Happy New Year

 It's the end of another year, which means it's time for another year in review type post.  It's been a very weird, bad, heartbreaking year for a lot of people.  I've been quite fortunate to have not experienced as much loss as many others, but I feel so badly for all those who have.

I spend a lot of time at home anyway, so with the pandemic and lockdowns, I've been pretty okay and used to it.  I've done my best to make the most of this year, despite it being so terrible.  I've recreated two more sets of ABBA costumes for my dolls, made a ton of YouTube videos (even though I got several copyright strikes and laid low for a lot of the year), reached 13.5k YouTube subscribers which is absolutely amazing, and have also spent a lot of time growing my art skills.  I also completed my ABBA record collection, and I love playing them on the record player whenever I can. 

Of course the absolute best part of the year was adopting my fine feathered friend.  I've never had a pet before him, and this little guy has been the best little birdy that anyone could ask for.  Just getting him made the year so much better.  

I really hope that this next year will bring so many better things, and the world can start getting better.

Happy new year everyone.  Stay safe and healthy!

-Becky/ABBAFan456

Happy 74th birthday, Benny!

 Today Benny Andersson turns 74!  Happy birthday Benny!!  I hope he has an incredible day celebrating with his family and loved ones. :)

Here's a drawing I did in honor of Benny's birthday.

There's a speedpaint for it as well on YouTube for you to enjoy. :3

My Record Collection

 The last time you heard - or more like read haha - about my record collection was in early June of this year when I got Greatest Hits vol. 1 and Arrival on record.  In that blog post, I think I mentioned how much I don't enjoy spending money and buying things lol, so as you can imagine, it's not easy for me to spend my money on things even if they are things I really want.

Well, just last month, while I'm not usually on the hunt for records, I decided, well, as long as I'm this close to finishing my ABBA record collection, I might as well go all the way and get all the albums on record because why not?  This time however, instead of looking on Ebay because Ebay doesn't always have everything, I decided to go look on Discogs.  I was surprised to find that on Discogs, records can sell for really cheap, like just a couple of dollars depending on the quality of the record, and then there's shipping on top of that which isn't a lot either, so in the end you're not spending too much money.

The records I would be needing to compete my record collection were Waterloo, ABBA, and Ring Ring.  At first I was just gonna look for all US releases, and because Ring Ring was never released in the US and could be pretty expensive if I tried to get it from outside the US, I was just gonna stop at ABBA and Waterloo.  But, then I was like, who cares if it's expensive or not, I'm getting Ring Ring anyway!  And as long as I was getting all the studio albums, seeing as I have the two compilation albums that were released during ABBA's 10 year span, I might as well look for The Singles - The First Ten Years as well.

Just yesterday, my final record arrived, that being ABBA's third album, the self titled ABBA album from 1975, completing my record collection!  And here they all in all their glory!

I know I know, you're not supposed to put records on the floor, but how else was I supposed to get everything into one shot..?  Don't worry - I did not step on anything!  I was very careful! 

The first record I will be sharing is Ring Ring, that I bought all the way from Sweden!  Basically my thought process was, if I'm going to be getting the Ring Ring album from outside the US, I might as well get it from ABBA's place of origin, Sweden!  I've already played all my albums on the record player, and let me just say, this record turned out to be in the BEST condition and played super well!  I am really impressed!

The back of the record.

I thought I'd share a picture of the record slip, which I found to be really cool because it advertises for records from several other Swedish artists that I know, for example, Svenne & Lotta, Ted Gardestad, Frida's Ensam album, the Hootenanny Singers, and ABBA!

This is my first ABBA record to be from the Polar record label, and it makes me feel so special to have this haha.

Next is Waterloo.  Yes it peeves me that it says Bjorn, Benny, Anna, and Frida instead of Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida, haha, but it's alright, I have the album on CD with the proper ABBA logo, so it's alright. xD

And the back of the alum, featuring a blurry Frida lol.  That always cracks me up haha.

I didn't bother to take pictures of the record slip because it's just a generic record store slip kinda like the one on Ring Ring but featuring random American artists that I've never heard of, except for maybe the Bee Gees, but that's it.  I'm guessing ABBA records from prior to 1976 didn't come with specially designed record slips.

