About My Blog

I created this blog to help share ABBA information with other fans and to show off my new collection items :)


Please note: Collection item photos are from my own personal collection. These are not stock photos. If you wish to use any of my photos elsewhere, please have the courtesy to ask first - Thank you :)

Friday 16 October 2015

Frida's 70th Birthday 15 November 2015



Have you sent your Birthday message for Frida's 70th Birthday on 15th November ? Time is running out - send your message now !

Also, be sure to make a donation to Frida's charity ‘Frida & Dan Daniell für Kinder’ (‘Frida & Dan Daniell for Children’) as a gift to Frida for her Birthday.

There are 2 ways to send a message and to donate:

1. Frida70

http://www.frida70.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Frida70thbirthday/


2. ABBA Intermezzo International Fan Club

https://www.facebook.com/abbaintermezzo?fref=ts


Frida will be given all Birthday messages - and a list of all donations. What a lovely way to celebrate the 70th Birthday of this amazing & wonderful woman :)

If you just want to send a Birthday message, do it now before it's too late !

3. ABBA The Official Site

http://www.abbasite.com/happy-birthday-frida/

Tuesday 13 October 2015

ABBA's First Australian Number 1 Today in 1975 !

On 13 October 1975, 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' becomes ABBA's very first Australian number 1 hit.

The song was released in Australia and entered the charts on 7 July - beginning a slow climb to the top 10.
The clip for the song was screened nationally in Australia on 3 August 1975 and the song hit the number 1 spot on 13 October where it stayed for 3 weeks. It then stayed in the top 10 for a further month.
It was replaced at the top spot by Mamma Mia :)

The B side was 'Rock Me'.



























A few of the fabulous picture covers for this single from around the world.







Sunday 11 October 2015

ABBA 'Arrival' Released Today In 1976



On the 11th of October 1976, ABBA's new album 'Arrival' was released in Sweden.

'Arrival' was the fourth album by ABBA and was originally released by Polar Records.

Upon its original 1976 release, 'Fernando', released as a single earlier the same year, did not appear on 'Arrival', but it was included on the South African, Australian, and New Zealand versions.

'Arrival' reached number 1 in Australia, Holland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and West Germany and charted in many other countries.

The only country to sell more copies of this album than Australia ( 900,000 copies ) was West Germany, with sales just over 1,000,000.

To date, it is ABBA's most successful album, producing mega hits such as 'Dancing Queen', 'Money Money Money' and 'Knowing Me Knowing You'. Not to mention 'Fernando' in the countries where it was included on the album.
In Australia, only 'The Best Of ABBA' sold more copies.

It even managed to reach the top 20 in the US !













ABBA Perform Waterloo On Eddy Go Round Show 1974 - Rare Unseen Clip !

This performance video was thought to be lost until now !

ABBA performing Waterloo on the Eddy Go Round Show 1974 (in Waterloo costumes - not the usual clip with the girls in Cat dresses)

Thanks to Craptastic70s for sharing this video.

If you cannot view this youtube clip due to restrictions in certain countries, check it out on this facebook link.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/332510913524768/


Thursday 8 October 2015

ABBA's Björn Reveals Plans For Mamma Mia Restaurant Experience



Swedish music icon Björn Ulvaeus revealed details of his upcoming project, Mamma Mia The Party, as he gave the keynote speech at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Gothenburg today (7 October).
The former ABBA member, who has successfully turned the pop foursome, their music and their story into a cultural IP, said his latest project will be an immersive four-hour dining experience in Stockholm.

This follows the success of ABBA The Museum, also in the Swedish capital a project that Ulvaeus spearheaded. It’s a concept that “everyone is doing”, Ulvaeus said, with The Edge from U2 and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones both visiting the ABBA museum and deciding to do something similar.

The new project, Mamma Mia The Party is “dinner entertainment” – a themed restaurant inspired by Mamma Mia! and set in a Greek taverna.

“We are going to treat people to wonderful Mediterranean food and drink in this taverna environment, and we are going to treat them to a real-time story with characters Nikos, the host of the tavern, his wife Christine, his daughter and other characters,” Ulvaeus said.

