ABBA blog

Thoughts and observations on the Swedish foursome

More about pictures in ABBA On Record

published February 01, 2024

My forthcoming book ABBA On Record (abbaonrecord.com) is currently being printed, and everything is still on track for a distribution start in mid-March, as previously announced. More exact details will be shared as soon as I have them. The up-to-date info about the book and its distribution is available on the Basic Facts page.

My announcement in December last year that there would be a previously unseen picture from the sessions for 1975's ABBA album sleeve caused quite a stir among ABBA fans. To avoid disappointment, I again want to stress that this is not a picture with ABBA in costume, as seen on the album sleeve, but it was taken by Ola Lager (the ABBA sleeve photographer) on the same day in an environment adjacent to one of the photo locations. Since alternate pics from this photo session are so rare, I feel this is a bit of a "scoop".

What I was unable to announce back in December, however, is the inclusion of a few rare pictures from ABBA's first visit to the United States in 1974. The rights to publish them were literally negotiated just weeks before the book went to print. I'm pretty certain these photos have never been published before – at the very least, they must be quite rarely seen. One of them shows ABBA appearing on the Mike Douglas Show, for instance, and I don't think any images have ever previously emerged from that performance. As you may imagine, I was very excited when I found these photos. (The picture seen in this blog post is not one of the photos in the book.)

ABBA On Record is not littered with photographs, but it is chock-full of information and stories about ABBA's career, much of which will be new to most readers. I really am very proud of the book, and I hope you will enjoy it when it is finally made available as a physical product.

To learn more about ABBA On Record and to pre-order your copy, please visit abbaonrecord.com.

ABBA in the United States in 1974: ABBA On Record features other, rare photos from this visit.

ABBA in the United States in 1974: ABBA On Record features other, rare photos from this visit.