Abbott reveals love for ABBA

SensitiveTony after all ...

Abbott reveals love for ABBA

We already knew that Tony Abbott was a big fan of Glen Campbell’s ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ but now the Opposition leader has revealed his affection for ABBA.

In an interview with “Bridge and Lemo” on Melbourne’s Gold 104.3 this morning, Abbott requested the Swedish popstar’s 1977 hit ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. Proving his credentials as a ladies man #SensitiveTony said that the song reminded him of his “misspent youth” at university, and that it was always a winner with the fairer sex: “Look, ABBA was one of those standbys of one’s uni days; and it was always one way of getting the party going, and the girls all loved ABBA.” Those seminary parties must have been pretty wild.

The interview comes only a few weeks after he was publicly smacked down by children’s entertainer Peter Combe for his refusal to submit to scrutiny by any serious media. In a post on his Facebook page Combe blasted the Liberal leader for refusing to be interviewed by Lateline and The 7.30 Report. “Imagine if someone wanted to be the Prime Minister of Britain but refused to do ANY interviews on the BBC,” the ‘Juicy Juicy Green Grass’ singer rallied.

Clearly Combe’s words hit a chord with Abbott who submitted himself to the weighty scrutiny of “Bridge and Lemo”, discussing the NBN, asylum seekers and the colour of his tie. Asked if he would make a return appearance on the show “when he is Prime Minister”, Abbott enthusiastically agreed. Seems The ABC’s Leigh Sales will be waiting a little bit longer for that interview, then.

ABBA lives on in tribute show 

MANILA, Philippines - Although the four ABBA stars have gone on their separate ways, the magical songs that made the singing group one of the world’s best-selling recording artists ever with over 370 million albums and singles sold since 1972 continue to reverberate through a variety of tribute shows.
There are over 10 ABBA tribute shows touring all over the world to huge audiences eager to relive the golden era of Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus. The first ABBA tribute show emerged in 1988 and the popularity of the group’s songs spawned the musical Mamma Mia! in 1999, later made into a movie in 2008. The tribute acts include Hungary’s ABBA Feeling, Holland’s ABBASupertroupers, Sweden’s ABBA Teens, the US’ Abacadabra, Australia’s BABBA, Bjorn Again, GABBA, Ireland’s Abbaesque and the UK’s Abbamania.
Nearly 20 years after ABBA disbanded in 1982, the group was offered a $1B fee to do a tour of 100 shows but no amount of money could bring the four together again. The situation was complicated as Ulvaeus and Flatskog were divorced in 1978 and Andersson and Lyngstad split up in 1981. The two married couples were a perfect foursome in ABBA’s heyday but when both marriages ended in divorce, ABBA eventually suffered a similar fate.
Despite ABBA’s permanent state of dissolution, nobody can dispute the continued widespread popularity of the group’s hits. So that today, ABBA tribute shows are in extremely high demand. That’s why Rajan Gidwani’s Redstone Productions and Vic del Rosario’s Viva Live are teaming up to bring over Abbamania for eight shows in the country starting April 20 in Cebu then April 21 in Tacloban, April 24 in Bacolod, April 25 in Manila, April 26 in Cagayan de Oro, April 27 in Davao, April 28 in Puerto Princesa and finally, April 29 in a repeat performance in Manila.
Both Manila shows will be at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World. Gidwani said only one Manila show was in the original itinerary but because of ticket demand, a second will be held.
Abbamania was formed in 1998 and is recognized as one of the most authentic ABBA tribute shows in the world. In 2002, the act played for 18 weeks at the Strand Theatre in London, reliving the ABBA phenomenon to sold-out audiences. That same year, it went on stage at the Deutsches Theatre in Munich for 21 sell-outs. Other tour highlights were a 24-show gig at the Schiller Theatre in Berlin, a crowd of 10,000 at the Cologne Arena and an appearance in a TV special viewed by over 11 million people throughout Europe. Abbamania has brought music lovers to their feet in Australia, Denmark, Mexico, Switzerland, Tahiti, Austria, Sweden, Russia, France, Luxembourg and Venezuela.

