Abba The Book

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THEIR GLITTERING CAREER. Brighton, April 1974: ABBA storm to victory in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Waterloo', resplendent in their shiny satin costumes and silver platform boots. More than twenty-five years and 350 million record sales later, ABBA are more popular than ever, even though the group have not recorded a note since they split up in 1983. Worldwide, they are the second biggest-selling band of all time, surpassed only by the Beatles. Drawing on exclusive interviews with the group and their manager and mentor, Stig Anderson, Jean-Marie Potiez has reconstructed the complete history of ABBA's glittering career: their early days as teen idols in Sweden, the heady rush of Eurovision success, the struggle to prove ABBA were not just one-hit wonders, the careful crafting of the unique (but much-imitated) ABBA sound, the nine hit albums, the world tours, the making of ABBA: The Movie, and the eventual break-up. The book is fully illustrated throughout with hundreds of glorious photographs, many of which are from ABBA's private archives and previously unpublished, forming a sublime gallery of the group's most dazzling costumes. Finally, the comprehensive discography details all of ABBA's album releases. ABBA: The Book is a timely celebration of one of the most successful and influential pop groups of all time. It is the definitive ABBA book that every fan will treasure. Jean-Marie Potiez is a music journalist and ABBA expert who has devoted the last three years to writing and researching ABBA: The Book. In 1994, he conceived and co-directed the TV documentary Thank You ABBA, distributed worldwide by Polygram.