Happy 80th birthday, Frida!

 Today we wish our beloved Anni-Frid Lyngstad a very, very happy 80th birthday.  Grattis på födelsedagen, dear Frida!

 

Happy 79th Birthday, Frida!

 To our beloved princess, 1/2 of ABBA's impeccable vocalists, absolute powerhouse and crazy talented singer...  Dearest Frida, happy, happy 79th birthday!

 

3 years of ABBA Voyage

Three years ago today, ABBA's 9th and final studio album to date, Voyage was released! I still will never get over the fact that my favorite band ever, the group that I have pretty much dedicated the last 14 years to, actually made music again - the one thing they had had pretty vowed not to do during their 40 year hiatus.

When Agnetha and Frida sing together on top of Bjorn's crafty lyrics and Benny's impeccable compositions, the result is just magical. Even after 40 years, they still managed to capture the same essence that was ABBA from the 70s and 80s into 10 new tracks.

 Last night while working on this drawing (which I'm aware is not from any of the Voyage sessions but that's because I've already drawn pretty much all the voyage pictures haha), I listened to the entire Voyage album from start to finish.  It's nothing new for me to listen to the album from track 1 all the way to track 10 because I'm always listening to ABBA's albums in full, but as I was listening, I couldn't get over how unequivocally ABBA it is.  Even with 39 years since their last recording session, the sound of ABBA was there.  And I'm not just talking about their voices and the music.

We have songs that are about the close bond that people can have (I Still Have Faith In You), slow ballads as well as upbeat dance-able tracks (Just A Notion) and then some happy tracks with hint of melancholy (Don't Shut Me Down and When You Danced With Me).  We have songs about family - be it relationship/marital/divorce issues (No Doubt About It and Keep An Eye On Dan) or just family life (Little Things.)  We have songs that seem downright depressing until the final chorus of the song when we're left with a hint of hopefulness that maybe things are going to be alright in the end (I Can Be That Woman.)  And we have songs that are profound and philosophical (Ode To Freedom) and songs that are commenting on issues with today's world (Bumblebee.)  Just to name a few recurring themes.

I feel like a lot of people who just know ABBA as the band that provided the music to Mamma Mia or as just the band who has only the tracklist of ABBA Gold, aka uncultured dummies hahahhaha jkjkjkjkjk don't realize that these are all topics that ABBA have covered throughout their prior 8 albums.  I've talked a lot of this in my song analysis series that I will get back to posting when I feel like it, but here are some examples of past ABBA songs that are about the same topics. 

Relationship/Marital/Divorce issues: The Winner Takes It All, Hey Hey Helen

Philosophical: Move On

Social Commentary: What About Livingstone

Family life: Slipping Through My Fingers

Songs that are kinda depressing but then leave us with a hint of hopefulness at the end: One Man, One Woman

Close bond/friendship: The Way Old Friends Do

And these are just the ones that I can name off the top of my head.

Even from the moment I first heard the Voyage album in full, it just felt like an ABBA album.  Everything about it screams ABBA, and I cannot be more grateful to have been there to witness this momentous album, and still to this day listen to this album on the regular. 

Happy 3 years of Voyage, the Album. ❤️

Frida Beyond ABBA - A MUST have for ABBA fans

 So I've been on a bit of an ABBA book reading kick lately, and bought myself a few books over the course of this year.  Unfortunately the two that I had bought before, both pieces by Carl Magnus Palm, were not my favorite books in the world.  I've read plenty of ABBA books from the library over the years, but never really in full detail (I was a kid who mostly enjoyed looking at the pretty pictures Hahaha), and my not overly pleasant experience reading CMP's books had me wondering if all ABBA books were like this - overly sensationalized, focusing more on the drama than the people and the music themselves, and mostly highlighting the negatives.  Now I'm not saying that ABBA and its members' story is all perfect with no drama whatsoever, but to only focus on the details that are key to sell a book seems wrong.

