Björn Ulvaeus is One of a Kind

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Björn Ulvaeus is One of a Kind✨ Tune in @nyhetsmorgon today and enjoy the fantastic interview session between him and @jeppeborjesson at Nikos Taverna Big thank’s to the amazing photographer Felix Larnö

Agentha: "I've retired "

Agnetha in interview with Skavlan - Date 2016


Programmen kommer att innehålla bilder från huvudpersonernas liv och karriärer med inbjudna gäster, överraskningar och samtal kring avgörande händelser i livet. Tanken är att det ska bli fler program och nya gäster har tillfrågats om medverkan. En av önskegästerna, Abba-legendaren Agnetha Fältskog, har dock avböjt.

Agnetha Fältskog tackade nej
– Vi har ju till exempel frågat Agnetha Fältskog, men hon avböjde så fint och sa ”Jag har ju gått i pension”. Det gjorde hon rätt i, gud så skönt, säger Carina Berg till Aftonbladet.


The idea is that there will be more programs and new guests have been asked for participation. However, one of the wishers, the Abba legend Agnetha Fältskog, has declined.
"For example, we have asked Agnetha Fältskog, but she declined so well and said" I've retired ". She was right in that, goodbye, says Carina Berg to Aftonbladet.

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28 NOVEMBER 2018
Carina Berg leder Här är ditt liv – Leif GW gästar
Här är ditt liv är ett av de stora klassiska tv-programmen. Nu återupplivas det med Carina Berg som programledare och gäster som Leif GW Persson och Ewa Fröling.

Leif GW Persson är gäst i här är ditt liv
Leif GW Persson är gäst i Här är ditt liv på Dplay. Foto: Margareta Bloom Sandebäck/Dplay

Formatet till Här är ditt liv importerades till Sverige 1980 från USA där den hette This is your life. Den förste programledaren var Lasse Holmqvist och programmet blev en självklar höjdpunkt i svenska tv-soffor mellan 1980 och 1991. Greppet var tydligt. I Här är ditt liv fick stjärnor som Lill-Babs, Lill Lindfors, Björn Skifs och Jan Malmsjö se sina liv passera revy inför publik. Det var både tillbakablickar i karriären och inbjudna gäster som ofta överraskade.

Här är ditt liv i mellandagarna
Nu återupplivas programmet av med Carina Berg som programledare. Till en början blir det fyra program som kommer att gå upp på Dplay i mellandagarna.


– Det är så otroligt tacksamt och mysigt att få göra ett hyllningsprogram. Det är klart att det här programmet också kommer att innehålla mörker, det är väldigt sällan man går ett helt liv och allt bara löper på som en dans på rosor. Vi kommer att prata om alla delar i de här stjärnornas liv, även de tuffa. Men det är ju ett hyllningsprogram, säger Carina Berg i ett pressmeddelande.

Överraskade men inte generade
De fyra gästerna som kommer att få sina liv genomlysta är kriminologen Leif GW Persson, skådespelaren Ewa Fröling, artisten Pernilla Wahlgren och regissören Felix Herngren.

Programmen kommer att innehålla bilder från huvudpersonernas liv och karriärer med inbjudna gäster, överraskningar och samtal kring avgörande händelser i livet. Tanken är att det ska bli fler program och nya gäster har tillfrågats om medverkan. En av önskegästerna, Abba-legendaren Agnetha Fältskog, har dock avböjt.

Agnetha Fältskog tackade nej
– Vi har ju till exempel frågat Agnetha Fältskog, men hon avböjde så fint och sa ”Jag har ju gått i pension”. Det gjorde hon rätt i, gud så skönt, säger Carina Berg till Aftonbladet.

Carina Berg närmar sig uppdraget med respekt. Meningen är inte att sätta någon av de folkkära profilerna ”på pottan”, som hon uttrycker det.

– Jag har alltid pratat med dem på förhand och sagt att ”När det här är klart ska du inte ha ont i magen, det är vårt gemensamma mål”. De får vara väldigt involverade, och jag tror att det lönar sig, säger Carina Berg.

– De kommer att bli överraskade, men de ska inte bli generade så att de mår dåligt, säger Carina Berg.

Här är ditt liv med Carina Berg har premiär på Dplay i mellandagarna. Programmet förväntas sändas senare i Kanal 5.

Program ur det gamla originalet av Här är ditt liv finns att se på SVT:s Öppet arkiv.


https://www.allas.se/carina-berg-leder-har-ar-ditt-liv-leif-gw-gastar/


*********************************************

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FÖLJ
Carina Berg återupplivar ”Här är ditt liv”
TVons 28 nov 2018
Fröling, Persson, Herngren och Wahlgren. Så heter gästerna när klassiska tittarsuccén "Här är ditt liv" återuppstår.

– Vi har haft tårar som har sprutat som på Lille Skutt, säger nya programledaren Carina Berg.


https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/e1rxjO?refpartner=link_copy_app_share
KOPIERA LÄNK

SVT:s gamla lördagsnöje som dåförtiden leddes av Lasse Holmquist kommer snart tillbaka. Men den här gången på strömningstjänsten Dplay, och med Carina Berg som programledare.

Annars är det mesta sig likt. En känd person gör entré till Stevie Wonder och får sedan sitt liv skärskådat med hjälp av släkt och gamla bekanta.

– Det är en helt fantastisk känsla att få göra ett hyllningsprogram rätt och slätt, och att få grotta ner sig i de här människornas liv från födsel fram till nu. Att verkligen få lära känna dem och gå igenom hela livsgärningen, säger Carina Berg.

Carina Berg. Arkivbild.
FOTO: HENRIK MONTGOMERY/TT
Carina Berg. Arkivbild.
GW "fnissig storebror"
Gästerna vars liv och gärning presenteras den här gången är Ewa Fröling, Leif GW Persson, Felix Herngren och Pernilla Wahlgren.

– Vi har gjort research i tusen år känns det som. Vi har kollat på så mycket klipp, vi har läst så mycket artiklar och ringt folk runt omkring så mycket att de snart måste byta nummer, säger Berg.

Till skillnad från på 1980-talet finns i dag realityserier, en hel uppsjö intervjuprogram där kändisar får berätta om sig själva och inte minst sociala medier. Men Carina Berg tycker att det gamla tv-formatet fortfarande har en unik förmåga att visa tidigare okända sidor hos sina gäster.


– Du lär ju känna en person genom andra på något sätt. Det är det som varit det stora glittret i det här, säger hon.

– Bara att få träffa Leif GW Perssons syster och se hur Leif blir till en fnissig storebror bredvid, och hur de berättar om att han dels har råkat välta henne ur barnvagnen och dels att hon gett igen genom att kasta en stor jäkla sten i hans huvud.

Inga kidnappningar
Men någon kidnappning av huvudpersonerna blir det inte den här gången.

– Det var annorlunda på Lasse Holmqvists tid. En offentlig persons schema såg annorlunda ut och det fanns ett helt annat utbud på tv. Det går inte att förutsätta att man ska kunna knacka Leif på axeln och säga att nu är det dags, säger Carina Berg.

Men såväl intervjuobjekten som tittarna bjuds ändå på några stora överraskningar och tappa hakan-ögonblick, lovar hon.

– Vi har haft tårar som har sprutat som på Lille Skutt när vissa människor gjort entré.

Även annat har fått stryka på foten jämfört med förr. Som det omdiskuterade tilltaget där Barbro "Lill-Babs" Svensson i sitt program 1983 konfronterades med en hel parad av gamla älskare.

”Var ju gräsligt”
Många år senare frågade Carina Berg själv Lill-Babs om händelsen i sitt program "Berg flyttar in" och fick höra att den folkkära artisten faktiskt tagit illa vid sig.

