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Post by foreverfan on Sept 14, 2024 15:45:32 GMT
Now I may be naive, and haven't got much clue about technology...but with all the " false" stories that circulate this world of ours.....
How true is the " Justin " post ?
On first reading it felt,Ike " that's it folks"... then I thought is this actually fake news , taking the p***.......especially the honk of the horn at the end, as someone said giving the finger....
It may be a reliable source, I suppose great if it was, but what can you believe these days.... I'm guessing that Benny doesn't give a dam anymore , for those that help make him , and naturally has moved on, to what makes him happy. I always tend to think of artists that " have " to sing that one hit that made them famous, how sick of it they must be by now, but it's their cash cow...Does Benny feel the same? I say him , as the others seem to be ok...
So is Justin's post for real ?
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Post by johnny on Sept 14, 2024 16:04:37 GMT
I was thinking that too. What a coincidence just bumping into Benny, Gorel and Ludwig with Benny clearing things up. Hmmmmm
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Post by lamont on Sept 14, 2024 16:27:03 GMT
This happened a lot in the 80s and 90s too with fanzines taking info from all sources and printing the info, constantly raising and dashing hopes as the years passed. From the abba reunion in 88, to the Swansong ep in 88-89 etc. to the sensationalism of meeting Agnetha and divulging all sorts of news. It was a different but very similar time to now.
I’m not dissing Justin, everything they have printed could be true in the post. Either way it’s frustrating for fans at times.
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Post by Alan on Sept 14, 2024 17:34:43 GMT
Now I may be naive, and haven't got much clue about technology...but with all the " false" stories that circulate this world of ours..... How true is the " Justin " post ? So is Justin's post for real ? To clarify for anyone that hasn’t realised, “Justin2024” and justabba are one and the same person. I therefore see no reason to doubt the actual post whatsoever, but remember that Justin is only reporting what he has heard. Whether the fan’s story is accurate is another matter but as it generally fits with what seems to be the case anyway, I don’t discount it. I’d have been much more inclined to disbelieve it if the fan had tried to claim that Benny said they might/would release them at some point! |
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Post by foreverfan on Sept 14, 2024 17:44:29 GMT
Dammed if you believe dammed if you don't....lol..
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 14, 2024 17:54:15 GMT
Given that both Agnetha AND Frida have been really effusive in their love of JLT, it moves the vaunted "democracy" of the group to at least a 50/50 split on the song. I can't quite convince myself that Bjorn was/is as stubborn as Benny. Even in the face of Benny's misgivings about the song, Frida even said she'd be delighted to return to the studio to make the needed changes. When Benny put his foot down, there must have been superglue on the sole of his shoe.
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Post by matt on Sept 14, 2024 18:02:15 GMT
The original information was posted by a fan on ABBATalk along with pictures of meeting Benny, Gorel and Ludvig so no reason to believe it not to be true.
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gassi
Bronze Member
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Post by gassi on Sept 14, 2024 18:36:18 GMT
But do not forget that Benny always denies everything and out of a sudden a complete album pops up. Instead of Björn, Benny and even Görel keep there lips about secrets closed tightly. Whe Benny says no, it doesn't mean it won't happen
I won't be giving up hoping. At least I hope a Concert from 1977 will see the light of day.
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gassi
Bronze Member
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Post by gassi on Sept 14, 2024 19:04:09 GMT
One thing I would like to add:
Why would Benny tell fans there are more than two songs, but they are not going to be released? That would be very mean, because of teasing more songs than expected. I cannot imagine he would just tease us, that there much more songs not to be released. He would rather say: 'There are just two, but they are not for release.'
I think this maybe will develope in a different direction.
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Post by Alan on Sept 14, 2024 19:17:03 GMT
I honestly think that Benny doesn’t realise he’s teasing us. In his mind, he probably thinks it’s perfectly OK. And I can believe there is more than two songs, but possibly only two in a more advanced state.
