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The Visitors - recording sessions
When All Is Said and Done - video & photo sessions
ABBA in Bournemouth, September
The Visitors - press release & BRAVO sessions in Stockholm
Golden Reel Award /Agnetha & Frida on Dutch TV
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Björn married Lena Källesjö on January 5, 1981 in the church in Grythyttan. Only the priest Nils Gustav Sandback had known about the forthcoming wedding since November 1980.
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The bal at the Grand Hotel
The same day Agnetha attended "The 13th day's bal" at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. Swedish TV aired the whole event live. There were about 400 guests invited. Agnetha's daughter Linda was together with her father in Grythyttan that evening.
The first musical event in 1981 that engaged ABBA was a recording session for... the birthday present for Stig who turned 50 on January 25. ABBA recorded a song "Hovas Vittne" (Stig was born in a little town called Hova) with kind of funny text about Stig and made a video at the Berns theatre (go.to/ABBA-related places for more info) in the Waterloo outfits
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January 25, 1981
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ABBA were of course among the guests attending the birthday party in Stig's big house in Stockholm. ABBA arrived at 7 am. Björn and Benny went into Stikkan's villa Ekarnes through the window. Directly after this it was time for the first present for Stikkan - the ballet. Among the dancers there were Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Görel Hanser, Lena Ulvaeus and Lillebil Ankarcrona. They sang songs especially written for Stikkan. The party continued a whole day.
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After February filled with various activities Björn and Benny started the first recording sessions for the new album. The first songs to be recorded were: "When All Is Said And Done", "Slipping Through My Fingers" and "Two For The Price Of One". The work with the new album went very slowly though.
Super Trouper - SP in Japan
The single "Super Trouper" was released in Japan in March 1981. Surprisingly the b-side featured "If It Wasn't for the Nights" from the 1979 album "Voulez-Vous", the choice which is quite difficult to understand. Even more difficult to understand is the fact that the single became a total flop on the Japanese hit chart where it stayed for 2 weeks reaching #93.
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Eurovision Song Contest 1981
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On April 4th, 1981 the 27th edition of Eurovision Song Contest was held in Dublin (Ireland). The Polar Music boss Stig Anderson with his team was on spot and for the second time in the festival's history presented an artist who belong to his record company - Finn Kalvik. Kalvik represented actually his home country Norway but his record contract was signed with Swedish Polar Music. Kalvik recorded his first Polar album "Kom ut kom fram" at the end of 1979. Benny Andersson was producer and Agnetha & Frida were background singers on several songs on this album. The song chosen for Eurovision - "Aldri i livet" - was performed in English under the title "Here In My Heart". Kalvik's song received 0 points and took the last position... The winner was the British group Bucks Fizz. The single with the English version of the song was though released in most European countries and the original Norwegian version was the first track on his second album produced by Benny Andersson and entitled "Natt og dag" (Night and day).
Stig Anderson in Dublin, April 4th
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Super Trouper - the single in Brasil
At the beginning of 1981 a new ABBA single was released by RCA in Brasil. The single contained "Super Trouper" b/w "On And On And On". The cover featured the same picture as on the cover of the "Super Trouper" album and it looked as a little LP. The single remains one of the most rare in the collector world and it reaches very high prices on ebay.
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Dick Cavett meets ABBA - the TV show
American journalist Dick Cavett arrived in Stockholm in April in order to do a TV-Special with the group. The show was divided into two parts. The first one was a talk show where Cavett asked quite silly questions. Anyway Agnetha was talking about her first performance at age 5, Frida tried to teach the American little Swedish (sjuhundrasjuttiosju...= 777), Björn and Benny were talking about the music. A new video "When All Is Said And Done" (recorded first in August) was added when the show was broadcasted in autumn..
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Behind the scene
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The photo session
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Rehearsals
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The second part of the show was a live performance. ABBA sang: Gimme Gimme Gimme mixed with Super Trouper, Two For The Price Of One, On And On And On, Slipping Through My Fingers, Me and I, Knowing Me Knowing You, Summer Night City and Thank You For the Music. Some of the songs from this performance were released on the LP/CD ABBA Live 1986 and in the box Thank You For the Music 1994. Still unavailable on CD are the three last ones.
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The show "Dick Cavett meets ABBA" was broadcasted on Swedish TV in September.
In the studio - May 1981
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ABBA in "Daily Mirror"
One of the first ABBA interviews after Frida and Benny divorce was published by the British newspaper "Daily Mirror". The interview was made by Alan Markfield. Björn, Agnetha, Benny and Frida were interviewed separately and they were talking about their divorces and the future of ABBA. Björn said that he did not see any reason for ABBA to continue. He was still thinking about the kidnapping threads that they received at the end of 1980 as well as the John Lennon murder in December 80. He wanted to live more ordinary life and maybe to start writing for theatre.
Agnetha was described by Alan Markfield as a quiet, alone, blue-eyed angel. Nobody seemed to know that Agnetha smoked lots of cigarettes at that time as well as that she had a lot of phobias which made her life very limited. The divorce was very difficult for her and Björn and she cried when Björn married Lena. Even she thought that ABBA time was over.
Benny seemed to be most nervous of them all at the time of the interview. He smoked a lot of cigarettes during the interview. He said that his divorce from Frida was a horrible thing. One day he came back home and informed Frida that he had met another woman. After the separation Benny and Frida discussed the future of ABBA but they decided to go on and try to continue as a group. He thought though that the ABBA story would be over very soon. "I cannot imagine myself on stage when I am 45."