Up until recently, there hadn't really been any books that take a big deep dive into the ABBA members' individual stories and lives.  Of course, with Agnetha being the PreTTy BlONdE oNe, there are certainly plenty of books all about her, but none that I had seen that were very respectful and didn't sexualize her.  That is until I read Agnetha Faltskog - The Girl With The Golden Hair by Daniel Ward.  I think I failed to give the book a proper review when I got it back in 2023, but I actually really enjoyed it.  The author spent a lot of time compiling quotes from Agnetha over the decades from various interviews, and you really get a feel for her personality, what she was like, how she's really not this quiet, pretty, blonde girl that you perceive during interviews, but rather she had quite the temper and was very outspoken and opinionated, and we love that for her.   And his intention was to actually tell the story of Agnetha Faltskog, omitting the "AgNeThA iS SeXY" narrative because most people only ever see her as a sex icon and he was trying to prove that she is actually a person.  Of course I question the validity of some sources, especially the story about STIG BANGING ON AGNETHA'S HOTEL ROOM DOOR AFTER THE TRAUMATIZING BOSTON FLIGHT AND HER GETTING SICK, and the only source for that incident is Carl Magnus Palm's totally 100% truthful Bright Lights, Dark Shadows book, and the claim allegedly comes from Bosse Norling, ABBA's tour manager, but Bosse Norling was not interviewed for the book, so... where does it actually come from?  Tabloids?  Sensationalized stories that aren't 100% accurate?  Which does also lead me to question the validity of other quotes because they too could come from interviews that aren't 100% true and are sensationalized.  But aside from that, I found the book to be absolutely delightful and enjoyable.

In February 2022, author Remko van Drongelen released a book all about Frida's story, spanning her entire career from childhood, becoming a singer at age 13, all the different competitions she entered to try and get somewhere with her career, the ups and downs of it all - a feat that hadn't actually been touched on until that point. When the book first came out, I really wanted to get my hands on it, but the book is pricey and I didn't really have that kind of money to justify spending on a $100+ book.  But, now that I have my hands on the book, I just have to say, this book was worth every penny.

In many ways, there are overlaps with Bright Lights, Dark Shadows, which I had literally just finished reading, but Frida Beyond ABBA goes into so much more detail.  I had mentioned that one think I didn't like about Bright Lights, Dark Shadows was the fact that the author has to remind us constantly about Frida's struggle with depression, and it basically only focuses on that fact and makes you think that Frida had no positivity in her life, and she is always going to be Depressed Frida.  Frida Beyond ABBA is the opposite.  Yes Frida's depression comes up a lot in the book, but it never makes you feel that she is just a depressed person, that the depression enveloped her entire personality and she was only Depressed Frida.  We actually follow her depression in real time, see what triggered it and how it got better.  We learn all about Frida's motivation in life, why she wanted to start singing.  We learn about her family history as well, all about her mother Synni and her father Alfred Haase, but most importantly, the book kept things respectful.  

 Bright Lights, Dark Shadows had been rather explicit, talking all about how Synni and Alfred Haase first made love, and like, I don't know about you but I don't think that's details that we should or need to know, especially as what does it matter how and where they were when they did?  Did the author only include it because Sex is a SENSATIONAL TOPIC and Sex sells??????  Frida Beyond ABBA wasn't like that in any way at all.  It does explain how children out of wedlock had been a common occurrence in Frida Lyngstad's family history, but like, that's all.  And it's fine.  I'm not judging of course, I just don't think we need to know all the little details on how each person was intimate together, and where and when.  That's too personal and feels disrespectful to include in a biography.  This book (as did Bright Lights, Dark Shadows) also confirms that Frida was not a child of the Lebensborn program, a rumor that goes around every once in a while.  (Like it's even stated as a "fact" on the wikipedia page for Lebensborn, even though it was never proven to be true.)

 Speaking of respectful, this book included a paragraph about personal details and whether to included them or not in this book.  The line "A determining factor in this was also whether Frida had spoken publicly about these periods in her life or not, and whether a certain detail as a fact or just somoene's opinion, in which case it would often only be included as a quote, if relevant at all."  AND THIS QUOTE IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME!  And that quote alone proved to me that this author was trying his best to share a respectful, non-sensationalized story, and I agree that the end result was just that.

I should also mention, this book also did not vilify Stig Anderson in anyway.  Even in the events that Stig allegedly was mean to Frida, specifically in the making of her Something's Going On album, you learn that his telling Frida that none of her songs had hit potential came from a place of caring, as he was worried that this new musical style she was taking on wouldn't sell or have success.  Ultimately he was proven wrong, as I Know There's Something Going On went on to become a very big hit, but never once in this book do you see Stig as EVIL, a theme that shows up constantly in all the Carl Magnus Palm books that I have read. (CMP's books really had me thinking that it is the general consensus that Stig Anderson is BAD, but this book proves to me that maybe CMP is the problem....)

Now the one thing that I am confused by is the book's statement that after ABBA, pre-Voyage of course, Frida was the only one to be in support of ABBA recording anything again but the rest of the ABBA members, including Agnetha, would constantly make statements that no, ABBA is over.  No more ABBA.  I get I haven't read all that many paper interviews, but that's not the tune that I've ever gotten from Agnetha..?  Like she of course would reiterate that the guys are busy writing a musical and "ABBA is sleeping," but as far as I know she's always had a "never say never" philosophy.  A good example of it is this interview on the Mike aan Zee show in 1985.

