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Abba

  • 06-12-2015 3:47am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,810 ✭✭✭


    Listening to a lot of Abba in the early hours on Youtube (up studying) and they had so many great hits.

    Knowing me, knowing you (aha...)
    Name of the game.
    One of us.

    Brilliant stuff.
    Some great songcraft.

    Any Abba fans here


Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,570 ✭✭✭The Sidewards Man


    Abba rocks


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,570 ✭✭✭The Sidewards Man




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,738 ✭✭✭✭sryanbruen


    Money, money, money, always something in a rich man's world!

    Photography site - https://sryanbruenphoto.com/



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 935 ✭✭✭Whitewinged


    I was watching an episode of comedy The Trip with Rob Brydon and Steeve Coogan and they were talking about and cover The Winner Takes It All. I always hated that song until it was featured in that show.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,114 ✭✭✭noby


    I was watching an episode of comedy The Trip with Rob Brydon and Steeve Coogan and they were talking about and cover The Winner Takes It All. I always hated that song until it was featured in that show.

    It's a staggeringly good song.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,741 ✭✭✭✭Ally Dick


    Some of their early album material was not very good, but the hits were superb


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,741 ✭✭✭✭Ally Dick


    My favourite Abba song is SOS and I also love Honey Honey. Dunno why.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,513 ✭✭✭✭briany


    Ah, ABBA, the hack wedding DJ's go-to. Actually there is a reason for that - they appeal to a really wide range of people, and those songs are like they've been precision engineered from the ground up to be hits. Everything about them is catchy. Hard to resist ABBA, especially if it's 1.30 AM on the dancefloor of a wedding reception and your bosomy second cousin is dancing by herself over by the remnants of the finger food.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,899 ✭✭✭UrbanSprawl


    Abba rocks

    and Shabba Ranks


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    One of the best pop acts of all time.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭q2xv9rjei4awgb


    Voulez Vous has some incredible tracks. One of the best albums I've ever heard


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    Voulez Vous has some incredible tracks. One of the best albums I've ever heard

    Yup, my favourite album of theirs. Such a solid album, very cohesive (even if I Have A Dream and Chiquitita somewhat upset the tempo!)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭q2xv9rjei4awgb


    Yup, my favourite album of theirs. Such a solid album, very cohesive (even if I Have A Dream and Chiquitita somewhat upset the tempo!)

    Vocals on If It Wasn't For The Nights and As Good As New are just beautiful.

    Apart from the fact that, between 1976 and 1981, she was the hottest woman to ever grace the earth, Agnetha was one of the best singers I've ever heard. Utterly flawless


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 115 ✭✭eurasian


    Every time i play this version of "The day before you came" it completely blows my mind:



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Any Abba fans here

    Yep, from the 1st time round, although I wouldn't admit to being a fan in school for fear of being ridiculed by those who were into "proper bands" like Genesis, The Who, Slade, Roxy Music, ELO etc.

    Love ABBA.

    ...shame they haven't done a proper reunion yet :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    Vocals on If It Wasn't For The Nights and As Good As New are just beautiful.

    Apart from the fact that, between 1976 and 1981, she was the hottest woman to ever grace the earth, Agnetha was one of the best singers I've ever heard. Utterly flawless

    I hate when ABBA don't get the respect they deserve, it's so annoying. Just because the majority of their music was light-hearted, fun pop they can't be a "serious" act - ludicrous!
    Have you delved into either/both of their solo careers?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    eurasian wrote: »
    Every time i play this version of "The day before you came" it completely blows my mind:


    The song is truly one of their underrated masterpieces, think of the music they could've made in the 80s!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    LordSutch wrote: »
    Yep, from the 1st time round, although I wouldn't admit to being a fan in school for fear of being ridiculed by those who were into "proper bands" like Genesis, The Who, Slade, Roxy Music, ELO etc.

    Love ABBA.