– Det var ju gräsligt. Det var ju “slutshaming” som man ägnade sig åt. Det uttrycket fanns inte då, men det finns nu och det är inget vi tänker hålla på med.

Än så länge är bara fyra program planerade. Men om de går bra blir det sannolikt en fortsättning – och Carina Berg har många drömgäster kvar på listan.

– Hur många som helst! Vi har ju till exempel frågat Agnetha Fältskog, men hon avböjde så fint och sa "jag har ju gått i pension". Det gjorde hon rätt i, gud så skönt.

"Här är ditt liv" får premiär på Dplay i mellandagarna och sänds antagligen också på Kanal 5 framöver.



https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/e1rxjO/carina-berg-aterupplivar-har-ar-ditt-liv

Bjorn in London

september 18, 2018
MAMMA MIA! in London
photo: twitter.com/georg_louise

ABBA project featuring new music has been delayed

ABBA project featuring new music has been delayed

Yes, the ABBA project featuring new music has been delayed but it's not down to us, says Benny Andersson (and the new songs are still on their way!) #ABBA #BennyAndersson pic.twitter.com/dpNWRz23VH

— icethesite (@icethesite) 6 de diciembre de 2018

"We may have come of age, but the song is new"

29 NOV 18
"We may have come of age, but the song is new" - ABBA joins Twitter ahead of new music
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"We may have come of age, but the song is new" - ABBA joins Twitter ahead of new music
Amy McMahon
BY: AMY MCMAHON
A new Twitter account, new songs, and a new-found appreciation for the "brave" Theresa May.

Swedish superstars ABBA have recently joined Twitter. Their first tweet announced their arrival to the social platform and currently have over 10,000 likes.


abbaofficial
✔
@ABBA
We have Arrived to Twitter!🚁 #Arrival #ABBA




13.4K
12:09 PM - Nov 28, 2018
4,233 people are talking about this
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The group have a humble 15.4k following at present, but it is predicted to grow, considering the 44.1k following the ABBA film Mamma Mia and the 34.2k the musical has gained over the years.

The new account comes just in time for the release of the first ABBA music in 35 years. December marks the grand comeback for the four-piece. The announcement was made back in April on Instagram, saying all four members "felt that, after 35 years, it could be fin to join forces again and go into the recording studio."

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Two new songs will be launching in December, one titled 'I Still Have Faith In You'. The new ABBA tracks will broadcast on NBC and BBC in December as a TV special.

ABBA appear to be delighted to be releasing new music, finishing their statement with "We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good."

In other ABBA news, Prime Minister Theresa May has not followed the group on Twitter in a shock turn of events. The Dancing Queen showed her love for ABBA when awkwardly 'dancing' on stage at the Tory party conference.



Björn Ulvaeus responded to the Prime Minister's dancing on The Andrew Marr Show earlier this week. Trying to be as kind as possible, he described her impromptu performance as " brave", and deems the PM as a "lady with not a lot of rhythm in her".

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Björn revealed he was "kind of touched" by the tribute. The operative word being "kind of". As expected, it's not the most glowing review from the musician.





https://www.hotpress.com/music/abba-22763026

Björn Ulvaeus on the latest plans for a new Abba tour

"Every single song was a painstaking labour of love: “There wasn’t anything that we hadn’t worked on for months”





Photographer: Ellen Simone


FELICITY CAPON
NOV 28, 2018
CULTURE


We thought our songs would last a couple of years at most’, the songwriter tells The Week Portfolio
Björn Ulvaeus, one quarter of the pop phenomenon, Abba, is sitting smartly dressed in a light grey suit, ready for breakfast at his hotel in Västervik. It’s a small city in southern Sweden, about a three-hour drive from the capital, Stockholm. A beautiful early morning light streams through the window onto the traditional Swedish spread – smoked fish, cold cuts of meat, fruit, coffee. For one half of the songwriting duo responsible for some of the biggest, best known polished pop hits in history, Ulvaeus is quiet, contemplative and unassuming, but with darting, sparkly eyes behind his glasses.

Sleepy Västervik is where Ulvaeus grew up. “Even though I’ve gone global, I still have roots here,” he says, and it’s a place which hasn’t changed much since his childhood. What’s new however is his chic hotel which sits on the island of Slottsholmen, with water on all sides and vast, endless Swedish skies to gaze at. His daughter Anna from his second marriage, to journalist Lena Källersjö, is the boss. It’s a family-run business, says Ulvaeus, and somewhere he hoped would be, in his words, “a meeting place” for locals and visitors alike. Each suite comes with a record player and a choice of vinyl to play, including of course, Abba, and the restaurant menu features dishes inspired by his travels around the world – bangers and mash, a dish he once ate at The Ivy in London; squid, from his time co-producing the hit musical Mamma Mia! on the Greek island of Skopelos; and a throwback to his Swedish childhood – rosehip ice-cream.



Ulvaeus is relaxed and warm, happy to talk about his childhood spent foraging for mushrooms and berries (he stopped cooking after meeting his present wife because he was too “intimidated” by her cooking) and his favourite place on the planet (“an archipelago just off Stockholm, paddling on a kayak. Nothing beats that. It’s so amazing, and I get that here, too.”) And yet despite this tranquil retreat he has created, Abba is still making headlines, keeping Ulvaeus firmly in the global spotlight.

Earlier this year it was announced that after 35 years, the quartet had recorded new music together. They also announced a tour, for which they would appear as digital avatars, or “Abbatars”, looking the way they did in 1979.

Ulvaeus explains that in order to create these “digital twins”, the band was told to make all sorts of facial expressions; to grimace, to smile, in order to capture every single face muscle.

The project’s been delayed and will now be released at the beginning of next summer, but he explains part of the appeal of a digital, touring band: “No one will have to deal with divas demanding their own private jets,” he jokes. It’s hard to imagine the bandmates as divas – Ulvaeus doesn’t drink, and they all live private lives for the most part. The band members remain on good terms, and Ulvaeus says that he hopes to get the others to visit Västerviksomeday.

It’s difficult to get him to pin down a favourite song from a career which produced catchy, chart-topping hits around the world – including nine UK number ones between 1974 and 1980. “We tried to emulate the Beatles. So to begin with our music was younger, more teenager-orientated, then gradually it became more mature.” As a result, he likes different songs from different periods of the band’s career: S.O.S and Mamma Mia in the early days, then Knowing Me, Knowing You, and finally the poignant The Winner Takes It All – the ultimate breakup song, released shortly after Ulvaeus and fellow bandmate, Agnetha Fältskog, divorced. Every single song was a painstaking labour of love: “There wasn’t anything that we hadn’t worked on for months”, he says.

And yet for all Abba’s success, Ulvaeus remains genuinely surprised. “It’s amazing and I don’t know how it happened. I get asked that a lot, and I really don’t know why it is. We thought our songs would last a couple of years at most. I see these artists come and go, and wonder why people are still listening to Abba. I’m very grateful and humble”, he says. Today he listens to a lot of chart music, and is also a big fan of Beethoven’s symphonies.

Finally, the million dollar question: Who really was the dancing queen? Ulvaeus is thoughtful for a moment. “No one in particular, but I could see this young, blonde woman in my mind, who works very hard during the week, and she really becomes the dancing queen at the end of the week. It’s a celebration of all those young women.”

Top photo by Ellen Simone.

"We've written a new song and recorded that and this will be sung by those digital twins"

He told Marr on the BBC show: "We've written a new song and recorded that and this will be sung by those digital twins.

"It's been delayed. It was supposed to be released this autumn, but (it will) probably be in the beginning of next summer."





