Re-forming ABBA

Subject: Re-forming ABBA
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 01:56 PM

News that ABBA are re-forming
Link to BBC news report
prompted me to consider re-worked versions of some of their songs as suitable for seniors.

I'll start the list off

GrandMamma Mia
Pension, pension, pension
Zimmer Queen
Thank you for the - What was it you gave me again?

Any more??
Maybe we can create an album.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 02:20 PM

My Russian grandmother was a reformed ABBA.

Baba.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Roger
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 03:29 PM

Wherestheloo.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Johnny J
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 07:06 PM

Even at the time, some of us misheard the lyrics of Chiquitita as "Take your teeth out"......
;-)

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 27 Aug 21 - 05:42 AM

Sure I can recall driving across France with 'Friday night and the lights are low' bashing out of the car radio but if they re-sang it I wouldn't hear it as I don't listen to those stations now, just Radio 4 of course.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 27 Aug 21 - 08:56 AM

Super Drooper - weren't me who just typed that. Honest, guv!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: robomatic
Date: 27 Aug 21 - 11:28 AM

Eh, Fernando?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Flabbergasted
Date: 28 Aug 21 - 01:05 PM

Re-forming Abba? In God's name, WHY?? Next it'll be Blondie.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Sol
Date: 29 Aug 21 - 08:09 PM

Am I getting this right? It's not really ABBA in the flesh but holograms on stage lip-syncing to the old (and a couple of new) songs?
Not quite an ABBA reunion to me. More like a Abba-scamba?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Aug 21 - 01:26 PM

List of songs recorded by ABBA and
List of unreleased songs recorded by ABBA
A
A Elegy Elegy
Strangel eyes
Almost As Good as New
Dancing Gene
The Day Before You Came
Disillusion (ABBA song)
Does Your Mother Know
Dream World (ABBA song)
E
Eagle (song)
Elaine (song)
F
Fernando Who(song)
G
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme meds! (A Man After Midnight)
H
Head over Heels (ABBA song)
Hey, Hey Whats yer name
Hole in Your Sole
Honey, Honey
I
I Ha a Dream (song)
I Saw It in the Mirror
I Wonder (Departure
I've Been Waiting for You (ABBA song)
If It Wasn't for the Nights
Intermezzo No.
K
The King Has Lost His Teeth
Kisses of Tired
Knowing Me, Knowing You
L
Like an Angel Passing
Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough with viagra)
Lovers (Live a Little Longer)
M
Mamma Pia Zadora
Me and I
Money, Money, Money
N
The Name of the rest home
O
On and On and On and opps
One Man, One Woman
One of Us (ABBA song)
Our Last Summer
P
Put On Your White shorts
R
Ring Ring No answer
S
She's My Kind of Crone
Should I Laugh or Cry
Sitting in the shower
Slipping Through My Fingers
So Long (ABBA song)

T
Take a Glance at Me
Thank You for the Music
That's Me
Two for the Price of One (ABBA song)
U
Under Attack
V
The Visitors (song)
Voulez-Vous (song)
W
Watch Out
The Way Old Friends Do
Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht
What About Livingstone?
When All Is Said and Done
Why Did It Have to Be Me
The Gipper Takes It All
Y
You Owe Me One

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 30 Aug 21 - 02:12 PM

Wow, what a clever person Donuel is.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: BDenz
Date: 30 Aug 21 - 04:15 PM

You guys are cruel. Benny Andersson may have written unforgiveable pop music, but it was well-written for the times. And he's still writing - and what he's writing isn't god-awful.

Still ...

That they're all talking to each other after all these years is astounding. And at least 2 of them (the OTHER couple) are not in the best of health. Swan songs can be nice. Right?

Subject: RE: Quality (?) ABBA Covers?
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Aug 21 - 10:14 PM

Has anyone listened to Cher singing ABBA songs --
believe she released an album of ABBA covers
after starring in
Grandmama Mia or whatever that sequel was called.

The one where Cher plays the mother of
Meryl Streep who is somebody else's mother?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Donuel
Date: 31 Aug 21 - 08:03 AM

ABBA is the only group I know that had a Lebensborn original member.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Sol
Date: 31 Aug 21 - 12:11 PM

Re. BDenz comment.
I really like Abba and delighted to hear that they are releasing new songs. The 'tour' sounds fine but I wouldn't describe stage holograms (if that's what's planned) an 'Abba reunion'. That's my gripe.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: BDenz
Date: 31 Aug 21 - 04:07 PM

Donuel: Apparently many people don't remember that. I suspect there were other groups with Lebensborn along the way, but quite a fuss was made about Frida.

Sol: Agreed. But they are, after all, all in their mid-70s.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Sep 21 - 01:02 PM

As a footnote I feel compelled to say the many music historians here are extraordinary both in scope and true humanity. Compared to classical music historians I have known some 'amateurs' here are a PHd in the classical world.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 03 Sep 21 - 02:32 PM

No-one can be held responsible for who their parents were.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 03 Sep 21 - 03:41 PM

Amen to that, Backwoordsman

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: BDenz
Date: 03 Sep 21 - 07:58 PM

Also amen, Backwoodsman

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 04 Sep 21 - 01:59 AM

Abba.. almost as 'eavy metal as the Osmond's Crazy Horses..

Watch Out

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 04 Sep 21 - 04:02 AM

Next unlikely re-union; Crosby Stills Nash and Young.