Now, I should mention, this book glosses over all of ABBA's career, and doesn't go into much detail about ABBA at all.  I would say this book is definitely not for those who don't know ABBA's full story, but at the same time it makes a wonderful companion book to those who do.  It's just full of so much rich detail, tons of rare and new information that I had never heard of before.  I learned about songs that Frida contributed backing vocals to, I learned all about the early dance-band years, and I feel like I really got to know Anni-Frid Lyngstad as a person. 

Now while I do of course still question the validity of some quotes and their sources, there is no doubt that the author did so much work and research on this book, and even gives a PDF to the reader when you buy the book that includes all the sources, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this.  This book was nothing other than respectful, and there is no doubt that this book was created with love

I just really liked this book, and I would honestly give it a 10/10, and definitely a must have for all ABBA fans (if you can afford it of course.)  I think Remko van Drongelen is now one of my favorite authors. :)

50 years of ABBA - celebrating ABBA's Eurovision Win

 It was exactly 50 years ago today, that ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest.  They had done something so unique for the time, performing a more rocky song than had ever been performed before, crafting an intricate image that helped them to stand out.  They pushed the boundaries and ultimately created a new standard for all future Eurovision Song Contests. 

Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Frida did an absolutely outstanding performance, with an amazing song, and an incredible appearance, and they couldn't have done it if not for their close bond and determination to win.

Their win was well deserved, and today we celebrate with them on this absolutely iconic and incredible day.  Happy 50th anniversary, ABBA.  Hip hip hurrah!

Happy 78th birthday, Frida!

 Today our Princess Frida celebrates her 78th birthday!  I hope she has an absolutely wonderful day celebrating with her family and friends.  We love you Frida! 💕

 

Happy ABBA day!

 49 years ago today, ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with their epic performance of Waterloo, skyrocketing them into worldwide fame and success, and the rest of course is history! :D

Happy 77th birthday, Frida!

 

Happy, happy birthday, dear Frida! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating your 77th birthday with all your friends, family, and loved ones! We love you, Frida! Thank you for the music! ❤️🎉

Yet another collection update

Guess who's gone a little record-shopping happy. :3  

When I was a kid and just getting into this whole ABBA craze/obsession/whatever you want to call it, I always dreamed about getting hard copies of all of ABBA's work, be it pre-ABBA, during-ABBA or post-ABBA.  I just wanted it all.  Now, while I don't necessarily have everything everything, like I haven't bothered trying to find the Hep Stars or the Hootenanny Singers' work (yet that is hahahahahah), or Frida's pre-ABBA singles, I've gotten pretty close and I think I've found a good point to stop at.  For now that is.  You never know when that record bug's gonna bite again and I'll have to start spending more of my money on more vinyls....

Recently I finished my Agnetha and Frida solo album collection (excluding Agnetha's albums she did with her children that is.)  It's just absolutely surreal having their entire music in my possession, and in Agnetha's case, from when she was 17 years old all the way to her latest solo album when she was 63.  

Alright, so the goal was initially to get just the studio albums, but as I as hunting for records, I found Agnetha's 1979 compilation album celebrating 10 years of Agnetha being sold from the same seller as one of the other albums, so I snagged it to.  It's an absolutely lovely album, featuring a lot of her hit songs as well as a new one written especially for this album, När Du Tar Mig I Din Famn (which she also recorded as the Queen of Hearts later.)

The album also came with this really nice poster that i wasn't expecting, so I stuck that onto my wall.  Had to make a bit of room for it though as I'm pretty much out of wall space. 

 Next we have Agnetha's När En Vacker Tanke Blir En Sång, originally released in 1972.  I think all the records I bought are reissues, but I cannot tell you what year the resissue was. xD

Som Jag Ar, released in 1970,

Then Agnetha Faltskog Vol.2 from 1969,

And last but not least, Agnetha Faltskog from 1968. 

I'll tell you something I find to be rather odd yet funny about my version of Agnetha's first album.  As you can see on the back of the album, side 1 starts with Jag Var Sa Kar, and side 2 starts with Tack Sverige...

Yet oddly enough, on the record, side 1 starts with Tack Sverige,

and side 2 starts with Jag Var Sa Kar.

I don't know if this was a common error or I have a unique one, but it's interesting, that's for sure.

Next we have all of Frida's albums, the newest in my collection being her self-titled album from 1970 and produced by none other than Benny. :')

All the records play absolutely beautifully, I really enjoyed listening to them on the record player, there's this special feeling listening to them in the format they initially came out on, and I am sooo happy to have added them to my collection.  :')

Happy 76th birthday, Frida!