There is a difference between now and 2021. As has been pointed out, right up until the last minute Benny and Görel were denying there was a full album. They wanted to save it for the official announcement. However, Björn had already dropped several hints to journalists in interviews. The one that sticks in my mind was long before the announcement, one of them wrote something like, “It started off with two songs and now it looks like there is a whole new ABBA album for fans to look forward to”, to which Björn’s comment was “yes, I heard that too.” Neither confirming nor denying.
And let’s not forget that it did indeed start at two songs and then became five before it turned into a full album. Nothing confirmed, but not completely ruled out.
Yep, Benny and Björn talk any old nonsense sometimes (Björn’s comment a while ago about “every snippet ABBA ever recorded has been released”) but on JLT and the Voyage outtakes, Benny has generally been consistent.
I doubt a fan would make up this story. It’s what no one wants to hear. You’d make up something much more interesting than that. And I’m ready to believe Benny now.
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Post by foreverfan on Sept 14, 2024 20:14:37 GMT
Alas I'm beginning to believe.. that's it folks....
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Post by Alan on Sept 14, 2024 21:55:03 GMT
Apparently the person is called Ed.
From the PopJustice ABBA thread:
“Ed asked Benny about the 2 unreleased Voyage songs. Benny confirmed that there were more than 2 songs unfinished, but they were all at various stages of incompletion. Benny also said they had no plans to release them or anything else.”
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Post by richard on Sept 15, 2024 10:35:22 GMT
How many promising novels, films, plays have been abandoned because their authors couldn't get them to work or lost interest or, yes, couldn't be bothered? I realise at last that these unfinished Voyage songs might be similarly regarded - along with the old archived stuff. Some of it might have been, or might be, eventually returned to, reassed and recycled into non-ABBA projects, but we won't know about that.
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Post by johnny on Sept 15, 2024 20:29:21 GMT
Yep, Benny and Björn talk any old nonsense sometimes (Björn’s comment a while ago about “every snippet ABBA ever recorded has been released”) but on JLT and the Voyage outtakes, Benny has generally been consistent. I doubt a fan would make up this story. It’s what no one wants to hear. You’d make up something much more interesting than that. And I’m ready to believe Benny now. Yes, Benny has been consistent. Remember the premiere of Voyage, Agnetha teasing Benny about "they want more" by pulling at his arm and enjoying his response? Some fans have misinterpreted both Agnetha's "you never know with ABBA" and Frida's "never say never" They were simply being polite. If you were to make up a story, it would be one that's believable eg Benny saying No rather than one where hw says Yes. |
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Post by Alan on Sept 16, 2024 21:41:09 GMT
Ed Aldus pictured with each of the three of them. Can’t not believe his story now. The text with the photos was exactly as justabba reported.  |
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Post by johnny on Sept 16, 2024 22:36:38 GMT
The "scoop" is that Voyage outtakes or JLT won't be released. We knew that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2024 1:57:11 GMT
Apparently the person is called Ed. From the PopJustice ABBA thread: “Ed asked Benny about the 2 unreleased Voyage songs. Benny confirmed that there were more than 2 songs unfinished, but they were all at various stages of incompletion. Benny also said they had no plans to release them or anything else.” This is from Ed Aldus facebook page from 2 days ago and one day ago, it is in Dutch , but I translated: This is what he said about the conversation with Benny: -------------------------------- Author Ed Aldus Ron Peperkamp Nothing will ever come out from what I understood. Inquired about "Just Like That" and 2 songs that would be recorded for Voyage. Just like that never comes out, is incomplete and they are not happy about it. The extra songs recorded during Voyage also never come out, either they are not finished, or they don't like them. There won't be a deluxe version of ABBA Voyage either. --------------------------------- Here the whole thread that started with Ron Pecampamp asking Ed Aldus what questions he asked: -------------------------------------------- Top fan Ron Pecampamp A happy moment to never forget, what else would you ask, or does something like that go naturally. Really super trouper! 