Mamma Mia! - Abba's back

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It’s time to dust off the flares and hunt out the platforms, I sniff a 70s revival.

My suspicion was sparked by the announcement today Abba is set to release a never-before heard song - Hooray!!

It has been 20 years and a few inferior imitations (Erasure’s bizarre version of Take A Chance On Me) since the Swedish super- group has done anything new.

In 1994 they put out a box set Thank You For The Music, named after the song, which included a couple of new tracks.

Put On Your White Sombrero was one, I don’t understand why that wasn’t released years before.

The new offering will be included on a re-issue of The Visitors album which was first released in 1981.

I am not sure why Misters Andersson and Ulveus have picked The Visitors as it didn’t really showcase any of their really big, best-known hits.


“Head Over Heels”, “When All Is

Said and Done” and “Slipping Through My Fingers” to name three.

Of course everybody remembers Dancing Queen.

Certainly anyone who grew up in the 70s or early 90s - the decade of the retro revival.

It was at the beginning of the 90s the group released their greatest hits - Abba Gold, much to the delight of anyone who was into disco at the time.

It was also when my fellow university students used to split their sides every time radio DJs played a song called “chicken tikka”.

Of course a die-hard Abba devotee like myself knew that not only was the correct title to this classic in fact Chiquitita, but I could produce a near word-perfect sing along rendition when it came on.

The new release everyone is waiting for has lain dormant in the archives since 1981.
It’s title - From a Twinkling Star to a Passing Angel – I must admit does not hold the same promise Dancing Queen or Voulez-Vouz.

There’s something a bit too “Like Old Friends Do” or “The Winner Takes It All” about it.
It doesn’t evoke the same foot-tapping, finger-pointing, blue satin-strutting expectations as say “Super Trouper” or “Mama Mia”.

But that doesn’t mean to say I am not excited and I plan to dash to HMV on April 23 to pick up my copy.

Being born shortly after Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with a sister who wanted to be reborn as Annifrid, I was bound to grow up constantly thanking Abba for the music.

They really were the best and despite splitting 30 years ago their genius touch is still out there.

Films, songs, concert tours, you can often detect a sprinkling of magic Abba dust.

Remember Priscilla? The pink van that travelled across Australia to the sound of Abba tracks.

And Mama Mia! The song spawned the stage play and then a hit film with Meryl Streep.

Madonna paid homage to the fab four donning a blue and white spandex cat suit in her 2006 Confessions Tour – she once described herself as “Abba with sex”.

I intend to make full use of this opportunity by digging out all those old albums (vinyl) and raising the roof with some classic Scandinavian campery.

You can take your One Directions and Little Mixes, they don’t even come close.
This Arrival has been a long time coming – I’ve Been Waiting For You.

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