Next, I have the self-titled record.  This is my first time owning this album, like I don't even have it on CD, so this makes me really happy!

The back of the album.

The record slip for this one is just a plain record slip without any advertisements on it. 

And last but certainly not least, is The Singles, the First Ten Years.  I never liked the cover of this album, haha, but it's honestly really pretty!

The back of the record.

The lovely inside of the record case.

Dunno why the picture won't rotate, but whatever.  This is side A of the first record slip.  Hmm... this pictures nice.  Looks like it would make a nice poster.... ;)

Side B of the same first record slip. 

I believe this is actually the back of the record slip for the second record, but whatever, I'm calling it Side A, haha.

And Side B.

I am overall so happy to have all these records in my collection now, and also I've learned to set up the record player myself now without needing my dad's help lol, so now I can play these whenever I want, haha.  As I've mentioned, there's something just so special about playing ABBA songs in their original format on vinyl records, and it just makes me so happy to finally own all of ABBA's albums on record!  

Maybe I'll work on trying to finish my CD collection next hahahahaha. 

Snapchat

 So Snapchat came out with a new filter that lets you pretty much turn anyone into a cartoon character, so of course I had to do it to ABBA. :)

Happy 9th birthday, Benny Anderdoll!

9 years ago, I added the finishing touches to my homemade Benny doll, being the final doll in my ABBA doll collection.  I remember being so happy that I finally had all 4.  These dolls, though weird looking, have been the best dolls I've ever made.  They've gotten tattered and broken, but they made a little girl really happy and still continue to make that same girl (though not so little anymore bahahaha) happy.  Happy birthday, Benny Anderdoll. :3

I'm Carrie, not-the-kind-of-girl-you'd-marry...

 I finally made Benny and Bjorn's flightsuits, completing my recreations of ABBA's 1976 Arrival Flightsuits!  I had a lot of fun working on them, despite how time consuming it was, and am really pleased with the end result. :)  As usual, you can check out my sewing blog to see a slightly more detailed post.  In other news, which ABBA outfits do you think I should try to recreate next?

I am behind you, I'll always find you, I am the tiger...

 You guys, I actually got around to doing sewing two days in a row! :D

Here I have Frida's flightsuit, and I am again so happy with the way it came out!  For a more detailed post on the outfit, feel free to check out my sewing blog.  You also get to meet a special feathered friend at the end of the post, hahaha.  (If you're following my YouTube channel, you already know who it is, lol.)

Wish I was dum dum diddle...

 Look who's back with a new sewing project for the first time in a while! :D  I'd been planning to make these outfits for quite some time now, but due to no motivation and also some issues regarding my eye, I never got around to it until now. 

I only have Agnetha's flightsuit made so far, which I made today btw, and hopefully I can make the other three's outfits soon as well.  I had a lot of fun making this outfit, and as usual, I have a more detailed post on my sewing blog.  :3

Happy 75th Birthday, Frida!

 Wishing the happiest of birthdays to the lovely Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who turns 75 today!  I hope she has an amazing day celebrating with her friends and family!! <3

As usual, I have a speedpaint video as well for you all to enjoy. :3

Happy 9th birthday, Bjorn Uldollus!

 Today marks 9 years since I finished my homemade Bjorn doll in the middle of a snowstorm with no power, lol.  Still can't believe it's been 9 years!!

Agnetha So Long Gif

 In April of 2017 I was messing around with some of the features of my drawing program, Clip Studio Paint, and wanted to see if I could maybe make an animated GIF of some sort.  While I was working on that, I decided to make it ABBA themed because why not and since when do I not make everything ABBA themed, haha.  So I attempted to make an animated gif of the So Long Dance Routine.  I had big ideas but I never got around to doing the whole thing and as a result only got around to drawing Agnetha and not Frida as well, and also never got around to doing all the line art and making it look nice and colorful.  Anyways, today I finally got around to exporting it.  It's not the best thing, but for a first try it's not bad. :)