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Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus reveals what he thought of Theresa May's 'Dancing Queen' moves
Theresa May went viral back in August when she was filmed busting some moves with school pupils on a trip to South Africa

ByJessica Sansome
15:43, 25 NOV 2018UPDATED15:49, 25 NOV 2018
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Bjorn Ulvaues on The Andrew Marr Show (Image: PA)
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It was the moves that captured the nation's attention earlier this year and now ABBA icon Bjorn Ulvaeus has had his say on the Prime Minister's moves.

Theresa May went viral back in August when she was filmed busting some moves with school pupils on a trip to South Africa.


The 61-year-old was seen throwing some shapes before and after her 12-hour flight to the country where she announced a new scheme, The Chevening Scholarship, which will boost foreign students' education.


Theresa May danced on to stage for her speech at the 2018 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
After pretty much breaking the internet with gifs and memes, in good spirit, Mrs May decided to dance her way onto the stage for her keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference in October.

And the song of choice? None other than the Swedish pop group's hit, Dancing Queen.

Now, ABBA's Bjorn has spoken about the headline moment, describing the country's leader as not having a lot of rhythm.

He told The Andrew Marr Show: "It made the news, even in Sweden. I think she was very brave in doing that.


Bjorn Ulvaeus with host Andrew Marr discussing the Prime Minister's moves (Image: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire)
"It's a lady with not a lot of rhythm in her braving and doing something like that.

"I was kind of touched actually."

The 70s group are set to reunite to make new music ahead of a digital avatar tour.


https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/abbas-bjorn-ulvaeus-reveals-what-15462967
---------------------------------

Abba's Bjorn said he was "touched" by Theresa May's Dancing Queen
But the Swedish star said the Prime Minister doesn't have "a lot of rhythm"
Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus has said he felt “touched” when Theresa May came on stage to Dancing Queen at the Conservative Party conference.

Ulvaeus, who wrote the song for the Swedish band in 1975, said her shimmying to the hit song before her keynote speech made the news in Sweden.

However, speaking on The Andrew Marr show, he added that although he thought she was very brave to do that, he doesn’t think she has much rhythm.

He said: “I saw it, yes I did. It made the news, even in Sweden. I think she was very brave in doing that.

‘Not a lot of rhythm’
“It’s a lady with not a lot of rhythm in her braving and doing something like that. I was kind of touched actually.”

Ulvaeus spoke about Brexit when he appeared on BBC’s The One Show in October.

He said that his response had softened after initially feeling that it was “like a friend not wanting to be a friend anymore.


Björn Ulvaeus on The Andrew Marr Show (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images)
But he added: “But we have come a long way since then and I’ve come to realise that Britain will always be Britain whatever happens.”

Ulvaeus also spoke about Abba’s plans for a comeback, saying they had been pushed back.

They previously announced they were getting back together to make new music ahead of their digital avatar tour.

‘Britain will always be Britain’
“We’ve written a new song and recorded that and this will be sung by those digital twins.”

He added that it had been delayed and explained: “It was supposed to be released this autumn, but (it will) probably be in the beginning of next summer.”

He described the avatars as “like digital twins of ourselves, version 1979 thereabouts”, adding: “The ladies seem to think that they were the finest back then.

“They will be… our cyber twins and they will be able to do anything and sing anything. I’ll be a street dancer if I want to. I couldn’t back then but can now.”

*additional reporting by Press Association
https://inews.co.uk/news/abbas-bjorn-ulvaeus-touched-theresa-may-stage-dancing-queen

The X Factor Benny and Bjorn

ABBA Week on The X Factor
The X Factor Benny and Bjorn 24112018


en Vimeo

Görel Hanser - Benny Andersson Produktion

 Buscando algunas cosas encontre esta nota escrita en sueco... obviamente para poder leerla tengo que recurrir al traductor de google... y leyendo encontré algo muy interesante... por lo menos para mi...

" En Mono Music AB Benny posee el 91% a través de Benny Andersson Produktion AB y Görel Hanser el 9% de las acciones.

Fecha de la nota 1994

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http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/noje/9904/02/abba.html

Benny Andersson y Björn Ulvaeus fueron golpeados por casualidad en un afterest en 1966. Comenzaron a cantar Beatless Songs juntos y después de eso, nació una amistad de por vida. Cuando ABBA se separó en 1982, se convirtió en el comienzo de una nueva carrera para la pareja. Para los musicales "Chess" y "Kristina from Duvemåla", han sido aclamados más que nada durante la era ABBA.

Björn y Benny se conocieron en una fiesta posterior hace 33 años, hoy son mil millones de la industria que ABBA ha agotado, pero no Björn y Benny. El martes se estrena por sus últimos proyectos. Un musical con solo música de ABBA. "Ellos son el mejor compositor", dijo Janne Schaffer. Comenzó en una fiesta después de un concierto. Y terminó con una de las bandas más grandes de Pop History. Björn Ulvaeus y Benny Andersson se conocieron por primera vez cuando Björn y algunos de los otros chicos de la banda Hootenanny Singers.

En junio de 1966, tuvieron que meterse en el bulto. Por casualidad conocieron a Hep Stars, una de las bandas de pop más populares de Suecia, y los invitaron a la fiesta de despedida. La noche terminó con Björn y Benny hicieron un descuento y cantaron canciones de los Beatles.

Después de algunas fiestas más, se fundó una amistad de por vida. Eran Björn y Benny, simplemente.

El 6 de abril de 1999 es hora de coronar una larga carrera juntos. Luego, "Mamma Mia!", Se estrenó la música con música ABBA . Björn Ulvaeus nació en Gotemburgo, pero se mudó a Ästervik a los seis años de edad. Se unió a la banda Westbay Singers en 1964 por casualidad.

"Buscamos un bajista. El que encontramos fue un buen amigo de Björn y se negó a aceptar si Björn también tenía que unirse, dice Hansi Schwarz , uno de los miembros de Westbay Singers. Björn quería tocar el pop. Westbay Singers fue descubierto en 1963 por Stikkan Anderson , director de la compañía discográfica Polar, y cambió su nombre por Hootenanny Singers. Sus personajes populares se hicieron muy populares y canciones exitosas como "Estoy esperando mi viaje" y "El mendigo de Luossa" terminaron en lo alto de las listas. Pero Björn no estaba realmente satisfecho. Quería tocar el pop. Eso hizo Benny Andersson. Fue organista en Hep Stars, la banda de pop más popular de Suecia en los años sesenta.

- Tenía un autobús público de autos y algunas veces solía ayudar a otras bandas con un empujón. Uno de ellos fue Elverkets Spelmanslag. Más tarde, cuando necesitábamos un nuevo organista, recordé a Benny, que era un talento brillante y también encantador en el escenario, dice Svenne Hedlund , cantante de Hep Stars

Al comienzo de la carrera, la mayoría de las canciones de Hep Stars eran covers, pero pronto Benny comenzó a escribir más y más material. Pero el más famoso fue él por su scenshow.

Por un tiempo, tenía un carrito pequeño en el que estaba parado el órgano y mientras caminaba alrededor. Por lo tanto, teníamos muchas plantas de órganos, dice Svenne Hedlund.

Al final se produjo una grieta en Hep Stars. Una de las principales deudas fiscales y la disminución de la popularidad entre la audiencia adolescente fue la razón En 1969 Benny esperaba el grupo. Antes de eso, Björn Ulvaeus había saltado repetidamente como guitarrista en Hep Stars. Björn y Benny también habían comenzado a escribir canciones juntos. Cuando el compañero de Stikkan Anderson murió, Björn ofreció el trabajo. Se negó a menos que a Benny se le permitiera venir también.

Incluso entonces, los dos estaban más centrados en la composición y la producción. Uno de los artistas con los que trabajaron fue Ted Gärdestad . "Inmediatamente noté que estaban bien".

- Tenían una sensación en la punta de los dedos de que era el disparo definitivo. Eran conocidos ", dijo Janne Schaffer , quien tocó la guitarra en los álbumes de Ted y luego en la gira de ABBA.