Wishing a happy 76th birthday to this dancing queen. Thank you for the music, and thank you so much for this new ABBA album. We love you Frida! ❤️🎉

 

ABBA-Tar Drawing

I haven't done a new drawing in a while, but I had to do a drawing of the new ABBA-tars. :D 

Record Collection Update - Post ABBA Edition

In December, 2020, I finished my ABBA record collection, and I didn't plan on buying anymore records, but then about a month ago I randomly decided to just window shop on Discogs and ultimately ended up buying a ton of things. As an ABBA fan, I've always wanted to have not just have a complete ABBA collection, but have a complete collection of the ABBA member's solo works.  

Usually my buying experiences have been pretty easy, but this time was a little bit confusing.  (No complaints against any sellers though!)  Thankfully everything in the end worked out, and all my records arrived safely and soundly.  :)  One of them I even bought from Sweden, and it took the longest to arrive, but that was to be expected.  

Anyways, I am really excited to finally have all of the ladies of ABBA's post-ABBA solo work in my collection.

To start, here is my Frida collection.

Here is Frida's first post-ABBA record, Something's Going On from 1982.  I know a lot of people don't like having stickers stuck on the front of their records, and while I don't quite like having a sticker blocking the lovely cover, I don't mind it all that much.  This record also has one of those "For Promotional Use" things printed on the front, and I only have one other record that has that.  I was told that those tend to mean that your record is rare, so I'm pretty happy. 

Next up we have Frida's 1984 album, Shine.  While the rest of my records are original releases, this is actually the 2017 rerelease of the album.  Since my dad and I upgraded our record player, almost all my records play incredibly, but this one was especially clear.  I also bough this one new, so that's pretty cool.

This is Frida's 1996 album, Djupa Antedag.  As far as I know, this wasn't released on vinyl, or at least not originally, which is why I have it as a CD.  I find it to be quite fascinating how the CD has all this installation information for Windows 95 I think it was.  I really like this album, even though it's entirely in Swedish and can't understand it perfectly.  But that's never stopped me.  I always listen to music in Swedish. :)

And here is my Agnetha post-ABBA collection.  Until now, I only had Agnetha's 2013 album, and now I have the rest of her solo albums.

Agnetha's first post-ABBA solo album, Wrap Your Arms Around Me, from 1983.  This one also has a lot of stickers on the front, but they're not obscuring anything. :)

Next is Eye's of a Woman from 1985.  For some reason no one was really selling this album in the US on Discogs, so I had to order it from Sweden.  

Then we have 1987's I Stand Alone.  I really like this album actually, and of Agnetha's solo albums, I think this one might be my favorite. :)

And last but certainly not least, we have Agnetha's 2004 comeback album, My Coloring Book.  I think this album was also released on record, but I chose to get it as a CD.  

So that's all I have for now.  I definitely hope to get the ABBA member's pre-ABBA solo work someday, but they aren't easily available in the US, but someday!  Until then, I really enjoyed completing my Agnetha and Frida post-ABBA solo collection, and I will definitely continue to enjoy listening to all of them. :)

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

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. :)

Happy 74th birthday, Frida!

Today, our dear Princess Frida turns 74!  Grattis på födelsedagen!  I hope she has an absolutely amazing day celebrating with her family and friends. <3

In honor of Frida's birthday, I drew this drawing of her from 1976 on the show Midnight Special.

I've also filmed a speedpaint (I accidentally recorded it in 480 instead of 720 like normal, oops, so the quality if kinda bad...), so you can check that out below. :)

My Sims

For those of you who don't know, I started playing the Sims 3 just over a year ago, and while the game can be considered a waste of time (especially when playing it for several hours at a time... oops), I quite enjoy the game.  One of the things that I find most exciting is being able to create and customize my own sims.  I get to make my own original story characters and bring them to life, make some of my favorite TV show characters, and I also get to make some of my favorite celebrities. And of course I made ABBA.

While I can't say they're perfect and look 100% like them, I'd say I did a pretty good job.

 For their casual outfits, Agnetha's is inspired by this outfit from 1973, Bjorn's outfit is inspired by this one from 1975, Frida's by this one from 1976, and for Benny's, I used this outfit from 1977 as reference.

 For their career outfits, I gave them outfits that are inspired by the cat dresses, but of course they're not all that accurate since there isn't much to use among the sims outfits as well as the Custom Content that I have a lot of.

And for their fancy outfits, I gave them these outfits from 1980.  (I know the hair is wrong, but until I get better hair, this is what I have for now.)

And here are some better closeups of their faces.

Did I do a good job recreating ABBA in the Sims 3?  I think I did. :)  Maybe I'll try to get more custom content later to try and get some better hair for them, but I'm still really happy with how they turned out.  Anyways, that's all for now.