ABBA - glitter, gold and platform shoes. ABBA are rich as trolls, the most lucrative business in Sweden. That's two statements of our international pop wonder. On these following pages you will see what their ordinary days look like. There is an every day life for ABBA too. An ordinary day, an ordinary week 1978.
FRIDA DANCES
Eight and a half hours a week Frida goes dancing. Organised dancing that is. Jazz ballet. Then she goes out to discos. Often, often, several nights a week.
The dance is, if not all of her life, a big part of her life. And it's a requited love.
- Frida is a fantastic natural talent. She could have been professional. No doubt about it. Says Graham Tainton, ABBA's choreographer and Frida's dance teacher for many years.
Five times a week she dances jazz dance. Three times at the Balettakademin, and three with Graham. He started teaching her even before the ABBA-era. A lonely girl who came to learn some dance moves together with allready big stars such as Laila Westersund and Tommy Blom.
When ABBA was formed, Graham started to give both Frida and Agnetha lessons where the goal was their stage apperances when they performed with ABBA. As the shows became fewer and Agnetha had children, Frida stayed on to keep her dancing up to date.
- She has developed very well. And that has only increased her love for the dancing, says Tainton. And when we sometimes meet out on the town, at some club or something like that, we dance and dance and dance, we can't stop.
She dances with Graham. Not with Benny. Like most musicians he hates dancing.
Eight and a half hours a week Frida goes dancing. Organised dancing that is. Jazz ballet. Then she goes out to discos. Often, often, several nights a week.The dance is, if not all of her life, a big part of her life. And it's a requited love.
- Frida is a fantastic natural talent. She could have been professional. No doubt about it. Says Graham Tainton, ABBA's choreographer and Frida's dance teacher for many years.
Five times a week she dances jazz dance. Three times at the Balettakademin, and three with Graham. He started teaching her even before the ABBA-era. A lonely girl who came to learn some dance moves together with allready big stars such as Laila Westersund and Tommy Blom.
When ABBA was formed, Graham started to give both Frida and Agnetha lessons where the goal was their stage apperances when they performed with ABBA. As the shows became fewer and Agnetha had children, Frida stayed on to keep her dancing up to date.
- She has developed very well. And that has only increased her love for the dancing, says Tainton. And when we sometimes meet out on the town, at some club or something like that, we dance and dance and dance, we can't stop.
She dances with Graham. Not with Benny. Like most musicians he hates dancing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AGNETHA PRACTICES HER SCALES AND GOES FOR A RUN
If you are a pop singer you have to take good care of your voice, thought both Agnetha and Frida. So they made an appointment with singing instructor Inga Sundström. That was two years ago. Now Frida sees her every day and Agnetha two times a week.
- Inga is very important to us, says Agnetha. We have become much more sure of our voices, we feel that we have gained control.
When she is at Inga's she is not allowed to sing pop music. Instead she has to sing scales, romances and every now and then an opera aria. Breathing- and speech techniques are also important things to learn.
- Agnetha has been told that how she shall treat her voice in a more gentle way. I teach her how to relax, and breathing right during the song doesn't stress her voice as much.
Both the girls and I have noticed a tremendous difference now after two years of hard training. They can sing for longer amount of time and they have reached new levels. In their job it's important that you sing "right". Otherwise it could cause damage to your throat.
AGNETHA PRACTICES HER SCALES AND GOES FOR A RUN
If you are a pop singer you have to take good care of your voice, thought both Agnetha and Frida. So they made an appointment with singing instructor Inga Sundström. That was two years ago. Now Frida sees her every day and Agnetha two times a week.- Inga is very important to us, says Agnetha. We have become much more sure of our voices, we feel that we have gained control.
When she is at Inga's she is not allowed to sing pop music. Instead she has to sing scales, romances and every now and then an opera aria. Breathing- and speech techniques are also important things to learn.
- Agnetha has been told that how she shall treat her voice in a more gentle way. I teach her how to relax, and breathing right during the song doesn't stress her voice as much.
Both the girls and I have noticed a tremendous difference now after two years of hard training. They can sing for longer amount of time and they have reached new levels. In their job it's important that you sing "right". Otherwise it could cause damage to your throat.