Al mismo tiempo que producían otros, trabajaron con Stikkan Anderson, "el quinto abban".

Björn conoció a Agnetha en 1969 y se casaron dos años más tarde. Ese mismo año, Benny Frida conoció . La razón de ABBA se hizo. El nombre vino Stikkan un par de años más tarde.

La victoria en la Eurovisión Schlager en Brighton en 1974 fue la base para la conquista del mundo por parte de ABBA. Pronto llegaron a su punto máximo alrededor de Europa y Australia. Pero a los periódicos de su casa en Suecia no les gustaba ABBA.

- Aquí, solo se trataba del pop. ABBA fue perseguido por los medios suecos y usted en Aftonbladet fue lo peor, dice Michael B Tretow , el ingeniero de sonido que fue en gran parte responsable del sonido especial de ABBA.

Fuera del mundo, las percas eran grandes estrellas, el dinero llegaba, pero la vida no siempre era fácil.

"Björn y Benny han cambiado y no. En los últimos años, se han vuelto muy humildes, pero está claro que el éxito está cambiando más de lo que uno quiere creer ", dijo Hansi Schwarz, quien inicialmente trabajó como líder turístico.

Al final, las tensiones en la banda se volvieron demasiado. El final de ABBA llegó en 1982. Pero la pareja Björn y Benny no se separaron. En cambio, se convirtió en el comienzo de una nueva carrera para los dos. Se contactaron con Tim Rice y el "Ajedrez" comenzó a tomar forma. La primavera de 1986 fue el momento de la premier premier en el teatro Prince Edward en Londres. Fue un éxito.

Después de "Chess", Benny lanzó algunos discos en solitario, como "Klaa min klockor", donde Frida participó en el coro. Björn lo tomó con mucha calma. Pero la cooperación continuó. De exclamado a aclamado 1990 llegó la hora nuevamente. Los dos comenzaron a escribir sobre el musical "Kristina from Duvemåla" y en 1995 tuvo el estreno. "Björn estaba tan terriblemente nervioso antes de Kristina de Duvemåla que después no pudo entender todas las mochilas", dijo Hansi Schwarz. Otro éxito para Björn y Benny. Han pasado de ser excomulgados durante los primeros días de ABBA a extremadamente aclamados. Hoy en día los roles están claramente divididos entre ellos. "Nadie está cerca"

- Lo único posible es que él escriba música y yo haga las letras. Pero aun así juntos. Fue muy bien en "Kristina". Ciertamente, a veces tenemos opiniones diferentes, pero deberías tener eso ", dice Björn Ulvaeus.

Y otros están de acuerdo.

- Björn Ulvaeus es un autor maravilloso. Juntos, Björn y Benny nunca se quedan quietos, están en constante evolución, dice Tommy Körberg, quien jugó el papel principal en "Ajedrez". Anders Glenmark , quien Björn y Benny produjeron en Gemini están seguros de su caso. "En Suecia no hay nadie en los alrededores. En realidad, solo había otro compositor que era tan bueno y era Lennon / McCartney

.

Y sin embargo no ha terminado. Según Björn Ulvaeus, no son extraños a un nuevo musical.

"Esta mañana, Benny, yo y Lars Rudolfsson nos sentamos y dijimos que queremos hacer algo nuevo. Sólo se aplica a la búsqueda de una idea, especialmente en nuestra época, uno debe encontrar algo que esté lleno de placer ... de lo contrario, no será posible, dice.

Malin Hendriksen

malin.hendriksen@aftonbladet.se

El imperio empresarial de Björns y Benny, Charlotta Teaterproduktion AB, era propietario del 51% de Benny Andersson Produktion AB y del 49% de Kopparnäset AB. Trabajos con producción musical y teatral. Volumen de negocio:5993 kr. Activos:199 790 kr. B & B Music AB Björn y Benny poseen 50% var. Volumen de negocio:4141 kr. Activos:270.715 kr. Beneficio:2868 kr Kopparnäset Förlags AB Björn Ulvaeus posee todas las acciones. Volumen de negocio:616 666 kr. Activos:717 662 kr. Kopparnäs AB Björn Ulveaus posee todas las acciones.

¿Los últimos años han sido sobre la creación de Kristina de Duvemåla?

Volumen de negocio: 2 162 030 kr.

Activos: 12.191.689 kr.

Benny Andersson Produktion AB

Benny posee todas las acciones.

Volumen de negocio: 15.075 458 kr.

Activos: 49,823 361 kr.

Mono Music AB

Benny posee el 91% a través de Benny Andersson Produktion AB y Görel Hanser el 9% de las acciones.

Trabaja con la producción musical y la publicación musical.

Volumen de negocios: 19 185 601 kr.

Activos: 11.680.698 kr.

Chess Racing AB

Benny Andersson posee todas las acciones a través de Benny Andersson Produktion AB.

La cría de caballos.

volumen de negocios:3.635.956 kr.

Activos: 3 988 794 kr

http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/noje/9904/02/abba.html

---------------------------------

article - Notes -Gorel Hanser -BB

Happy Birthday Frida 2018!!

Bjorn and his daughter

Nov 8, 2018

Benny Andersson: "I was always deeply in love with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach"

instagram dgclassics

I was always deeply in love with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Happy to receive the New Complete Edition Bach 333 and looking forward to exploring the magnificent oeuvre of this great master even further.” Benny Andersson

10 things you probably didn't know about the 'Mamma Mia' movies

NOV 2, 2018, 6:58 PM


“Mamma Mia!” is a franchise built upon ABBA’s fun, catchy tunes. Most people know “Mamma Mia” from the two films starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried (among others!), but this franchise actually started out as a musical based off ABBA’s hit songs.

In fact, this franchise is much more than just a bunch of dancing queens. We rounded up some things you may not know about the series.

This whole franchise started from a serendipitous car ride.
image: https://static.thisisinsider.com/image/5bd70c7548eb12652b2b2ef6-1200.jpg


Craymer started a friendship with the members of ABBA.
Judy Craymer was 25-years-old when she was asked to pick up ABBA pop star Björn Ulvaeus from the airport. According to Vanity Fair, it was that car ride that started a friendship between Craymer, Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. She was the one to pitch them the idea of turning their songs into a stage musical.

When Craymer was telling Vanity Fair about the appeal of ABBA’s songs and the franchise, she said, “‘Mamma Mia!’ Makes people comfortable in their own skin.”


Members of ABBA have made cameos in both films.
In the first “Mamma Mia!” movie, Andersson played the piano on the dock while the cast sang and had a memorable dance number to “Dancing Queen,” while Ulvaeus appeared in the ending credits as a Greek god during the cast’s performance of “Waterloo.”

In “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” Andersson is once again playing the piano, but this time in a restaurant while young Harry is trying to woo young Donna with a performance of “Waterloo.” Ulvaeus has a bit of a different role, this time as a teacher at young Donna’s graduation.

The ‘Super Trouper’ number at the end of the second film was 100% authentic.

The cast said they had a great time filming ‘Super Trooper.’
Screenwriter and director for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” Ol Parker revealed that if the Super Trouper scene at the end looks really fun, it’s because it was. Not much was done in order to pull that dance party together.

“When they’re dancing in ‘Super Trouper,’ that’s all real. We played the song loudly and sent them off to different corners … They just had an absolute hoot. The only problem was the men stuffing things down their spandex trousers, that was the only competition through the whole movie, who could get the most down their pants,” Parker told Awards Daily.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were involved in the second film.
Who knew these two were such fans? According to HuffPost, the couple served as executive producers on the sequel.

Meryl Streep really did the splits in the first film.

Streep said that it was “instinct” that allowed her to do splits in the first film, although she’s not sure she could replicate it now.

