ABBA back after 40 years with new album, virtual stage show

LONDON – ABBA is releasing its archetypal caller euphony successful 4 decades, on with a performance show that volition spot the “Dancing Queen” quartet going wholly digital.

The forthcoming medium “Voyage," to beryllium released Nov. 5, is simply a follow-up to 1981's “The Visitors,” which until present had been the swan opus of the Swedish supergroup. And a virtual mentation of the set volition statesman a bid of concerts successful London connected May 27.

“We took a interruption successful the outpouring of 1982 and present we’ve decided it’s clip to extremity it," ABBA said successful a connection Thursday. “They accidental it’s foolhardy to hold much than 40 years betwixt albums, truthful we’ve recorded a follow-up to 'The Visitors.'”

The radical has been creating the unrecorded amusement with George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic. They accidental the virtual versions of themselves are “weird and wonderful,” and spell beyond holograms.

“It was suggested to america that we could spell connected circuit arsenic a hologram. And this is present four, 5 years ago," Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA's 76-year-old guitarist, backup vocalist and co-songwriter said astatine a quality league Thursday. “And we recovered retired precise soon that that wasn’t adjacent imaginable due to the fact that holograms is an aged technology, but I mean, the imaginativeness was determination of having our integer selves, that adjacent was a possibility.”

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“And also,” said Benny Andersson, 74, who plays keyboards, sings and writes songs with Ulvaeus, “we privation to bash it earlier we were dead.”

Ulvaeus added, ”it’s bully if you bash that earlier you dead. Because it gets much close then.”

They sang and played unneurotic for hours each time for weeks, utilizing question seizure and different techniques to make the 22-song, astir 90-minute show.

“We dressed up successful a leotards with dots oregon small things connected them,” Ulvaeus said. “And we had dots successful our faces and helmets with cameras. And determination we were, the 4 of america connected signifier unneurotic doing these songs.”

They accidental it was hard enactment but a large pleasure, but for 1 thing.

“I’d accidental the lone large occupation was that we had to shave our beards,” Andersson said. "I’ve had my beard for 50 years.”

The planned amusement spurred the making of the album, which features the caller songs “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” It began with sessions successful 2018 and was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

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“It was truthful joyful to beryllium unneurotic successful the workplace again, the 4 of us,” Andersson said."

The amusement volition travel 50 years aft the founding of the radical that consisted of 2 joined couples for astir of its existence, and whose sanction is an acronym of the archetypal names of its members, Agnetha Fältskog, 71, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75, Ulvaeus and Andersson.

Their euphony has remained ubiquitous successful the decades since their breakup, successful portion due to the fact that of the signifier philharmonic “Mamma Mia!” and the 2 films that followed it.

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame successful 2010.

Last week the radical launched a website with the rubric “ ABBA Voyage,” teasing the caller announcement. Tickets spell connected merchantability Tuesday.

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