ABBA blog

These are exciting times for me, as I'm starting work on my book ABBA Live 1973 – if you're as excited as me about this book, please support the project by placing your pre-order as soon as possible: if you order no later than 20 May 2025, you will get an Early Bird 10% price reduction! So don't miss out on that.

Right now I'm busy sorting through all the material I already have in my archives: vintage newspaper and magazine articles, latter-day recollections from people who were there at the time, and so on. I love this initial phase of writing a book, when I start working on the "jigsaw puzzle", seeing what pieces I already have and identifying the pieces that are missing.

Judging by the stuff I already have, I'm convinced there are many more cool items and stories to excavate out there: for example, I can't wait to get going with my research at the National Library of Sweden, digging out those old local papers.

Below is a picture printed in a local newspaper when ABBA visited a place called Regna on the 1973 tour; I don't think this photo has been seen in recent decades, and I'm crossing my fingers that I will be able to locate it in better quality so that it can be included in the book. Did I say that it was exciting times?

Among other fun items I already have is a report from a local paper at the start of the tour, where the reporter complained that there were no new numbers in the show – Björn patiently explained that they felt convinced that the audience mainly wanted familiar numbers – and, somewhat surprisingly given the group's general reluctance towards touring, Benny said that he preferred spending the summer in the folkparks rather than having to work in the studio or in the office. Frida and Agnetha's dance routines were mentioned by the reporter as highlights of the show.

Just a few examples of the many fascinating details buried in long-forgotten news stories. I can't wait to excavate them all and share them with you in ABBA Live 1973. Pre-order your copy today and benefit from the 10% price reduction!