“I just did the splits on instinct. That’s what always happens with my acting. As an actor, you’re not allowed to think. I couldn’t do the splits for you right now,” Streep told The Guardian.

Cher wasn’t asked to be Sophie’s grandmother, she was told.

Cher told Sky News that she didn’t have much of a choice when it came to playing Sophie’s grandmother in the highly anticipated sequel. The head of Universal Pictures also used to be her agent, so when he called her to tell her about the part, he hung up before she could say no.

Pierce Brosnan’s family (and housekeeper) wasn’t too keen on his singing voice at first.

In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Brosnan said when he first tried out his vocal cords with his family, even the housekeeper cringed.

“They kept their opinions to themselves for a while, though. They didn’t want me to be discouraged,” said Brosnan.

But, after practicing all the time (and against his children’s will), Brosnan says he got better.

“Now my family seems to think I’m doing all right. But it’s possible they’re being nice. They’re probably still cringing,” said Brosnan.

Many locals were apparently happy to host the cast for the first movie.

Firth said people welcomed them.
In an interview with Popsugar while on tour for the first film, Colin Firth explained that the people of the Greek island Skopelos either welcomed the cast with open arms or completely ignored them.

“Frankly, I think the ABBA factor was the thing that got people excited, and the presence of Pierce and Meryl. I think even if you live on Skopelos and have never seen ‘Mamma Mia!’ You’ll still probably know all the songs. So I think people were really extremely happy,” said Firth.


Lily James said she couldn’t talk for a week in preparation.

James had to give her voice a break.
In an interview with Build Series, James talked about how since she had just come off a press tour for ‘Baby Driver,’ she had to save her voice to prep for the role of young Donna.

“I’d just been on a really big press tour for Baby Driver and all I’d done is talk for so long and my voice was shot to hell it was just croaky and disgusting. So, it was me being really neurotic, as usual, but it was also me being told by the doctor I had to shut up … I just didn’t talk for a week,” James told Build Series.

A third movie isn’t out of the question.
image: https://static.thisisinsider.com/image/5b4e3138ba4943b90b8b45cd-1200.jpg


A third movie isn’t out of the question.

That’s right “Mamma Mia” fans, there might be a third movie to dance and sing along to. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Dominic Cooper, who plays Seyfried’s on-screen love interest in both movies, spilled the beans that ABBA is back in the studio!

“I’d spoke to Benny and Bjorn the other day – I love talking to them about their past and the history of the band. And they have got the band back together in the studio now recording … So, who knows? They made such successful music, and they always said, ‘If we knew, we’d do it again, and again, and again.’ And maybe them all being together again will do it. After this amount of time, after all the pressures of everything have gone…and if they do, then yes, there will be a third,” Cooper told Vanity Fair.


Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more.


Read more at https://www.businessinsider.com.au/mamma-mia-secrets-2018-10

Track: ABBA 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'

 Inside Track: ABBA 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'

oct2018

The songs of ABBA are reaching new generations of fans, thanks to a second hit musical movie. Bernard Löhr was the engineer who recaptured them!

For a decade or more from 1972 onwards, ABBA were one of the best-selling bands in the world, yet also one of the least cool. Over the years, however, their leaden critical reputation has turned into gold, while ABBA recordings have continued to sell; the band are now among the top 20 best-selling music artists of all time, with an estimated 400 million record sales.

At the end of the ’90s, ABBA’s music was adapted for the stage in the hugely successful musical Mamma Mia! A decade on, the movie version became the UK’s highest-grossing film of 2008, and the soundtrack album went to number one in the UK and the US. Ten years on, ABBA are at it again, with the movie sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Again, they’ve enjoyed huge box-office success, and the soundtrack album has proved a major worldwide hit, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. To cap it all, ABBA have apparently recorded a couple of new songs, slated for release at the end of this year.

Bernard Löhr has been at the controls for the recording and mixing of all ABBA-related activity during the 21st Century, including the two Mamma Mia! movies and the two forthcoming ABBA songs. This was a role previously fulfilled by engineer and producer Michael B Tretow, who is a living legend in Sweden and was often called “the fifth ABBA member”. However, in 2001 Tretow suffered a stroke and he retired not long afterwards. Following this, ABBA’s main writers and producers, keyboardist Benny Andersson and guitarist Björn Ulvaeus, asked Löhr to take over.

Mono Duality

By this time, Löhr had already been handling engineering and mixing duties on Andersson’s and Ulvaeus’s non-ABBA projects for a long time. The fact that he began his studio career back in the 1980s clearly still informs many of his gear choices and working methods today.

“I played guitar in bands from the age of 15. Later I studied mathematical physics at the University of Gothenburg, but I still played in bands and had some connections to studios. One day, just before my final exams at university, a studio owner called me and asked whether I wanted to work at his place. I thought this would be more interesting than being an engineer, so I said yes! I moved to Stockholm in 1985, and started work there as chief engineer of Polar Studios, one of Sweden’s top studios, in 1987. This is where I met Benny for the first time, and I started working with him, and with Björn, on mixing the Broadway version of their musical Chess. I went freelance in 1989, and while I mainly work for Benny, I also do a lot of work for other people. I have another company with two friends that creates sound effects for movies and computer games.”

Much of Löhr’s ABBA-related work takes place in Benny Andersson’s Mono Music facility, which houses a recording studio alongside publishing and record label offices. “Benny started Mono Music in 1987, and I am a consultant to him, and in 1998 helped him set up the studio. It actually is a mixing room, with a big 96-input SSL Duality desk, and 5.1-speaker setup. Benny has a writing room elsewhere in the building, where he has his piano and Synclavier. This studio is not normally commercially available, which is why Benny created another studio 100 metres from here, Riksmixningsverket. We call it RMV, and it features an old Neve 8068 desk, which is fantastic. It also has a big recording room where you can fit a rock band or a 30-piece string section.”

Authentic ABBA

While the first Mamma Mia! was recorded and mixed between London, Stockholm,Inside Track and New York, the studio sessions for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again took place solely in Sweden and England, specifically at RMV, AIR Lyndhurst in London, and Mono Music. Löhr took it from the top. “We decided to re-record everything because we did not want to end up in legal problems with Universal about the original recordings. All the instrumental backing tracks were recorded at RMV, and all backing vocals and most of the lead vocals were recorded at AIR, because the film was being shot at Shepperton Studios in England. I also did many of the cue mixes and much of the vocal editing in London, but I did the final mixes here at Mono.

“The way I work together with Benny is that I also take a lot of responsibility for the production side, but he always has the last say. Benny’s idea from the beginning, also with the first movie, was to remain as close as possible to the original arrangements. A number of songs are played in different keys, because of the actors’ vocal ranges, but otherwise we were trying to get quite close.”

Bringing in all the musicians who had played with ABBA in their heyday made the job of recreating the instrumental arrangements that much easier. “We did this for both the first and the new soundtrack albums. For both albums we had Per Lindvall on drums, he’s one of the world’s best players, Jörgen Stenberg, Lasse Wellander and Lasse Wellander on guitars, and Benny played piano and keyboards. The original bassist, Rutger Gunnarsson, died in 2015, so this time we used Mats Englund instead. These musicians also played on the two new songs that are coming up. This was more or less the band that performed on ABBA’s last albums, and that toured with them, so they know all the parts by heart. In fact, I think they know the parts better today than they did at the time!

“We recorded almost 20 songs and I think we took a week. There also would have been some extra days for guitar and brass overdubs. They are really fast players, so we could work quickly! For most of the time I recorded them all at the same time. RMV has a big main room, and three iso booths, and the way we set up was with the drummer in one iso booth, and the percussionist also had his own booth, while the guitarists and bassist were in the main room with Benny, but their amps would be placed elsewhere, in isolation. The tempos were usually wandering quite a bit on the old ABBA recordings, because they did not always record to a click track, but most of the new recordings were played to a click track, though there are some songs, like ‘Fernando’, where we followed the tempo changes from the past. These songs have ritardandos that absolutely have to be there.”