    ...shame they haven't done a proper reunion yet :(

    Totally understand your "proper bands" point, what a load of nonsense people believe. The irony is that they follow these bands because they apparently make "REAL MUSIC" yet at the end of the day, they're all focused on the charts.
    Speaking of a reunion, there's a reunion of sorts coming in 2018, supposedly. ABBA have teamed up with Simon Fuller (music mogul, masterminded Spice Girls) to create a virtual reality experience. There's not much info yet (more coming this year) but basically it's thought that it will be a virtual reality concert of past ABBA on present stage!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,602 ✭✭✭JeffKenna


    The winner takes it all.....what a song, I just love it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    JeffKenna wrote: »
    The winner takes it all.....what a song, I just love it.

    Love this version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJGiGF5WT6g
    It's not really an 'early mix', it's just somewhat deconstructed and filtered but it really highlights some of the more haunting vocals.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭q2xv9rjei4awgb


    I hate when ABBA don't get the respect they deserve, it's so annoying. Just because the majority of their music was light-hearted, fun pop they can't be a "serious" act - ludicrous!
    Have you delved into either/both of their solo careers?

    Well, I grew up with ABBA (Quo, Queen, etc etc) and even as a child, Agnetha fascinated me. Sounds creepy but, to this day, no one comes close to how beautiful she looked between 76-81.

    Having said that, when I started playing music when I was 13, I've since become obsessed with their way of writing and arranged melodies and Agnetha's voice. The combination of both leaves me awe struck.
    ABBA are without doubt, one of the best bands/artists of all time

    Voulez Vous, As Good As New, If It Wasn't For The Nights, Summer Night City, Eagle, Name Of The Game, Hole In Your Soul, When All Is Said And Done, Winner Takes It All, On and On and On, Tiger, I'm A Marionette, Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie.......I could go on. Just flawless songs.

    I got into Agentha's solo career but, never got my hands on anything Frida done tbh


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    Well, I grew up with ABBA (Quo, Queen, etc etc) and even as a child, Agnetha fascinated me. Sounds creepy but, to this day, no one comes close to how beautiful she looked between 76-81.

    Having said that, when I started playing music when I was 13, I've since become obsessed with their way of writing and arranged melodies and Agnetha's voice. The combination of both leaves me awe struck.
    ABBA are without doubt, one of the best bands/artists of all time

    Voulez Vous, As Good As New, If It Wasn't For The Nights, Summer Night City, Eagle, Name Of The Game, Hole In Your Soul, When All Is Said And Done, Winner Takes It All, On and On and On, Tiger, I'm A Marionette, Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie.......I could go on. Just flawless songs.

    I got into Agentha's solo career but, never got my hands on anything Frida done tbh

    With being only 18 now, I'm disappointed to have missed their era but thankfully Universal aren't shy when it comes to pumping out remasters and re-releases!
    My favourite albums would have to be Voulez Vous, Arrival and The Visitors, I think they're the most solid and cohesive units of the 8.

    Frida's got some nice songs in her repertoire, I love 'I Know There's Something Going On' (with Phil Collins on drums!) and 'Shine'.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 115 ✭✭eurasian


    I have recently listened to the entire catalog of of ABBA and found my favourite albums are "Super trouper" and "Visitor". "Super Trouper" is packed with superiour quality songs and it also has some very melancholic vibes. I think "Super Trouper" is ABBA's "darkest" and deepest album in terms of they way it hides one emotions behind another.
    Second best comes "Visitor". I might be new to ABBA but I think this is extremely underrated record. Literally every song is brilliantly composed and put together. "Slipping through my fingers" is just another brilliant song as well as "The day before you came".


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    eurasian wrote: »
    I have recently listened to the entire catalof of ABBA and found my favourite is "Super trouper" and "Visitor". Not simply because it's packed with superiour quality songs but also because it has some very melancholic vibes. I think "Super Trouper" is ABBA's "darkest" and deepest album in terms of they way it hides one emotions behind another.
    Second best comes "Visitor". I might be new to ABBA but I think this is extremely underrated record. Literally every song is brilliantly composed and put together. "Slipping through my fingers" is just another brilliant song as well as "The day before you came".