“Between courses there will be dramatic interludes where the story is played out. There'll be a little conflict, and hopefully a happy ending. Diners are part of the story, if they want to be. If they want to sit back and watch, they can,” he said. “It’s an evening of great fun in the Mamma Mia! world.”

Ulvaeus said the idea of the party experience – which opens at the Tyrol restaurant at Gröna Lund, Sweden, on 16 January 2016 – came from working with the production for so long and witnessing the ongoing excitement of the audience; this was the next step and a way to “have fun with copyrights”.

“When you have copyrights that are charged with positive feelings and joy, it’s only your imagination that’s in the way of further developing those and taking them into other fields,” he said.

Ulvaeus’s ABBA brand currently includes ABBA The Museum – which receives 300,000 visitors per year – and the musical Mamma Mia!, which has grossed US$2bn (€1.78bn, £1.31bn) worldwide and been seen by 60 million people since its premiere in 1999.

The Swedish sensation emphasised the importance of being protective of the ABBA IP, saying he believes the band’s legacy has been preserved by not letting anything “fall into the wrong hands”. Only once, in 1975, did they sell a song for a TV commercial, he said, which they would never do again.

He also said the ABBA museum is investing in a cutting-edge hologram to replace the current attraction, where visitors appear to dance on stage with holographic versions of band members Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

"That’s going to be enhanced so it’s absolutely life-like. You believe you’re standing beside them – it’s like an amusement park attraction. It will be the most fantastic hologram in the world," he said.


 See more at: http://www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/detail.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&CodeID=318456#sthash.3bqOBB8D.dpuf

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Mamma Mia - which ABBA Party !"

From cottage to the Greek taverna - in January it will be premiered at the Tyrol at Grona Lund giant effort "Mamma Mia! The party".

- When you get into this, you get the feeling of stepping into the "Mamma Mia!" - The film, says the director Roine Söderlundh.


55 million people have seen "Mamma Mia!" - The musical around the world and the film of the same title has recorded over five billion.

Whether the "Mamma Mia! The party" will also be a success remains to be seen, but their ambitions are in any case enormous. During the summer, the Tyrol at Grona Lund in Stockholm undergone extensive refurbishment and now the premises barely recognizable.'







Swedish music icon Björn Ulvaeus revealed details of his upcoming project, Mamma Mia The Party, as he gave the keynote speech at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Gothenburg today (7 October).
The former ABBA member, who has successfully turned the pop foursome, their music and their story into a cultural IP, said his latest project will be an immersive four-hour dining experience in Stockholm.

This follows the success of ABBA The Museum, also in the Swedish capital a project that Ulvaeus spearheaded. It’s a concept that “everyone is doing”, Ulvaeus said, with The Edge from U2 and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones both visiting the ABBA museum and deciding to do something similar.

The new project, Mamma Mia The Party is “dinner entertainment” – a themed restaurant inspired by Mamma Mia! and set in a Greek taverna.

“We are going to treat people to wonderful Mediterranean food and drink in this taverna environment, and we are going to treat them to a real-time story with characters Nikos, the host of the tavern, his wife Christine, his daughter and other characters,” Ulvaeus said.

“Between courses there will be dramatic interludes where the story is played out. There'll be a little conflict, and hopefully a happy ending. Diners are part of the story, if they want to be. If they want to sit back and watch, they can,” he said. “It’s an evening of great fun in the Mamma Mia! world.”

Ulvaeus said the idea of the party experience – which opens at the Tyrol restaurant at Gröna Lund, Sweden, on 16 January 2016 – came from working with the production for so long and witnessing the ongoing excitement of the audience; this was the next step and a way to “have fun with copyrights”.

“When you have copyrights that are charged with positive feelings and joy, it’s only your imagination that’s in the way of further developing those and taking them into other fields,” he said.