Remarkably, they are all still alive.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Sep 21 - 11:30 PM

The article linked to below, warnings fair,
shows a photograph of ABBA exactly as they look today,
tricked out in electronic sensors
so as to produce holograms of themselves.

NPR feature story on ABBA return

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Sep 21 - 04:40 AM

Played their new single in my car this morning - LOUD, and it sounds very good. The magic is still there!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 07 Sep 21 - 06:29 AM

Got our tickets for the ‘ABBA - Voyage’ show at the specially-constructed theatre in London next year. Wedding Anniversary present to each other. Cant wait!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 07 Sep 21 - 09:24 AM

That was me playing the Voyage single !!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 08 Sep 21 - 07:26 PM

I guess my main gripe is that the holographic images are going to be ABBA as they looked in 1979.

C'mon, folks - we all grow older and I think the die-hard ABBA fans can deal with that fact.

The whole thing just seems like one big ripoff, and heaven only knows how much those ticket prices are going to cost so fans can see four prerecorded avatars (or whatever you're supposed to call them) lip-synching to pre-recorded songs.

What's next? Elvis? Jimi Hendrix? Jim Morrison? Janis Joplin? Michael Jackson? Luke Kelly? Jenny Lind? Enrico Caruso?

I could go on an on.

This may be the future staring us right in the face.


Jay

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Sep 21 - 04:03 PM

I was just playing the Jenny Lind polka then read the above!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 09 Sep 21 - 04:15 PM

Abba are one of the very few pop groups that I can remember many of their songs. When you consider how much utter crap there is in the riperty raperty area, Abba are very welcome indeed!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 09 Sep 21 - 04:27 PM

The little I've heard of the 2 new tracks sound too much like musical theatre songs
for my tastes...

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 09 Sep 21 - 04:44 PM

Everybody hears it differently.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Mark Ross
Date: 10 Sep 21 - 12:52 PM

I understand that ABBA will be touring with Elvis Costello. The only question will be Who's On First?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 10 Sep 21 - 05:08 PM

You have REALLY got to see this!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JYyesDdskM

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 10 Sep 21 - 07:40 PM

They should be touring with Abbot and Costello - clowns is clowns

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 02:40 AM

And miserable killjoys is miserable killjoys…

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 04:20 AM

May I suggest medication after watching this. It comes in bottles of straw coloured 70% proof liquid. It might help Barnacle Bill above get his sense of fun back (or not!). Rock on Grannies!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 06:14 AM

What on earth are you on about Nick Dow?????????

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 07:04 AM

Sorry am I going too fast for you?
Forget it. Just having a bit of fun.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Reinhard
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 07:46 AM

That's a brilliant joke by the Grannies, Nick!

There are similar Covid isolation performances on YouTube by Jenn, Sam & Rob (Jenn Butterworth, Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron) taking the piss out of other pop songs.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 08:08 AM

I got it Nick, and I loved it. Even Mrs Backwoodsperson chuckled! ;-)

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 08:28 AM

It's great to see them letting their hair down. (Sorry Cohen). They have all worked so hard over lockdown to keep going as a band, and finally they are playing live again. Anyway I know this thread is about ABBA, so I'll retire from it now, but not before expressing my respect for the ABBA songs. I did my BBC training as a broadcaster at Portland Place broadcasting house, using a couple of ABBA songs in my
final presentation.

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 08:30 AM

Any smug miserable folkies taking the piss out or pop songs can just eff off...!!!

.. however, if they are enjoying celebrating the sheer fun of pop music,
and paying fond tribute to classic pop artists...

Then well done you fun loving folkies.. the more the merrier...!!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 08:34 AM

errrrmmm.. "of" not "or"...

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 08:46 AM

Well I’m a reformed Bluesman/Rocker/Soul-man/Would-be Pop-Idol - reformed, that is, to be a Folkie-Singer/Songwriter during the late 1980s.

As well as a few Traddie numbers, I sing and play many songs written by American, Canadian, and British songwriters, including a few I had a hand in writing myself (and one of which was recorded by a very highly-regarded British Folk-artist). I also occasionally include Smokey Robinson’s ‘Tracks of My Tears’, Deacon Blue’s ‘Dignity’, and one or two other pop-classics to provide some variation in the theme.

I’m hoping I fall into your second category there…? ;-)

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Roger
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 03:26 PM

My only question is why?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 11 Sep 21 - 03:48 PM

My only question is why not?

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 12 Sep 21 - 01:16 PM

I didn't regard the Granny's Attic cover as a joke, more an affectionate tribute with a sense of the ridiculous. Loved it!

A few decades ago, I was in a folk band in Southampton (Watkins Ale).

One year, we were invited to participate in a SCUM (South Coast Urban Musicians) charity concert - ABBArrations... Every band performed one ABBA number, and one from their normal repertoire.

We covered "Money, Money, Money" and took a leaf out of Fairport's book by singing it in French - our lead singer managed a rhyming translation. "D'Argent, D'Argent, D'Argent, tres amusent, dans une monde du riches".

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 12 Sep 21 - 03:59 PM

Sacre bleu!!

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 08:07 AM

The interviews in the following feature story include one with
Agnetha Fältskog for NME

Subject: RE: Re-forming ABBA
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 08:20 AM

If, after that NME excerpt,
you care to find out what Agnetha Fältskog said in its entirety,
this link will take you to Radio Sweden's website
for an English translation of the whole interview,
which was actually in Swedish to start with.
That webpage also has a link to a transcript of the Swedish original.