Whatever Works

Although they were aiming to reproduce the original arrangements, Löhr did not feel bound to replicate the same instrument sounds and miking choices. “I did not try to make it sound like the old days, but I simply went for what works. I did not think it needed to sound ’70s or something like that. My microphone choices are therefore based on the techniques that I like today. I had a Neumann U47 FET on the kick, which I think is the best kick mic. On the snare I had a Shure SM57 on top, and an AKG C414 underneath. The toms were Sennheiser 421s, and the hi-hat an AKG 460 or a DPA 4011. For the overheads I used our two hand-made, valve Didrik de Geer mics — which also are great on vocals — in an X-Y configuration. They are fantastic mics, with tons of energy. The bass was DI, and the guitar amps were a Shure SM57 and a Royer 121 ribbon. I had DPA 4011 mics on the piano, and for the percussion it depended on what it was. Marimbas had the Neumann U87, and for tambourine or shaker I’d have something dynamic like a Sennheiser 421.

Bernard Löhr waxes lyrical about the studio’s pair of custom-made Didrik de Geer microphones, which were used as drum overheads and on most vocals.Bernard Löhr waxes lyrical about the studio’s pair of custom-made Didrik de Geer microphones, which were used as drum overheads and on most vocals.Photo: Hannes Bieger“All mics went through the old Neve 8068 desk at RMV, and then straight into Pro Tools. The desk has Class-A mic pres, and they are the best-sounding mic pres I know. They are the same as the Neve 1084, but they look a bit different. We recorded a few vocals at RMV, but most of the backing vocals and all lead vocals were recorded at AIR Studio 1. For most backing vocals I used the same mic, a Neumann 67 or 87, but the lead vocals were all done with the Didrik de Geer mics. Once again, the mic is amazing. If you have a good singer you need to add maybe 2dB at 10kHz for a little bit more brilliance, and the rest is fine. The movie director [Oliver Parker] was sometimes in the room when we recorded lead vocals, and would occasionally give directions for how he wanted the actors to sing a song, but for the most part it was Benny who produced the vocals.”

Cued Up

While recording, a large part of Löhr’s work consisted of creating rough mixes, and after he had recorded the lead vocals, he spent considerable time preparing them for his final mixes. “As soon as we had recorded a backing track and background vocals I did a cue mix of that track, so the actors had something to rehearse to. I did a lot of cue mixes all the time! This also involved grouping and editing the backing vocals. We did multiple takes of all lead vocal parts, and editing, comping and tuning them, using Melodyne, took considerable time. Not all singers were equally experienced! I often did that at AIR, because they were already shooting some of the scenes while we were still recording, and the actors could use these for playback. The sound guys also recorded many vocals on set, which were used to make the transitions between dialogue and songs as smooth as possible.

“The cue mixes provided a good reference point for me when I started doing the final mixes at Mono, but I did start all the mixes from scratch again. I started mixing by listening to all the tracks carefully, and working out what EQ and compression was needed, and maybe whether more edits had to be done. When I mix I usually start with the drums, and then the bass, followed by the guitars. Once I have quite a good backing track, I work on the lead vocals for a while, creating a good environment for them to be in, with reverbs and so on. I mix in backing vocals and orchestra at the end. Often when I mix lead vocal levels, I put the desk in mono and listen to one speaker at quite a low level. It takes me a lot of time, but the result is always really good. I have done that for many years.”

Teacher Training

Löhr selected his mix of ‘When I Kissed The Teacher’ to illustrate his approach. It was the opening track of ABBA’s fourth album, Arrival (1976), and is also the opening track of the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again soundtrack. The Pro Tools mix session consists of 84 tracks, compromising, from top to bottom, 10 drum tracks (orange), two percussion tracks (yellow), one bass track (dark blue), four piano tracks (red), seven electric guitar tracks (dark green), five acoustic guitar tracks (light green), a ‘hard rock’ sample track, a couple of synth tracks, five lead vocal tracks, tons of backing vocal tracks (purple and pink), seven aux effect tracks (three with ‘fd’ in the name, and the rest called ‘480B’, ‘AMS’, ‘PCM70’ and ‘480A’), a VCA track, a mix bus, a mix bus with parallel compression, and a main out and mix print track.

Notable is that there are very few plug-ins in the session in general, and on the drums and backing vocals in particular. The drum tracks for the most part have just the Waves SSL G-Channel on inserts, and in some cases sends to the Lexicon 480A aux. The piano and electric guitar tracks all have sends to the AMS aux, which has the UAD AMS RMX16 on it. By contrast, all the main lead vocal tracks have an EQ and a compressor on inserts, and four sends. While there’s nothing on the individual backing vocal tracks, the backing vocals group tracks have the Waves SSL G-Channel on inserts and the AMS on the sends. Apart from a few plug-ins on the mix bus channels, that’s all.

“It’s a simple session,” Löhr agrees. “In general, I don’t really use a template, but after finishing the mix of one song, I copied the aux tracks over to the next session. So in a way you can say that the first song I mixed for this project provided a template. And then I varied it. For example, the Lexicon 480 reverb comes from the Altiverb plug-in, and I would usually have a ‘Jazz Hall’ setting on the snare and toms, but sometimes I would want something less big, and then I used the ‘Music Club’ preset, another 480 program in Altiverb.

“The ‘fd’ tracks are vocal effect tracks, and two of them have a delay before the reverb, ‘fd 20’ with the Waves H-Delay, and a send to my AMD RMX16 track, and ‘fd 17’ with the Avid Mod Delay 3 and also a send to the AMS. I like the AMS ambience program a lot, and I used the UAD version. If I put reverb straight on the lead vocal I always feel that the vocal backs into the track, and you can’t get it to sound really close. That is why I use delay before I send it to a reverb, like a 16th note, around 200ms, which drives the reverb. I combine the AMS reverb with a reverb from the 480, with a preset called ‘Ricochet’. I like to create ambience from two reverbs together. There’s also an aux called ‘PCM70’, which uses an old program called ‘Tiled Room’, from the Waves IR-L Convolution Reverb, and which gives a natural 3D feel to acoustic guitars and percussion in this song.”

Drums

The only plug-in that was used on the drums was the Waves SSL G-Channel; these settings are from the kick drum track.The only plug-in that was used on the drums was the Waves SSL G-Channel; these settings are from the kick drum track.“There’s not much going on with the drums, mostly the SSL G-Series from Waves. I’ve been working on SSL desks for so long, I know exactly how to use the EQ. I can fix things without having to listen to the result! The dynamics are better in the UAD version of the G-Channel, but the EQ is better in the Waves version. I also have SSL’s own version, but haven’t really used it much so far. I added a sample to the snare. This song became a bit harsh in general, and the snare sound got a bit too aggressive, so I wanted some more of the metal resonators underneath the snare, to get some more mid-range. There’s also an SPL Transient Designer on the snare, to get some more attack.”

Bass & Guitars

“Sometimes it’s really important to hear the notes that the bass actually plays, and if the bass sound is too clean, you can’t hear that. So I added some slight distortion to the bass with the iZotope Trash 2. Normally I also record the bass amplifier, and you can blend the distortion from the amp in with the DI to make the notes easier to hear without raising the level.

“Some of the guitars have the Neve UAD 1073, which I think is great for enhancing top end. The SSL channel on the acoustics is for some compression and some EQ. The ‘Hard Rock’ track is a reverse distorted guitar which plays in the choruses. The sample was a little bit too much in mono, and I wanted it wider, and I used the Avid Time Adjuster for that.”

