The Complete Abba

by Simon Sheridan

All the singles, all the albums, all the tours, all the TV specials and movies... all the ABBA! For four decades ABBA - the combined talents of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad - has been a global music phenomenon, clocking up record sales of over 360 million. Unquestionably one of the most respected and recognisable brands in pop, Scandinavia's all-conquering musical export actually remained together for only ten years but the group's influence resonates as much today as it did in the 1970s. Thanks to the global success of the musical Mamma Mia!, ABBA's hit songs are cherished by millions of new admirers, but it is the original recordings which set the bench-mark for 20th century pop. The beautiful, cascading melodies and unmistakable harmonies of Dancing Queen', SOS', Take a Chance on Me' and The Winner Takes It All' have a unique power to inspire passion and devotion in equal measure. For the very first time The Complete ABBA compiles all of the Swedish supergroup's singles, albums, TV specials, tours and movies. Beginning with their 1972 debut single People Need Love', the book chronicles the band's incredible story right through to Björn and Benny's triumphant Thank You for the Music tribute concert held in London in 2009, and beyond, to 2012, the band's 40th anniversary. This is all the ABBA you'll ever need!

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2009

Reviews

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was a very entertaining read that gave me some interesting insight on the production of ABBA's music and videos, without much about the artists' personal lives. The author could tone down the metaphors a bit, he definitely goes overboard with adjectives and sometimes the pictures he paints is too vivid for a work of non-fiction. He is quick to criticize cheap, overdone ABBA compilations that capitalize on the band's milestones, but the irony is that that is exactly what this book does: claims to be the ultimate and most complete package of information, and capitalizes on the band's 40th anniversary. Aside from that, it is a pretty good and informative book for ABBA fans.

[Bev Kuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book . If you want to go into details Re the ABBAsongs and the famous 4 read this book.

[Riikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about the essentials of ABBA. Lots of information, unfortunately there is no proper index in the book.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. Lots of info inside about all the songs and history behind them.