Benny Andersson Band in London

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to be in London to attend the first London performance of the Benny Andersson Band (aka Benny Anderssons Orkester, aka BAO).

BAB was performing in Hampstead Heath as part of Sweden on Stage, a concert to commemorate Sweden taking over the Presidency of the European Union.

The afternoon featured several Swedish acts (and a couple of non-Swedish acts) leading up to the headline act in the evening.

Seeing Benny Andersson Band on stage is a rare treat. There is nothing fancy, just some “middle aged men”, as Benny described them, who enjoy playing music and playing together. And Benny obviously enjoys it – a beaming smile hardly ever left his face.

BAB’s repertiore is wide and varied, from the Swedish folk styles that the band is famous for, to evergreens, rock and roll, classical music, and even a few ABBA songs – on this evening they performed ‘Hasta Mañana’, ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’, and the concert-closer ‘Why Did It Have To Be Me’.

Benny Andersson Band also has a new CD out now, Story Of A Heart, featuring several instrumentals from their previous Swedish-release CDs plus English-language versions of Swedish vocal tracks and the all-new title track.

For more eyewitness accounts see Benny Andersson Band in London – I was there… | icethesite

CHESS In Concert

REPRISE RECORDS TO RELEASE CHESS IN CONCERT ON DVD, TWO-DISC CD, AND SINGLE-DISC CD ON JUNE 16^TH

JOSH GROBAN AND IDINA MENZEL STAR IN A PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES SPECIAL OF THE REVIVAL OF BRITISH MUSICAL CHESS ON JUNE 17^TH

May 29, 2009, Burbank, CA — PBS’s Great Performances will air the spectacular London concert revival of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ 1986 cult musical Chess, featuring Reprise Records’ Josh Groban and Idina Menzel as Chess in Concert on Wednesday, June 17^th at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Reprise Records will release Chess in Concert as a two-CD set, a single audio CD, and as a stand-alone DVD to retail beginning June 16^th, 2009. In addition, a three-disc Special Edition, which includes the two-CD set plus the DVD, will be available exclusively through Groban’s official website www.joshgroban.com, his official fanclub website www.friendsofjoshgroban.com, and Menzel’s official website: www.idinamenzel.com. This limited-edition version includes music and video from the performance, a full-color booklet with cast photos and a synopsis by composer Tim Rice, sheet music for “Anthem” and “I Know Him So Well,” plus an MP3 download of the two-CD audio content to be delivered on June 16^th.

Groban and Menzel led the cast in this very special 21^st anniversary performance of the British cult musical at London’s Royal Albert Hall in May 2008. The book and lyrics are by Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Lion King) and the music is by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Mamma Mia!). Also featured are the West End Chorus and the City of London Philharmonic with Stephen Disley playing the great organ of the Royal Albert Hall. 

www.joshgroban.com

www.idinamenzel.com

 To view the trailer:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4020141001/?bctid=ref:A10302B00008738924     

Source: Cinemedia Promotions

See also: chess.warnerbrosrecords.com

ABBA the Museum becomes ABBAWORLD

Touring Exhibitions

ABBA THE MUSEUM BECOMES ABBAWORLD

2009-06-02 15:00

The exhibition that will take the legendary Swedish pop group ABBA’s story on a world tour is changing its name from ABBA the Museum to ABBAWORLD.

Magnus Danielsson, president of Touring Exhibitions, the company behind the project, is confident that the new name and the new imagery will be welcomed. “ABBA is a global phenomenon and that is now reflected in both the content of the exhibition and the new name, ABBAWORLD,” he said. “ABBAWORLD will make it possible for fans of all generations and from all over the world to experience the music, memories and magic of ABBA through the innovative use of technology in sound, visuals and communications.”

The website, www.abbaworld.com, will be launched this summer and it will provide visitors with an appetiser for the exhibition.

“The site will make it possible for the audience to plan their visit, to record and play back selected interactive features such as dancing, singing and performing with ABBA, and to share their visit at ABBAWORLD with friends and family in a truly unique way,” said Danielsson. “We are working with some of the most talented people in the business to create a new platform for international, touring exhibitions which integrates seamlessly with the Internet.”

Görel Hanser, spokesperson and business manager of ABBA, commented: “The exhibition ABBAWORLD will ensure that the legacy of ABBA will live on, for old and new generations to experience far into the future.” The ABBAWORLD exhibition will have its world premiere in Europe later this year.

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ABBAWORLD

ABBAWORLD is a unique touring exhibition filled with music, original costumes, history, images, instruments and never-before-displayed memorabilia from the group’s recording and performing heyday. ABBAWORLD is an interactive experience featuring the latest technology in sound, visuals, multimedia and communications. It is the only exhibition of its kind, with memorabilia approved by ABBA. Most of the items have been supplied exclusively by the quartet: Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog.

ABBAWORLD – The Music * The Memories * The Magic

www.abbaworld.com (due September 1)

CORPORATE

Touring Exhibitions (TX) creates exhibition experiences for all audiences and is backed by Polar Music, the company behind ABBA´s original success and part of Universal Music Group, the world´s leading music company; Eventum Exhibitions, one of the leading event companies in Sweden with roots from Live Nation; Parks & Resorts Scandinavia, the largest amusement park company in Sweden; and Synergera Rättighetsförvaltning.

For more information:

www.touringX.com

Dokument

ABBAWORLD
2009-06-02 15:00

An unusual ABBA record #5

Just this week I learned about a CD that was released in Australia in the early 1990s that I’d never heard of before.

ABBA World Tour In Concert is an unofficial CD containing a selection of songs from television performances.

Due to a loophole in Australian copyright law at the time unpublished live recordings could be released without permission of the artist or copyright holder. There were dozens if not hundreds of titles available for a few years. Most contained recordings from concerts taped by an audience member, but there were also some recorded from television performances or concert broadcasts. Most sold for just AU$5 at a time when a regular CD cost $25.