    2 flawless albums, I love how eclectic 'Super Trouper' is!
    The songs from their shelved 9th album are some of my favourites, including The Day Before You Came, Under Attack and an unreleased song called Just Like That.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,315 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious



    I got into Agentha's solo career but, never got my hands on anything Frida done tbh

    I can heartily recommend 'Djupa Andetag'. It's in Swedish, but some belting tunes and she always had the stronger voice. When she gets to sing in her natural comfortable register, she's fantastic. Most of the Abba days she sang at the very top end of her range.

    Saw them in concert when they were here in 1979. Put up with a great deal of slagging for being uncool, but remained true.

    Post-Abba stuff like 'Kristina' and a lot of the Benny Andersson Orchestra stuff is worth a listen. Benny Andersson will release a piano album next year that should be great.

    They won't ever reform and tour, but their promised 'virtual tour' should be good. These days they don't tend to OK anythng if it's naff.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    spurious wrote: »
    I can heartily recommend 'Djupa Andetag'. It's in Swedish, but some belting tunes and she always had the stronger voice. When she gets to sing in her natural comfortable register, she's fantastic. Most of the Abba days she sang at the very top end of her range.

    Saw them in concert when they were here in 1979. Put up with a great deal of slagging for being uncool, but remained true.

    Post-Abba stuff like 'Kristina' and a lot of the Benny Andersson Orchestra stuff is worth a listen. Benny Andersson will release a piano album next year that should be great.

    They won't ever reform and tour, but their promised 'virtual tour' should be good. These days they don't tend to OK anythng if it's naff.

    So jealous that you got to see them in the RDS. That was their last ever tour concert in Europe! What was it like?

    Speaking of naff things, that Mamma Mia Party! thing in Stockholm is a bit rubbish, but it gave us a picture of the four together again so I'll let it slide :cool:

    Edit: Have you been to ABBAWORLD/ABBA The Museum? I went to ABBAWORLD in Earl's Court a few years back, dying to go to the actual museum though, busy planning Stockholm trips in my head!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭q2xv9rjei4awgb


    spurious wrote: »
    I can heartily recommend 'Djupa Andetag'. It's in Swedish, but some belting tunes and she always had the stronger voice. When she gets to sing in her natural comfortable register, she's fantastic. Most of the Abba days she sang at the very top end of her range.

    Saw them in concert when they were here in 1979. Put up with a great deal of slagging for being uncool, but remained true.

    Post-Abba stuff like 'Kristina' and a lot of the Benny Andersson Orchestra stuff is worth a listen. Benny Andersson will release a piano album next year that should be great.

    They won't ever reform and tour, but their promised 'virtual tour' should be good. These days they don't tend to OK anythng if it's naff.

    Thanks :)

    What was their concert like in 1979? RDS wasn't it?

    Me being 28 means I wasn't there :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 115 ✭✭eurasian


    Love this version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJGiGF5WT6g
    It's not really an 'early mix', it's just somewhat deconstructed and filtered but it really highlights some of the more haunting vocals.


    Have you heard this? This is basically an unfinished demo version of the song. Early mix with guitar and some MINDBLOWING backing vocals. When I heard this it brough me to tears. Most of those vocals were not included in final mix, some were faded down a bit.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    eurasian wrote: »
    Have you heard this? This is basically an unfinished demo version of the song. Early mix with guitar and some MINDBLOWING backing vocals. When I heard this it brough me to tears. Most of those vocals were not included in final mix, some were faded down a bit.


    Stunning. They truly were pop masters!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,520 ✭✭✭learn_more


    If anyone asked me what was the first song you ever liked if you can remember back that far to your younger years then I can honestly say it was Super Trooper. That song came out in 1980 according to wiki and back then I wasn't even a teenager. Back then we had no music playing devices at home and I would play in 2 or 3 times in a row on a jukebox that was in my dads favourite watering house. 10p a go or 20p to play 3 songs, and I would use 20p to play it 3 times in a row much to the annoyance of the drunken farmer patrons that were pissing it up after 12 o clock mass on a Sunday in that particular venue. : D

    I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters, and back then in 1980 my sister would plaster her bedroom wall with pop posters she got from some pop magazine. Some very big ones she would order or get free with the mag. I got my hands on a poster of ABBA but instead of putting it on the bedroom wall I stuck in on the inside of the wardrobe door in an attempt to somewhat hide it.

