More ABBA sites

About this list

The following is a list of ABBA sites that I personally find useful and interesting, and which I recommend for those who want to get wise about ABBA on the Internet. However, it is not intended to be a comprehensive list of ABBA-related links: there are many more great sites out there, and you will find them all through the sites below. To access any of the sites in the list, just click on the links to the right.

If you're looking for a ground-course in ABBA history...

ABBA - The Official Site
This is the official ABBA site - maintained by Universal Music - to which I am a contributor. ABBA - The Site is the ideal start for anyone who wants to get a ground course in the subject of ABBA.

Here you will find biographies about the group and its individual members, as well as profiles of many of the people who collaborated with them: managers, musicians, designers, etc. The Official Site also offers a comprehensive discography, and an array of Articles, some of which are merely press releases for recent products, while others are in-depth essays on interesting parts of ABBA's history. On the official site you will often read the first news about upcoming ABBA releases from Polar Music International/Universal Music.

ABBA Omnibus
The natural step after getting acquainted with the group on ABBA - The Official Site is to go to ABBA Omnibus. Hosted and maintained by Ian Cole in Australia, this is without a doubt one of the best ABBA sites around.

Ian Cole is not only one of the world's leading authorities on the subject of ABBA, but also a personal friend of mine. Since 1999, he has proof-read virtually every ABBA-related text I have published: books, liner notes, essays, articles.

He maintains his own ABBA Omnibus site (as well as a site about The ABBA Phenomenon in Australia). On ABBA Omnibus there is an incredibly detailed song section, describing the history and variation of every song ever recorded or performed by ABBA. There is a detailed discography, with a myriad of variations of albums released over the years. ABBA Omnibus also offers an encyclopedia of ABBA-related people, places and organisations - and much more. Perhaps most importantly, ABBA Omnibus has the most comprehensive list of ABBA links available anywhere. Not only is it categorised, but Ian has rated and reviewed the best sites, making it incredibly easy to seek out the top ABBA places on the Internet in the "essential sites" section.

If you're looking for ABBA news...

Since the demise of ABBAMAIL and their comprehensive news page, there is nowhere on the Internet to find virtually all ABBA-related news (in English) in one convenient place. However, if you're prepared to keep an eye on, say, five or six different sites, you will pretty much have it covered.

The Official International ABBA Fan Club
ABBA Intermezzo International Fan Club
These organisations both have news sections on their websites, both of which are updated fairly regularly. Both the official fan club, run by Helga van de Kar in The Netherlands, and Intermezzo, run by Regina Grafunder in Germany, also publish glossy quarterly fan magazines. These magazines feature neat round-ups of news in every issue, along with unique and interesting articles and interviews. Both of these magazines are essential resources - every serious ABBA fan should be a subscriber; it won't cost you an arm and a leg either. The Official International ABBA Fan Club also runs the ABBA Fan Club Shop.

icethesite
icethe site on facebook
Dominic "Ice" Wallis runs the excellent Björn & Benny-focused icethesite, where news relating to the male half of ABBA usually take precedence. There is also a comprehensive archive of features, which will keep you busy for many hours. And don't miss Dominic's Facebook page, where he publishes all kinds of ABBA-related news.

ABBA Today
ABBA-Official News Blog
Rafaels and Stefans Pictures
Mikory's ABBA blog
Out of these four sites, only ABBA Today and ABBA-Official News Blog is focused on news, but all of them turn up news gems with some regularity. ABBA Today takes a great interest in current activities of Björn, Benny, and the Mamma Mia! musical, but also reports on public appearances by Frida and Agnetha. ABBA-Official News Blog reports most of the important news regarding upcoming releases and recent activities on part of the ABBA members. Rafaels and Stefans Pictures is focused on picture galleries and historical features, but also keeps a close watch on the media (primarily Swedish news sources). Mikory's ABBA blog has a fascinating archive of vintage ABBA-related articles and pictures, but intermittently reports current news.

If you're looking for facts and figures..

As mentioned above, Ian Cole's ABBA Omnibus site will lead you to a myriad of sites devoted to ABBA's history, individual members, discographies and anything you could ever imagine. Here are a few of my favourites.

ABBA - The Articles
Since starting the site in 2008, Michel in The Netherlands has scanned, translated and posted a mind-boggling 486 vintage articles (as of June 2012) from Dutch, Belgian and German magazines and newspapers. ABBA - The Articles is a godsend for those of us who command a more limited range of languages than Michel. We can now read stories and interviews we would never have had access to if it weren't for his efforts.

ABBA - The Worldwide Chart Lists
Maintained by Trent Nickson in Australia. This is where you need to go if you're interested in ABBA's success on the charts over the years - and not just the obvious UK and US statistics, but everywhere from Argentina to Zimbabwe. This is a site that strives for factual accuracy, and it's achieving it: helpful and generous contributors - combined with Trent's enthusiasm - ensures that this one is consistently revised and updated.

ABBA On TV
This excellent site, run by Sara Russell (neé Barnes) in the UK, has become one of the most popular ABBA sites. The goal is to list every single appearance by ABBA and the individual members on television, in promo clips and in movies. For each entry, you get the dates of filming and broadcast, information on songs performed and other fascinating details. Where possible, the entries are also illustrated with screen captures. Just like ABBA - The Worldwide Chart Lists, this site is regularly revised and updated, partly thanks to contributions from enthusiastic and generous ABBA fans.

ABBA - The Releases
ABBA For The Record
ABBA Singles
Comprehensive discography sites with more information about track listings, catalogue numbers and sleeve variations than you could shake a stick at! It's worth mentioning that Ian Cole's ABBA Omnibus also has an excellent discography section.