New ABBA Drawing

 It's been a while since I've had time to really sit down and work on a realistic drawing.  I so rarely have inspiration or the attention span to work on long portraits anymore, but when I do, I think I do a pretty good job.  For fun, my sister and I decided to work on this drawing of my favorite four Swedes.  We're both good artists yet we've never collaborated like this before.  So here is my most recent drawing of ABBA, drawn with graphite pencils and a touch of a white gelly roll. :)

In other news, I've mentioned this so many times, but can you believe that this year I've officially been an ABBA fan of 10 years??  I can't believe I've devoted almost half my life to this band, but hey, it's been the best and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon. :)

Why tying the new song to the virtual tour is a good thing

 There hasn't been any news on ABBA's new songs as of late - last I heard was that the songs were getting delayed again for the who-knows-how-many time since the first announcement that ABBA were making new music.  As every day passes, unsure of when our ears will be blessed with ABBA's amazing music again, there's more of a desire for the songs to be released sooner rather than later.  Some people wish for ABBA to just release the new songs independent of the virtual tour.  They don't understand why ABBA are tying the new songs to the tour when they aren't even interested in seeing the tour.  A lot of people think the tour should just be scrapped.  I completely understand the frustration, however, I personally love the idea of a virtual tour, as I've said a few times on this blog already.  It gives the ABBA members the opportunity to "tour" again, as their younger selves without actually having to go through all the stress of actually touring around the world.  

The question is, why do ABBA need to tie their new songs to the tour?  Why do we need to hear new material during the show when fans would be just as happy to hear the same old songs that we all know and love?

As I've been doing a lot of research for a video series that I started about a year ago which involves watching a lot of interviews, I came across this clip which pretty much gives us the answer:

Based on this interview from 1977, ABBA feel like their shows would be boring without any new material.  That is why the 1977 tour has a half hour of new music presented in the Girl with the Golden Hair mini-musical.  

Obviously they felt the same way when they did the 1979 tour two years later, with The Way Old Friends Do.

 

In both cases, I think the audience were quite thrilled to hear new songs that had never been heard before ever.

Clearly ABBA still have the same philosophy ~40 years later, which is why they're releasing new songs

for the virtual tour.  It could be argued that maybe ABBA shouldn't have told us they had new songs and instead just announced the virtual tour, and then when we all go to the show, we get surprised with new music, however, imagine if ABBA had recorded new music and didn't tell us.  I think we'd all be pretty upset about that, haha.

Anyway, whether the new music comes out early 2021, or 2022, I'm excited and can't wait.  :D

 In regards to whether I think the virtual tour should be a permanent location somewhere or not, that's a whole different story...

Is Bang-A-Boomerang a cover?

The definition of a "cover song" per dictionary.com:

cover version

---

noun

1. a recording of a song by a singer, instrumentalist, or group other than the original performer or composer.

I was asked by a friend if the song ABBA song Bang-A-Boomerang is a cover song. I replied with my view, that technically, it is a cover song because ABBA released their version of the song after Svenne & Lotta performed it at the Melodifestivalen for 1975 and subsequently released it, however, considering that Björn and Benny (and Stig) wrote and composed the song, and B&B are half of ABBA, no, it is not a cover song.

After asking around on other forums and groups, my friend came to the answer that yes, it is a cover song, and my opinion on the matter is not correct.

In today’s blog post, I’d like to further explain my opinion, and why I think I am correct. (remember, this is just my opinion!!!)

As I pointed out earlier, Björn and Benny are the composers of the song, and going by the definition I posted above, since B&B are ABBA (one half, but ABBA nonetheless), I don’t think it makes sense to say that ABBA is covering their own song.

Next, I want to share a timeline of events leading up to the song being performed by Svenne & Lotta and then later being released by ABBA.

• September 16th, 1974, ABBA started recording the original demo version of Bang-A-Boomerang, titled Stop And Listen To Your Heart. It was written for a forthcoming ABBA album.
• In late 1974, Björn and Benny were again invited to submit a song to the Melodifestivalen of 1975, however, seeing as ABBA literally just won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, they decided to give a different Swedish act a chance to win, that other act being Svenne & Lotta. Together with Stig, the boys came up with Swedish lyrics for the now retitled Bang-En-Boomerang.
• In February 1975, Svenne & Lotta won 3rd place in the Melodifestivalen and around that time released the song as a single. The song was really successful in Sweden, and shortly afterward, Svenne & Lotta released an album with both the Swedish version of the song and an English version, Bang-A-Boomerang, also written by Björn, Benny, and Stig. (Fun fact, the English version of the single also features on the B-side, an English language cover of another Björn and Benny song from 1970, Kära Gamla Sol as Roly-Poly-Girl.  Also, on their album, Svenne & Lotta sang a cover of Dance (While The Music Still Goes On).)
• In April of 1975, ABBA released their version of the English version of the song on their self-titled record that they had been working on since August of 1974.

