That figures.... they re handing out degrees like confetti these days !

There is to be a 'New' Global ABBA Compilation in May.

(When it enters the UK Album Chart - W/E 2nd June - it will be 38 Years since ABBA first
entered the UK Album Chart, with 'Waterloo' - in at No.46, on W/E 8th June 1974. It Peaked
at No.28. ABBA did not become a big UK Album Act until 'Greatest Hits' got to No.1, in
1976. The 'ABBA' Album had Peaked at No.13, earlier in 1976. That was released in 1975).

The Cover Photo was originally made for the 'Dancing Queen' Single, in 1976.

http://www.abbasite.com/the-essential-collection/

The Set is to be released in 3 ways:,

A) A 2 CD + DVD Edition (Limited Edition. This will only be available for a certain time)

B) A 2 CD Edition

C) A DVD Edition

(In the UK, The OCC will, combine the Sales of A & B, for Album Chart purposes.
Presumably, that is how it is done by other Countries Chart Compilers, too).

THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION - ABBA (MAY 2012)

What the ABBA Site says about it:,

All the hits and more featured on 2 CDs and 1 DVD.

May 21, 2012 is the release date for The Essential
Collection, a brand new collection of ABBA
hits and other classic tracks. The release will come
in three different configurations: a double-CD,
a DVD, and a Limited Edition package featuring the
two CDs, the DVD and an illustrated 28-page
booklet. The DVD features all official ABBA promo
clips in remastered form, including two previously
unreleased videos: ‘Conociéndome, Conociéndote’ and
‘Gracias por la música’ (Spanish versions
of ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ and ‘Thank You For The
Music’, respectively).

Track listings:

CD 01:

1. People Need Love
2. He Is Your Brother
3. Ring Ring
4. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
5. Waterloo
6. Honey, Honey
7. So Long
8. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
9. SOS
10. Mamma Mia
11.Bang-A-Boomerang
12. Fernando
13. Dancing Queen
14. Money, Money, Money
15. Knowing Me, Knowing You
16. That’s Me
17. The Name Of The Game
18. Take A Chance On Me
19. Eagle
20. One Man, One Woman
21. Thank You For The Music
22. Summer Night City

CD 02:

1. Chiquitita
2. Does Your Mother Know
3. Voulez-Vous
4. Angeleyes
5. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
6. I Have A Dream
7. The Winner Takes It All
8. Super Trouper
9. On And On And On
10. Lay All Your Love On Me
11. Happy New Year
12. One Of Us
13. When All Is Said And Done
14. Head Over Heels
15. The Visitors
16. The Day Before You Came
17. Under Attack

DVD:

1. Waterloo
2. Ring Ring
3. Mamma Mia
4. SOS
5. Bang-A-Boomerang
6. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
7. Fernando
8. Dancing Queen
9. Money, Money, Money
10. Knowing Me, Knowing You
11. That’s Me
12. The Name Of The Game
13. Take A Chance On Me
14. Eagle
15. One Man, One Woman
16. Thank You For The Music
17. Summer Night City
18. Chiquitita
19. Does Your Mother Know
20. Voulez-Vous
21. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
22. On And On And On
23. The Winner Takes It All
24. Super Trouper
25. Happy New Year
26. When All Is Said And Done
27. One Of Us
28. Head Over Heels
29. The Day Before You Came
30. Under Attack
31. Estoy Soñando (I Have A Dream, in Spanish)
32. Conociéndome, Conociéndote (Knowing Me, Knowing You, in Spanish)
33. Gracias Por La Música (Thank You For The Music, in Spanish)
34. Felicidad (Happy New Year, in Spanish)
35. No Hay A Quien Culpar (When all is Said & Done, in Spanish)
36. The Last Video

Its virtually identical to the 'Definitive Collection'.
What is the point of another greatest hits so soon with nothing new to add.

These Compilations are not released for ABBA's 'die hard'
Fans. They are released because each one sells at least
500,000 around the World.

The way Universal look at it, it is the first major Global ABBA
Compilation since 2006, when 'Number Ones' was released.

I realise that 'The Essential Collection' is very similar to
'The Definitive Collection', but it is 10.5 Years since
'The Definitive Collection' was released. (November 2001).

Believe me, the 'Deluxe' versions of ABBA's Studio Albums
make no-where near as much cash, for Universal, as these
ABBA Compilations do. The 'Deluxe' versions sell only to
a few thousand Fans.

In the UK alone, the 2005 '18 Hits' Compilation has sold
over 330,000 - and over a Million in Europe. That is despite
4 of the Tracks being in French, German, Swedish, & Spanish.

That is what Record Companies like to do - make money.
As ABBA Compilations bring the cash in, they will keep on
releasing them. They really are not interested in the ABBA
Fans, who complain, that too many of these ABBA Compilations
are released. They are only interested in making cash.