2d See original (Dutch) Author Ed Aldus Ron Peperkamp I had already thought of questions, among other things, about the last album Voyage and the possibly missing songs. • 2d • See original (Dutch) Top fan Ron Pecampamp Ed Aldus yeah, and good question who ever knows.... One more time... • 2d • See original (Dutch) Author Ed Aldus Ron Peperkamp Nothing will ever come out from what I understood. Inquired about "Just Like That" and 2 songs that would be recorded for Voyage. Just like that never comes out, is incomplete and they are not happy about it. The extra songs recorded during Voyage also never come out, either they are not finished, or they don't like them. There won't be a deluxe version of ABBA Voyage either. • 1d • See original (Dutch) Top fan Ron Pecampamp Ed Aldus a pity, but understandable, their quality standard is high and that's nice to keep it that way, right? Became a lot wiser again, thanks Ed • 1d • See original (Dutch) |
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Post by foreverfan on Sept 17, 2024 8:09:55 GMT
Thanks ^^^
All very interesting and believable. Without being a doom monger, it's a shame, and ok possibly spur of the moments replies, but why oh why all the previous optimism. why mention the 2 songs, Ludwig and JLT. Bjorn saying " not the same old stuff ". Etc etc .. but hey that's the way the cookie crumbled . Obviously we all knew it couldn't go on forever, but those few snippets gave us hope for a last hurrah.
Instead we will get "50" and probably over the decades numerous compilations. In a way I really hope that these compilations are it, no more, it becomes very niche for the diehards, but for the casual fans, they only want the " hits" so now they have it.
Perhaps we've all been to optimistic, always wanting , human nature I guess....
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Post by johnny on Sept 17, 2024 11:00:34 GMT
Yep, those comments such as quite good unfinished tracks and the like just fuelled hope and misguided expectation for some fans.
I can't remember when Benny mentioned 2 unreleased songs. But they never found there way onto either the Voyage album, or Voyage show, despite Hit By a Train apparently being played tp the band.
Confirmation of "no more" really did come at the Voyage premiere. I love this clip
but still expectations persisted. The moment passed for a deluxe editon and it is the case ABBA don't want to release archive stuff. The time for that was 30 years ago with I am the City and ABBA Undeleted. Yes, there were one or two bibs and bobs but auite some time ago too.
The imminent release of The Singles, highlighting 1972 to 2022 does seem to be the final curtain. "Thia isn't where it ends". Oh yes, it is.
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Post by baab on Sept 17, 2024 11:55:04 GMT
Hi Jonny,
Benny mentioned them at least in this German TV Interview (around Minute 11)
He clearly said:
We had 12 songs and we played them together and decided that 2 Songs do not belong on this album - they rest...
And then: "They are pretty good stuff but they were never finished. They require more work to be finished - at least for me in the studio"
So, he didn't say that they didn't like the songs or that they were not good enough.
And obviously, Agnetha and Frida had both done their parts otherwise he would not have specified, that the work to be done is just for him in the studio?
Therefore, I do not expect any more release for this 50th Anniversary, but do not think that it is 100% sure that nothing emerges from those vaults in the future. But it is also possible that everything which is left is kept locked Up.
Maybe it is, because Benny is very much relying in his role as an Artist.
When Chess came out, he asked during a presentation of the Merchandise "Why do we have white T Shirts, the artwork is black!" The answer was: Because it is a much liked colour. He replied: "I don't care and we are not in the T-Shirt Business anyway!"
Maybe it is the same point here that he thinks: Those Songs are ready for release if at all and when I think they are ready, not because they need to sell a Greatest Hits Album... And the time when he thinks they are ready for release may never come
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Post by Alan on Sept 17, 2024 12:09:40 GMT
The new compilation does indeed end with the line, “this isn’t where it ends”, but that’s probably a reference to the digital version of ABBA which can potentially go on and on, long after all four of them have passed.