Ulvaeus’s ABBA brand currently includes ABBA The Museum – which receives 300,000 visitors per year – and the musical Mamma Mia!, which has grossed US$2bn (€1.78bn, £1.31bn) worldwide and been seen by 60 million people since its premiere in 1999.

The Swedish sensation emphasised the importance of being protective of the ABBA IP, saying he believes the band’s legacy has been preserved by not letting anything “fall into the wrong hands”. Only once, in 1975, did they sell a song for a TV commercial, he said, which they would never do again.

He also said the ABBA museum is investing in a cutting-edge hologram to replace the current attraction, where visitors appear to dance on stage with holographic versions of band members Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

"That’s going to be enhanced so it’s absolutely life-like. You believe you’re standing beside them – it’s like an amusement park attraction. It will be the most fantastic hologram in the world," he said. - See more at: http://www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/detail.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&CodeID=318456#sthash.3bqOBB8D.dpuf
Swedish music icon Björn Ulvaeus revealed details of his upcoming project, Mamma Mia The Party, as he gave the keynote speech at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Gothenburg today (7 October).
The former ABBA member, who has successfully turned the pop foursome, their music and their story into a cultural IP, said his latest project will be an immersive four-hour dining experience in Stockholm.

This follows the success of ABBA The Museum, also in the Swedish capital a project that Ulvaeus spearheaded. It’s a concept that “everyone is doing”, Ulvaeus said, with The Edge from U2 and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones both visiting the ABBA museum and deciding to do something similar.

The new project, Mamma Mia The Party is “dinner entertainment” – a themed restaurant inspired by Mamma Mia! and set in a Greek taverna.

“We are going to treat people to wonderful Mediterranean food and drink in this taverna environment, and we are going to treat them to a real-time story with characters Nikos, the host of the tavern, his wife Christine, his daughter and other characters,” Ulvaeus said.

“Between courses there will be dramatic interludes where the story is played out. There'll be a little conflict, and hopefully a happy ending. Diners are part of the story, if they want to be. If they want to sit back and watch, they can,” he said. “It’s an evening of great fun in the Mamma Mia! world.”

Ulvaeus said the idea of the party experience – which opens at the Tyrol restaurant at Gröna Lund, Sweden, on 16 January 2016 – came from working with the production for so long and witnessing the ongoing excitement of the audience; this was the next step and a way to “have fun with copyrights”.

“When you have copyrights that are charged with positive feelings and joy, it’s only your imagination that’s in the way of further developing those and taking them into other fields,” he said.

Ulvaeus’s ABBA brand currently includes ABBA The Museum – which receives 300,000 visitors per year – and the musical Mamma Mia!, which has grossed US$2bn (€1.78bn, £1.31bn) worldwide and been seen by 60 million people since its premiere in 1999.

The Swedish sensation emphasised the importance of being protective of the ABBA IP, saying he believes the band’s legacy has been preserved by not letting anything “fall into the wrong hands”. Only once, in 1975, did they sell a song for a TV commercial, he said, which they would never do again.

He also said the ABBA museum is investing in a cutting-edge hologram to replace the current attraction, where visitors appear to dance on stage with holographic versions of band members Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

"That’s going to be enhanced so it’s absolutely life-like. You believe you’re standing beside them – it’s like an amusement park attraction. It will be the most fantastic hologram in the world," he said. - See more at: http://www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/detail.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&CodeID=318456#sthash.3bqOBB8D.dpuf
Swedish music icon Björn Ulvaeus revealed details of his upcoming project, Mamma Mia The Party, as he gave the keynote speech at the Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in Gothenburg today (7 October).
The former ABBA member, who has successfully turned the pop foursome, their music and their story into a cultural IP, said his latest project will be an immersive four-hour dining experience in Stockholm.

This follows the success of ABBA The Museum, also in the Swedish capital a project that Ulvaeus spearheaded. It’s a concept that “everyone is doing”, Ulvaeus said, with The Edge from U2 and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones both visiting the ABBA museum and deciding to do something similar.

The new project, Mamma Mia The Party is “dinner entertainment” – a themed restaurant inspired by Mamma Mia! and set in a Greek taverna.

