ABBA announce first new music since 1982

[Various Artist]

Bloody hell:

Pop group ABBA have returned to the studio and recorded their first new music since the 1980s.

The Swedish quartet said the new material was an "unexpected consequence" of their recent decision to put together a "virtual reality" tour.

"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the studio," the band said on Instagram.

"And it was like time stood still."

No release date has been set for the new songs - but one of them, titled I Still Have Faith In You will be premiered in December on a TV special broadcast by the BBC and NBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43924609

[Benjm]

I should imagine that the BBC will spin a full week of Abba overload around the broadcast. Live coverage of Mark Radcliffe and Lauren Laverne shivering on bales of hay at the Skansen.

[Sits]

The game is on again!

[WOM]

Woohoo!

[Stumpy Pepys]

The Swedish quartet said the new material was an "unexpected consequence" of their recent decision to put together a "virtual reality" tour.

Does this mean people have to pay money to watch projections of Abba?

[Janik]

Good god. This was way up on the list of 'never going to happen' events.

[Janik]

Does this mean people have to pay money to watch projections of Abba?

Er, yeah, so it would seem.

How did the Abba avatar idea come about?

We were introduced to an idea by Simon Fuller who is, as you know, an entertainment entrepreneur - [creator of] the format of American Idol and manager of the Spice Girls and so forth.

He came to Stockholm and he presented this idea to us that we could make identical digital copies of ourselves of a certain age and that those copies could then go on tour and they could sing our songs, you know, and lip sync. I've seen this project halfway through and it's already mind-boggling.

What does it actually look like? Does it look like a younger you?

Yes. Real. And they say once it's finished you'll never see that it's not a human being.

I guess, once you've gone for the naked commercialism of that, nothing is off limits.

[hobbes]

I hate Abba.

[Various Artist]

There's a phrase for that...

[Various Artist]

Er, yeah, so it would seem.

How did the Abba avatar idea come about?
We were introduced to an idea by Simon Fuller who is, as you know, an entertainment entrepreneur - [creator of] the format of American Idol and manager of the Spice Girls and so forth.
He came to Stockholm and he presented this idea to us that we could make identical digital copies of ourselves of a certain age and that those copies could then go on tour and they could sing our songs, you know, and lip sync. I've seen this project halfway through and it's already mind-boggling.

What does it actually look like? Does it look like a younger you?
Yes. Real. And they say once it's finished you'll never see that it's not a human being.

I guess, once you've gone for the naked commercialism of that, nothing is off limits.

To be fair, it does go on to say this:

What is the actual format of the tribute show going to be? Is it going to be these Abba-tars all the way though?
No, other people as well. And as for the format I'm not entirely sure what it's going to look like but some sort of tribute show with these Abba-tars for want of a better word as the kind of centrepiece.


So it's not like the 'digital copies' are the be-all and end-all of the shows.

[Satchmo Distel]

Seems very odd without more details. Hard to believe that the two women would want to be subjected to standing on stage and introducing "this is before we lost our looks" avatars, especially as they have spent 35 years building a new life. Never go back should be the motto.

And what are the songs going to be about? The women will be 73 and 68 and the pop form has always been too sexist and ageist to accommodate female performers of that age.

[G-Man]

Nishlord on Facebook: "Don't let this be Frida As A Bird".

[treibeis]

I hate Abba.

You, sir, are a man of good taste.

[Jah Womble]

Okay, so we've now got the gist of all the presentation and gimmickry - are the songs any good? (He asked, not especially optimistically.)

[Hot Pepsi]

I hate Abba.

This is the one strongly held opinion of Hobbes' that I wholeheartedly agree with. They grate on me.

[treibeis]

This is the one strongly held opinion of Hobbes' that I wholeheartedly agree with. They grate on me.

How can you say that? "The judges will decide / The likes of me abide / Spectators of the show / Always staying low" is right up there with anything The Beatles ever wrote.

[Sits]

A lot of it is flawless pop, I don't like the earnest theatrical ones either. But Chiquitita came on the other day, sensational song. They made a Eurovision style oompah number sound great. Those multi layered harmonies....

[G-Man]

I can understand somebody saying that they don't enjoy ABBA's music, but when it comes to the hits, one has to acknowledge that they are mostly very well-crafted, well-arranged and well-performed songs. And those four people seem to be really good sorts: down to earth, socially conscious, balanced, principled and invariably kind in public. Neil Kulkarni wouldn't just take their sandwiches; he'd employ them as his caterers. What is there to hate?

[Jah Womble]

I've never been a massive fan, but generally concur with what G-Man is saying.

Name of the Game remains a genuine 'moment', however.

[hobbes]

They're incredibly well crafted songs. I don't dispute the talent involved.
But every single one of their songs gives me a visceral, almost physical reaction of revulsion. The songs actually make me irrationality annoyed.
I'm not even sure what it is that sets my teeth on edge. But set on edge they are.

[imp]

But every single one of their songs gives me a visceral, almost physical reaction of revulsion. The songs actually make me irrationally annoyed.

And yet you love The Cure.

[hobbes]

I know. It's almost like they're completely different bands!

[Various Artist]

Speaking of Madonna, "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" are from the ABBA playbook.

So's "Hung Up". Literally.

[treibeis]

At my father-in-law's funeral in Stockholm, I got talking about music to somebody I may have been related to by marriage. He was a pleasant, self-deprecating chap who looked like he wouldn't say boo to a goose.

At one point, I started taking the piss out of Abba's lyrics. "The gods may throw a dice / Double egg fried rice / I have two pet mice / And I have head lice / I don't like The Fall / The winner takes it all", that sort of thing.

As I was wallowing in my own hilarity, I glanced at my maybe-relative. Suddenly, he was all narrow eyes, rolled-up sleeves and clenched fists. "As soon as I set eyes on you", he hissed, "I thought, 'That's a bloke who doesn't know what he's on about.'"

If it hadn't been my father-in-law's funeral, I reckon he'd have gladly, as Abba would have sung, filled me in.

[Jah Womble]

I appreciate that pop songs need a memorable hook, but Abba's over-reliance on repetition put me off them a bit.

Ring Ring
I Do, I Do, I Do
Honey, Honey
Money, Money, Money
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

...and those are just off the top of my head.