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The Philippine tour will feature Ross Taberner as Bjorn, Nyree Burt as Anni-Frid or Frida, Steven Henry Scott as Benny and Ewa Scott as Agnetha. They will be backed up by vocalists Maireed Susan McBride and Elaine Gray, bass guitarist Scott Robertson Clark and drummer Scott (Reverend of
Ewa Scott is a Polish-born, classically-trained vocalist who was mentored by coach Wanda Kaluzna. A vocal tutor herself, Scott has studied piano and violin. She joined the Warsaw Big Band conducted by Stanislaw Fijalkowski before doing extensive singing engagements in Europe and the Middle East. Scott is often contracted for session work in the UK and Poland.
Burt began performing with Abbamania in 2004 and has sung in a Celine Dion tribute show. Taberner doubles as Abbamania’s lead guitarist and is a music degree-holder. When not performing, he teaches guitar and drums and writes music reviews for Scottish magazines.
Gray has appeared in several musicals as Julie in Carousel, Princess Tai Lu in Aladdin and the mistress in Evita. Burrell has 20 years of drumming experience from marching snare training. A session musician, he has performed in sold-out concerts with Abbamania in Europe.
Abbamania’s set list is split into two halves of 12 songs each. The complete repertoire, in sequence, is as follows Voulez Vouz; Chiquitita; I Have A Dream; Honey Honey; I Do, I Do; Name of the Game; Does Your Mother Know; Gimme, Gimme; One of Us; Knowing Me, Knowing You; Mamma Mia!; Thank You for the Music; Fernando; Dancing Queen; Ring Ring; Take A Chance; SOS; Saturday; Money Money; Lay All Your Love; Super Trouper; The Winner Takes It All; Waterloo and a medley of hits.
Abbamania has received rave reviews from its outstanding act. Sky News said, “Close your eyes and it could have been ABBA — even better than the originals in the live arena.” BBC-Nottingham said, “Completely infectious! For a good night out, even if you are not a die-hard fan, this was good innocent fun for all the family.” Whatonstage.com said, “Brilliant! Anyone who can sit through this without participating needs an undertaker.” Torquay Herald wrote, “I was impressed with the quality of the singing which was about as sound-alike as you could get and with the carefully-copied dance routines and costumes. I was amazed at the number of 20-somethings, mostly women, clapping along and even dancing in the aisles.”
From the tenor of the reviews, it looks like Abbamania is a can’t-miss proposition. Redstone and Viva Live will revive ABBA in a series of live shows that should be fun for young and old alike. The Abbamania brigade is flying in directly from Glasgow to engage Filipino fans in eight unforgettable shows of immortal music.

 

Mamma mia, here we go again as Abba fever

Mamma mia, here we go again as Abba fever is the name of the game

You don’t often see huge, permanent, stand-alone museums dedicated to popular culture, but the usual rules don’t apply to one particular Swedish pop machine. This May Abba: The Museum will open its doors in Stockholm; one million people are expected to visit during its first year in operation.

It's going to be Abba-tastic all during May. Agnetha Faltskog (eternally known as “the blonde one”) will release her first solo album in a decade (and very good it reportedly is too). Stockholm- based Spotify, meanwhile is entering into a big partnership with Abba to mark the museum’s opening and may well use the occasion to officially roll out its new player.

With all four band members fully behind the venture and set to attend the opening night and perhaps even play together for the first time in decades, it’s expected that Abba: Gold (one of the bestselling albums of all time) will be back at the top of the charts once again.

Abba have already sold more than 400 million albums worldwide. More than 50 million people have seen the stage show Mamma Mia! ; the film version is the most successful musical film of all time.