Vocals

Bernard Löhr is a fan of the API 550A EQ on vocals, and used the Waves emulation on Lily James’ lead track.Bernard Löhr is a fan of the API 550A EQ on vocals, and used the Waves emulation on Lily James’ lead track.“The main lead vocals by Lily James are spread out over two tracks, with one of the tracks containing just one note that was tuned with Melodyne. Then there are tracks for Alexa Davies and Jessica Keenan, who are the two girls singing together with her, and also a track with Celia Imrie’s vocal. For the single version Lily sings the entire song, so I had to make a minor adjustment for that. Alexa and Jessica’s vocals each have the Waves CLA-2A and API 550A, with a send to the AMS aux. I almost always use the Waves API 550A for EQ on vocals, because it is such a good plug-in, with just three-band EQ with 2dB steps. I always used it on vocals in analogue, because I think it works really good with voices, and now use the Waves version. It’s also good for getting rid of the proximity effect.

“On Lily’s two lead vocal tracks I have the UAD Fairchild 670 instead of the CLA-2A. I like using the Fairchild because it adds valve character. It sounds the way I like a compressor to sound. When working with outboard I tended to use the UREI 1176, but I think UAD’s Fairchild emulation is really good. There’s nothing on the backing vocals, and very little in the session in general, because I like to get the sounds right by changing microphones, or the positions of the microphones.”

Mix Bus

Löhr mixed into a Waves PuigTec EQ plug-in with low and high shelving boosts.Löhr mixed into a Waves PuigTec EQ plug-in with low and high shelving boosts.“Everything gets routed to the ‘mixbus’ track, and the channel next to it, ‘adcomp’, which is for additional compression. Both tracks have the Waves PuigTec EQP-1A EQ, and the ‘adcomp’ track also has the UAD Neve 33609 for parallel compression. These two go the the ‘mainout’ track, on which I have the Waves L3 limiter, just to get rid of some peaks. It’s not to gain level. ‘84’ is my print track. After I mixed the songs, I sent them to my friend Björn Engelmann at Cuttingroom in Stockholm for mastering. I don’t focus on getting my mixes to sound loud, I simply try to make them sound good. And then the mastering engineer has room to do what he wants to do, and make it louder if he wants.”

At the time of talking, Löhr is busy doing minor vocal tweaks to some other songs from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again for single releases. On top of that, coming up are the two new ABBA songs, which have already got fans hot under the collar. “Benny has been working on the songs on his Synclavier in his summerhouse,” says Löhr, “and we also will have a real orchestra on them. And then we will mix them. The songs themselves are pretty much finished, but there is still quite a bit of work to be done to get them ready for release.” From the sounds of it, there’s no resting on laurels for ABBA, or Löhr. Having come a long way, they both still have a long way to go...  

Faders Rule

In addition to the Duality desk, Mono Music possesses tons of classic outboard by AMS, Lexicon, Eventide, TC Electronic, Roland, API, Neve and so on, not to mention a long list of hardware analogue and digital multitrack recorders. Bernard Löhr admits that the latter don’t see much action these days. “Yes, we have a lot of older gear, but we hardly use it any more. I was quite late to go all in the box, but I am now working totally in Pro Tools, except that I still use the Duality for mixing, because I use faders a lot. Riding vocals in particular, with faders, is part of my way of working. When I do a lower-budget project at home I use a small Avid Artist [controller] with four faders. I have been working with faders for 30 years, so that is very important for me. Also, I prefer to listen than look at waveforms!

“I mix using Yamaha NS10 speakers. We also have Genelec 1038 speakers for 5.1 in Mono, and we have fantastic TAD CRMK2 speakers, which are hi-fi, and have great mid-range and spread the sound really well. Benny hates the NS10s, so when he comes in we listen to the TADs.”

Löhr explains that his big push to working in the box started during the making of the first Mamma Mia! soundtrack in 2008. “I had to work in the box, because we changed working environment all the time, and it would have been very difficult and taken much more time to have worked totally in analogue. I’ve done music for maybe 40 movies, the first time in 1984, and at the time it was much more complicated, and also much more difficult to get things in sync with the pictures. I did use some outboard during the mix of the first Mamma Mia! movie, but hardly any for the new movie. The new plug-ins are so much better now that I usually don’t feel the need to use hardware.”

The Missing Vocals

“Although I did not reference them, we have digital copies of most of the tapes of the original recordings of all ABBA songs here in the building,” says Bernard Löhr. “They were, for the most part, done on 24-track, but on some of these multitracks they had erased the original lead vocals and replaced them with lead vocals in Spanish or German. Benny said that when they were happy with the mixes at the time, it was easier just to replace the original vocals with vocals in another language. Sometimes they overdubbed to copies of the original tapes so they could keep the original vocals, but they didn’t always have access to two 24-track machines!”

If Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were to delete parts of original ABBA multitracks today, they would surely be hung, drawn and quartered for violating sacred Swedish heritage! At the time, however, it was all par for the course of a production team at the peak of their success.

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-abba-mamma-mia-here-we-go-again

Benny Opus Klassik

» OPUS KLASSIK 2018
Congratulations Benny!!

14 October 2018, Berlin
Benny with his prize in the category "Classics without frontiers" after the presentation of the "Opus Klassik"

"Piano" Deluxe Edition

Now "Piano" Deluxe Edition on november 23 ... with bonus tracks... “Money Money Money” and “Jag Hört” Both songs will also be available digitally from October 12th.

“Money Money Money” — Fan-Edition von Benny Anderssons Album “Piano” mit zwei exklusiven Bonustracks




10.10.2018
Mit der Band ABBA kann der schwedische Pianist Benny Andersson auf eine Weltkarriere sondergleichen zurückblicken. In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat er sich auch als Komponist einen Namen gemacht. Mit seinem im Herbst 2017 veröffentlichten Album “Piano” offenbarte der Pianist eine neue Facette seines musikalischen Könnens – ein Album gestückt mit kleinen, eleganten Piano-Balladen, die dem Klassikliebhaber wie auch dem leidenschaftlichen Popfan träumen lassen.
Zu Evergreens avanciertes, ausgewähltes Repertoire der ABBA-Zeit wie “Embassy Lament” oder “Thank You For The Music” erstrahlen in neuem Gewand.
Nun darf man sich auf eine Zugabe freuen: Die am 23. November erscheinende "Piano" Deluxe Edition fährt mit den zwei exklusiven Bonustracks “Money Money Money” und “Jag Hör” auf. Beide Songs sind ab dem 12. Oktober außerdem digital verfügbar.
Auch beim Opus Klassik wir der schwedische Pianist vertreten sein: Ex-ABBA-Mitglied und Pianist Benny Andersson, der den Musikpreis in der Kategorie “Klassik ohne Grenzen” für sein Album “Piano” verliehen bekommt, wird mit einem Auftritt bei der Preisverleihung im Konzerthaus Berlin glänzen. Zu verfolgen am 10. Oktober ab 22:15 Uhr im ZDF.

https://www.universal-music.de/benny-andersson/news/money-money-money-fan-edition-von-benny-anderssons-album-piano-mit-zwei-exklusiven-bonustracks-248469

Mama Mia! I'll never stop thanking Abba for the music

Mama Mia! I'll never stop thanking Abba for the music
Judy Craymer created the ‘Mamma Mia!’ musical juggernaut and has remained the driving force through the making of the original musical and two smash hit films. Here, she talks about the project from its roots to its record breaking successes







The Independent

Back in 1982, I was working with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus on Chess. I was employed as Tim Rice’s assistant. Abba had just disbanded and my first job was to go and meet Björn from the airport. I’d always loved the Abba songs but that was when I fell in love with them. Meeting Benny and Björn and working with them over the next five years I became very interested in those songs, which I think they thought they had left behind, as they were working on other musical projects.

