ABBA blog

As we near the end of 2025, I wanted to squeeze in one more update for the revised edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions, which I believe will be ready for delivery sometime in May 2026. It's taking a little longer than I had hoped, but that's actually a good thing, because it proves that there is a lot of stuff to add to the book that wasn't there before. You can still pre-order your signed copy of the book by "pledging" for a "reward" on the Kickstarter page for the book (postage is included, just make sure you choose the right territory: Sweden, Europe or Rest of World).

I can still remember the day in February 2017, when I received an email from the fabulous Michael B. Tretow, saying that Benny Andersson had okayed my listening to the tapes Michael had recorded "on the side" during ABBA's recording sessions. This was, literally, just a few days before the revised and expanded edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions was going into print, so there was no way I would be able to insert the information from those tapes in the book.

After a few seconds of frustration, I realised that the contents of The Michael B. Tretow Tapes would be a perfect appendix in my next book, which I was already planning. That book, ABBA On Record, was published in 2024, and the contents of the tapes were finally shared with the world. But now, as I am busy revising ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions, it is so very satisfying to be able to combine the information that was already in the book with the insights gained from the Tretow tapes.

Just some examples from the 1977 and 1978 chapters:

● the story of One Man, One Woman and how it underwent changes in terms of both lyrics and performance

● the many different incarnations of Move On – it's just insane that we now have such an incredibly detailed history of that song and the four different lyrics that were recorded

● the original, alternate lyrics for Hole In Your Soul

● so many more insights and details for the development of the song that ended up as Chiquitita

● interesting information on unreleased tracks such as Dr. Claus von Hamlet and Nämdöfjärden.

Of course, not every word in the Michael B. Tretow Tapes essay in ABBA On Record is included in ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions, but certainly enough pertinent information to give us an accurate view of how all the relevant songs came to be. It just feels very ... right that this information is now a part of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions.

There are also plenty of other facts and stories from other sources included in this updated edition. Some I have found in old tape archive notes from the 1990s that I had forgotten about, others come from newspapers, magazines, radio and television reports and interviews. I believe I have used the word "enhanced" to describe what I wanted to accomplish with this revised edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions. Two thirds into the revision work, I am now more confident than ever that it is all worthwhile and that I am producing a book that is – yes, enhanced.

Read more about the book and pre-order your copy at Kickstarter.