It is up to Benny & Bjorn, if we can have more 'Unreleased'
stuff, or 'Alternative Versions', of the old Hits - but, Benny
& Bjorn say 'No!'. Universal have no say in that matter.
In 1986, Benny & Bjorn let ABBA's Record Engineer,
(Michael Tretow), Remix, & Extend, both 'Take A Chance On
Me', & 'Lay All Your Love On Me'. However - they refused
to allow them to be released. That is just how it is.

ABBA Fans can either buy, or not buy, 'The Essential Collection'.
It will be released come what may. As will future ABBA
Compilations. No doubt, with Titles like, 'ABBA Treasures',
'ABBA Gems', 'ABBA Jewels', 'ABBA Platinum', 'The Amazing Collection',
'The Incredible Collection', or 'The Indespensable Collection'. ABBA Fans
can either buy them, or ignore them. It won't stop them being released.

The Fans have no say in these matters - and never will do. I realised that
Years ago.....'The Essential Collection' will Chart - in several Countries -
and that is all that Universal care about - selling CD's & DVD's, & making money.

Tim, you fool, I got my degree years ago!

Although there are some things she has readily revealed which I won't like her age for instance! She has admitted being born in 1950, making her 62 but I steadfastly refuse to reveal mine!

Urban myth has it that Agnetha won the Eurovision in Brighton on
her birthday ..... but in fact her birthday was the friday Apl 5th 1974
The contest was on Saturday April 6th
Agnetha had hit 24 back then !

She doesn't look her age, Tim.

Agnetha and Sandra...

worth a look
http://depositfiles.com/files/ee6px53s2

( even Olivia NJ gets a look in ! )

Some of Agnetha's face features have changed compared to when she was a youngish lass. That can only happen because of plastic surgery. I think they've changed anyway.

The 70s was Abba's decade ... it was of course the time of
glam rock... Gary Glitter, Marc Bolan, David Bowie... Abba picked up on all those outrageous costumes

It would have been nice if... over the years of Abba silence.... Benny had been salting the odd song away... songs he wrote that he thought would be great Abba songs...

Then... in secret... the guys and gals had got together and recorded the album... an album they could just release without doing any promo or performing.
It would have been a nice surprise for the army of Abba fans world wide...

But the silence has been so long, I dare say it aint gonna happen... looks like Benny's golden years of songwriting are over.

What has he done since the last Abba album ?
cant say I was that impressed by Chess .

^ benny has done loads since chess, too much to mention. in 2009, he released an album with english lyrics and the promo single had a lot of airplay on radio 2 at the time.

i also heard agnetha, is recording again.

Last time I heard, which is years ago...
Benny and Bjorn were writing a musical about
Swedish people emigrating to America ( yawn )

Those Abba albums were sensational with people
quequeing up to buy them in their millions....

but it all came to a grinding halt.

The Beatles ended in Jan 71 but they went on to make
some very fine individual albums and write very many classic songs... like .... Imagine...

Name a brilliant classic song that Benny has written since the Abba albums........ and Ill go listen to it on U Tube.

that musical debuted in 1995. why not ask these random questions on google? you asked what he had done since abba, i give you one example and now you want a classic song or cant be bothered to listen.

QUOTE
now you want a classic song or cant be bothered to listen.
END QUOTE

jUST one will do

i posted a song earlier on, it was received well by critics and had some radio play. also, susan boyle recorded this for her last album and that song was originally from their other musical.

On first hearing ... it sounds like
a steal from Les Mis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjfmP7h3gBw

well, they are both songs from a musical, but i think the comparison ends there.

I love Abba, their songs are great fun but also deeper than they get credit for. I love the whole Abba image too. The costumes were amazing, and they were just so of their time. I get a real kick out of their videos or listening to an Abba song if I want a bit of a pick-me-up. I enjoy documentaries about them too...genuinely fascinating stuff.

All that said though, I hate the Mamma Mia musical with a passion. Simply awful! Theatre for people who don't actually like theatre...and the movie was an abomination.

I watched about 5 mins of the musical and gave up... did nt even try watching the movie......

I watched a few of the Bjorn Again vids on U Tube, they did a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998.
It looked fantastic and the sound was really good... prob as good as the real thing !
They must have got the green light from Bjorn and Benny or else they could never have performed their songs in public.

Benny must have written... Mama Mia
and Honey Honey in the same week....

I play them on my keyboard and get confused which is which !

`bjorn again` were awful and in no way as good as abba. their fake swedish accents were beyond embarrassing and their shows really weren't that good. i saw `voulez vous` a couple of times and they were a miles better tribute act. they at least studied the original videos and tours incorporating original themes in their shows.

i do agree about `mammia mia`, its a dreadful story and only redeeming feature is of course the music.

Come on ... Ailene from Bjorn Again .. was gorgeous....
almost as gorgeous as the real thing !

they were a dreadful tribute act. the mistake they made was to think they were stars in their own right, when really they should have worked harder on their show.