When I was younger I was a kind of Abba fan but I was more into Bowie, and I went through the rock phase of the Led Zeppelins and the Emerson, Lake and Palmers. I loved “Dancing Queen” but I never went to an Abba concert.



Fellow Abba-hating queers – you’re not alone. I can’t stand Mamma Mia!
Yet I was compelled by the songs and by meeting the guys. The song “The Winner Takes it All” was the inspiration for Mamma Mia! and when I met Björn I wanted to know what must have been going round in his head when he wrote that song.

It’s a huge kind of romance/breakup song; a woman having a conversation in her head with a man who has hurt her and let her down or maybe cheated on her. "Tell me does she kiss, like I used to kiss you?" The lyrics are full of hurt; it’s a rollercoaster of emotions. But how do you make a musical out of a song that is taking you towards Greek tragedy? That’s what I love about Abba songs. They take you on this journey, and even if they hit a certain emotional spot, you’re still left feeling in a good mood.

Judy was compelled by Benny and Björn and by the songs they had crafted in Abba (PA)
I felt that the idea of hearing somebody sing that song in the theatre was kind of like “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”; it was "the 11 o’clock number " as they say on Broadway – the second act show-stopper.

Benny and Björn were against anything that would be a tribute or a biographical story; but that didn’t interest me either. Björn was interested at first more than Benny because the musical was to use his lyrics as the source material. Those amazing words took us through the stage show and now two films.

It was funny working on the second film because people would say: “Are there enough songs?” I certainly thought there were, and in fact I think there’s a whole new audience that didn’t know Abba, didn’t grow up with Abba, didn’t know them as a band and yet know those songs as Mamma Mia! And I think that tickles Benny and Björn quite a lot, actually.

The girls haven’t been so involved because Benny and Björn wrote the songs. But Frida has always been very supportive. And Agnetha too for that matter.


Of course, I was passionate and keen about the show, but I had to work hard convince people that it wasn’t just a performance in which people were going to be dressing up as Frida and Agnetha and Benny and Björn.

I knew that those songs worked for two generations. For the younger audience members there was “Honey Honey” and “Dancing Queen”, the dancing songs. And then there’s the more emotional breakup songs, for more mature viewers. I toyed with different ideas, then in the mid-nineties, Björn told me that if I could find the right story he and Benny might be interested. That’s when I met playwright Catherine Johnson and pitched all my thoughts to her about generations, and it had to be weddings or holidays. It had to be something nostalgic that took you to a happy place and she came up with the genius mother-daughter idea; set over a wedding, and the idea of a mother and a daughter and three possible fathers. And that immediately appealed to Björn and Benny.

I hadn’t thought of it then as becoming a film – actually, I thought it might make a small TV film. But I always had a pull towards a stage show. And now I’ve overseen 50 productions.

The show opened in 1999. And the original film we shot in 2007. I wanted to do another film and so did Universal. I wanted Catherine and Phyllida [Lloyd, director of the first film] to be involved, but Phyllida thought it was time to wish someone else well, and Catherine I think felt that she loved it as it was and she couldn’t quite see where another story would begin and end. I was enthused to do a prequel, but if we did a prequel how would we bring our original cast back. That’s where Richard Curtis came in.

The stakes were high because Mamma Mia! had done 20 years in London and the last film was one of the most successful musical films.


I had seen Love Actually. I adored Richard Curtis’s work. If we were to do another film we had to explore different emotions, and he is so brilliant not just at romance but also taking risks on life and loss: at the heart of all his comedies is loss. He thought of this in the sense of going back and forth and to different places, and all he had to say to me was The Godfather: Part II and I completely got it.

Even the music is like The Godfather: Part II; rich sweeping ballads. It underscores. There’s a rich palate of Abba in there.

It was always the intention to use songs from the first film. You have to have “Dancing Queen”. Why would you go and see your favourite band if they’re not going to play your favourite songs?

There were songs that I knew still had the power of storytelling and also the power of comedy, something fun which has come from the stage show, whether its “Chiquitita” or “Take a Chance”.


Curtis said he loved Mamma Mia! and Abba, and though he didn’t have time to write it himself, he was happy to support and if there was a writer he liked and wanted to work with. That writer was Ol Parker, who came on board as a writer at that time (and then later the director).

So it was a matter of making the story work. Meryl Streep had always been very affectionate to Mamma Mia! and being in a possible sequel but I knew she never was going to take on a role as big as the first one. And for her to be part of it, what song? You can’t really top “The Winner Takes it All” from the first film, and she wasn’t going to be running along rooftops and jumping off cliffs singing lots of Abba songs. “My Love My Life” is an incredibly affecting song and I think equal to “The Winner Takes it All”.



I’m going to claim Cher as my idea, though Ol would probably also claim it as his. I’ve always loved Cher, and actually had a conversation with her for the last movie before we cast Christine Baranski, to see whether Cher would be interested in playing Tania then. She wasn’t, but she said to me recently it worked out well this way round. I also felt, if we’re going to do a second film, we hit a high with Meryl on the first and now we’ve got to hit it out of the park. Who is one of the greatest actors who can sing? There’s Cher, there’s Bette Midler and there’s Barbra Streisand. There was always going to be a mother character. Ol wrote it as the ultimate rock chick, and with Cher in mind. But I was always fixated that Cher would be the perfect casting.

She really embraced it, and Mamma Mia! has traditionally had great female roles which we lack in musical theatre and in movies. And we cast brilliant actors. So now we have three generations with Cher and Meryl; Christine Baranski and Julie Walters; and Amanda Seyfried and the Lily James generation – and Cher gets the guy.

mamma-mia.jpg
Cher duets with Andy Garcia in a show-stealing scene from the upbeat sequel (Universal Pictures/AP)
“Fernando” was a favourite Abba song of hers and it was very tempting for her to sing it. I think with this film we could have a wink at the audience with how we use this old song, and it’s a brilliant moment when they discover each other again, and she tells that story through the power of her voice. You feel she was probably rebelling as a young woman in her early twenties, and then probably when she was Donna Sheridan’s mum; hanging out at Studio 54 too much. And now we see her come back in her full glory as Ruby Sheridan – or as Cher, in fact.


It was said that the last film invigorated people, and I think it probably did. We ran all summer, the summer of the financial crash, and it brought people of every age to the cinema. As a show we opened at the most tragic of all times in New York, the time of 9/11. You’ve got this massive show and one of the worst tragedies that you can imagine. How do you deal with that? With everyone involved, and the city in complete crisis, while people have to keep going and earn a living? It was a difficult time but then-Mayor Giuliani was incredibly galvanising to the Broadway community. People asked us: “Are you still going to open?” and the answer had to be yes. Everyone thought about it a lot and I know Phyllida sat and talked to the cast when we were rehearsing and it was almost like a therapy for them. But of course in a way it was the best thing for everyone to make the show happen.


I don’t think there will be a “Mamma Mia 3!”. It’s great that people are thinking that way; I think people feel very safe with Mamma Mia! and this new movie has a lot more emotional heft, and it really makes you laugh and cry: it’s a kind of shared experience. And those songs, of course. They said, back when the show opened: “Oh people don’t always know those Abba songs.” But now “When I Kissed the Teacher” – the opening song on the movie – that’s been trending on Spotify.

Mamma Mia! was way before social media in the case of the stage show, and the last movie was before social media, so it’s a massive tool now for marketing and communication and appealing to a younger audience. So it’s fascinating that I see on social media that there’s a younger audience going: “Please do ‘Mamma Mia 3’!” That’s the natural thing for them. One comment was “Why can’t it become the new Fast and Furious?” which made me laugh a lot.

Judy Craymer was talking to David Lister

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/mamma-mia-2-here-we-go-again-abba-judy-craymer-musical-film-theatre-cher-meryl-streep-a8573726.html