The truth is that, contrary to appearances, Abba were never a pop band. Musicologists have long tried to break their code, but the analysis is usually fruitless as the band music defies the conventions of pop composition. The intro to the song Mamma Mia changes its rhythm on the wrong beat (most producers would have got them to do it again) and on Money, Money, Money one of the bars is in a very weird 9/16 time – which really shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

The consensus seems to be that while most pop music runs away from anything with a classical music feel, Abba’s work has deep classical music structures that go unnoticed because of the “chirpiness” of the melody lines. A song such as Lay All Your Love on Me is much more intricate and loaded with musical surprises than you would think. Lyrically, because English wasn’t their first language, Abba got away with beautiful murder. “You can deny it” was rhymed with “oh so quiet”, and they even got a rhyme out of “Glasgow” on Super Trouper .

But Abba were all about the performance too, and the museum (which is in a very beautiful part of Stockholm) reflects this. The band didn’t want any of the usual labels- on-glass-cabinets nonsense. Yes, they may be rebuilding the cottage on Viggso island (which was Abba Central, basically) within the museum, but most attention come May will be on the museum feature that allows you to virtually don Abba stage gear (sparkly dresses, flared trousers etc) and join a life- size hologram of the band for a song and a dance.

 

Abba tribute come to UAE

Dancing Queens and Gulfi Sheiks: Abba tribute come to UAE

The UAE just can’t get enough of Abba.

Bjorn Again, the tribute to the 1970s Swedish pop stars, are back in Abu Dhabi next month for a concert.

They’ll play at Adnec on October 19, following a well-received performance there last autumn.

Fans can expect to hear covers including Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Dancing Queen, and Voulez-Vous during the 90-minute performance.

Tickets start from Dh80 (standard) to Dh475 (VIP, including hall balcony seating, snacks, and table service).

Hotel packages for two persons at Hyatt Capital Gate, Aloft Abu Dhabi, Capital Centre and Premier Capital Centre Hotels start from Dh610. Aloft Abu Dhabi will host a classic hits after party with DJ Tim Cheddar.

Going from Abba to The Carpenters

Going from Abba to The Carpenters was best decision I made!

It is an experience that has taken her to Russia and Norway this year alone, with further dates planned in Barbados and Antigua.
Laurie said: "It has been a success beyond anything we could have dreamed about.
"I never thought it was something that would go international."
Laurie, together with singer Jason Scott, recreates the look and sound of the American brother and sister act, Karen and Richard Carpenter.
During the 1970s this shiny-haired Californian duo bestrode popular music – shifting some 100 million records.
Laurie said: "I have always loved The Carpenters, one of the first songs I remember was Close To You.
"I remember singing along and thinking 'I can do this' – I could get that range when I was a child and, as I got older, my voice matured, so it becomes a lot easier.
"The music is so beautiful that I never get bored of it."
Laurie was formerly in an Abba tribute band that was based in London.
Tiring of the regular journeys to the capital for rehearsals, she opted to follow her first musical love instead.
Recruiting Jason, a musical director and freelance lecturer, as her "Richard", the pair, backed by a four-piece band, have spent four months rehearsing for their current British tour.
"The music is not easy to emulate as it is so intricate," she said. "But we have worked really hard. It took us six months to record the backing vocals for this tour and we spent four months rehearsing in a church hall in Leeds."
Alongside the look of the era – Laurie has tracked down authentic Californian dresses from the 1970s as her stage wear – there is also a dedication to the songs.
When creating the music for the show, every note, from the smallest percussion part to the complexity of the backing vocals, have been transcribed.
The sweat has paid off. In 2010, they performed in China to devoted fans who were, Laurie says, "word perfect" on the songs.
A tour of major Chinese cities is planned for next year, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Laurie said: "We look to do an honest interpretation.
"It has been very well received but there will only ever be one Karen Carpenter."
Part of their show, which includes The Carpenters' best-known hits, is the rarely performed rock'n'roll medley from the album Now & Then.
"When you think of The Carpenters, you think of a relaxed style of music but we wanted to show it was not just that," Laurie said.
"They were very versatile and this was showing to people the music they had grown up with and loved."
As the projects continue to mount up she does admit to some tiredness.
"I feel a bit frazzled sometimes," she said. "But it is all good."

