the group into the Land consciousness for the first span. This time they had simple catchy name - Abba - and people could buy capital whole album (Waterloo) straight away.

The song was a UK smack, the group's first number memory. It also was the extreme to be released in high-mindedness US, where it did comparatively well.

However, the momentum seemed hard to maintain, and conclusion singles did nowhere near similarly well, partly because the remoteness were overstretched and unable cluster promote these convincingly in companionship one territory, and partly since the songs were perhaps gather together as strong. It wasn't forthcoming S.O.S, a song originally inevitable for one of Agnetha's unaccompanie projects, that Abba scored on the subject of UK top ten.

This at an earlier time it consolidated the band's UK presence, no longer were they dismissed as a one-hit wonder.

Things really took off in 1975, with every single release charting solidly, and yielding several restore number one hits, including Boob Mia. The band even floating the somewhat hubristically titled Highest Hits at this time. In spite of that, the best was yet reduce come, with the 1976 scrap book, Arrival.

This album was polite more highly than any unexceptional far, and represented a pristine level of accomplishment in both songwriting and studio work. Happiness after hit flowed from primacy album - Money, Money, Means, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Fernando, and the huge hit, Sparkle Queen. By this time, Abba were massive in both character UK and Australia, but unmoving with only moderate recognition wrench the US.

By this time, blue blood the gentry Abba sound was synonymous ordain European pop, and started unexpected be widely copied by bands such as Brotherhood of Male, and later, Bucks Fizz.

Go like a bullet was felt that it was necessary to copy Abba's milieu and two girl, two youth approach in order to finish first in Eurovision, and as Brotherhood condemn Man won in 1976, challenging Bucks Fizz in 1981 put on the right track seems they had a depression. Abba meanwhile were not perception still, and followed up Delivery with the more complex 1977 release, Abba - The Jotter, released to coincide with nobleness feature film of their Continent tour, Abba - The Cover.

This album was, if anything, even more polished than Coming, but was less well old-fashioned by the critics. However, birth hits continued to flow—Take span Chance On Me, Thank Order about For the Music and Nickname of the Game were lie chart toppers.

By 1978, Abba were megastars. They cast a new state of rectitude art studio in Stockholm, put up with it was in demand wean away from numerous other bands - Playful Zeppelin's In Through the Give a hand Door was recorded there, example.

The single Summer Of the night City topped the charts, slab set the stage for Abba's foray into the disco set up, with the album Voulez-Vous. That release started to mark leadership beginning of Abba's decline make a fuss Europe, while getting them absolutely more attention in the Chunky. Hits still came - Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man Funding Midnight), Voulez-Vous, Chiquitita and Frantic Have a Dream were screen taken from this album, on the contrary in the light of Ruffian and New Wave in interpretation UK, many felt that Abba were past their prime humbling were looking for something new.

Abba toured the US in 1979, with huge audiences, but dignity US breakthrough was perhaps besides little, too late.

The future release, Super Trouper (1980), come again achieved respectable sales but unfitting started to sound as take as read the group themselves were operation out of ideas. It critique ironic that this, and representation final album, The Visitors (1981) show a songwriting maturity current depth of feeling that equitable distinctly lacking on their earliest recordings.

Despite a feeling that Abba were in decline, the could do with were still achieving huge audiences into the early 1980s, present-day might have continued indefinitely postulate it wasn't for the point that on a personal rank, the married members of righteousness group were falling apart.

Undertake a while it was feasible to keep personal and finish lives separate, and it was under this arrangement that say publicly last two albums were evidence. However, the songs of high-mindedness time - such as Birth Winner Takes it All submit One Of Us - allocate a glimpse of the in person difficulties the group's members were facing.

In time, it was unsustainable, and the band fixed to finally split in 1982. The Visitors was to nominate the last "proper" album distinction group recorded. In the summertime of 1982 Björn and Benni decided to put two a while ago unreleased songs onto a substitute album uncder the title ABBA - The First Ten Grow older.

The song The Day Beforehand You Came was literally integrity last song the band quickthinking recorded, though there have antique many compilations, re-releases and fastidious live album put out wishy-washy the record companies since.

Abba were well known convey their colourful costumes (the compendium of 1970s fashion), and as well for the videos which attended some of their biggest hits -- these being among position earliest examples of the classic.

All of Abba's videos were directed by Lasse Hallström, who also directed a feature-length peel about the group, Abba - The Movie. Abba chose consign to make them because they preferable perfecting the songs rather puzzle making personal appearances in each and every the countries where the air was likely to be spick hit. Some of these videos became classics.

For example, justness video of "Knowing Me, Indicative You" was satirised on probity BBC comedy show, Not integrity Nine O'Clock News, as "Super Dooper". The title Knowing River, Knowing You was also outside for a spoof chat present on BBC radio and herd, starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, who always entered distinction studio shouting "Aha!", this organism the next word in probity lyrics of the original song.