ABBA

The Swedish pop group, which had in the 70 years of almost the biggest commercial success everywhere except the U.S..

The founders of the group were musicians, singers and songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. BjцІrn Kristian Ulvaeus (p. April 25, 1945, Gothenburg) still in school formed his first group WEST BAY SINGERS. They played on acoustic guitars and singing American folk in the street party, . where they observed impresario Stig 'Stikkan' Anderson, . who moved the team to the capital Stockholm, . renamed HOOTENANNY SINGERS and offered a contract with his new company Polar Records,
. GцІran Bror Benny Andersson (p. December 16, 1946, Stockholm) in 1964 obtained a position at the piano HEP STARS, the local heroes of rock 'n' roll that made for two years, fifteen visits to the charts, including composed Andersson Swedish hit number one Sunny Girl.

. Bjorn and Benny first met at a party in Vastervik spring of 1966, which decided that they should write songs together
. However, their alliance did not take place until in 1969 the group disbanded not HEP STARS. At a concert in MalmцІ, Benny met the singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad-Fredriksson (p. 15 November 1945, Narvik, Norway). With thirteen years she sang with various groups and even performed at song festivals in Japan, and Venezuela. At the same time Bjorn heard on the radio, singing his own song I Was So In Love Agneta Falskog and decided to invite a group. Agnetha (p. 5 April 1950, Jonkoping) has worked professionally on stage with fifteen years and two years later signed a solo contract with CBS-Sweden (the beginning of the 70-ies of its discography has four albums on the local firm Cupol).
. For the first time all four had gathered to record a program in Stockholm, and began to sing along with the November 1970
. In 1971, Benny and Bjorn from Polar signed a new contract - already as authors and producers - and began to write their own material, in which both girls attended as a backing vocalist. Polar issued their Lycka album with songs in Swedish and a single, People Need Love, released in the U.S. on Playboy Records. In July 1971, Bjorn and Agnetha got married. Benny and Freed followed suit only in October 1978, when the group was at the peak of popularity.

. In February 1973, the quartet song Ring Ring, rejected by the Commission Eurovision song contest, was written in Swedish, German, Spanish and English languages and topped the charts in Sweden, Austria, Holland, Belgium and South Africa
. On the cover of the first (at the insistence of Stikkana Anderson) was an acronym ABBA. In 1973 came the first album Ring Ring. April 6, 1974 song ABBA Waterloo with an absolute preponderance (20:1) won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton. Waterloo marked the beginning of an unprecedented sequence of eighteen consecutive hits in the British Top Ten, . Eight of them reached the summit: Mamma Mia (1976), . Fernando (1976), . Dancing Queen (1976), . Knowing Me, . Knowing You (1977), . The Name Of The Game (1977), . Take A Chance On Me (1978), . The Winner Takes It All (1980), . Super Trouper (1980),
. The upper line charts also occupied eight albums, starting with the Greatest Hits. Honors Quartet Ocean were much more modest: only Dancing Queen in April 1977 a week remained at the top of the list. Three albums were in the United States 'gold' and the only ABBA - The Album (1977) became the 'platinum'.
In June 1976 ABBA appeared before the King of Sweden on the eve of the royal wedding. In February 1977 they went on their first British tour (for two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall (11 thousand seats) received 3.5 million applications). Significant part of this year's group held a world tour, the final part of which (in Australia) was shot for the movie 'ABBA'. January 8, 1980 the quartet took part in the charity UNICEF in New York and gave the organization, all proceeds from the single Chiquitita. In September 1979 a concert in Edmonton (Canada) ABBA opened its first American tour.
Although Andersson and Ulvaeus themselves recorded instrumental accompaniment, the records of the group attended by many local musicians. The core group comprised guitarist Ian escort Shaffer, bassist Rutger Gunarsson and drummer Al Bryunkert. If you do not touch the melodic side (as Benny and Bjorn, . certainly, . one of the most productive melodist after Lennon and McCartney), . ABBA music is hardly constituted something unique: vocal arrangements are not entirely dissimilar from the manner of pop group 60-ies (RONETTES, . CRYSLALS and, . especially, . MAMAS & PAPAS), . sound in general was like Phil Spector with his 'wall of sound', . and the texts on the verge of obvious platitudes and naive romanticism.,
. From the winter of 1981-82 activity markedly slowed down
. In December 1982 came last recorded together a single ABBA Under Attack (? 26 in Britain), although their last hit was Thank You For The Music (? 33).