Eventually the loophole was closed and the CDs disappeared from sale overnight. Today they are hard to find and rarely appear for sale second hand.

The CD contained:

1. Waterloo (Top Of The Pops UK 1974)
2. SOS (Seaside Special UK 1975)
3. Mamma Mia (Midnight Special USA 1976)
4. Fernando (Midnight Special USA 1976)
5. Money, Money, Money (ABBA Special Japan 1978)
6. Thank You For The Music (ABBA Special Japan 1978)
7. Why Did It Have To Be Me (ABBA-dabba-doo!! Sweden 1976)
8. Dum Dum Diddle (ABBA-dabba-doo!! Sweden 1976)
9. Dancing Queen (ABBA – The Movie 1977)
10. Knowing Me, Knowing You (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Sweden 1981)
11. Summer Night City (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Sweden 1981)
12. Slipping Through My Fingers (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Sweden 1981)
13. Me And I (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Sweden 1981)
14. Two For The Price Of One (Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Sweden 1981)
15. Does Your Mother Know (ABBA In Switzerland UK 1979)
16. Medley: Dancing Queen/Fernando/Take A Chance On Me (Olivia USA 1978)
Bonus tracks:
17. Waterloo (Seaside Special UK 1975)
18. SOS (ABBA Special Japan 1978)

Thanks to Trudy Wilkie @ ABBA Village for the information and the picture.

Story Of A Heart and the music of Benny Andersson

Just 24 hours ago the new Benny Andersson Band song ‘Story Of A Heart’ had its world premiere on BBC Radio 2.

‘Story Of A Heart’ features music by Benny Andersson and lyrics by Björn Ulvaeus, which has instantly attracted worldwide attention as a new song by the ABBA songwriting team.

The song is now available to listen online and ABBA fans everywhere have been commenting. Many have made comparisons to past B&B productions – that it sounds like ABBA, Gemini, Josefin Nilsson, even a song from Chess.

But in truth of course it sounds like all of those. Or more accurately, ‘Story Of A Heart’ and all the songs by those various acts sound like Benny Andersson songs. Benny has a distinctive style that has asserted itself going right back to ‘Sunny Girl’ by the Hep Stars in 1965. Almost immediately a Benny Andersson composition sounds like a Benny Andersson composition.

And that’s why when Benny still performs today he’s just as likely to play an ABBA hit as one of the folkish tunes he’s written for BAO – to him it’s they’re not ABBA songs or Hep Stars songs or BAO songs, they are all music that he has written.

Listen to ‘Story Of A Heart’ and leave your comments at icethesite.

Vote for the Best ABBA Song Ever

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision Song Contest win with ‘Waterloo’, albeit a month after the anniversary but coinciding with this year’s competition, ABBA The Official Site is poling for the “Best ABBA Song Ever”.

Voting is open now until May 18. All voters are eligible to win ABBA merchandise prizes including a new limited edition ABBA necklace.

Why does Benny restrict his audience?

Fans trying to buy the legal download of the new Benny and Björn song ‘2nd Best To None’ from CDON or Bengans have been frustrated that it is only available to Swedish residents.

It’s happened before that obtaining new material from Benny has been difficult for non-Swedes, despite his obvious international following.

A couple of years ago Benny wrote a tune which was donated to the Red Cross and sold as a mobile phone ringtone. Like the ‘2nd Best To None’ download it was only available to Swedish customers.

When the Swedish production of CHESS was filmed and released on DVD in 2003 the DVD was available to a worldwide audience of ABBA and CHESS fans and musical lovers, but had no subtitles in any language, making it hard for non-Swedish speakers to understand, especially the documentary feature on the second disc.

Apprently ‘2nd Best To None’ will be made available on CD single. And the international CD ‘Story Of A Heart’, with English-language songs and previously released instrumental tracks will be released on 6 July. So it’s not all bad new for those of us outside Sweden.

New Benny and Björn song

A brand new song written by Benny and Björn had its debut today on the newly updated website for Benny’s Hotel Rival in Stockholm.

‘2nd Best To None’ is sung by “The Rivals”, the staff of the Rival Hotel.

With music by Benny and lyrics by Björn the song sounds like a cousin of ABBA’s 1982 recordings ‘I Am The City’, ‘Under Attack’ and ‘You Owe Me One’ with the female choir sound of ‘Klinga mina klockor’ and even a hint of Benny’s infamous birdsong album Fågelsång i Sverige. 

I’m excited that in a little over three weeks I’ll be staying at the Rival and will hopefully be treated “2nd to none”!

See the clip now at rival.se. Keep an eye out for Benny, in the grey jacket towards the back of the crowd on the stage.

‘2nd Best To None’ is available to download at CDON or Bengans (available only to some territories). Word has it that a CD single will be available soon.

More information:
ABBA The Official Site
Mono Music

ABBA World on YouTube and Twitter

The ABBA World network has grown two new features today.

ABBA World now has a YouTube channel featuring ABBA and related videos.

ABBA World is also on Twitter, so you can follow all the latest updates.

Visit the YouTube channel right now for an all new video, when Christopher Patrick, author of the book ABBA Let The Music Speak, appeared on Australia’s Morning Show this week.

ABBA World links updated

As you probably know ABBA World has the internet’s most comprehensive ABBA links section, with every known ABBA or related site ranked and categorised.

Between 11 and 19 April I have rechecked every single link, updating 126 links and removing 248 dead or duplicate links. There have also been some updates with site ranks and comments, plus a few other changes to the links section.

As of today there is a total of 1125 links, with more still to come. So if you’re ever in search of ABBA on the web, there is only one place to go – ABBA World!