ABBA announces comeback album, London show after decades apart

One of the great pop bands. Fantastic songs. They made it look easy.

Lennon praised them. So did McCartney.

Why all the hostility?

Personally, Im interested to see what new songs they come up with.

And one things for sure, they DON’T need the money.

I probably hate dancing queen more than any other song in history and that's saying a lot.

One of the catchiest songs ever written. A pop masterpiece. It’s got pretty much everything - not least getting people up to dance and have a good time. I think it’s one of those songs that’s so familiar it’s easy to lose sight of just how good it is.

Very talented people. Knocked out a series of brilliantly crafted pop records. I’ll give the album a listen.

And one things for sure, they DON’T need the money.

@Helix, spot on!

Let's be clear....

The members of ABBA don't need the money!! And, in fact, they haven't all of these years since their breakup!!

THIS is not about money. Because they were offered A BILLION DOLLARS a few years ago for a reunion tour / album!!

THIS is about an AWESOME group giving it one more go!!

And without AUTOTUNE!!

NO artist / group in the 2020s holds a light to ABBA!!

NONE!!

PERIOD!!

FULL STOP!!

Why all the hostility?

I remember at school we used to sneer at others musical tastes ( U2, the Police, the Jam, Iron Maiden were some of the favourites ) and looked down on the more poppy stuff. Some kids tried to be a bit ‘cooler’ and go for earlier generation prog rock stuff like Genesis, Yes, or King Crimson ( often from older brothers or sisters ).

I think when you get a bit older most grow out of music snobbery and realize that bands like Abba are hugely talented and deserve respect, but some evidently don’t.

It could just be a maturity thing.

Oh, I forgot to mention those who claim to be high level musicians and may try to pick holes in their musical competence.

Even more irritating and useless than music snobs.

Never owned an ABBA album and no desire ever to.

Was not a fan of any sorts - but I didn't dislike them.

What they did do was to create a sound - melodies, tunes - with rhythm and bounce, which exuded all that was POP.

The universality of their songs is proof that they hit a chord with billions of ears.

And their easy, playful lyrics - with a dose of meaningfulness - combined with their presentation finished the package.

And of course they wrote played produced all of their own original material.

Pension funds.

Guess they need to top up their retirement fund.

did you not read the article !?

they turned down a $billion tour offer because they are independently wealthy.

It’s not always about the money

One of the greatest pop groups ever, they produced a seemingly effortless stream of immaculately crafted, hook-laden classics.

Their final album, 1981's The Visitors, is a neglected masterpiece, despite not containing any major hits.

The Stone's songs are just pure rock & roll that have stood the test of time

Pure rock and roll?

I can imagine ‘Miss You’ by the Stones was played in discos in the early 80s. Maybe played after a bit of Donna Summer, Madonna, ABBA or Michael Jackson?

I like ‘Miss You’. Nothing wrong with a bit of disco. Uplifting and fun.

My parents' music and they introduced me to them. Not bad, to be honest, many songs are full of irony and wit. Plus, they really know how to sing and play their instruments without Autotune.

I listened to the new song made public, it's a real Abba song, immediately recognizable, the same way as a Hendrix it a Stones song is immediately recognizable as such (and yes, they're around that level, one of the very few true supergroups out there). You can't say that about most of the modern pop music.

This bashing Abba need a better musical education, IMHO.

The Stone's songs are just pure rock & roll that have stood the test of time. ABBA is umm... Meh and really retro.

By a strange coincidence I listened to Exile On Main Street a few weeks ago, for the first time in donkey's years. I was surprised by the muddy sound and number of murky filler tracks I was happy to skip. Of course, there are some great songs on it but a lot is just the Stones recreating American music from the 1930s to the 1950s in their own style, and not in a particularly interesting way. It sounded really retro, whereas those ABBA hits, recorded just a few years later still sound immediate and fresh.

The Stones updated their sound and made a great album in Some Girls, with the 12" version of Miss You a solid gold classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw8xwvKfRFE

Hall of famers. What more can you say. Even if you don’t care much for their music, you have to admit they’re extremely talented. Great to see them back!

Good luck to them. I don't get all the hate for ABBA. They had some great songs as well as a few forgettable ones, and have been living well off the royalties ever since.