Based on this timeline, it seems pretty obvious that the song was originally intended as an ABBA song, and even though Svenne & Lotta performed the song in the Melodifestivalen (on behalf of Björn and Benny) and released singles and an album due to the success, the song is still ABBA’s song.

A lot of people say that ABBA’s song is a cover of Svenne & Lotta’s because ABBA’s version was released after Svenne & Lotta’s. However, I don’t think the release date can really confirm if a song is a cover or not.

During the 1979 world tour, Agnetha would perform her song, I’m Still Alive, live in concert, but the song was never officially released, until decades later in 2014. Until it’s official release in 2014, all we ever had of the song were bootleg recordings.

Agnetha was asked to submit a song of her own into the 1981 Melodifestivalen, and she wrote the song Men natten är vår . The singer Kicki Moberg performed it in the competition, and the song was later released as a single, I believe in February, 1981, and as the B-side, Kicki sang the Swedish version of I’m Still Alive, titled Här är mitt liv. Going by release date, Kicki’s version of the song was released first, in 1981, and Agnetha’s only released in 2014. However, no one says that Agnetha is covering Kicki’s song - in the end, it is still Agnetha's song!

Now, is the song Fernando a cover song as well?

On November 10th, 1975, Frida released a solo album titled Ensam, where she sang many cover songs, however she also sang a new song titled Fernando, composed and written in Swedish by none other than Björn and Benny and Stig.

Then in 1976, the song was released in English (lyrics written by Björn, Benny, and Stig) by ABBA. Going by release date, technically it is a cover, yes, but remember, Frida is a quarter ABBA, Björn and Benny are half of ABBA, meaning that the original Swedish version of Fernando was by 3/4 ABBA. I don't think it makes sense to say that ABBA covered 3/4 ABBA.

Is Waterloo a cover song?

Carl Magnus Palm wrote a very interesting article in January about the song Waterloo being originally performed, not by ABBA, but by this band called Ajax.

Ajax was a vocal group who not only sang as backup vocalists during the Melodifestivalen, but also would perform songs entered in the competition in advance of the actual contest. The Melodifestivalen for 1974 was held on February 9th, but on January 30th, Ajax performed Waterloo live for the first time ever, being the first time the public ever heard the song! But nobody says that ABBA’s Waterloo is a cover of Ajax just because the song was first heard performed by Ajax.

So what is the point of this blog post? Am I trying to say that everyone who believes that Bang-A-Boomerang and Fernando are covers are wrong to have that view? No, absolutely not. I am, however, trying to prove that there really is no right answer to the question. I think I have some valid points, and just because my opinion doesn’t line up with the majority’s view, that doesn't mean that my opinion is wrong.

So, in conclusion, is Bang-A-Boomerang a cover? There is no right or wrong answer.  It is and it isn't, and whichever way you think it is, you're correct.

Kimonos

If you've been reading my sewing blog, you'll know that I recently started working on remaking ABBA's kimonos again, for the 4th/5th for my dolls.  8 years since I made my last attempt and 6 years since I tried to make another set and ultimately abandoned the project (that's why I wrote 4th/5th attempt lol), I finally have a version of my Kimonos that are pretty accurate and that I'm satisfied with. :)

To read more detailed posts about how I made these, you can check out my sewing blog. :)

Now the question is, which costume should I attempt to remake next...?

Happy birthday, Gorel!!

Just wanted to wish the incredible Gorel Hanser a happy birthday today!  I hope she has an incredible time celebrating with her family and loved ones. :)

Greatest Hits & Arrival

I've been a fan of ABBA for 10 years now, and over the past 10 years, I've managed to collect almost all of ABBA's albums, the only studio album missing from my collection thus far is the self-titled ABBA, from 1975. 

