Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm’s Polar Studio

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Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm’s Polar Studio
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Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm's Polar Studio - ProSoundWeb

PSW Staff 

Inside the control room at Polar Studios in Stockholm that was centered on a Harrison 32 Series console.

May 3, 2024

PSW Staff

Studio used by ABBA, Led Zeppelin, Phil Collins, The Ramones and more featured a Harrison 32 Series 40-channel analog mixing console, the world's first 32-bus, inline desk.

Harrison announced that the first of May (2024) marked the 20th anniversary of the closing of the legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden after 26 years of operation, and from the beginning, it was equipped with a Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console.

The company states that the 4032 — with 40 channels — was the world’s first 32-bus, inline desk. It was given serial number 045 and was delivered to Polar Studios in January 1978. The input channel modules were modified by Harrison to allow headphones to be fed from buses 25 through 32, and the studio later added a 16-channel input extender as a sidecar.

Gary Thielman, president of Harrison Audio, says “The 32 Series at Polar really contributed to the soundtrack of an era. I recall a conversation with Dave (Harrison), with me going crazy about all this amazing music being made on our consoles…he was so focused on perfecting designs that he simply viewed it as ‘doing his job’.”

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, together with the band’s manager, Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording label, opened the studio in a disused former movie theater in the center of Stockholm. Having recorded previous ABBA albums and singles at a variety of studios in Sweden, the intention was to create a modern production studio where the band could work at their own pace and to provide facilities for other Polar label artists. Anderson founded the label in 1963.

ABBA recorded their final three albums — Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors — and two non-LP singles, “The Day Before You Came” and “Under Attack,” at Polar. The very first song recorded at the studio was the global hit “Chiquitita,” the lead single from Voulez-Vous, which was released in January 1979. The Visitors became one of mainstream pop’s first digital releases in 1981 when it was recorded to Polar’s new 3M digital tape machine. All four ABBA members recorded solo projects at the studio after the band split up in 1982.

Most major Swedish artists recorded at Polar, as did a very long list of international artists, including the Rolling Stones, Backstreet Boys, Chic, the Ramones, Roxy Music and Celine Dion. Led Zeppelin recorded the 1979 album In Through the Out Door at Polar and Genesis recorded Duke in 1980, with the band’s lead vocalist and drummer Phil Collins going on to produce, with Hugh Padgham, ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s solo album, Something’s Going On, at the studio.

Anderson bought out partners Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1984 before selling the facility to a business partnership comprising his daughter, son-in-law and Lennart Östlund, Polar’s chief engineer since 1978. The building was later sold to a Swedish insurance company and it became a private housing cooperative, which raised the rent. With the business no longer economically viable, Polar Studios closed.

The console is now housed in the ABBA museum in Stockholm.

https://www.prosoundweb.com/harrison-marking-20th-anniversary-of-the-closing-of-stockholms-polar-studio

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 May Marks Polar Studios Anniversaries

May 1 marked the 20th anniversary of Stockholm’s Polar Studios closing; the facility was used to record legendary albums by Abba, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and many others.

BY MIX STAFF

PUBLISHED: 05/09/2024



The Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console used at Polar Studios.

Stockholm, Sweden (May 9, 2024)—May 1 marked the twentieth anniversary of the closing of Stockholm’s legendary Polar Studios, which famously featured a Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console, the world’s first 32-bus, inline desk, after 26 years of operation.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, together with the band’s manager, Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording label, opened Polar Studios on May 18, 1978 in a disused former movie theater in the center of Stockholm. Having recorded previous ABBA albums and singles at a variety of studios in Sweden, the intention was to create a modern production studio where the band could work at its own pace and to provide facilities for other Polar label artists. Anderson founded the label in 1963.

The Harrison 4032 console (a 40-channel, 32 Series desk) was given serial number 045 and was delivered to Polar Studios in January 1978. The input channel modules were modified by Harrison to allow headphones to be fed from buses 25 through 32. The studio later added a 16-channel input extender as a sidecar. The console is now housed in the ABBA museum in Stockholm.

