Posted on 09/15/2020 2:51:46 PM PDT by Borges
When you’ve sold as many records as Abba have – and only The Beatles have sold more – specific figures become hazy. They disappear into a statistical stratosphere occupied by a tiny elite of global megastars. There are simply too many territories to report on, too many releases to keep track of, too many vast numbers to juggle.
All one can say with any certainty is that the Swedish quartet have sold in excess of 380m albums and singles since they first came to prominence 40 years ago this month, winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with a performance of Waterloo that still ranks as the high point of the much-maligned transcontinental cheese-fest. At their commercial zenith in the late ‘70s Abba were reputedly second only to Volvo in their contribution to Sweden’s exports. Such was the demand for their music that their management had to arrange for royalties from the Soviet Union to be paid in oil commodity rights rather than the embargoed rouble.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Thank you, know that, but not what I asked.
I was more of a Frida guy, myself, but then I always tended to prefer brunettes.
Because the music is so FUN!
“I was more of a Frida guy, myself”
Both fine choices, but Frida was probably the wiser choice for a long term relationship.
But what a beautiful pair of ...voices.
Frida was born in Norway, but had to leave after the war, because he father was a Wehrmacht soldier stationed in Norway.
Roger that, but the RIAA databas doesn’t lie.
Yes.
No quicker way to turn off a gal than telling her you think her favorite group is lousy.
“They had a hot blond chick and catchy tunes. Just not music for me.”
Abba was at the absolute peak of the Cold War. Russia and the USA and Nato could have been throwing nukes at any moment. The lyrics of Abba were light and catchy. They were a relief of the reality of those most dangerous times and the female lead singer was extremely hot. Thus their success. Musically they were talented but not great talents. They filled a notch in time.
It was definitely a Napoleon Dynamite moment for me.
It was a hell of a nice summer with a gal who looked like a 3/4 scale Elizabeth Taylor and had studied ballet ;-)
Abba is the perfect example of a group that quit before they got too irrelevant, just as with The Beatles, they had a good seven-year run, and they didn’t overextend their welcome, which is why today they remain as big as they are.
I don't know, Gary. Why are they so popular? ;^)
Agnetha had some phobia/anxiety issues.
Both of the couples in the band ended up getting divorced - but they sure had their moment “making beautiful music together”.
“the RIAA databas doesn’t lie.”
Is that just for the USA, or globally?
The females in the band were so freaking hot. I crushed on them big time when I was in eighth grade. Then their voices matched their bodies. They sounded as hot as they looked.
And the songs were good too. Triple threat.
When I hear Fernando, I think of this scene from Malcom in the Middle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMZ2DEUE6c
I understand why Hal left the family and got into the Meth business.
Even Johnny Rotten is an ABBA fan.
For those who want to experience true Abba story telling and melodics: Fernando, Chiquitita, Eagle (which I wrote a screenplay about back when). The rest of their stuff is pretty much disco and boring fill ballads.
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