    I got nothing but abuse from my siblings as they knew I liked Super Trouper and they would take the piss. One day someone ripped my poster deliberately and I had to throw it away. At the time my sis was into Adam Ant and other lase 70's/early 80's artists that were forgotten over time. So I got a lot of flack for what I liked, as a child.

    Decades later ABBA is still talked about in the media/documentaries with great love and affection. I don't really hear much about Adam Ant or the music/bands/artists my siblings liked. I feel I've been vindicated over the years.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    learn_more wrote: »
    If anyone asked me what was the first song you ever liked if you can remember back that far to your younger years then I can honestly say it was Super Trooper. That song came out in 1980 according to wiki and back then I wasn't even a teenager. Back then we had no music playing devices at home and I would play in 2 or 3 times in a row on a jukebox that was in my dads favourite watering house. 10p a go or 20p to play 3 songs, and I would use 20p to play it 3 times in a row much to the annoyance of the drunken farmer patrons that were pissing it up after 12 o clock mass on a Sunday in that particular venue. : D

    I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters, and back then in 1980 my sister would plaster her bedroom wall with pop posters she got from some pop magazine. Some very big ones she would order or get free with the mag. I got my hands on a poster of ABBA but instead of putting it on the bedroom wall I stuck in on the inside of the wardrobe door in an attempt to somewhat hide it.

    I got nothing but abuse from my siblings as they knew I liked Super Trouper and they would take the piss. One day someone ripped my poster deliberately and I had to throw it away. At the time my sis was into Adam Ant and other lase 70's/early 80's artists that were forgotten over time. So I got a lot of flack for what I liked, as a child.

    Decades later ABBA is still talked about in the media/documentaries with great love and affection. I don't really hear much about Adam Ant or the music/bands/artists my siblings liked. I feel I've been vindicated over the years.

    Super Trouper is a flawless song so no shame there! At least you can say you were a fan of the second best selling band of all time ;) sure where's Adam Ant now?! :p


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,315 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    So jealous that you got to see them in the RDS. That was their last ever tour concert in Europe! What was it like?
    What was their concert like in 1979? RDS wasn't it?

    Me being 28 means I wasn't there :D

    I was there with my equally uncool pal from school. We were both in 6th year and everyone else was into Pink Floyd etc., but we cared not.
    The first thing was the price of tickets. I saw Carole King (fairly big at that time) for a ticket price of £1.20 and Abba tickets were £8.50, an incredible amount of money in those days. None of the Ticketmaster nonsense either, you went in and queued up in Duke Street - was it Golden Discs or Dolphin Discs? I can't remember, but I remember it was Duke Street.

    I was so excited for the concert, I wish I'd taken the time to take it all in. I do remember being very surprised at how 'big' the sound was. It wasn't exactly like the records, you knew they were singing live (and they had a lot of backing singers) but the sound was very 'full' - whether they used some backing tracks i don't know. I remember Benny started off with a version of 'Danny Boy' which went down very well. There is a site here, that people might find of interest. It has the list of songs etc. I remember when Tomas Ledin sang a song I just wanted him to get off and let Abba on. It was the night of Frida's 34th birthday and we sang Happy Birthday to her. There was a choir of kids from East Wall that sang with 'I Have a dream'.

    We were very impressed with the lighty up Abba sign behind the stage, but they were simpler times. We had no idea this was going to be the one and only chance to see them here. I know of one fan who was about 14 at the time, whose parents went without him as they said he was too young and they would bring him the next time they played. i don't think he has forgiven his parents yet. :)
    Speaking of naff things, that Mamma Mia Party! thing in Stockholm is a bit rubbish, but it gave us a picture of the four together again so I'll let it slide :cool:

    Edit: Have you been to ABBAWORLD/ABBA The Museum? I went to ABBAWORLD in Earl's Court a few years back, dying to go to the actual museum though, busy planning Stockholm trips in my head!