So far, I have Ring Ring, Waterloo, and Arrival (Deluxe Edition), on CD, and The Album all the way through The Visitors, plus Greatest Hits Vol.2 on record.  Even though Vinyl Records are pretty much obsolete, I can't help but have the urge to complete my ABBA album collection on record format as well.  There's something really special about listening to ABBA's albums on the original format that it was released on.  The record player static adds to that experience, as well.

My dad had Greatest Hits Vol.2 and The Album on record, bought back in the 80s or so, and I've since bought Voulez-Vous from a cosplay convention, Super Trouper from Goodwill, and The Visitors off of eBay.  That was my first time buying a record online, and since I've heard so many horror stories about how the postal service will crush the record to fit into a mailbox and stuff, and I was so relieved when my record came safe and sound.  Seeing as that sale went smoothly, I'm no longer scared of buying records online anymore.

I'm not always on the hunt for buying ABBA records, since I don't particularly enjoy spending money and I almost always feel buyers remorse after every single purchase, but for some reason, eBay recommended to me a listing for Greatest Hits on record for $3 and $4.  And the listing said that if you buy two, the shipping will combine.  I've always had a difficult time finding Greatest Hits, I guess it's a really hard album to find nowadays, so my interest was perked.  I looked at what other albums the seller had to offer, and the only other ABBA album the seller had was Arrival.  I already had Arrival on CD, but like I said, I want to have all of ABBA's albums on record as well.  So I decided to get it. 

I delayed a little, since I don't particularly like spending money, and by the time I was ready to buy the records, the Greatest Hits listing had been sold.  So I surfed eBay, looking to see if anyone else was selling Greatest Hits for a good price, and was having no luck until I found an auction of both Greatest Hits and Arrival for a starting bid of ~$12.  I don't have very good luck when it comes to buying auctions, but I kept on eye out on this one, watching it for a week until the auction was about to end.  Surprisingly, no one bid anything, and I was the only bidder.  I got both records for a really good price, and today they arrived in the mail.

My entire record collection thus far, not including the singles that my lovely friend Eleonore got for me. <3

Both records are in good condition besides some wear and tear on the outer record slips.  I have yet to play them on the record player, but I can't wait to, and I'm really happy to have these two albums as part of my collection.

I don't know which album I'll get next on record, and when that will be, but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy listening to these on the record player.

Happy 75th birthday, Bjorn!

Happy 75th birthday to 1 of the 2 songwriting masterminds behind ABBA's amazing songs, Bjorn Ulvaeus! I hope he has an absolutely amazing time celebrating his birthday with his loved ones. To celebrate his birthday, I've drawn this digital drawing of Bjorn in 1976. :)

 

And also if you're interested, here is a speedpaint I filmed as well. :)

Happy 46th Anniversary, ABBA!

Today marks 46 years since ABBA's victory in Brighton, England with the amazing song "Waterloo"!
To celebrate, here's this Waterloo-themed drawing.  I've been experimenting with a lot of different drawing styles lately, and this is the result.  I hope you guys like it. :3

Here's a speedpaint as well in case you were interested:

Happy 70th birthday, Agnetha!

Happy 70th birthday to our dearest Agnetha.  It's hard to believe all four ABBA members are now in their 70s!  I hope that, despite this difficult time, Agnetha is having a good time celebrating with her loved ones.

In honor of Agnetha's birthday, here's a digital drawing I did of her in 1981.  I've also recorded a speedpaint of the drawing which you can watch below if you'd like. :)

8th Blog Anniversary

I meant to write this post much earlier and get it out earlier today, but I've been busy.  :P

Today's my blog's 8th anniversary.  8 years ago, a young girl decided she wanted to share her ABBA dolls, animations, and weird looking drawings that are supposed to be ABBA but don't really resemble them lol with the world.  I never thought I'd keep up with this blog, and even though I haven't uploaded consistently and have at times abandoned this blog, I've always been here and I'm extremely thankful for the amount of subscribers on my YouTube channel and for everyone who has stuck around with me for the past 8 years.  :')

Happy 8 years to me!
 -Becky/ABBAFan456