My Swedish uncle (distant, on my mom’s side) was an exec with their Swedish Record Company SKR (Svenska Köttbullar Rekord), and he told me they broke up on his and his company’s advice (he was a lawyer) to avoid a lawsuit over plagiarism from an Estonian group which originally composed and recorded, in the Soviet Estonia at the time, much of the material which Abba presented as their own.
“My Swedish uncle (distant, on my mom’s side) was an exec with their Swedish Record Company SKR (Svenska Köttbullar Rekord), and he told me they broke up on his and his company’s advice (he was a lawyer) to avoid a lawsuit over plagiarism from an Estonian group which originally composed and recorded, in the Soviet Estonia at the time, much of the material which Abba presented as their own.”
Insofar as all four were established in music, and the guys have remained active, with Mama Mia, Kristina from Duvamala—two long running musical plays, I doubt they needed to plagarise.
They broke up, like other groups, because they are finished for the moment, drained, tired, need breaks, etc.
Plus the marriages were done.
ABBA was huge in the U.S.S.R so one would think that would get out. Where are the youtubes of that other band’s songs for instance.
IIRC, and probably not, they were accused of plagiarism in the book ABBA gold. Waterloo has been compared to Build Me Up Buttercup and there are several other examples given. I never gave it much thought. Sure there are some musical similariteis but heck...listen to Old country western like I do...or John Prine songs. Most of his sound like copies of each other, LOL! BTW except for his politics he is one of my musical heroes.