    I didn't mind the Mamma Mia the Party thing, though it is expensive, even by Stockholm standards.

    I was at Abbaworld in Earls Court and also a few times to the Museum in Stockholm - most recently for an Abba fan club day in April, when Benny came and played for us. Spit on me Benny! I took quite a nice photo of him there and sent it to Mono Music later in the summer with return postage and he signed it for me. They are good like that.

    I always considered Benny Andersson the musical talent in Abba. Yes, Bjorn could write lyrics, which got a lot better as his English improved, but Benny wrote bloody good tunes and that (in my opinion) is what has allowed them attract new audiences almost 50 years on. That and the really complicated arrangements. If you listen to some of the basslines in Abba for example, they are really complicated. All elements came together in a perfect storm in Abba, and the two women's voices, while not really great voices alone, together were something special.

    I would love to go see a Benny Andersson Orchestra performance. They are supposed to be great fun. Like a big gang of oul' lads jamming. The older he gets, the more he goes back to his roots of Swedish folk music.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    spurious wrote: »
    I was there with my equally uncool pal from school. We were both in 6th year and everyone else was into Pink Floyd etc., but we cared not.
    The first thing was the price of tickets. I saw Carole King (fairly big at that time) for a ticket price of £1.20 and Abba tickets were £8.50, an incredible amount of money in those days. None of the Ticketmaster nonsense either, you went in and queued up in Duke Street - was it Golden Discs or Dolphin Discs? I can't remember, but I remember it was Duke Street.

    I was so excited for the concert, I wish I'd taken the time to take it all in. I do remember being very surprised at how 'big' the sound was. It wasn't exactly like the records, you knew they were singing live (and they had a lot of backing singers) but the sound was very 'full' - whether they used some backing tracks i don't know. I remember Benny started off with a version of 'Danny Boy' which went down very well. There is a site here, that people might find of interest. It has the list of songs etc. I remember when Tomas Ledin sang a song I just wanted him to get off and let Abba on. It was the night of Frida's 34th birthday and we sang Happy Birthday to her. There was a choir of kids from East Wall that sang with 'I Have a dream'.

    We were very impressed with the lighty up Abba sign behind the stage, but they were simpler times. We had no idea this was going to be the one and only chance to see them here. I know of one fan who was about 14 at the time, whose parents went without him as they said he was too young and they would bring him the next time they played. i don't think he has forgiven his parents yet. :)



    I didn't mind the Mamma Mia the Party thing, though it is expensive, even by Stockholm standards.

    I was at Abbaworld in Earls Court and also a few times to the Museum in Stockholm - most recently for an Abba fan club day in April, when Benny came and played for us. Spit on me Benny! I took quite a nice photo of him there and sent it to Mono Music later in the summer with return postage and he signed it for me. They are good like that.

    I always considered Benny Andersson the musical talent in Abba. Yes, Bjorn could write lyrics, which got a lot better as his English improved, but Benny wrote bloody good tunes and that (in my opinion) is what has allowed them attract new audiences almost 50 years on. That and the really complicated arrangements. If you listen to some of the basslines in Abba for example, they are really complicated. All elements came together in a perfect storm in Abba, and the two women's voices, while not really great voices alone, together were something special.

    I would love to go see a Benny Andersson Orchestra performance. They are supposed to be great fun. Like a big gang of oul' lads jamming. The older he gets, the more he goes back to his roots of Swedish folk music.

    That sounds amazing - someone said that Frida wore a Dublin/Irish jersey at the show during Why Did It Have To Be Me?, did that happen? I'm beyond jealous of your experience, and the light-up ABBA sign will always be cool!

    I'm dying to go to the museum itself, I filled a potential shopping cart in the online store and let's just say that they'd be happy to see me coming :D :rolleyes:
    I've heard that about Benny and co. alright, they seem to just have great fun on stage. I haven't really explored their music but I loved Story Of A Heart from a few years back, sounded like an ABBA track in many ways!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,315 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    If you do get to Stockholm, take the ferry from the Museum over to Mono Music on Skeppsholmen. If Benny's there and not busy, he will come chat/take photos etc. He has really mellowed in his older years.

