DREAM ON: The Official ABBA Bootlegs

How can a bootleg be official? I made it so on ABBAnatic: The Alternative ABBA Web Site.

It's been over twenty years since I bought my last ABBA bootleg. To this day, I still receive email missives from ABBA hoarders begging me to sell a copy of Little White Secrets or the three volume Missing Pieces. And you know what, despite my previous responses in the negative, I've decided it's time to upload files of these bootlegs to this here Internets (sic) so ABBA fans the world over can enjoy them as much as I have. No money need change hands.

The first files to drop are the tracks from Dream On. This cd is subtitled Solo Rarities & Guest Appearances and it lives up to the moniker. From the remixes to a healthy sampling of songs vocalized by Michael Tretow, ABBA's long-time engineer, this cd is one of my personal favorites. The sound quality runs from very good to tolerable (the Tretow songs). Most of it was recorded directly from vinyl. Dream On Too is the companion CD and will be available soon.

1. SOS (3:17)
   This, Agnetha's Swedish solo version of the ABBA classic, is commercially available on other compilations, specifically På Svenska.
2. Yo No Fui Quien Dijo Adios (4:06)
   This is the Spanish version of Agnetha's single I Wasn't The One Who Said Goodbye.
3. I Won't Let You Go (5:54)
   An excellent remix of one of my favorite Agnetha songs. The original is on the album Eyes Of A Woman.
4. Let It Shine (3:44)
   This mix, subtitled The Bright Remix, is just that, a brighter, more dance-oriented mix of the cut from Agnetha's final album I Stand Alone.
5. The Last Time (6:50)
   This extended remix is also off Agnetha's album I Stand Alone.
6. Shine (6:23)
   This extended remix is taken from the title tune of Frida's 1984 album Shine.
7. Fernando (4:09)
   This, Frida's Swedish solo version, is commercially available on other compilations, specifically På Svenska.
8. Chiquitita (5:19)
   Recorded live at the United Nations, this cut was released only on the UNICEF concert album The Gift of Song; now out-of-print. The best part is hearing Gilda Radner introduce the group in her best put-upon Swedish accent.
9. Bravo Tu As Gagne (4:37)
   A beautiful French version of The Winner Takes It All by the esteemed Mireille Mathieu - she of the black hair helmet and glasses. Her voice has a timbre similar to Agnetha and with Benny, Bjorn and Frida providing backup one could almost swear ... A real find on this cd!
10. Paper Dolls (3:23)
11. Bottom Coming Up (2:47)
12. Moonbeams (2:49)
13. I Can See What You Mean (3:25)
14. Sandwich (2:57)
    The five songs above feature Michael Tretow, ABBA's long-time engineer, on lead vocals. Benny and Bjorn play piano and guitar, respectively and Agnetha and Frida sing back-up. Curiosities at first, I enjoy listening to them, especially Moonbeams; a song that only lists Agnetha on piano and Frida with backing vocals.

Email me or leave a comment if you'd like a link to download a ZIP of the music and CD art.

9/10/14 : I received a cease and desist order so unfortunately the download is no longer available. Enjoy the text, add a comment telling me how much you enjoyed it and sign it with an email address so I can say thanks.

ABBAnatic: A Download From The 90s ABBA Site

It's 1993. I want to learn HTML. What subject do I have the depth of knowledge needed to create a web site and accomplish my goal?

Seven years before Mamma Mia the musical and right after the late 1992 release of ABBA Gold, ABBAnatic: The Alternative ABBA Web Page was first conceived and uploaded to the domain servers at http://www.sirius.com/funnyguy/abbanatic.html. ABBAnatic is an amalgamation of ABBA and fanatic. (ABBAholic was also an option.) Over the next five years, I added many ABBA related sections to the site until I had nothing left to say (or I learned HTML - whichever came first). I still receive email from folks happening upon ABBAnatic now at www.AManAndAMouse.com.

Considering this background, I recently received a tweet that read: @AManAndAMouse Are you the author of 90's ABBA site "ABBAnatic"? Huh? I'm not OLD enough to have a 90s site. I woke up from that pleasant dream realizing that I am, in fact, old enough to have written ABBAnatic: The Alternative ABBA Web Page twenty years ago. So how lovely is that to be remembered!

Links for the ABBAnatic Challenged will open in new window

Shhhh! The Official ABBA Bootleg Page

Kristina! pa North America: An Interactive Adventure

Ring Ring or Wrong Wrong: A Controversy

In Search Of... Abba Day 1996 and Then Some

Muriel's Wedding

Agnetha and Frida: The Post-ABBA Page CHESS in HTML ABBA Lyrics A-Y

Download For ABBAnatics

In recognition of this 20 year milestone, here's a gift for ABBAnatics worldwide: a rip of a two (Licorice Pizza) record set called The ABBA Special. Although the cardboard gatefold cover and the vinyl LPs inside are not dated, it was made after The Visitors (music included) but before Under Attack or The Day Before You Came (not included). The record labels have the recognizable red and green Atlantic imprint.

The ABBA Special

The ABBA Special is an hour and a half edit of solo interviews with Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-frid Lyngstad and Stig Andersson about their early lives and the beginnings of ABBA. Interspersed amongst the interesting questions (including Björn, do you think ABBA is hip?), a bunch of ABBA hits are played en toto. The interviewer is Bob Hamilton of Radio Report and, at the program's end, he seems to call it The Story Of ABBA although the LP cover and four record labels are stamped The ABBA Special. Either way, if you like ABBA you won't want to miss this ready-for-radio autobiography of their humble beginnings.

Click to download a ZIP that contains 4 MP3 files, one for each LP side. I also included this video of ABBA singing California Here I Come in cowboy/saloon girl drag as a bonus. Let me know if there are issues with the download or the ZIP. Enjoy!

---

ABBATogetherAgain

Hell just might've frozen over yesterday (July 4th, 2008) when the four members of the super group came together for the Swedish premiere of Mamma Mia, the ABBA film musical. Hasn't happened in over twenty years! Unfortunately, there was not one picture found that featured the four members alone.



Benny Andersson, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Meryl, Agnetha, Frida, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, screenwriter Catherine Johnson, director Phyllida Lloyd, producer Judy Craymer, Bjorn Ulvaeus




Meryl Streep, Agnetha Faltskog, Anna-frid (Frida) Lyngstad, Christine Baranski




Agnetha




Agnetha, Meryl, Frida




Agnetha, Meryl, Frida




Pierce, Frida




Pierce, Amanda, Colin




Amanda




Agnetha, Meryl, Frida




Agnetha, Meryl, Frida

The ABBA Connection

For those who don't know - I have a connection to ABBA. In 1994, I began the first ever web site devoted to the Swedish pop band, ABBA (as a means to learn HTML for those fascinated by that sort of stuff). And, in 1996, I met Benny and Bjorn in Minneapolis of all places. In honor of the summer release of Mamma Mia here's the group's music video for the title tune (mysteriously aped in Muriel's Wedding for Muriel and Rhonda's karaoke performance of...Waterloo?).



And here's the trailer for the film. Meryl Streep (sounding great on the title tune), Julie Walters, and an uncredited (?) Christine Baranski - what a trio!!



I'm having fun already.