ABBA on the Web - March 2009
One of the things I like about the internet is that it has become a great place for recording ABBA history. Not just the usual discographies, biographies and picture galleries that feature on so many websites, but real history, reproduced from those years when ABBA was an active group.
ABBA The Articles is a
relative newcomer to the web. It is maintained by Michel from the
ABBA The Articles contains just what its title says. It includes vintage
articles from newspapers and magazines from the 1970s right through the
years to more recent times. Most articles are from Dutch publications, with
some from
The original articles are scanned actual size, making them easily readable in their original form, and the text is translated into English. Also included are contemporary photos from other sources. Often there are photos in the articles that have not been reproduced since their first publication. Michel starts some entries with a short explanation of what the article is about, which is enlightening.
Articles include news items, interviews, record and concert reviews. As well as articles on ABBA as a group, there are articles on the members’ solo projects.
As the site is a blog, visitors can leave comments against each individual entry. I wrote about other ABBA blogs in the December 2006 edition of the fan club magazine.
It is quite fascinating to look back and see how ABBA was reported over the years. The confidence of the group during the heyday years in the late ’70s. The uncertainty of the future in the early ’80s. The continuing hopes for a reunion in the late ’80s. How the ABBA members and the world finally accepted ABBA as a group was finished, but the revival in the early ’90s ensured their enduring popularity.
To date there are over 130 articles, with new articles added every few days, which encourages repeat visits.