Harrison Audio 32Classic Mixing Console to Launch at AES

Gary Thielman, president of Harrison Audio, comments “The 32 Series at Polar really contributed to the soundtrack of an era. I recall a conversation with Dave (Harrison), with me going crazy about all this amazing music being made on our consoles…he was so focused on perfecting designs that he simply viewed it as ‘doing his job’.”

ABBA recorded their final three albums—Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors—and two non-LP singles, “The Day Before You Came” and “Under Attack,” at Polar. The very first song recorded at the studio was the global hit “Chiquitita,” the lead single from Voulez-Vous, which was released in January 1979. The Visitors became one of mainstream pop’s first digital releases in 1981 when it was recorded to Polar’s new 3M digital tape machine. All four ABBA members recorded solo projects at the studio after the band split up in 1982.

Most major Swedish artists recorded at Polar, as did a very long list of international artists, including the Rolling Stones, Backstreet Boys, Chic, the Ramones, Roxy Music and Celine Dion. Led Zeppelin recorded its 1979 album In Through the Out Door at Polar and Genesis recorded Duke there in 1980, with the band’s lead vocalist and drummer Phil Collins going on to produce, with Hugh Padgham, ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s solo album, Something’s Going On, at the studio.

Anderson bought out partners Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1984 before selling the facility to a business partnership comprising his daughter, son-in-law and Lennart Östlund, Polar’s chief engineer since 1978. The building was later sold to a Swedish insurance company and the building became a private housing cooperative, which raised the rent. With the business no longer economically viable, Polar Studios closed.

https://www.mixonline.com/recording/facilities/may-marks-polar-studios-anniversaries

https://news.hummingbirdmedia.com/marking-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-closing-of-stockholms-legendary-polar-studios

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ABBA: Against the Odds - new documentary

 

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The Brits thought Waterloo was beige, reveals new ABBA documentary Vicky Jessop — Tiempo de lectura: 2 minutos An exclusive look at an upcoming BBC show examines the impact ABBA’s hit single Waterloo had on the group’s lives ABBA might be one of the best-known bands in the world, but it wasn’t always that way. When the band scored one of Eurovision’s iconic moments with their hit single Waterloo in 1974, they initially faced an uphill battle in the charts – and in the public eye – to be taken seriously as a band, and not just a gimmick. An exclusive clip from the upcoming documentary ABBA: Against the Odds shows the impact that the single had on their lives. It opens with the band’s manager Stikkan Anderson signing them to Polar, a Swedish record label that had ambitions of breaking into the rest of Europe. “Stikkan believed in us from the beginning,” the group’s Björn Ulvaeus says in voiceover. “He always said, one day you’ll write a world hit.” That they did: the clip goes onto show how Waterloo rapidly conquered the European charts, scoring number ones in the UK, Belgium, Finland, Germany and more.  BBC/Rogan Productions/Alamy “When we won, it was just like pressing a button, and everything worked all over Europe,” Ulvaeus adds in a recorded interview from the time. That said, it wasn’t all an plain sailing. “In England, they thought it was quite beige,” Benny Andersson says. “Even if it the song was number one... if you’re a part of Eurovision, you’re dead afterwards.” The sentiment is echoed by Ulvaeus: “It was like an agreement amongst all DJs, amongst everyone.” Of course, ABBA did go onto conquer the charts, scoring multiple number ones and, fifty years later, opening ABBA Voyage in London. The documentary, which was produced by Rogan Productions and directed by BAFTA winner James Rogan, tells the story of ABBA’s creation. When they won the Eurovision song contest in 1974 with Waterloo, they faced an uphill battle in the global charts (and in their home country of Sweden) to be recognised as a genuine force in pop. But once they achieved success, that pressure threatened the relationships at the heart of the band. ABBA: Against the Odds will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 6am on the 4th May, and on BBC One at 10.40pm on the 8th May

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/abba-waterloo-against-the-odds-bbc-b1154932.html
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ABBA's secret to global stardom laid bare in tell-all documentary

Nicola Methven


ABBA's secret to global stardom to be laid bare in tell-all documentary with archive footage
Global megastars ABBA topped the charts after winning Eurovision but fans will see a new side to the quartet in a brand new documentary using archived footage

In the 50 years since winning Eurovision, Abba have sold 385 million records but a new documentary lays bare their heartache as they struggled to get the recognition they deserved.

