Friday, March 2, 2012

Good bye

My dear readers,


I'd like to thank to everyone who has followed and enjoyed my blog until now. It's been two years and a half since I created it, but now it's time to go. I don't know if I'll return, but I really hope so.

I hope you have had a really great time finding out the pictures and reading the articles I've posted on this blog. I can say I had a really wonderful time here, so I feel sad for leaving it. You can be sure that I'll keep my blog on for everyone who wants to access it, though.

"Thanks for all your generous love and thanks for all the fun..."


- Karen

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Because Valentine's Day is everyday

If you liked the post I made for Valentine's Day, you may also like this one with Benny and Frida's even rarer pictures. After all, if everyday is a Valentine's Day, everyday should also be a Benny and Frida's love celebration.

Benny and Frida at the premiere of Bond in 1971
Notice it is not a James Bond movie, but a cigarette brand!

Most of ABBA fans may know this lovely picture...

... but what about this one, even better?!
They're looking so relaxed and amused here!

Posing for a photo in 1975
I like the way Benny was always bonded to Frida 

Benny and Frida enjoying the sun by the pool in 1976
Note that Frida has a band-aid on her chest!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Let's celebrate love!

Guess what?! This is Valentine's Day

To celebrate this, I'm bringing you some quite unusual Benny and Frida's pictures, in which this ABBA couple were enjoying a really good time together. 

The couple in the early 1970s

Benny and Frida singing - and almost kissing each other - during a concert from ABBA 1977 Tour

Enjoying their free time in 1978
This one is specially lovely, although its size and quality aren't very good...

Even though they were close to their divorce at that time, they did seem really lovely here...
Thanks to Karine, from ABBA Joy, for this picture

A joyful couple in another picture from 1980

This one was taken in late 1980... it's still a great memory, though

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Four individuals

The pictures below are part of a very well-known ABBA photo shoot. The group members look specially nice and elegant in it, and - what is even more curious - there are lots of individual shots of them. Since those individual pictures are the ones I like most, I'm posting here my favorites of this sort. Enjoy!  

Frida and her classic beauty

Benny looking very serious 
Or would it be his "boy charm", as Frida used to say?

Agnetha using her seductiveness as usual

Björn with an indefinite expression, which seems worried and absent-minded at the same time

Saturday, January 28, 2012

During a break time

While Frida was waiting for the recordings in ABBA - The Movie, the photographer probably saw a great opportunity to take some pictures of the Beauty of ABBA. I think he did a nice job, don't you? 

Frida's smiling friendly to the camera

Here she's looking really joyful
Oh, I'd be so happy if I managed to get an ABBA necklace like hers!

Frida are probably delighting the photographer with her deep and velvet voice...

... and finally she's looking as she's enjoying the view around her

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Unofficial - but still great

The three videos below bring songs that ABBA has never recorded officially. It's a pity, since some of them are really good tracks, with catchy melodies and promising vocals, like Scaramouche, Hamlet III and Just Like That. While listening to the audios, you might also notice that the band members were having a lot of fun with the songs Summer Night City, Money, Money, Money and Here Comes Rubie Jamie. It's also interesting to pay attention to the nice piano solo for Take A Chance On Me.

As I don't speak Swedish and I was really curious to know what ABBA was saying, I asked my Swedish friend Henrik to help me with the translation of the audios into English. All you are going to read below was translated by him, so that I thank him so much for such precious contribution.  

ABBA Undeleted - Part I - video by mozpiano2


First song (from 0:00 to 0:50): Scaramouche

After Scaramouche, Frida asks "Why should it always be so serious?" and Agnetha seems to agree with her and says something like "In England, it wasn't so". Around 0:57, Björn, Agnetha and Benny play around while say their names and, as Benny says it with a low and feeble voice, Frida laughs and asks him "Is it hard to talk?". Björn laughs too and says "It's difficult with this announcement".

Second song (from 1:08 to 1:29): Summer Night City/Money, Money, Money (the band is just playing around with them)

Third song (from 1:37 to 3:30): Take A Chance On Me

After Take A Chance On Me, Frida says “You have to turn down the piano, because it is sharp in the ears.” So Björn claims: “Very miserable listening...”. Soon after Agnetha says “I only hear Frida in my headphones.” And Frida: “And I only hear you”. They all start to joke with each other with silly voices: “How to do now?...”; “Fix better listening!...”; “Yeah, Yeah!”; “I sink!”; “I sink too!”; and so on.