 

The sincerest form of ABBA flattery

Waterloo looks like ABBA, sounds like ABBA and since the real ABBA no longer performs, this tribute act to the iconic Swedish disco rock band bills itself as "the closest to ABBA you'll ever get."
"We know there are other tribute bands," publicist Matt Valenti said. "We certainly think they're the best one."
If you're wondering why or how a tribute band can play the 6,500-capacity nTelos Wireless Pavilion, this Friday night, consider this; Waterloo has sold out the 15,000-seat Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, attracted 20,000 fans to Highland Park in Chicago and played for more than 11,000 people in Brooklyn.
Not bad for a facsimile.
Waterloo plays all the familiar songs - such as "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Take a Chance on Me," "Fernando" and, naturally, its namesake "Waterloo." And just in case you need more authenticity, a few original ABBA drummers, saxophonists or bass players always join the tour.
"We make it sound as close to ABBA as possible," said Christian Fast, Waterloo's lead guitarist and bandleader. "People can expect a set that takes them back. They'll get all the hits, the songs people know. That's what people want to hear."
ABBA and its popular blend of pop, rock and disco formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 with singers Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Thanks to its stable of aforementioned hits, the group became a worldwide pop music sensation. But relationship friction in each of the group's two married couples contributed to its long, and current, absence from the pop world.
After ABBA's last performance in 1982, tribute bands began springing up everywhere - in the United Kingdom alone, there are at least 40.
But none is the same as a Swedish tribute band, says Fast. Waterloo was founded in Stockholm in 1996, and since has performed more than 1,000 shows in more than 20 countries. Last year, Waterloo performed 35 concerts in the United States - about half of the shows the band does in a year. The current U.S. tour includes five locations on the East Coast, including Friday's gig at the nTelos Pavilion.
Despite singers that sound just like ABBA, the '70s-style hairdos and costumes replicated down to every last gold braid and scarf, Fast admits there are always some people who criticize Waterloo. One of the biggest compliments the band can get is when the doubters come and end up loving the show, he said.
"Just prepare for a great night," Fast said. "You won't be disappointed."

 

'ABBA Gold's' twentieth anniversary

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the phenomenally successful compilation album, “ABBA Gold”, which at over 28 million sold to date, makes it the group’s bestselling album ever. “ABBA Gold” also has the distinction of being one of only three albums in Great Britain to sell five million copies. The triumph of this album is documented in “From ABBA to Mamma Mia! The Official Book” by Anders Hanser and Carl Magnus Palm.
One of the most surprising things about the success of “ABBA Gold” is the fact that it was released ten years after the group’s final recordings together. Although the Swedish foursome never officially announced that they were calling it quits, the book describes how the two couples, who had both divorced by the early eighties, decided to pursue other projects. The two women, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Falkskog, both embarked on solo careers, while Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote songs for the Broadway musical “Chess”. Even after the enormous popularity of “ABBA Gold”, the members of ABBA still refused to reunite; despite what was reportedly a billion dollar offer to go on tour. Ulvaeus says he wants the group to be remembered the way they were at their peak.

A marquee announces the upcoming fall musical 'Mamma Mia' based on the songs of Abba August 22, 2001 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.

As hot as ABBA was during the years when the group was active, they were often panned by critics and not taken seriously by the general public. According to “From ABBA to Mamma Mia”, in the years since the release of “ABBA Gold”, and ABBA-based projects like the Broadway show “Mamma Mia”, critics have been singing a different tune. It is no longer un-cool to be a fan of ABBA. Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have been highly praised for their songwriting skills, especially for their more profound compositions. Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Angetha Faltskog are revered for their amazing voices.
ABBA had many things going for them. The fact that they were Swedish, something that hurt them early on, later served to add to their exotic appeal in other parts of the world. They were two attractive married couples, which enhanced the romantic appeal of most of their songs. They also had a very clever recording engineer, Michael Tretow, who played a major role in giving them a unique sound. And then there was the man they called the fifth member of ABBA, Stig Anderson, a brilliant and devoted manager the likes of which most artists can only dream about. But the biggest reason for ABBA’s success was the high quality and in many cases timelessness of the music itself, which is the reason ABBA continues to be so popular thirty years after they went their separate ways.