This page lists a number of ABBA-related links that I personally find particularly useful, and which I recommend for those who want to get wise about ABBA on the Internet. However, it is not intended to be a comprehensive list of ABBA-related links: there are many more great sites out there, and you will find them all through the sites below.

ABBA - The Site
This is the official ABBA site - maintained by Universal Music - to which I am a contributor. ABBA - The Site is the ideal start for anyone who wants to get a ground course in the subject of ABBA.

Here you will find biographies about the group and its individual members, as well as profiles of many of the people who collaborated with them: managers, musicians, designers, etc. The Site also offers a comprehensive discography, a daily video, and a list of links, plus In Focus essays that take a closer look at interesting parts of ABBA's history. In the news section you will often read the first news about upcoming releases from Universal Music, along with other news items.

ABBA World
The natural step after getting acquainted with the group on ABBA - The Site is to go to ABBA World. Hosted and maintained by Ian Cole in Australia, this is without a doubt one of the best ABBA sites around.

Ian Cole is not only one of the world's leading authorities on the subject of ABBA, but also a personal friend of mine. Since 1999, he has proof-read virtually every ABBA-related text I have published: books, liner notes, essays, articles.

He maintains his own ABBA World site (as well as a site about The ABBA Phenomenon in Australia). On ABBA World there is an incredibly detailed song section, describing the history and variation of every song ever recorded or performed by ABBA. There is a detailed discography, with a myriad of variations of albums released over the years. ABBA World also offers an encyclopedia of ABBA-related people, places and organisations - and much more. Perhaps most importantly, ABBA World has the most comprehensive list of ABBA links available anywhere. Not only is it categorised, but Ian has rated and reviewed the best sites, making it incredibly easy to seek out the top ABBA places on the Internet in the "essential sites" section.

ABBAMAIL
Originally a popular mailing list, started in 1997, ABBAMAIL's website has grown into a powerful force on its own merits. Thanks to the dedicated members of this sometimes controversial list - which is run by the equally dedicated Graeme Read in Australia - ABBAMAIL's Latest News page is the Internet's leading ABBA news page. I refer to it on an almost daily basis and find it an invaluable help in keeping updated on what's going on in the ABBA world.

ABBAMAIL's ever-growing site also features several galleries, an archive of historical articles and interviews, and much more.


Intermezzo
Rafaels and Stefans Pictures
icethesite
Mikory's ABBA blog
ABBA Today
These five sites are mentioned here primarily for their commitment to news reporting (English language - there are great news pages in other languages as well). In combination with ABBAMAIL's Latest News page and ABBA - The Site, these sites will ensure you have it pretty much covered if you need to know what's going on.

Intermezzo, maintained by Regina Grafunder in Germany, is not only a website but also a great fan magazine - one of the few still around. Rafaels and Stefans Pictures, run by Rafael and Stefan in Sweden, is focused on picture galleries and historical features, but also keeps a close watch on the media (primarily Swedish news sources). icethesite, run by Dominic "Ice" Wallis in the UK, is an incredibly professional-looking site mainly devoted to ABBA and related artists/projects such as the musicals Chess and Kristina från Duvemåla, including a great news section. Mikory's ABBA blog, run by Mikael Andersson in Sweden, has a fascinating archive of vintage ABBA-related articles and pictures, but also reports current news. ABBA Today appears to be a pretty recent player on the scene (as of June 2006), but is already shaping up to be a valuable addition to the list of ABBA news pages.

ABBA - The Worldwide Chart Lists
Maintained by Trent Nickson in Australia. This is where you need to go if you're interested in ABBA's success on the charts over the years - and not just the obvious UK and US statistics, but everywhere from Argentina to Zimbabwe. This is a site that strives for factual accuracy, and it's achieving it: helpful and generous contributors - combined with Trent's enthusiasm - ensures that this one is consistently revised and updated.


ABBA On TV
This excellent site, run by Sara Russell (neé Barnes) in the UK, has become one of the most popular ABBA sites, if its rating in the "Worldwide/What's Cool" section at ABBA - The Site is anything to go by. The goal is to list every single appearance by ABBA and the individual members on television, in promo clips and in movies. For each entry, you get the dates of filming and broadcast, information on songs performed and other fascinating details. Where possible, the entries are also illustrated with screen captures. Just like ABBA - The Worldwide Chart Lists, this site is regularly revised and updated, partly thanks to contributions from enthusiastic and generous ABBA fans.

The Official International ABBA Fan Club
This is the website of the official ABBA fan club, run by Helga van de Kar in The Netherlands. There is a news section on their website and they also publish a glossy quarterly magazine. The magazine contains news (often exclusive to the fan club) along with unique and interesting features and interviews. An essential resource, every serious ABBA fan should be a subscriber. The same organisation also runs the ABBF Record Service.