ABBA blog

To say that researching, writing and publishing ABBA On Record (abbaonrecord.com) was a gargantuan task would be an understatement. The dust has only recently settled after what turned into a journey of more than five years (when I had originally expected perhaps one or two) and I'm almost amazed that I'm still alive. Which is why I thought this would be a good time to thank everyone who has supported the project.

I can't name everyone here, but whether you pre-ordered the book, have bought it after publication, or are intending to buy it – thank you. To everyone who helped out behind the scenes in major and minor ways – thank you. To all the interviewees who gave of their time, adding so much insight and colour to the story – thank you.

The fan reactions to ABBA On Record have been absolutely amazing, and then a five-star review in Classic Pop magazine on top of that. What more could I possibly ask for?

From my own perspective, I am very, very happy with how ABBA On Record turned out. Flicking through it now, with a bit of distance to it all, I am sorry if I sound like a braggart but this is actually a damn fine book. My designer Maria Nicholas perhaps said it best when she had just started her work on ABBA On Record: she told me that the book "captures the significance of a world that has just about disappeared in this day and age, making it a very important historical study. In that sense, I personally feel the appeal of this book will extend beyond ABBA fans to general 20th century music industry aficionados".

I think it's also crucial to remind potential readers that ABBA On Records is a human story. ABBA themselves are in it and all the other human beings who worked with them and helped bring their music to the world. Of course, there are factual details in it, but I think I succeeded in making what could have been a very dry story come alive. If I should try to summarise the book ultra-succinctly, maybe I would call it "a career study", as it traces the development of a pop group, in this case ABBA, and much of what went into shaping such a phenomenon in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Oh, and then there are the Voyage and Michael B. Tretow tapes chapters as well.

But without the support and enthusiasm of ABBA aficionados across the world, it is safe to say that ABBA On Record would not exist. So again: thank you!

Learn more about ABBA On Record and order your copy at abbaonrecord.com.