I was listening to Abba recently and, as a bassist, hardly unaware the brilliant (often idiosyncratic) basslines and had the concept of this article. I had to think. I had read Benny and Bjrn reportedly intensely controlled every aspect of the music. At least that was the commonly reported view. Was this factual? Did they (Benny and Bjrn) play some of the bass? Did they write out every note of every bassline including fills? I read a lot and listened a lot more. Many questions still remain and I would appreciate your ideas or responses in the comments below but I have come to the conclusion that Rutger Gunnarsson (the Swedish Jamerson) played most of the tracks and Mike Watson many other key tracks and both created most of their own musical parts.
S.O.S. (1975) is incredibly catchy (described by both Pete Townsend and John Lennon as one of their favourite pop songs) and well set up by its intro of descending piano and mimimoog fill. The semi-classical feel of the verse with spare bass (with effective slides) contrasts brilliantly with the driving chorus when the drums and strummed guitar join the rocking eight note based bassline which never merely outlines the roots but uses passing notes to create momentum.
I would have thought in the ABBA sessions, it would have been similar. The product would have had something in mind with a certain cord structure etc., and if the session musician deviated from it, it would have been corrected, but most probably, they all knew what the final vision was.
Hi ColinJust an email to thank you and the Abbagirls so much for a fabulous night. I've had so much feedback from everyone today about how fantastic the entertainment was. We look forward to seeing you again in the near future and if you're looking for a new recruit, Lainey is available!!!Best wishes and thanks againGill & Ian
To round off a very enjoyable day, I was delighted to be taken to see 'Abbagirls' at a popular sell-out repeat event at my local Affinity restaurant.I've never seen a 'Tribute Act' before, but was most impressed by Gilda 'Kristian' Bagnall and Kim Graham Cross - who delivered a faultless 5-star performance across a wide selection of well known Abba songs.Two very strong voices, singing extremely well together with all the authentic harmonies I'd hoped to hear (but, to be honest, hadn't expected to).I'd imagined performances at variance with the originals, but these girls deliver so well you'd almost think they were lip-syncing (but they 100% were not!).It was very enjoyable to chat with the girls before and after as they saw dedicated 'Abba Fan' Mike G. McDermott and it was a lovely touch that the girls allowed me to have my photo taken with them after too - thank you :)Well done Abbagirls, I enjoyed the whole evening and you did Abba proud.
What can I say? Thank you doesn't really cover it. It was such a brilliant night last Saturday in Whipsnade. So glad we chose your band to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary! It was just the perfect day for us both xx love Duncan and Davinia Leggett, come and see us for a cup of tea if you're ever passing!
Thank you so much Colin and the Abbagirls.We are so pleased that we chose your band to celebrate our 10 year Wedding Anniversary.Everybody that joined us on Saturday at Whipsnade Village Hall had a great time, and were so impressed with the professionalism of the Abbagirls!I'm sure you could tell how much me and Davinia, and all 3 kids!, loved the music, as we didn't leave the dance floor once!!We loved the personal touch when you gave us a shout out for our favourite songs, SOS and Lay all your love on me.If you're reading this considering booking the Abbagirls, then do it without hesitation, whatever the size of your venue, whatever the occasion, how ever many guests you have, you will not regret it. I promise. 100% guaranteed, money well spent!Thanks again. See you all again some time.
Simply OMG!! 3 friends and I went to see your show at The Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmund's. April 9th 2016.As regular theatre goers we have never seen our theatre rocking the way you got us going, what a band you are. We recently saw Bjorn Again at Potters resort and in March saw an Abba band at The Corn Exchange in Cambridge.Your Abba tribute band blows them all away! 4 harmonies, groovy authentic costumes, damn cute drummer two great sets of Abba songs played and performed to perfection.We looked around and you had a full standing ovation for at least the last 15-20 minutes of your show. By far the best Abba tribute band on any circuit.Ta very much; Mary, Celia, Rose & Charlie
hi Abba girs please can u do a show sister mum nicky as surpise from chels kerb kay me leo.nanny houary auntie mother as thank you such a great allsome nan wicked mum fabous auntie binta ( nicolam) thank you you were calton rd club antonia Hi Antonia, So pleased you loved our show, we loved your costume and excellent "Sign" Thank you for coming to see us. Much love, Colin, Kim & Georgi xx
What a fantastic Masonic Ladies Festival !. March 12th 2016 The best decision we made was to go with the wonderful Abba Girls tribute band for ourannual Ladies Night. They were so professional in every respect and so easy to deal with. Peoplehaven't stopped phoning and emailing to tell us what a great time they had. The girls arrivedreally early to set up their stage and sound system and discretely waited until they were calledto perform their first set. By the time they had finished the first number they had a hundred peopleup and dancing on the floor, who didn't sit down for the next 45 minutes. they had a break of abouthalf an hour and then came back for their second session which went even better, they were sotalented.Colin their manager was so helpful and cooperative, they complied with every request we made.We could not praise their attitude and performance highly enough well worth every penny. Thank you for the music !Tony Marshall, WM Anglo Scottish Lodge. 8844.
