SUNDAY MORNING CLASSICS ON TBP – SPECIAL ABBA EDITION

A collaboration of: “The Classic Music Mafia”
nkit, and Steve C.

Every Sunday morning we present selections for our TBP family to enjoy.

We present symphonies, ensembles, quartets, octets, etc.

Not all of our music is strictly ‘classical’. We may stray a little, but we strive to make all of our selections ‘classy’.

We offer tips on proper ‘symphony etiquette’ and even some selections that are a bit light-hearted and fun aimed at a younger audience. Those pieces will be so designated, and might be a good way to introduce kids to a world of music that they might not have been exposed to or think of as old and ‘stuffy’.

A full symphony will run as long as it will. We don’t want to cut a symphony short. However, we also include some shorter pieces that we try to keep under fifteen minutes in length. You can sample each and hopefully find one or more that pleases you.

We hope that you enjoy our Sunday selections.

nkit and Steve C. do ABBA

This week we want to feature ABBA as our ‘special tribute’ to them.

We understand that there are many ABBA fans out there and we wanted to treat you to them this week.

So this week instead of our regular classical feature we will offer up two ABBA documentaries followed by both classical versions of their songs and those performed by ABBA themselves.

The Joy of ABBA

We’ll start with this one from BBC, which aired on December 27th 2013:

ABBA’s Millions – British documentary of this Swedish quartet – full episode

Followed by this one also from BBC.

It’s a lighthearted British documentary estimating the fortunes of ABBA from their music and related ventures.

ABBA, formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome. That’s a word, which reads the same backward as forward, such as ‘madam’ or ‘racecar’.

I know what you’re thinking. How can that be when they have a Frida in there, but you’re thinking in English.

For instance, my name in English is Steve. That starts with an ‘S’. Her name is Frida. That starts with an ‘F’.

But

In Spanish, my name is Esteban. That starts with an ‘E’.
In Swedish (where they’re from) her name is Anni-Frid. That starts with an ‘A’.

One of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, they became one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1983, and in 2021.

During the band’s main active years, it consisted of two married couples: Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Benny Andersson. With the increase of their popularity, their personal lives suffered, which eventually resulted in the collapse of both marriages.

ABBA are one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with record sales estimated to be between 150 million to 385 million sold worldwide and the group were ranked 3rd best-selling singles artists in the United Kingdom with a total of 11.3 million singles sold by 3 November 2012.

ABBA were the first group from a non-English-speaking country to achieve consistent success in the charts of English-speaking countries. They are the best-selling Swedish band of all time and the best-selling band originating in continental Europe. ABBA had eight consecutive number-one albums in the UK. The group also enjoyed significant success in Latin America and recorded a collection of their hit songs in Spanish.

ABBA were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the first and only recording artists to receive this honor from outside an Anglophone country. In 2015, their song “Dancing Queen” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame.

Agnetha Fältskog,

Björn Ulvaeus,

Benny Andersson,

Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

We understand that there are many ABBA lovers out there so nkit and I teamed up to bring you our selections.

nkit has added nine ABBA songs by symphonies and I have added nine by ABBA.

We hope that you will enjoy our selections.

ABBA In Symphony – European Philharmonia conducted by Walter Proost

Sometime a while back on Sunday Morning Classics, I believe, someone posted an ABBA tune. While not being an ABBA fan or a disco fan myself (nkit), other folks said how much they liked ABBA (like me – Steve C.). So if you’re an ABBA fan, this Sunday is for you. ABBA in symphony is on the menu today.

We’ll kick this off with ABBA in symphony with the European Philharmonic conducted by Walter Proost.

Your bill of fare:

0:00 ~ lay all your love on me
4:26 ~ angel eyes
8:29 ~ money money money
11:30 ~ waterloo
14:32 ~ mamma mia
18:08 ~ voulez vous

Dancing Queen

Probably the only ABBA song that I know or really like:

Dancing Queen performed here by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mamma Mia

Next, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra accompanied by the Finnish vocal group Rajaton perform ABBA’s Mamma Mia.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

The same musicians now perform “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

And Now By The Original Band.

ABBA – Dancing Queen (Official Music Video Remastered)

ABBA – Thank You For The Music

ABBA – Take A Chance On Me (1978)

ABBA “The Winner Takes It All ” (1980) HQ Audio

ABBA – Super Trouper (1980)

ABBA – Chiquitita (Official Music Video)

ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You (Official Music Video)

ABBA – I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do (1975)

ABBA – Fernando (Official Music Video)

And now for one my favorite ABBA songs. It’s an early one from them, but a good one.

We hope that you ABBA fans have enjoyed your fix this Sunday.

The Classic Music Mafia – Adding some class to this joint one Sunday at a time.

Heaven help us…

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