    Bjorn owns the hotel the Museum is in, so he's often seen pottering about too. Frida drops in to sign things for fans when she is in Stockholm. The only one who rarely gets to Mono Music is Agnetha, which is fair enough, she was never into the 'fame' side of things (and had a few unfortunate experiences with fans). I don't think she signs anymore either.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭q2xv9rjei4awgb


    spurious wrote: »
    If you do get to Stockholm, take the ferry from the Museum over to Mono Music on Skeppsholmen. If Benny's there and not busy, he will come chat/take photos etc. He has really mellowed in his older years.

    Bjorn owns the hotel the Museum is in, so he's often seen pottering about too. Frida drops in to sign things for fans when she is in Stockholm. The only one who rarely gets to Mono Music is Agnetha, which is fair enough, she was never into the 'fame' side of things (and had a few unfortunate experiences with fans). I don't think she signs anymore either.

    Wrote to her a few years ago. Don't ask why.

    But, got a letter back recently, with her signature and a signed photo of ABBA (obviously not from recent times)

    My story must have related to her ;)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    spurious wrote: »
    If you do get to Stockholm, take the ferry from the Museum over to Mono Music on Skeppsholmen. If Benny's there and not busy, he will come chat/take photos etc. He has really mellowed in his older years.

    Bjorn owns the hotel the Museum is in, so he's often seen pottering about too. Frida drops in to sign things for fans when she is in Stockholm. The only one who rarely gets to Mono Music is Agnetha, which is fair enough, she was never into the 'fame' side of things (and had a few unfortunate experiences with fans). I don't think she signs anymore either.

    Thanks, I'm making imaginary schedules etc constantly! I saw that the POP Hotel had opened and thought about staying there maybe, it seems like a cool hotel away from the main city centre bustle.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,315 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    That sounds amazing - someone said that Frida wore a Dublin/Irish jersey at the show during Why Did It Have To Be Me?, did that happen? I'm beyond jealous of your experience, and the light-up ABBA sign will always be cool!

    Sorry, just saw this. Yes she did. In every city they played, she wore a local sports shirt.

    A friend of mine didn't have a ticket, but had heard they were staying in the Gresham, so went and stood outside for hours, hoping to catch them on their way to the RDS.

    Eventually, they came out, swept past the awaiting clump of fans and into their cars and off they drove. My friend took chase along O'Connell Street and caught up with them at lights, waving frantically into the car. Off they went again and again at the next lights he caught up with them, still waving madly, at which stage, Frida leaned forward, looked out the window, smiled and waved at him. His day was worth it.

    He was/is quite a lanky lad, so he must have looked quite funny lolloping along the footpath between the lights, face getting redder all the time.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    spurious wrote: »
    Sorry, just saw this. Yes she did. In every city they played, she wore a local sports shirt.

    A friend of mine didn't have a ticket, but had heard they were staying in the Gresham, so went and stood outside for hours, hoping to catch them on their way to the RDS.

    Eventually, they came out, swept past the awaiting clump of fans and into their cars and off they drove. My friend took chase along O'Connell Street and caught up with them at lights, waving frantically into the car. Off they went again and again at the next lights he caught up with them, still waving madly, at which stage, Frida leaned forward, looked out the window, smiled and waved at him. His day was worth it.

    He was/is quite a lanky lad, so he must have looked quite funny lolloping along the footpath between the lights, face getting redder all the time.