At aged 78, I think it’s safe to say that the time to release anything else will never come. Benny is only really interested in BAO now.
I don’t want to get morbid but I do wonder what happens to the Voyage show once one or more of them are gone. It’s the talky bits and the cameo from ABBA at the end that would seem a bit odd. The performances won’t need to change as they aren’t really ABBA anyway. I’m guessing all this has been taken into consideration and planned though.
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Post by bjorenny on Sept 17, 2024 12:59:37 GMT
I've also wondered what they will do if the Voyage concert goes to a non-English speaking country. Have they recorded little titbits in other languages? They'll need a replacement for the 6 seconds of the EastEnders theme tune too 😁
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Post by Tina on Sept 17, 2024 18:14:11 GMT
The irony is JLT (sax version) is probably one of their best songs post 1981 to present. Why would they think it sounds unfinished and not good enough? All it needs is a quick mastering and done.
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Post by rickyrocknroller on Sept 18, 2024 23:36:03 GMT
One thought that has occurred to me, now as we have re-collected everything that is known about Hit By A Train, is that it reminds me of many B-sides. That's saying the "real" B-sides, i.e. those that were exclusively released as B-side. It's oftentimes songs that were deliberately discarded from an album for being found somewhat wanting and/or not fitting on the album, but still attractive enough to release them after all. Think of Crazy World (left unfinished during the ABBA sessions, finished during Arrival sessions and then discarded), Happy Hawaii (discarded from Arrival, released by suggestion of RCA Australia after having been played the song during sessions, just like Little Boots heard Hit By A Train and wondered why it's not on Voyage), Lovelight, Should I Laugh Or Cry (both deemed verse and chorus not fitting together)... and that's not even Ah vilka tider and You Owe Me One that B&B actively dislike. Hit By A Train and the second one (possibly My Story Ends With You) are "quite good", Benny said in the WDR interview. Makes me think that if B-sides hadn't turned into a somehow deliberate thing (you just release songs nowadays), we would have gotten Hit By A Train as the B-side for I Still Have Faith In You. And they were a good thing, those B-sides, providing a space for B&B to release those songs with supposedly little imperfections, not so well album fits and so on, even an early version of a later song. Surely no-one got harmed by them being released, but we got enriched by songs that may not be a second TWTIA or DQ, but still better than most everything. I suppose it'd be the same with Hit By A Train.
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Post by justabba on Sept 19, 2024 8:19:59 GMT
Benny made it all the worse bvy firstly mentioning them in the interview and THEN saying not this one NOW , not this one - which logically strongly suggested to me, they were being kept back for use in the future. As many have already said, had he not mentioned them at all we would have been living in blissful ignorance. As it is, they will always be in our minds, if not our ears!
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Post by Alan on Sept 19, 2024 9:14:20 GMT
rickyrocknroller, b-sides do kind of still exist. They tend to be used as additional tracks on a deluxe edition released at the same time as the standard version (or sometimes later). If ABBA’s weren’t ready by August 2021, and they apparently had a deadline to meet, that wasn’t possible. Or perhaps Universal could have stipulated they wanted a deluxe version and ABBA (Benny) refused. Had they been finished by August 2021, it could have been a different story but presumably Benny either refused the deluxe request or it was never part of the deal. And if the contract was just for an album, there was no obligation on them to ever finish the tracks, which they (or just Benny) clearly didn’t. ABBA were always a bit stingey with b-sides, and got away with it as the records sold anyway, even when both tracks were on the album and (in the UK at least) there was no picture sleeve. It always seemed a bit odd to me that they often put the exclusive track on the first single when no one would have the A-side on the album already. I wonder if it would have made any difference to Head Over Heels’ fortunes had an exclusive track appeared on its b-side. Then again, Under Attack didn’t benefit from it.