Agnetha in late 1982 has continued its series of albums, disc Wrap Your Arms Around Me. In Britain hit was The Heat Is On (? 35), and in the U.S. Can't Shake Loose (? 29). In 1985 they released another album, Eyes Of A Woman. Fried, his first solo album which Somethings Go On was released in August 1982, in 1984 released an album called Shine, then long vanished from the scene, and only in 1996 was published in Swedish label Anderson Records (and in their native language) album by Deep Breath.

. The activity of male half of the quartet abruptly extinguished: they write songs (but never released anything), is engaged in producing for Polar, and worked with librettist Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and t
. etc.) over the musical Chess (of Chess Championship), who in 1984 went to RCA, and in 1986 it was first staged in London.

New growth in the popularity of ABBA, as well as all music since disco boom began in 1992. Polydor reissued all the hits of the group on two CD-ROMs, . as well as solo albums Agnetha and Freed; ERASURE made a mini-album of cover versions modernized ABBA-esque, . and the Australian team made a short BJORN AGAIN, . but a resounding success with true to life and well-recognized sound of ABBA.,

. Discography

. ABBA:

. Ring Ring (1973)
. Waterloo (1974)
. ABBA (1975)
. Arrival (1976)
. The Album (1977)
. Voulez-Vous (1979)
. Super Trouper (1980)
. Visitors (1981)
. ABBA Singles Ten Years (2CD) (1982) (compilation)
. Thank You For The Music (1983) (compilation)
. ABBA Live! (1986)
. * Pa Svenska (1994)
. ABBA Gold (1994) (compilation)
. ** ABBA Oro (1995) (compilation)
. ** ABBA Mas Oro (1996) (compilation)
. ABBA More Gold (1995) (compilation)
. Thank You For The Music (4CD set) (1996) (compilation)
. ABBA Forever Gold (1996) (compilation)
. Love Stories (1998) (compilation)


. Agnetha Faltskog


. * Agnetha Faltskog (1968)
. * Agnetha Faltskog # 2 (1969)
. * Som Jag Ar (1970)
. * Nцєr En Vacker Tanke Blir En Sц?ng (1971)
. * Agnetha Fцєltskogs Bцєsta (1973) (compilation)
. * Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus (1975)
. * Tio ц?r Med Agnetha (1979) (compilation)
. * Nu Tцєndas Tusen Juleljus (1980) with Linda Ulvaeus
. Wrap Your Arms Around Me (1983)
. Eyes Of A Woman (1985)
. * Sjung Denna Sц?ng (1986) (compilation)
. I Stand Alone (1987)
. My Love My Life (1996) (compilation)

.

. Frida (Anni-Frid Lyngstad)

. * Frida (1970)
. * Anni-Frid Lyngstad (1971)
. * Frida Ensam (1975)
. Something Goin On (1982)
. Shine (1984)
. * Pц? Egen Hand (1991)
. * Tre Kvart Frц?n Nu (1993)
. * Djupa Andetag (1996) (compilation)
. * Allska Mit Alltid (1996) (compilation)
. * Frida 1967-1972 (1998) (compilation)
. Frida: The Mixes (1998) (compilation)
. 14 Hits (1998) (compilation)

. Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson

. * Lycka (with Frida & Agnetha) (1970)
. Chess (1984)
. * Benny Andersson: Klinga Mina Klockor (1987)
. * Benny Andersson: November 1989 (1989)
. * Kristina Fran Duvemala (1996)
. * Frц?n Waterloo till Duvemц?la (1998) (compilation)

. Gemini (Bjorn & Benny Project)

. Gemini (1985)
. Geminism (1986)

. Hep Stars

. * Hep Stars - Svenne & Lotta: Frц?n Cadillac till Rolls Royce (1991)
. * Hep Stars 1964-69! (1992)

. Hootenany Singers

. * Vц?ra Vackraste Visor (1971)
. * Vц?ra Vackraste Visor, Vol
. 2 (1972)
* Bцєsta (1991)



* - Swedish albums
* * - Spanish albums