Are there plans to release all ABBA videos in 4K on DVD at some point do you think?

Thanks
Simon, UK

Not as far as I know, but probably not. The upgrade of music videos to 4K or HD has been an ongoing project between Universal Music and YouTube across Universal’s entire catalogue since 2019, exclusively for YouTube, starting with one thousand “classic” videos. Here are a couple of stories published at the time by Pitchfork and TechCrunch.

The lead on ‘Little Things’ on Voyage is sung by both Frida and Agnetha right? There’s a debate raging online that Frida is the lead and while her voice is more prominent, I can hear Agnetha all the way through the song. Your Disc page on the site seems to confirm this but just want to check I’m not going mad!

All the best,
Andrew, Australia

You’re right, both Frida and Agnetha are singing together right through ‘Little Things”, at least until the children’s choir chimes in. Like some other songs on Voyage when the two women sing together, Frida’s voice is more prominent.

Which traditional songs (from Scotland, Japan, etc.) were performed in ABBA’s concerts?

Thanks.
Yair, Israel

Only a few that I’m aware of, though there might have been other off-the-cuff moments that have not been reported. During the first concert of the European tour in 1977 in Oslo, ABBA sang a short snatch of the Norwegian lullaby ‘Vi har ei tulle med øyne blå’. In Australian concerts later in 1977, Benny played a bar or two of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ on his accordion, just before ‘Dum Dum Diddle’. At the concert in Glasgow on the 1979 tour, apparently Benny played a snippet of ‘Scotland The Brave’. At the final concert of that tour in Dublin, Benny played ‘Londonderry Air’ (aka ‘Danny Boy’) instead of the usual opening ‘Gammal fäbodpsalm’.

Remember Benny was hesitant about filming ABBA – The Movie because of the way the Hep Stars movie in the 1960s turned out. What was the issue with that?

Simon, UK

The Hep Stars’ movie Habari Safari was apparently a chaotic shoot, far from home, with little or no structure in the film’s plot or in the production. The whole thing fell apart when the money ran out, and the film was never completed. As Benny’s only previous movie experience, it’s no surprise he was hesitant, especially as ABBA – The Movie would be made in similar circumstances (though properly funded).

I got today from Amazon Japan the orange vinyl of Voyage. I was very disappointed, that it had no OBI. I wonder, if all Voyage vinyl from Japan don’t have an OBI.

Thanks,
Falk, Germany

According to Universal Japan’s webshop, all vinyl and cassette and some CD versions on sale in Japan are imported from the EU. Only the four SHM-CD packs (three with bonus discs of previously released content) are made in Japan. Apparently, the vinyl revival hasn’t hit Japan in the same way it has in the Western world. Second-hand old records are popular, but it seems most Japanese music buyers prefer CD to vinyl for new music purchases.

Why does Bjorn appear to heavily dislike the video to ‘Head Over Heels’, according to a recent TikTok?

Aaron, Australia 

Good question. He gives no indication in the TikTok video, aside from a shake of the head and a score of 0 out of 5. Perhaps it’s because the video looks oh-so-80s, with the fashions and the little bit of storyline. Maybe it’s because he plays a starring role as the husband of Frida’s head-over-heels woman.