The forthcoming Super Trouper Deluxe Edition is an exciting double disc package of a classic ABBA album, in the vein of previous Deluxe Editions of Arrival, ABBA x96 The Album and Voulez-Vous. We have already revealed the track listing of the CD and the DVD included in this package, the latter of which features previously unreleased television performances. We would also like to share some information on the work that has gone into the remastering of the original album.

On Super Trouper Deluxe Edition, all tracks on the CD have been remastered especially for this release. All of the recordings used in this process have been taken from the original master tapes of each individual track on the original album. In other words, these tapes are as close to the original recording as they could possibly be, making for the pure, unadulterated sound of ABBA in the studio. The same is also true of the bonus tracks.

The philosophy behind the CD mastering, made by Erik Broheden at Masters Of Audio in Stockholm, Sweden, was to remain as close to the original tapes as possible, retaining the original dynamics. Any enhancements have only been made to further bring out the sound as originally produced by ABBAx92s Benny Andersson and Bjxf6rn Ulvaeus in collaboration with their invaluable sound engineer Michael B. Tretow.

Super Trouper Deluxe Edition is released May 9, 2011.

ABBA SUPER TROUPER DELUXE EDITION ON ITS WAY is a post from ABBA GOLD.

The hotel staff is singing the song with much joy and you can see that they have a lot of fun.

Merry Christmas My Friend – The Rivals (Benny Andersson) is a post from ABBA GOLD.

Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed these plans were abandoned, and it would remain an album track.

Many preliminary versions of "Chiquitita" exist. It had working titles of "Kxe5lsupare", "3 Wise Guys", "Chiquitita Angelina" & "In The Arms of Rosalita".

A revised version, which had a sound that was partly influenced by the song "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon and Garfunkel, was recorded in December 1978 and released as a single in January 1979.

With the success of the English version, ABBA also recorded "Chiquitita" in Spanish simply by phonetics.

"Chiquitita" proved to be one of ABBA's biggest hits. It was featured in the 1979 UNICEF charity event, the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly. As a direct result of this event, ABBA donated all royalties from the song to UNICEF.  In May 2007, "Chiquitita" had gained UNICEF over 15,000,000 SEK (about $2,500,000).

"Chiquitita" hit #1 in multiple countries worldwide: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 5 in Australia, West Germany, Great Britain, Norway & Sweden, making it the most successful single from the Voulez-Vous album in terms of global charts & one of the most famous charity songs ever.

Filmed while making the "ABBA in Switzerland" special.

This PROMO wasn't directed by Lasse Hallstrxf6m or produced by Polar Music but they subsequently acquired it to add to their catalogue. Apparently this clip was filmed 14th February 1979, the same day they arrived in Switzerland. The film was then taken in a rush to the BBC in England because they wanted to broadcast it as soon as possible. This makes sense as they are wearing the same clothes they wore when stepping from the helicopter featured in "ABBA in Switzerland".

Another version (virtually identical) of this was broadcast as a world premixe8re on 17 February 1979 on channel TROS, on programme Tros Top-50 and this footage was used a few months later on the 1979 Dutch programme 5 Jaar ABBA which appears to have been filmed earlier in the day as the sky is much brighter and there's not as much wind for Frida's hair to battle with (also no strange man walking in the background). That version has not shown up anywhere else since and is not the archive but found lurking on a VCR tape.

I'm curious to know the background to this second version: was it a dress rehearsal perhaps? How did Tros Top-50 and then 5 Jaar ABBA get hold of it? 5 Jaar ABBA was obviously made around April 1979 by which time the Chiquitita PROMO would have been finalised. This must have been a first "take" as it is lighter and therefore earlier in the day…

Sources & text: abbaontv.com, wikipedia

Chiquitita is a post from ABBA GOLD.

The track, which had working titles "Esses vad det svxe4nger nxe4r man spelar jazz" (roughly translated as "God Almighty How it Swings When You're Playing Jazz") and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely the United States, Japan, Argentina, France and Australia. The B-side was "The Piper", also taken from the Super Trouper album.

After the mostly-disco Voulez-Vous album, the Super Trouper album saw ABBA noticeably tone-down the disco flavor of their records, probably due to the disco backlash of the time. As a result, "Lay All Your Love on Me" and the slightly rock-oriented "On and On and On" would become the group's last new recordings in the genre.

The single reached the top 10 in Australia, where it peaked at number 9. Although the song only managed to reach number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., its inclusion on a 12-inch single with the songs "Super Trouper" and "Lay All Your Love on Me" merits all three songs as having reached number 1 on the American dance chart in May 1981.

This performance is from 1980, november 27th., Germany, SHOW EXPRESS. This performance has not been included on any officially released video or DVD This appearance on Show Express was recorded in Stockholm after kidnap threats to Bjxf6rn and Agnetha's children were received. They were forced to cancel the trip to Germany. So Show Express came to them instead after hiring a studio and flying over technicians, crew and even the set from Germany to Stockholm.

Songs performed (to playback) were: "The Winner Takes It All", "Super Trouper" and "On & On & On". According to ABBA Magazine No.32, ABBA recorded SIX songs and also did "Me and I", "Lay All Your Love On Me" and "The Piper". However it would appear that these extra three songs WOULD have also been performed if the group HAD travelled to West Germany as planned but were NOT recorded for this programme filmed in Stockholm.

An early mix of the song was used in the official music video and it features an extra verse:

"Standing up is scary if you think you're gonna fall / Like a Humpty-Dumpty 'fraid of falling off your wall / I say if you ever wanna know what's going on / Gotta keep on rocking baby, 'till the night is gone…"

And for the first time since ABBA made music videos, "On and On and On" music video did not feature any live movement of ABBA, instead, a photo montage was made from their Las Vegas, United States tour was used to (somehow) match the action of the photos with song. The song is in the Dorian mode.

Source: wikipedia.org/ www.abbaonTV.com

ABBA – ON AND ON AND ON is a post from ABBA GOLD.

Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition

Track Listing

The Voulez-Vous album was first released in April 1979. And now, a Deluxe Edition featuring the original album remastered and expanded with bonus tracks, plus a companion DVD with television performances from 1978 and 1979, is released.

The international release date for Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition is May 31, 2010. The exact release date varied from territory to territory.

Here is the track listing:

CD

01 As Good As New
02 Voulez-Vous
03 I Have A Dream
04 Angeleyes
05 The King Has Lost His Crown
06 Does Your Mother Know
07 If It Wasnx92t For The Nights
08 Chiquitita
09 Lovers (Live A Little Longer)
10 Kisses Of Fire

Bonus Tracks
11 Summer Night City (Full Length Version)
12 Lovelight
13 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
14 Dream World
15 Voulez-Vous (Extended Remix, 1979 US promo)

DVD

01 ABBA In Switzerland (television special, BBC)
02 Chiquitita (Music for UNICEF)
03 I Have A Dream (extended promo)
04 If It Wasnx92t For The Nights (Mike Yarwood Christmas Show, BBC)
05 Chiquitita (ABBA Snowtime, BBC)
06 Bjxf6rn & Benny Interview (Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, BBC)
07 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Television Commercial I
08 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Television Commercial II
09 International Sleeve Gallery

VOULEZ VOUS DELUXE VERSION RELEASED is a post from ABBA GOLD.

ABBA – HOLE IN YOUR SOUL is a post from ABBA GOLD.

FRIDA – SHINE is a post from ABBA GOLD.

ABBA – PEOPLE NEED LOVE is a post from ABBA GOLD.

ABBA WATERLOO is a post from ABBA GOLD.

ABBA – SO LONG is a post from ABBA GOLD.