    No problem. Pity she had to wear a Dubs jersey, the green and gold of the Kingdom would've suited much better :D
    I can imagine hordes of people sprinting after a car in O'Connell Street! God, ABBA were (and are) such a force to be reckoned with. It annoys me no end when they're discredited as just some "pop act" when they have one of the most solid, well crafted and perfected discographies of all time. Especially from Arrival on, they became the gold standard for pop music. Without them, we wouldn't have had many of the trends that followed. For example, the Swedish producer Max Martin cites ABBA's music as one of his main reasons for forging a career in the industry. He has produced some of the biggest hits in the world, including countless smashes for Britney, NSYNC, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
    My one gripe is that they never truly "broke" America in their active period. Yes, Dancing Queen went #1 and they had some other moderate successes there, but it pains me that they didn't get the chance to completely dominate the globe simultaneously.
    Oh well, still the second best selling band of all time, and legends.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,489 ✭✭✭Yamanoto


    Totally understand your "proper bands" point, what a load of nonsense people believe

    I've always believed a good song is a good song, regardless of whether the artists performing it were in vogue or not. I think Benny & Bjorn often demonstrated moments of genius on a par with the likes of McCartney & Brian Wilson & though Abba acolytes would consider it sacrilege, I'd have been interested to hear what they'd have done with their material sans Agnetha & Anna-Frid.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,315 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Without the women, I think they would have ended up writing West End musicals, having had a string of hits with various singers around Europe.
    'Kristina fran Duvemala' is a lovely piece of work and 'Chess' has its moments.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2 jacquiabbafan


    Hi all ABBA fans
    Yes i did actually get to see ABBA in the RDS 15th November 1979! It was a brilliant night and I got meet my pen pal Geraldine McEvoy from Athlone. She had set up a petition to get ABBA to come over to Dublin and a big thanks to Geraldine they did!! She met ABBA the next day in the Gresham Hotel and presented them with a silver plate engraved from their Irish fans!! Geraldine very kindly asked me to go along to the Gresham too to meet them but I couldnt, it was due to a very important school exam and I sorely regret it to this day. I remember their first song was Voulez Vous and the atmosphere was absolutely electric!! I wonder if Geraldine is out there somewhere, we lost contact but they were wonderful days and I am now 50!! I was 14 then! Great memories....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭SecretsOfEarth


    Hi all ABBA fans
    Yes i did actually get to see ABBA in the RDS 15th November 1979! It was a brilliant night and I got meet my pen pal Geraldine McEvoy from Athlone. She had set up a petition to get ABBA to come over to Dublin and a big thanks to Geraldine they did!! She met ABBA the next day in the Gresham Hotel and presented them with a silver plate engraved from their Irish fans!! Geraldine very kindly asked me to go along to the Gresham too to meet them but I couldnt, it was due to a very important school exam and I sorely regret it to this day. I remember their first song was Voulez Vous and the atmosphere was absolutely electric!! I wonder if Geraldine is out there somewhere, we lost contact but they were wonderful days and I am now 50!! I was 14 then! Great memories....

    That's such a cool memory!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,288 ✭✭✭mickmackey1


    I think if every song was awarded a mark out of ten, then Abba's 'total' would be higher than any other act. Just one classic after another, how did they do it? Bjorn and Benny were geniuses and what can you say about the girls. The 'uncool' thing has passed away and now they can be appreciated for the superb music-makers they were, magnified by comparison with the rubbishy modern stuff. It seems that their recognition factor is higher among the youth than any of their contemporaries and it wouldn't surprise me if in 100 years they are seen as the high-water mark of popular music. Awesome!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,119 ✭✭✭NewbridgeIR


    Hi all ABBA fans
    Yes i did actually get to see ABBA in the RDS 15th November 1979! It was a brilliant night and I got meet my pen pal Geraldine McEvoy from Athlone. She had set up a petition to get ABBA to come over to Dublin and a big thanks to Geraldine they did!! She met ABBA the next day in the Gresham Hotel and presented them with a silver plate engraved from their Irish fans!! Geraldine very kindly asked me to go along to the Gresham too to meet them but I couldnt, it was due to a very important school exam and I sorely regret it to this day. I remember their first song was Voulez Vous and the atmosphere was absolutely electric!! I wonder if Geraldine is out there somewhere, we lost contact but they were wonderful days and I am now 50!! I was 14 then! Great memories....

    Look at the top comment on this video and the last photo in its slideshow. That might be your friend.



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