The musical establishment sneered at their frothy pop songs, the programme shows. It also tells how their quest to break America nearly broke them all and how they struggled as both of their marriages fell apart. Plus Agnetha and Bjorn were agonised at leaving their young daughter Linda behind for weeks on end as they toured.

In the film, which uses archive interviews from TV stations across Europe, viewers see how winning 1974’s Eurovision in Brighton was their ticket to global fame. But it also gave them a cheesy image they found impossible to shake. “In England, they thought it was quite beige,” Benny says.

“Even if the song was No1 in England if you’re a part of Eurovision, you’re dead afterwards.” But they didn’t give up, instead trying hard to find their identity in the wake of Eurovision-winning song Waterloo. Bjorn gives credit to their manager Stig Anderson, saying: “He always said ‘One day you’ll write a world hit’. “That meant a lot.” Mamma Mia was the song that turned things around.


Bjorn says: “With Mamma Mia we found we were a pop group. We found our identity.” He also says he and Benny were in awe of Agnetha and Frida’s voices, explaining: “Even if they sang very sad songs, they sound somehow jubilant.” But the press and musical establishment remained dismissive, with Swedish journalist Leif Schulman remembering: “You couldn’t be open about liking Abba.”

In 1975 Frida said she felt “very overwhelmed” by the criticism while Agnetha described the experience as “quite unpleasant”. In Australia however, they were hugely popular with songs like Fernando and during 1975-76 found themselves at the top of the charts for 42 weeks.

The song Knowing Me Knowing You meant that the UK could no longer be so dismissive of their skills. While still being dismissed as “simple and naive” they came up with 1976 global hit Dancing Queen, which Agnetha says gave her and Frida goosebumps as they recorded it.


But in other ways the cracks were already starting to show. In an interview Bjorn confesses that being in a band with his wife wasn’t always an easy ride. “Having to be together all the time can cause problems,” he admits. He and Agnetha had had a baby girl the year before Eurovision in 1973, and it was becoming hard to leave her behind in Sweden while they went away on tour.

“Everything happened at the same time,” Agnetha says in the film. Agnetha also says the endless speculation that she and Frida didn’t get on was untrue and hurtful. “So much has been written that Frida and I were not friends, it’s not very fair to do that,” she says. In 1978 Benny and Frida finally tied the knot after an engagement of more than seven years but Agnetha and Bjorn’s marriage was failing, despite the birth of their second child.


Bjorn says: “The marriage didn’t work. But we still worked very well together... so we decided to split up the marriage but not split up the band.” Agnetha says she thinks the decision was “very brave of us”. Another attempt to crack the US in 1978 ended with a terrifying flight in bad weather, which shook Agnetha so badly she became physically ill.

“After that, I got sick,” she says. “I said ‘I can’t do this’.” With Benny also finding that the touring sapped his ability to feel creative and write songs, Bjorn said it was time to give up on trying to be as popular in the US as they were in the rest of the world. Back in the UK, they were welcomed with open arms and the band finally started to feel the love.

When Abba kicked off a run of 38 concerts at Wembley, there was a clamour to get hold of tickets. Bjorn says their confidence grew. “I ran into Pete Townshend,” he recalls. “He said ‘do you know SOS is the best pop song ever written?’ I was so proud.” In 1980 they drew even more acclaim for The Winner Takes It All, which became one of the most celebrated break-up songs of all time.

Bjorn hints they put their own emotions into it and Agnetha says: “I tried to put my life experience and my feelings, everything in the song.” By the time Super Trouper came along later in 1980, to huge acclaim, they were being asked more about their difficult path to superstardom.

One interviewer asked: “You must be rich but are you happy?” and Frida admitted: “Sometimes, sometimes not.” But when it comes to being in the band, they drew strength from each other. Frida poignantly sums up their decade of domination, saying: “It wasn’t just the music, it was also love.

“It was a life lived together, somehow, all four of us.”

Abba: Against the Odds, BBC1, Saturday 4 May

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/abbas-secret-global-stardom-laid-32672433