From ABBA to Mamma Mia!: The Official Book (Hardcover)

~ Carl Magnus Palm (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the 1970s no group was more commercially successful than ABBA (an acronym of the first initial of each member), who are estimated to have sold over 100 million records worldwide. After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid rose to international renown, their wholesome image and buoyant, catchy records helping them to top the charts with an unbroken string of hits that have become pop classics. Although the group disbanded in 1982, ABBA has enjoyed an unprecedented revival and is more popular than ever. The compilation ABBA Gold has sold millions of copies worldwide, and the phenomenal London success of the musical Mama Mia! --which has played to sold out houses since its debut in April of 1999 and is sold out until summer of 2001--has brought the group's music to a whole new audience.

From ABBA to Mama Mia! features more than 500 photos, most never before seen, by Anders Hanser, a close friend of the band with unprecedented access for more than 20 years. The text is written by Carl Magnus Palm, one of the world's foremost ABBA historians, who had unrivalled access to the group and members of their entourage, including costume designers, sound engineers, and video directors. Palm offers a new perspective on ABBA, presenting a complete and vivid portrait of the group and its members from their days as the biggest pop music phenomenon of the 1970s, through the solo albums and musical projects of the 1980s, to the success of Mama Mia! This authorized book also features a foreword by the band members themselves, making it the definitive ABBA book.

About the Author

Carl Magnus palm, the author of two previous books about ABBA, has also written about The Beatles and Swedish jazz singer Monia Zetterlund, and has worked on ABBA CDs and liner notes for them. He is based in Sweden. Anders Hanser, formerly a radio producer, became ABBA's photographer and personal friend, a relationship that continues to this day. He lives in Stockholm.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823083179
• ISBN-13: 978-0823083176
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #601,187 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, beautiful and full of information..., September 20, 2000

By	Oliver Witt (Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein Germany) - See all my reviews

"From ABBA To Mamma Mia" may be a little bit expensive but this book is definitely worth its money. The pictures were taken by longtime ABBA- friend Anders Hanser and the story was written by Carl Magnus Palm who is also responsible for "The Complete Recording Sessions". And this is a big plus because in this book you don't read the usual gossip about catfights and nervous breakdowns- instead you get solid information about the work of ABBA, their story and who they really are. Anders Hanser was as close to the group as a photographer can possibly be and therefore there are many pictures that show ABBA behind the scenes, without make- up or even at private parties.

What ought to be of interest to an ABBA fan is that the photos in this book are quite revealing. How often was it pointed out that Agnetha and Frida did not get on very well- but the pictures printed here tell a different story. You see the two women embracing each other and smiling happily into the camera, you see them backstage before the "Dick Cavett meets ABBA"-show helping each other with their clothes, their make-up, hugging each other. There are also photos from Stig Andersons 50th birthday party with Agnetha and Frida as part of a ladies choir- and dancing next to Agnetha is no one else but Lena Kallersjö, Björn's second wife. So one gets to learn that even those two didn't hate each other.And that is the wonderful thing about this book- by looking at the pictures you realize how many of those speculations during ABBA's heyday were false and untrue.

The quality of "From ABBA To Mamma Mia" is quite astonishing. The lay-out is perfect, with the four letters on the cover printed in silver and the pictures are simply beautiful. You want to look at them again and again because you see snapshots from a video-shooting that you have never seen before or photos from recording sessions that were never published.

Another big plus is the fact that Anders Hanser even took photos during the "solo-years". He took many pictures of Frida's two recording sessions for "Something's Going On" and "Shine" and photographed Agnetha during recording sessions for "WRap Your Arms Around Me".

One small (in fact, very small) disappointment is the fact that Anders Hanser got to know the group as late as in 1977- so therefore there are no photos of ABBA from former years. The first photos by Hanser were taken during the recording sessions for "Chiquitita". But considering all the information you get from this book you easily forget that you'll find nothing here about the years 1972-1976.

I think this is one of the best books that were ever written about ABBA and the group themselves seem to think the same- because it's the first time that all four of them have written the foreword to a publication about ABBA.

So, even if it's a little bit expensive- if you're a fan you hardly will be able to resist such a wonderful piece of work about a group that dominated the pop world for almost ten years.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, beautiful and full of information..., September 20, 2000

By	Oliver Witt (Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein Germany) - See all my reviews

"From ABBA To Mamma Mia" is without doubt one of the best books that were ever written about this group. Here you don't get the usual gossip about catfights and nervous breakdowns- instead the reader is given solid information about the work of ABBA, their lives and their personalities. The reason for this: the text was written by Carl Magnus Palm who is also the author of "The Complete Recording Sessions" and the photos were taken by Anders Hanser who was as close to the group as a photographer can possibly be.

How many times was it pointed out that Agnetha and Frida did not get on well with each other- but the pictures here tell a completely different story. You see the two women hugging each other, smiling into the camera, helping each other with their make-up and their clothes- just like good friends. There are also photos from Stig Anderson's 50th birthday party. Frida and Agnetha appeared there as part of a ladies choir- and dancing next to her is none other than Lena Kallersjö, Björn's second wife. So those two didn't hate each other at all. I just mention this because these pictures are definitve proof how many rumours and speculations durning ABBA's eyday were false and untrue.

Anders Hanser was also the photographer when Frida and Agnetha recorded their subsequent solo albums- that means that there are lots of pictures from the years 1982-1986.

One small (very small, in fact) disappointment is the fact that Anders Hanser got to know the group as late as in 1977 so there are no pictures from the former years. But considering all the information you get from this book you easily forget that here you'll find nothing from the years 1972-1977. The first photo session took place during the recording of "Just A Notion" (and unreleased track for the "Voulez-Vous"-album.

The quality of the book is quite astonishing. The cover is perfect with the for letters printed in silver and the pictures are beautiful- just ABBA as you have never seen them before. You can tell by this publication that Anders Hanser really was close to the group and that they trusted him. It's the first time, for example, that the four members of ABBA have written a foreword together for a publication about the group- so they like this book as well.

It may be a little bit expensive- but as an ABBA fan you really should own this book- it's interesting, beautiful and full of information.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Plain Word EXCELLENT, September 27, 2000

By A Customer

At last an ultimate book, tastefully put together with great text and lucious pictures. Every ABBA fans dream.