ABBA blog

It's time for a new progress report on the third edition of my book ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions 1972–1982: you can still pre-order your signed copy of this new edition on the Kickstarter page for the project. Now, a funny thing about updating one of your older books is that it is sometimes like you're reading it for the first time. Let me explain.

ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions is packed with information, and so when writing such a book you tend to work intensely on a certain section: say, trying to make sense of the many mixes of Waterloo that Björn, Benny and Michael Tretow did before they finally arrived at one they liked. When you're done with that section, you draw a heavy sigh and move on to the next conundrum to resolve. The details of that other section you just grappled with fade away.

In the case of Waterloo, I had forgotten that there were so many mixes made: 24 mix attempts, just of the English version. I have to say, reading it now, I've done a pretty good job of presenting the relevant facts about the mix variations, and how things probably developed, in a legible and understandable fashion. One of the things I didn't quite remember was that they edited out a bit at the end of the recording, probably to trim it down to a length that was more in line with the Eurovision Song Contest's "no more than three minutes" rule. I had also forgotten that one of the mixes features a keyboard riff that was more or less recycled for the guitar riff heard in the intro and chorus of ‘So Long’ later that year. Fascinating stuff – if you never bought this book in its most recent incarnation, now may be the time to secure a copy by placing a pre-order on the Kickstarter page.

Of course, there is also plenty of new and updated information included in this third edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions. For instance, you may be aware that the late drummer and Formula 1 driver Slim Borgudd claimed to have contributed to ABBA recordings, but without ever naming any specific tracks. In this new edition of the book, I'm presenting a theory about one of the tracks he may have played on. Just one of many facts and stories added to this new volume.

If you haven’t already done so, you can pre-order a signed copy of what promises to be the ultimate edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions by going to the Kickstarter page and make a “pledge” for a “Reward” (the reward is a signed copy of the book, including shipping). You will find the different Rewards (depending on shipping area) if you scroll down the Kickstarter page a bit. Thanks in advance for your support!