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Post by jj on Sept 19, 2024 12:21:43 GMT
I think it’s safe to say that the time to release anything else will never come. Benny is only really interested in BAO now. Which means it's almost certain Benny recycled the best bits of those songs they worked on for Voyage into new tracks for the latest BAO album, or else he wants to use them for other future songs for BAO or other projects. After all, Benny did feel these unfinished Voyage songs were quite good. There's no way he'd leave songs he thought were "quite good" and not use them for his other projects. I just wish I could reassure Benny that it would not in any way harm his BAO or other non-ABBA projects (into which he incorporated those discarded Voyage songs) if he released this Voyage work for ABBA fans to hear. Surely BAO fans wouldn't feel cheated if they discovered some BAO songs originated from songs ABBA had tried out first, in the studio? Why would you think less of a BAO song for that reason? |
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Post by baab on Sept 19, 2024 19:10:34 GMT
You can also turn it the other way round: Little Things and I Still Have Faith In You existed before ABBAs Voyage, although Little Things wasn't a BAO tune but a Ringtone. As Ringtones got out of fashion, Benny found a new home for it on Voyage.
And the "Cirkeln" Soundtrack was not a big hit, so I Still Have Faith In You definitely received an upgrade.
And Benny also used ABBA pieces like "Hamlet 1" for his first Solo Album
Subsequently He has incorporated a piece from "Kristina Från Duvemåla"which wasn't used in the final version in his recent Organ composition.
So if "Hit By A Train" or the other Voyage Outtake Material has melodies He regards as precious, we surely will hear them one day in his BAO or other solo work.
Maybe already on his upcoming Album.
The most negative aspect of all this process is that we do not get the chance of hearing the (obviously already existing) magical voices of Agnetha and Frida.
Helen Sjöholm is no substitute for them...
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Post by rickyrocknroller on Sept 19, 2024 22:05:56 GMT
Good points and interesting insights, Alan, I guess that's how it went down with the two extra tracks for Benny's Piano album. Very reasonable considerations about the 1972-82 B-sides also with some strange decisions made indeed. It's also a rather bold move that during their early career, they deliberately took the worst track off the album to not take attention away from the A-side (Ring Ring/SMKOG, Waterloo/Watch Out, SOS/Man In The Middle, Mamma Mia/Intermezzo No. 1 - this one's not bad but it's not a pop song). Head Over Heels/The Visitors was pretty pointless indeed after the album had been out, especially with the unclear A and B-side distribution. Both are somewhat suitable for a single but then again not. Possibly they really learned from it with TDBYC/Cassandra and UA/YOMO, to mixed results though. They had gotten it right in the Arrival era then, with Crazy World and Happy Hawaii supplementing single releases when the album had already been out. It's difficult to estimate how far it really carried it along though or if those were hits because the A-sides got people that didn't get the album at all to buy them. baab, great overview here. My personal hope (or dream) is that it will get somehow released or played in whatever form even after a possible BAO re-do, the same way that at least one and a half choruses of Just Like That were released in Undeleted 9 years after the "definitive" Gemini version... because I agree BAO can't substitute the magic of an ABBA recording. |
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Post by richard on Sept 20, 2024 11:09:54 GMT
I wonder how much the energy factor (or maybe the lack of it), or Benny's lesser interest in ABBA nowadays, or a combination of both, explains his not completing recordings from the Voyage sessions. It's particularly poignant now, at their ages, especially if Agnetha and Frida had already contributed their vocals.
Of course, those reasons wouldn't explain the archived stuff from decades ago. But in each case, either from their hit-making heyday or the Voyage sessions, I doubt if it's about the melodies of these unfinished songs but rather their arrangements and mixing.
And, anyway, I'm guessing BAO is a more fun and easy-going project for Benny than ABBA ever was, including setting the material for BAO to perform. That's not to say he's not enthusiastic about it, obviously.
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