Agnetha - just like Björn - enjoys to go for a good run in the woods to keep in shape. The pair of them were jogging long before it became so enormously popular as it is and has been for quite some time now. Björn even participated in the runner's competitionLidingöloppet, over 30 km. Agnetha doesn't run that far. She gives her all for 2 km in a fast pace. And afterwards she's quite exhausted. The only good thing about that is that she always beats Björn and arrives home first. So therefore Agnetha is faster, says their daughter Linda with her five year old logics.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BENNY FOCUSES ON THE SERVE
Benny's biggest problem right now is the serve. On the tennis court that is. Apart from that he is gifted in almost every other aspect of tennis, if you ask his coach Madelene Pegel.
- For a beginner - he has only been playing since March - he is verypromising, she says. When he wanted to start taking lessons I explained to him what a demanding sport tennis actually is. Then I tested him. And I saw that he definitely had talent. so I adviced him to keep it up.
Benny had never done any sports earlier in his life. He has just not been interested in it. But with tennis, well, that's something completely different.
- Yes, Benny really gets into the game so it's a joy to be his coach.
- He is very strong and quick. An allround player. The basic moves he already has. Thanks to his strong wrists he gets a real good force in both forehand and backhand. His footwork is good and he reaches the net very quickly.
- The only small problem we are dealing with now is his serve. But I think that's only due to the fact that we haven't practised that as much yet.
Benny tries to fit the tennis in at least once a week. And then he plays opposite Rune Söderqvist (ABBA's Art Director). Benny even talked Frida into starting when he started, so who knows, maybe we will see a double mixed in the future.
BENNY FOCUSES ON THE SERVE
Benny's biggest problem right now is the serve. On the tennis court that is. Apart from that he is gifted in almost every other aspect of tennis, if you ask his coach Madelene Pegel.- For a beginner - he has only been playing since March - he is verypromising, she says. When he wanted to start taking lessons I explained to him what a demanding sport tennis actually is. Then I tested him. And I saw that he definitely had talent. so I adviced him to keep it up.
Benny had never done any sports earlier in his life. He has just not been interested in it. But with tennis, well, that's something completely different.
- Yes, Benny really gets into the game so it's a joy to be his coach.
- He is very strong and quick. An allround player. The basic moves he already has. Thanks to his strong wrists he gets a real good force in both forehand and backhand. His footwork is good and he reaches the net very quickly.
- The only small problem we are dealing with now is his serve. But I think that's only due to the fact that we haven't practised that as much yet.
Benny tries to fit the tennis in at least once a week. And then he plays opposite Rune Söderqvist (ABBA's Art Director). Benny even talked Frida into starting when he started, so who knows, maybe we will see a double mixed in the future.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
...AND THEN THERE WAS THAT ALBUM TO RECORD
Three times a week, 10-12 hours a day, ABBA works with their new album. It's hard work. But it is in the studio the group come alive. And so say all of the people who are allowed in the studio. This is especially true regarding Benny. He lives for the job in the studio - where he gets his chance to play with the music. Benny is a "musikant". And of course, he can play the accordion as well.
The main reason is that demands have increased, both our own and the audience's. And the fact that we have gotten our own recording studio - now we can have all the time we need, says Michael B. Tretow, ABBA's sound technician.
A Christmas release is what the group is hoping for. But they can't guarantee it. When we write this article 4-5 songs are completed. Björn and Benny constantly come up with new ideas. The only song they know for shure is going to be included on the new album is "Summer Night City", ABBA's latest single.
- I think this will be the best record we have ever made, says Michael B. Tretow, and it seems like he means it.
This record will probably be more "straight-a-head" than "The Album", which was released a year ago. On that record a lot of what we had to prove was to "spread our wings", find out how advanced you can be. This time I guess it will more of a happy album.
...AND THEN THERE WAS THAT ALBUM TO RECORD
Three times a week, 10-12 hours a day, ABBA works with their new album. It's hard work. But it is in the studio the group come alive. And so say all of the people who are allowed in the studio. This is especially true regarding Benny. He lives for the job in the studio - where he gets his chance to play with the music. Benny is a "musikant". And of course, he can play the accordion as well.The main reason is that demands have increased, both our own and the audience's. And the fact that we have gotten our own recording studio - now we can have all the time we need, says Michael B. Tretow, ABBA's sound technician.
A Christmas release is what the group is hoping for. But they can't guarantee it. When we write this article 4-5 songs are completed. Björn and Benny constantly come up with new ideas. The only song they know for shure is going to be included on the new album is "Summer Night City", ABBA's latest single.
- I think this will be the best record we have ever made, says Michael B. Tretow, and it seems like he means it.
This record will probably be more "straight-a-head" than "The Album", which was released a year ago. On that record a lot of what we had to prove was to "spread our wings", find out how advanced you can be. This time I guess it will more of a happy album.
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