Fourth song (from 3:51 to 4:55): Baby (this song, sung by Agnetha, was the first version of Rock Me, witch has Björn on lead vocals)

Fifth song (from 4:56 to 6:33): Just A Notion

After Just A Notion, Benny or Björn asks “Is it good?” The other answers “Well, I think we can have that, it is also a bit unusual!” and then, the first one says “That's it, nowadays”. Someone says something in the background that makes everyone laugh. It’s difficult to listen to, though, because of lots of other sounds all the time.

Sixth song (from 6:46 to 8:54): Rikky Rock ‘N’ Roller
 
ABBA Undeleted - Part II - by mozpiano2

First song (deom 0:00 to 1:25): Burning My Bridges

Everybody agrees that Burning My Bridges isn’t good at all and someone jokes about it in a way that unfortunately only Swedes can understand (according to Henrik).

Second song (from about 1:35 to 2:45): Swedish and original version of Fernando

After Fernando, someone says (maybe Björn) around 2:46 that the song worked really well. They all agree with that.

Third song (from 2:50 to 3:25): Here Comes Rubie Jamie

After Here Comes Rubie Jamie, someone says “A f*** nasty situation...”. And all of them laugh.

Fourth song (from 3:30 to 5:48): Hamlet III

ABBA Undeleted - Part III - by mozpiano2

First song (from 0:00 to ~1:39 ): Free As A Bubble Bee

Second song (from ~1:40 to 3:09): Rubber Ball Man

Third song (from 3:10 to 4:28): Crying Over You 


After Crying Over You, someone says “Nice...” and then they start to count up for the next song, “One, two, three”.

Fourth song (from 4:31 to 6:33): Just Like That (sax version)

Fifth song (from to 6:34 to 8:32): Givin’ A Little Bit More
 
After the song Givin’ A Little Bit More, someone says “Okay, this we will take, no?” And the others answer “Yes”.

Friday, January 20, 2012

I've travelled every country, I've travelled in my mind

One of the things Anni-Frid likes most to do is reading. Her passion for books comes from her childhood, when, according to her, reading and playing the piano were her main hobbies. Among the books she likes most are the famous The Lord Of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, all Leon Uris's works - especially the novel Mila 18 - and the deep Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It's said Doris Lessing and Anaïs Nin are also appreciated by Frida.

I identify myself a lot with her, since I also love reading since I was a child. Indeed I would really like to know if she has ever read authors like Eça de QueirósMary Shelley and, mainly, Jane Austen, who is my great favorite. It would be wonderful!

I'd like to know which books are these, but it's impossible trying to identify them in this picture...





Benny and Frida enjoyed sharing their love for reading with each other
Does anyone know what book are they reading here?

Benny and Frida's bookshelves in their Lidingö's home 
It would be amazing if we could read the titles of the books! All I can see are some Arts books on the first shelf upwards

Frida with a Swedish edition of Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Ring, Ring

ABBA really had a hard work not only at the studios, but also at their office. Just look at the following pictures and you'll see how serious their work was. 

Benny: "Hello! Who is it?"
Björn: "What do you think it is?"
Benny: "Oh, Agnetha? How are you? May I talk to Björn, please?"
Björn: "Don't you recognize my voice?!"
Benny: "Of course I do, Anna. You sound like an angel, you know? But I really have to talk to your husband."

Björn: "But It's ME!"
Benny: "Ohh..."
Björn: "Now you see?"
Benny: "Well... if Björn can't talk to me now, please, ask him to call me later! Bye bye!"
...
Björn: "Benny?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Monday, January 9, 2012

Being successful isn't easy

ABBA had a really hard work with lots of rehearsals for TV shows and world tours. Below you can see some of the band's most popular performances with their respective rehearsals. 

ABBA during a concert from their 1977 Tour...

... and during their hard - or funny? - work before that 

Playing Take A Chance On Me on German TV show Am Laufenden Band in 1978...
I like their entrance on the stage!

... and enjoying themselves during their rehearsal for it

ABBA performing Money, Money, Money on the French TV show Top Club France in 1978...

... and during their rehearsal before it

Performing He Is Your Brother and Chiquitita on UNICEF's beautiful charity concert, "UNICEF - A Gift of Songs", in January 1979 (exactly 33 years ago)...

... and having a good time together before the special