“We are going to treat people to wonderful Mediterranean food and drink in this taverna environment, and we are going to treat them to a real-time story with characters Nikos, the host of the tavern, his wife Christine, his daughter and other characters,” Ulvaeus said.

“Between courses there will be dramatic interludes where the story is played out. There'll be a little conflict, and hopefully a happy ending. Diners are part of the story, if they want to be. If they want to sit back and watch, they can,” he said. “It’s an evening of great fun in the Mamma Mia! world.”

Ulvaeus said the idea of the party experience – which opens at the Tyrol restaurant at Gröna Lund, Sweden, on 16 January 2016 – came from working with the production for so long and witnessing the ongoing excitement of the audience; this was the next step and a way to “have fun with copyrights”.

“When you have copyrights that are charged with positive feelings and joy, it’s only your imagination that’s in the way of further developing those and taking them into other fields,” he said.

Ulvaeus’s ABBA brand currently includes ABBA The Museum – which receives 300,000 visitors per year – and the musical Mamma Mia!, which has grossed US$2bn (€1.78bn, £1.31bn) worldwide and been seen by 60 million people since its premiere in 1999.

The Swedish sensation emphasised the importance of being protective of the ABBA IP, saying he believes the band’s legacy has been preserved by not letting anything “fall into the wrong hands”. Only once, in 1975, did they sell a song for a TV commercial, he said, which they would never do again.

He also said the ABBA museum is investing in a cutting-edge hologram to replace the current attraction, where visitors appear to dance on stage with holographic versions of band members Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

"That’s going to be enhanced so it’s absolutely life-like. You believe you’re standing beside them – it’s like an amusement park attraction. It will be the most fantastic hologram in the world," he said. - See more at: http://www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/detail.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&CodeID=318456#sthash.3bqOBB8D.dpuf

New ABBA Collection Items - Various

Some new additions to my ABBA collection:

ABBA Jumper - Australia 1976 - Reg Grundy Productions:


ABBA Cassettes - The Hits, The Hits 2, The Hits 3 - Poland:



The Definitive Collection - Box Set:



2 x 'Weekend' magazines from the UK:




Scania Muller Model Truck - just beautiful !






Greatest Hits LP - Hong Kong:


Wednesday 7 October 2015

ABBA The Museum Presents “ABBA in Japan - The last tour” Exhibition

ABBA The Museum presents special exhibition “ABBA in Japan - The last tour” at Yasuragi !

ABBA The Museum and the Japanese spa and conference hotel Yasuragi are initiating a collaboration, presenting a special exhibition of ABBA’s last tour in Japan. The exhibition is based on the book ABBA The Backstage Stories by Ingmarie Halling. Costumes by ABBA’s costume designer Owe Sandström will also be on display. The exhibition will moreover feature brand new photographs of ABBA The Museum, captured by the keen eye and camera of award-winning photographer Mattias Edwall, who gives us his version of the story of ABBA.

Exhibition advertising in Japan


Ingmarie Halling presents the Exhibition


The Exhibition



ABBA’s last tour was in Japan in 1980, where they performed their final concert to a paying audience in Budokan, Tokyo. No one knew then that a few years later the world-renowned pop group would be taking a pause – never to perform together again. For the Japanese people, this was an unforgettable experience, with long-awaited concerts that had been publicized since 1978 during a promo tour to Tokyo. Ingmarie Halling, today director of ABBA The Museum, participated in the tour the following year, and in the exhibition she shares her experience of being costume manager for the major pop stars.

Ticket from ABBA's last Japan Concert

Replica of ABBA Kimono

“I have very special memories of the tour of Japan, the respectful audience, the food, the culture, the contrasts of a country that is both a pioneer in technology and a preserver of ancient customs. And I will never forget the visit that Frida and I made to an authentic Japanese bath house. ABBA has a special relationship with Japan and vice versa, there’s no doubt about that,” says Ingmarie Halling, Museum Director, ABBA The Museum.