The Abbagirls management will prosecute any act or agent that sells a show or an act using the name "Abbagirls" or "Abba Girls" in any way shape or form without prior consent from Abbagirls management. 2022
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Ring, RingRing Ring B+Well this was the album's big "hit," and it's good enough to have been ABBA filler material later on! Eh, it's not so bad, anyway. The good news about it is that means this group got much better! There are some very nice vocal hooks here. Certainly, this is much more appreciated than an album full of *nothing* melodies. Musically, this sounds much like The Beatles' "The Ballad of John and Yoko." The instrumentation consists of the usual bright piano and the lightest guitars ever to be deemed plausible for an ABBA pop album.Another Town, Another Train COne thing about these early ABBA albums is the guys thought they deserved to sing as much as the girls did. Well why not anyway; they write the songs! I'll tell ya why! They don't have the sexy voices!! This ballad isn't so bad. The hooks are OK but nothing to memorable, and frankly it's a good thing that this song isn't memorable! You don't want that cheesy flute sound stuck in your head!!Disillusion B-I originally hated this song like the plague. (In fact, I hated it so much that I committed suicide and possessed the body of Jane Fonda so that I could continue to write the review.) But really, it's not so bad. Agnetha delivers a nice little performance singing a melody-line that's somewhat reminiscent of classical music. It makes a light, airy and useless listen, but it's kinda sweet.People Need Love DNow this is a song that I just can't take at all. This is so cheesy and childish that it makes the songwriters for Barney the Dinosaur seem like The Beatles. There are some attempts in the melody for hooks, and they succeed in such a way that this song has a bad tendency to get stuck in my mind..... gueurruuruuuuurrrrrrr... That yodeling at the end is funny, though.I Saw in the Mirror D+Blandola. But the good news is that this is better than the previous track!! But only slightly. This is a soft-rocker with such a pace that only makes this feel desperately dull. The melody had potential, but ... uhhhh, not really. Actually, this melody sucks. Boo!!! Yeah, this is garbage... Sorry guys.Nina Pretty Ballerina C-This is just a little more tolerable, but it's really not a whole lot better. It's a shame that the melody is so cheesy. I really dislike that rapidly played piano they're using. No, the piano isn't being pounded in a new wave fashion --- it's much faster than that, and it's mind boggling why they thought that would sound nice. Their use of sound effects worked OK with the train at the beginning, but those cheers in the middle were icky.Love Isn't Easy (But it Sure is Hard...) CThere are certain aspects about this one that's alright. The melody is kinda catchy though still too cheesy for comfort. I think the introduction is done rather well, but the remainder gets old rather quickly. However, the vocal layering done by the girls and guys (singing different lyrics) was a nice idea!Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother DWhen I hear that chorus, I'm thinking: It's Jane Fonda time. Otherwise it's OK. Some of those hooks aren't too bad, and I like hearing that brief section with the recorder. But in the end, this song is so happy and bouncy that I feel like I'm wearing that happy helmet from Ren & Stimpy. (Watch that episode if you don't know what I'm talking about; it's classic.)He is Your Brother C-You know this song is a little more tolerable, probably because the melody isn't so intrusive. That just means the melody is bland and it didn't work. Well, not that I wasn't expecting that... There is some particularly nicely done vocal layering here, though, that makes me want to redeem it.She's My Kind of Girl BThe guys shouldn't sing (I'm going to be complaining about this for ABBA albums until their final work, so don't worry), but on second thought it would be a little awkward for the girls to sing "She's My Kind of Girl." It's true that they were gay icons, but ... well not yet!! The guys were nice to themselves and sang one of the album's more tolerable songs. They were at least proving that they had melodic talent down there. Like diamonds in the rough!I Am Just a Girl BIt must have been some sort of revelation to find out that, after all these years, you're a girl. I bet trying to pee standing up gave that away. Anyway, to my happy surprise, this has been two tolerable songs in a row! The melody is sweet, and hearing the girls sing it is even sweeter. The hooks are good enough, and the instrumentation manages to do nothing that annoys me. For this early ABBA album, these things are all I ask for.Rock & Roll Band C+Well, I can say that this is in the Top 5 best ABBA songs with the pretense of being a rock song. Maybe this is a little more convincing than even some of the ones from ABBA --- There's an electric guitar player somewhere in the studio there! The hooks are fine, but they're strictly forgettable.BONUS TRACKS:Merry-Go-Round DEwwwww... Ring Ring rejects. Already I have a bad taste in my mouth! There are certain aspects of the instrumentation I like namely those stringed instrument sounds. But the melody is BAD even for this album... They might have fashioned this into a nice song with a little more elbow grease, but ... nah, they didn't.Santa Rosa B+A blatant Beatles rip-off (a hook sounds verrrry similar to "If There Was Someone"), but it otherwise reminds me of a higher quality Associations song, so it can't be that bad. Well, this is interesting! This track doesn't count toward the album rating, but ... wow.Ring Ring (Swedish Version) B+Hey, look! ABBA is from Sweden. I had no idea!