ABBA blog

If you're an ABBA fan, most of your fellow fans will tell you that ABBA On Record (abbaonrecord.com) is a pretty much essential purchase. So far, the press agrees: the five-star review in Classic Pop magazine said that the book is "a complete triumph and treasure trove of information that will be devoured by ABBA fans". OK, so all these people think that ABBA On Record is a great book, but what is it about?

Well, the book traces the story of ABBA's record releases: the stories behind the sleeves, how the singles and albums were promoted by record companies and ABBA themselves, and then what kind of success they found on the charts and how they were reviewed. It's far from a dry, boring story, as the book tells the story of how ABBA were signed to different record labels in the UK, the US and Australia, and the memories that record company staff have of interacting with the ABBA members. In short, the book traces the group's career development, and I, as the author, learned so many new things about ABBA when writing the book.

As if all the above wasn't enough, you also get a recording-sessions style chapter about the making of the Voyage album, including the background stories of all the songs on the album. The book closes with a chapter about The Michael B. Tretow Tapes, which reveals so much about ABBA's studio work during the group's heyday that we didn't know before: alternate lyrics that were tried out for well-known songs, chatter that gives us a glimpse of how the members interacted in the studio, tunes that were tried out and then never heard from again, and more – much more.

So, what are you waiting for? Order your copy at abbaonrecord.com.