Frida was talking about a new man in her life. She said that Benny and herself were good friends and it was much easier to work together now. It was not so complicated to separate. We talked and talked and finally we decided how we would do.
Frida's arrival...
On June 11th, Frida arrived in her own helicopter in Lidköping to attend the wedding of her good friends Charlotte Klingspor and Egon Zimmerman.
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The photo session, June 17th, 1981
The first raw features pictures scanned directly from the official promo films from Polar Music Int.
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Frida - the photo gallery
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Benny - Midsummer session
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Björn, Agnetha and Frida participated in some more photo sessions during spring and summer 1981.
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Frida trying to come in...
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Polar Music Studios were closed not only for fans but even for ABBA members sometimes... Here is Frida trying to get in (thanks Maurits for the pics).
Very Best of ABBA - Japan
The double LP compilation "Very Best of ABBA" was released in Japan on July 5, 1981. The album contained 24 tracks including the forthcoming single release from the Super Trouper album: "Lay All Your Love On Me".
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Made in UK |
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Made in West Germany |
Made in France |
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The third single choice from "Super Trouper" was "Lay All Your Love On Me". The single was issued as 12" only which was quite unusual. Surprisingly "Lay All Your Love On Me" became a big summer hit in 1981 in Great Britain where it entered the chart on July 18th. The single stayed on the British chart for 7 weeks reaching #7.
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In West Germany the single was on the chart for 14 weeks and it reached #26. "Lay All Your Love On Me" was #8 in Ireland, #14 in Belgium and #18 in France. "On and On and On" was flip-side of "Lay All Your Love On Me", but in a few countries - incl USA - it was promoted as the A-side.
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Two different shots - these photos were taken in 1980 and used on the 1981 12" release "Lay All Your Love On Me".
At the office
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A Wie ABBA/A van ABBA - Germany, Holland
A new compilation album with ABBA's greatest hits including the latest ones from "Super Trouper" album was released in West Germany and Holland.
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This compilation topped the German and Dutch charts in the summer 1981. ABBA did some TV promotion appearing in front of the big A (see above) and shouting "A wie ABBA"
Slipping Through My Fingers - the single
This single released in a limited edition in Japan and sponsored by Coca-Cola still remains one of the biggest rarities on the ABBA market. This picture disc contained the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" which was one of the first songs recorded for the forthcoming album release "The Visitors".
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Björn in Frankfurt
Björn represented ABBA on the formula 1 race at Hockenheimring near Frankfurt (Main). The race took place on Sunday, 02.08.1981. ABBA sponsored the Swedish driver Slim Borgudd. He wasn`t successful and had to quit because of motor problems. (danke Birthe)
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In the studio
A photo session was arranged in Polar Studios in Stockholm in August 1981. ABBA posed with a new music award from West Germany.
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ABBA in German press - Summer 1981
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The famous ABBA purse - a hard-to-find item.
On August 29 the video "When All Is Said And Done" was filmed. It was not difficult to understand that the song was about Frida's and Benny's divorce. The video was filmed in a studio and on the street outside the studio in Solna and in Stockholm's archipelago. The video featured Björn with beard for the first time. But the beard disappeared two weeks ago when ABBA went to UK (see below). Did it mean that Björn was quite unsure if the new image was good for him?
(go.to/ABBA related places for more info).
Bournemouth, September 12, 1981
On Saturday September 12, ABBA took a private jet from Arlanda in Stockholm and flew to England's sunny South Coast, to Bournemouth. At 4.30 pm the plane landed at Herne airport. ABBA came to attend the CBS Sales Convention Dinner & Cocktail Evening at the "Carlton Hotel" in Bournemouth.
The group looked very well (see pictures below) and the boys wore ties (very untypical unless it's for a photo session). John Spalding (Bocu Music) and Judd Lander (Epic) were hosts for that evening and they tried to keep the presence of ABBA at the conference secret but it was impossible. The press monitored all the arrivals at Herne Airport and found out the arrival of a private plane from Sweden. A photographer was sent and we have today to thank the press for it.
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The cocktail party and the dinner started after 7 pm at the Carlton Hotel. After the dinner and a couple of glass of wine everyone became more relaxed. Björn and Benny met the creator of the Dutch group Start on 45 Jaap Eggermont who recorded a medley of ABBA hits in the summer of 1981. Björn and Benny liked very much that interpretation of ABBA hits, which is probably still the best cover of ABBA hits ever done. Benny talked to Barbara Dickson who would play one of the roles in B & B's musical "Chess" three years later. Agnetha and Frida enjoyed the party drinking champagne and dancing in the disco. The party lasted whole night. Benny got asleep at 2 am but was shaken awake some minutes later but the others in ABBA. They fell asleep at 4.30 am.
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Frida meets the press
In autumn 1981 Frida met the press and a new photo sessions were taken. The singer was interviewed about among others the show series "Lite grand i örat".
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Olivia Newton-John in Stockholm
On September 18th the American pop star Olivia Newton-John came to Stockholm to promote her new album "Physical". The album would be released by Polar Music and a promotional meeting was arranged by Stikkan Anderson in his house Villa Ekarne in Stockholm. Anni-Frid represented ABBA on the dinner at the restaurant "Café Opera" on the same evening.
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The Best of ABBA - the box
The box containing 5 LPs entitled simply "The best of ABBA" was released in Great Britain in the autumn of 1981. More than 70 titles could be find on this edition - all from "Waterloo" to "Lay All Your Love On Me" which was the group's latest chart hit in UK. This release was even available on 3 cassettes.