Letter Of Appreciation from Japan


Since opening in 1997, one of Yasuragi’s goals is to lift Japanese culture and highlight the connection between Japan and Sweden. The hotel’s Gallery often features exhibitions that have a connection with Japan, as well as other themes linked to their operations.

“This is a unique collaboration between two of Stockholm’s strongest brands. Being able to work together in the hospitality industry and strengthen Stockholm as a destination is extremely enjoyable. The story of ABBA’s relationship with Japan, and the Japanese tribute to the group is worth telling, and doing so here in our Japanese milieu further enhances the experience. Our guests will be given fresh insight into the key part of our cultural heritage that ABBA represents,” comments Florence Cardell, Marketing and Sales manager at Yasuragi.

Ingmarie with the Japanaese Ambassador Seiji Morimoto


In conjunction with the exhibition, brand new photographs of ABBA The Museum by Mattias Edwall are being shown, titled ABBA The Museum + Mattias Edwall = true!

Photo By Mattias Edwall


Ingmarie Halling says, “With his eye and camera Mattias creates his own chronicle of our museum. And we are proud to show these photographs for the first time at Yasuragi. A keen eye, presence and precision are Mattias’s trademark, it’s like he sees things that others don’t and teaches us to see them.”

An exclusive collection of different products created in collaboration with ABBA’s costume designer Owe Sandström and inspired by the ABBA kimono will be launched on October 6. The collection will be available at Yasuragi and the ABBA The Museum shop.

The exhibition will open on October 6, 2015, inaugurated by the Ambassador of Japan to Sweden, H.E. Mr. Seiji Morimoto, and be on show at Yasuragi in Saltsjö-Boo through April 15, 2016.

Free entrance.

For more information please contact:
Kersti Olophsdotter, Press Contact Yasuragi
kersti.olophsdotter@yasuragi.se Tel: +46 (0) 72-233 05 28

Catarina Falkenhav, Sales & Marketing Director, ABBA The Museum
catarina@abbathemuseum.com
Tel: +46 (0) 73-360 31 17

Saturday 3 October 2015

ABBA Kimonos - Available Now At ABBA The Museum Webshop !



Beautiful new ABBA Kimonos & mugs now available from ABBA The Museum webshop !

Inspired by the iconic ABBA Kimono costumes, these beautiful items are a must for any serious ABBA collection !

http://www.abbathemuseum.com/en/shop-en

The Kimonos cost around $68.00AUD each plus shipping.

The mugs cost around $32.00AUD each plus shipping.

ABBA ended their last tour in Japan in 1980, finishing off with their final concert at Budokan, Tokyo. Little did we know then that a few years later the world famous pop group would take a break - never to perform together again. The tour was an unforgettable experience for the Japanese people who had longed for these concerts since the promotion tour in Tokyo in 1978. To celebrate the Japanese culture the group's costume designer Owe Sandström created a kimono, with flowers from the Swedish flora, for each member of ABBA. The outfits were used during the promotion tour, and today you can see two of the originals on display at ABBA The Museum.

ABBA The Museum are now happy to present an exclusive collection produced together with costume designer Owe Sandström, inspired by the original ABBA kimonos.

The motif decorating the Agnetha cup is the beautiful wild chervil flower (Anthriscus sylvestris).

The motif of the Frida cup is decorated with the sheer little chickweed flower (Stellaria media).





Thursday 1 October 2015

ABBA School Bags - Fake Reproductions - Buyer Beware !

An ebay seller 'hatwe2014' is selling her fake ABBA bags again !

Buyers Beware !

These bags are fake modern reproductions - not original Australian memorabilia.

I have posted about this before - the last time this seller sold 2 bags on ebay. I dealt personally with this seller - she is a liar and a fraud.

Her name is Chenayde Hatwell and she lives in Perth, Western Australia.

As a very serious ABBA fan and collector, I know for a fact that these bags are NOT original Australian merchandise.

Don't be fooled !

Please pass on this information as much as possible. This seller must be stopped !

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/252109712820?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


















The fake bags above - a genuine original below - the differences are very obvious: