It has been a while since my last post in this series, but I am putting so much time in steemit and enjoying it that much that I really have to devide my time in the right subject and topics :) There is so much I want to write about :)
But ok, Abba…. Since I can remember my mother was one of the biggest fans of Abba. She collected everything what only the slightest had to do with Abba. So you can say that I grew up with the music from Abba (besides all the symphonic music my father loved, see my earlier post about camel )
My mother was such a big fan that she even ordered musical books (she couldn’t play any instrument), Swedish magazines, music from the members from Abba before the even played in Abba and everything that had only the slightest thing to do with Abba or their members. So as you notices, she was a real fanatic.
My mother pulled me into her hobby, as a young kid. And I have to say that I did like the music, although it was pushed :). I remember one time she got noticed by a local newspaper being a big fan. The came at our house for a interview and there I was, together with my mother and all the Abba items on a big photo in the newspaper. Strange that you won’t forget certain things the rest of your life.
Although Abba was a very big band all over the world, they only played twice in Holland, one time in “De Jaap Edenhal’ in 1977, by coincidence. This show was originally planned for Paris, but Abba’s tour manager couldn’t find a suitable venue so they have fled to Amsterdam. The second show was on the 24th of October in Ahoy Rotterdam, and guess what…. I was there…. Yes really I was there, I was six years old at that time and I was at the concert together with my mother. When the news came out that they were coming to Holland there was a big rush on tickets. As you can imagine, back in the old days you didn’t had any online ticket services, you just have to go to the post office to get your tickets. So my mother chartered that my father would go for the pre-sale at the local post office. Although, he had to go to Utrecht for it… The poor man has stand in queue from 22.00 o’clock until the next morning 10.00 o’clock, 12 hours in line for two tickets he wouldn’t even go himself… I deeply respect that :)
I still can remember a lot from the show, they performed in the dresses you see on almost every live picture of Abba. I remember seeing a lot of famous Dutch people in the audience cause it was a rare concert and everybody wanted to be a part of it. With the song “I have a dream” there was this choir of kids from Rotterdam to sing a long on stage. The did that in every town they played.
A link to the setlist from that gig
Lately I am listening to Abba more often, some nostalgic but also because if you listen good to the music, it is well thought. The musical arrangements are from a very high quality. Although I seems as ‘just disco’ to many people, there is a reason for their success. Everthing in the music is right. That is something the both men (Björn and Benny) where and still are very good at.
There is one song thas has a special meaning to me and that’s “The way old friends do”… It is not really the lyrics, but more the memory of my grandfather. When he died my mother often played this song… It’s bombastic but fragile…. A great song reminding me of a great man….
This is from the London show in the same tour
The last few years a good friend of mine (Marcel Everts) plays in a Abba tribute band. In the beginning I find it a bit strange cause mostly he plays bass in prog-metal bands and so, Abba was a very different cup of tea :). But the band itself is great, they play all the Abba hits in the same setting with the costumes and all. Really great.
I have talked with Marcel about the bassplayer of Abba Rutger Gunnarsson he is one underrated bassplayer. He plays the most outstanding lines in Abba songs, I listend a lot of Abba songs again but then with the focus on the basslines…. Try it one time, you’ll be amazed…..
One thing is for sure, they made a difference in music an contributed to the legacy of world-hits.. They don’t make those hits anymore in this time… music becomes too volatile
Thank you very much for reading…..If you liked it, a upvote would be appreciated :)