ABBA blog

It's now about a week until the second month of 2025 draws to a close, and it's becoming a little clearer what the rest of this year will have in store for me – professionally, at least. Unsurprisingly, I have a number of different ABBA projects that I would like to get to grips with. (I have not forgotten the free chapters promised in conjunction with ABBA On Record; I am working on them.) However, some of these projects come attached with question marks, so after reading the text on this page, I would be so very grateful if you would take a survey (it's just a simple yes/no question and will take only a few seconds to complete): this will help me decide if this particular book project is viable or not. So, here goes.

As strange as it may seem, at least to me, it's already eight years since the revised and expanded edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions was published. It's great to look back on the time of its publication: the rave reviews, the amazing reader reactions, not to mention the Best Discography award bestowed on the book by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. The book would never have happened if it wasn't for the faith put in me by those who crowdfunded its creation. You have my eternal gratitude for that.

By 2020, this edition of the book was out of print, and I've since been made aware that many people who would have liked to buy a copy missed out. That's one of the reasons I would like to publish a new edition of the book. However, it requires a financial investment, and – full disclosure – I simply don't have the funds to print it on the chance that it might sell enough copies to make the endeavour worthwhile. Therefore, I have decided to conduct a survey to gauge the interest in a new edition. This is what I'm planning for this updated volume:

CONTENTS
The basic format will, of course, remain unchanged. But the moment the book was published in 2017 I started gathering corrections and updates in a document – minor details as well as new facts and stories that have emerged or been rediscovered – which will be inserted at relevant places in the book. Everything from a working title for Waterloo that had passed me by, to details about the creation of The Winner Takes It All, and updated information on which musician played on which track – and I have information on at least one alternate mix of a track recorded in 1982. This, and much more, will be in this new edition. I will, of course, also endeavour to correct a number of spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.

It was only after the 2017 edition had been completed that I gained access to the so-called Michael B. Tretow tapes, which were then discussed and detailed in my 2024 book ABBA On Record. The full contents and detailed exploration of those tapes will remain exclusive to ABBA On Record, but, naturally, the revelations from the tapes will colour the revised edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions so that it becomes more detailed and accurate.

As you will have realised from the above, the book will be thoroughly revised from start to finish, although naturally the revisions won't be quite as massive as they were in the 2017 edition.

The Voyage sessions, detailed in ABBA On Record, will be kept out of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions (which will now possibly gain a new subtitle: 1972–1982). There are two reasons for this:

1. I want to keep the integrity of the original volume intact, and let it remain a book about ABBA's "classic" period only.

2. Quite a few people will have invested in ABBA On Record mainly to read the chapter about the Voyage sessions, and it would be unfair to them to include that chapter in this revised volume of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions.

FORMAT AND DESIGN
The measurements of the book will be the same as the 2017 edition, but there won't be a dust cover; the design will be printed directly on the hardcover, as, for instance, on Remko van Drongelen's fab Frida Beyond ABBA. Also, because I foresee perhaps as many as 32 additional pages, the actual book pages will be printed on thinner paper to make it a little slimmer and not overly expensive to ship to customers. Most pertinently, although the cover of this new edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions will be in colour, the inside pages will be in black and white. This is all to make the book less expensive to produce.

ILLUSTRATIONS
All the illustrations from the 2017 edition will be included in this new volume. I'm also thinking that since the new information featured in the book will mean that the page number increases, there will perhaps be room for a few additional pictures as well.

SIGNED COPIES
I will, as always, be happy to sign the book for those who pre-order it.

PRICE OF THE BOOK
As always, the relatively limited interest in this kind of ABBA book means that the number of copies that can be printed is equally limited, which in turn means that each copy will be a bit more expensive to produce. Since 2017, the cost of production and distribution has not decreased either, so the revised 2025 edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions will still be rather pricey. With tracked courier delivery included – which makes up a large chunk of the cost of the book, but is the safest way to deliver – the average price of the book will maybe be about €65. To be ultra clear: this price includes delivery, so, depending on where you live on the planet, it will be a little cheaper for some, a little more expensive for others.

THE SURVEY
Now that you have all the facts, please take the survey and let me know what kind of interest there might be for the 2025 edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions. Naturally, by taking the survey you are not in any way committing to buying the book. Many thanks!