Always liked ABBA, they played catchy tunes, timeless and memorable songs, but like the Beatles they tapped into something that most musicians have not in the caliber. They had amazing arraignments, easy chord progressions that even children could learn and copy, tight harmonies and you cannot really go to any Karaoke bar around the world that doesn’t have an ABBA catalog. The tunes are memorable and timeless, now are they the best band in the world? Depends, music is subjective, but I think when it comes to songwriting after the US and UK, the Swedes can definitely crank out some serious music. Bono even once stated that ABBA was one of his favorite bands and was musically inspired by many of their songs. I listen to a lot of Swedish bands or even the broader Scandinavian music scene is quite interesting. Finland has an amazing hardcore Heavy Metal/Hard Rock music scene. They contributed a lot to the music scene of the 70’s and up to the mid 80’s definitely inspired me as a child back in the day and for a pop band to sell over 150 million records worldwide and being ranked 8th best singles selling artist in the UK and being the first non-English speaking group from a foreign country to achieve that kind of success is definitely an amazing accomplishment.

Here another......

Don't shut me down - Abba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSNSNuaw5N0

Spandex overload....

They obviously do not need the money. They are doing this because they want to. Not everything is about money.

They may win a Granny Award

@Andy, no need to be rude so early morning!

On another note the music of the last 15 years is pretty ordinary. If you want to discover the sad state of music we are currently in just look at the greatest bands in history list. It’s all full of 60s 70s 80s and 90s bands. Very few bands of the last 20 years.

I wonder why there's so much hate for ABBA? I'll admit that as a teen I loved them... my music tastes changed as I got older, but I can quite happily still listen to them.

I'm wondering if there's some sort of anti ABBA sentiment here because they aren't seen as a man's group... A bit camp?

I saw a documentary on Abba a while back. The professional musicians interviewed were in awe of the musical complexity of the tunes. Some folk will hate anything that is popular as a way of appearing superior.

I was a fan first time round. Thank you for the music, Abba. If a CD is released, I'll pre-order it as soon as I can.

They described how they were photographed in leotards to create the avatars for the show called "ABBA Voyage" which will play at a theatre being built close to the presentation venue in east London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

.....

He said the show will feature the group as "digital characters" in 1979 when they were "in their prime". They will look "perfectly real", he said.    

This is pretty creeeepy.

This has just dropped in my mail box from a colleague.....

ABBA - I Still Have Faith In You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAzEY1MfXrQ

I think it one of these new tracks/songs

Will there be a Japan tour?

So I guess Mamma Mia 3 will be coming out sometime next year?

Never liked ABBA in my teens because of Agnetha's soprano voice and the fact that my dad loved them while I loved Uriah Heep and Kiss (which, in a teenage brain, is enough to loathe).

But there are loads of ABBA fans worldwide and why not give them their pleasure?

And I secretly liked at least the lyrics of "Fernando".

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

A-ha, ah

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world

They may win a Granny Award.

ABBA DABBA DOO!!

This was how their earliest fans would greet them as the went on stage.

I don't think it's fair to say they are doing this for the money. The two songs they have released seem very personal. I guess they just want to do what they did so well, what any artist, writer or musician wants to do: produce material that people enjoy and get something positive from. They still have the distinctive ABBA sound, which is great. ABBA don't need to copy a trend. The CDs are on order to go with the rest of my ABBA CDs and vinyl. It's a really nice, positive, unexpected thing to have happened after nearly 20 months scarred by Covid, lockdowns and bans.

Oh dear God. I probably hate dancing queen more than any other song in history and that's saying a lot.

New album? So not just playing greatest hits? Wonder how their music will be received by the new generation. Whatever I think about their brand of early Euro trash, they remain wildly popular at wedding and events and the like

I don't think you can compare the Stones to ABBA. The Stone's songs are just pure rock & roll that have stood the test of time. ABBA is umm... Meh and really retro. But no doubt they were huge and definitely are not doing it for the money.

Who cares? The trigger is always MONEY, no matter what statements or claims they make. They should seriously retire and enjoy giving some of their millions to worthy causes.

Guess they need to top up their retirement fund.

OK boomers. Pad that retirement.

Am I the only one who wonders why they are coming back in any form?

I would rather see Prince.