ABBA Archive
Benny ANDERSSON, Piano – DG
Refreshing, relaxing, and simply beautiful. Benny ANDERSSON, Piano – DG 479 8143, 76:47 [Distr. by Universal] *****: Anyone who remembers or who is a fan of the pop rock group ABBA from the late 1970s will no doubt have heard, seen, or know who Benny Andersson is. The phenomenal success of the Swedish “fab four” as they were called then, is now legendary, with nearly 400 million records sold worldwide since then. This makes them third in line among the all-time best selling popular bands, just behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Though many were critical of them over the years, particularly some very famous rock musicians whose total lifetime sales didn’t add up to a tenth of ABBA’s earnings, the music endured, and successive generations have fallen in love with it. The group itself, two married couples (Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) put a roadblock on their good times when both divorced in the early eighties, though the band stuck together for a few more years. Since then, the women hit some hard times, especially the most popular, Agnetha, whose life seems one tragedy after another, not the least of which she seems to […]
Audio News for June 24, 2016
Portland’s Allegro Distributors Out of Business – Brothers Joe, Vince and Rico Micallef have run Allegro Media Group since 1982, specializing in indie music label CDs and DVDs. But when music streaming caught on, the bottom fell out. There used to be seven major label groups – now there are just two. The same thing basically has happened to independent distributors. Allegro’s liquidation leaves many labels in the lurch. The company is a year or more behind on some sales payments, and about half the staff have lost their jobs. More Robots Than Humans in 20 Years – A British study asked over 2000 Americans a series of questions about how they believed their lives would be transformed by technology. Over half predicting that we will regularly wear clothing connected to the Internet within the next 20 years, and one in four American adults think robots will outnumber humans by 2036, and two-thirds think physical money will be totally replaced by cashless computer technologies. The group felt that they will no longer visit the doctor but will instead consult them from home using VR. A large number also believe 3D printers will be used to producer human organs, potentially removing […]
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Blu-ray (1994/2011)
One reviewer referred to it as “shockingly likable.”
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
