I don't get more 70's than ABBA I do I do I do!

ABBA yes THAT ABBA!! My first musical love, well after Disney's Jungle Book but I was about 6 at the time.

Unless you have lived under a rock for the past few years, you should know who ABBA are/were??

My earliest musical tastes were naturally Disney related, dads Classical music, Polka's, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Boney M with Brown Girl in the Ring? Don't ask mum loved it.

Moving swiftly on everybody loved ABBA they were HUGE and I mean HUGE!!! All these super groups and cool people on download charts and social media today are just drops in the musical ocean, forgotten by teatime.

ABBA had the works.

Good catchy singalong tunes
Expertly played and sang
Attractive lead singers
Glitzy
Everything nicely packaged.

I expect they all went nuts behind the scenes from the pressure but they kept knocking those hits out all the way from Waterloo, which they won at the Eurovision song contest in 1974. Although I was knee high to a grasshopper (long forgotten northern phrase) I remembered them winning.

Those were the glory days of Eurovision, nothing else like it at the time? Sadly in recent years it's turned into boring mass produced Europop or is that Eurotrash? (Eurotrash now that was a funny programme!)

Back to ABBA, so yes even from age 6/7 until now, I am still a big ABBA fan. I don't actually play the music that much anymore if I am honest but if I hear Dancing Queen or Voulez Vouz (seem to be the only ones that get played these days on the wireless) it just takes me back to happier times as a kid.

Yes its not cool to like ABBA and here I am on a public website of my own invention admitting to being an ABBA fan, but hey I have was never been cool so why start now?

I had the magazines and posters now sold off but I still have the 7 inch singles and albums. You can never get rid of vinyl its part of your life.

Me and my best mate (who shall remain nameless to avoid embarrassment) were huge fans weren't we Damien!

We saw ABBA the Movie in Bury when it came out at the pictures. (1978?)

The film focused on their tour of Australia where they were even bigger than HUGE! Massive innit bruv.

Oddly it was shown on the telly a few years ago, I recorded it but would never watch it. I suppose it just brings back so many happy innocent times gone forever?

So here I am, a stack of albums, a decent record deck but I don't play them?

Everyone has their favourite but for me it was always ABBA Arrival, every track is fab. They only play Dancing Queen from it but there are so many others just as good.

Personally I can't stand covers of their records, so when Madonna pinched one, it wasn't the best and don't get even me started on Mamma Mia!! Terrible singing so much cheese they could set up a market stall.

However I do like Muriel's Wedding (1994) a hilarious film with copious amounts of ABBA songs love it.

The problem with ABBA they were so successful and played so often and marketed so well they became part of the furniture, to the point where they are not really thought of. Only when there is a scandal or some news about them getting back together again, does the press jump back into a frenzy.

They will be remembered in the way The Beatles are I suppose for decades to come. You either love them or hate them but they did become a cornerstone of the music market.

It was a shame when they split up in the 80's, sad day for me but to be honest it was time, their sell by date (Use by 1979) had been and gone.

That leads me nicely onto my love of Soul music, yes from ABBA to Soul music in one fell swoop! Fortunately there was a lot of good music in the 80's (also bad) but lets just park the ankle warmers, big hair and shoulder pads for another blog.

Hmm tempted now to actually fire up ABBA the Album just for old times sake?

Money money money must be funny in a rich mans world?