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"I think the other three will say 'this was the
last time'," Bjorn Ulvaeus, one half of the band's song-writing
duo who, with Benny Andersson, was responsible mega-hits like
"Dancing Queen", "Waterloo" and "Money, Money, Money," said.
"I'm not saying never. There is always some open door somewhere.
I hate to say this is it ... I'm just saying I don't think we
will record any more."
Formed by two married couples in 1972, ABBA have sold more than
385 million albums since their first hit "Waterloo," topping the
charts across the world until their break-up in the early 1980s.
ABBA Gold, a compilation of greatest hits originally released in
1992, recently passed its 1000th week on the UK Album Chart.
"Voyage" is the first album with fresh songs since "The
Visitors" in 1981, released just before the band split and
coinciding with the break-up of Bjorn's marriage to singer
Agnetha Faltskog and Benny's to Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Rumours swirled for years that ABBA would get back together to
perform. But the members turned down many offers, including one
reported $1 billion package to tour again.
"In that case, it was for health reasons ... for reasons beyond
money, just for well-being," Ulvaeus told Reuters in an
interview prior to the release of "Voyage".
"To do a circus like that would take years out of our lives,
just because of the stress. We were comfortably well-off at that
time, we didn't need it."
The new album was born from a project to launch a new ABBA
concert show - also called Voyage - featuring digital
representations of the four band members created by
motion-capture technology.
"It was the avatars that made it. It was kind of a natural thing
to do to give these people something new to sing," Ulvaeus said.
"So we recorded 3-4 songs and then we thought why not record a
couple more? And suddenly we had, you know, an album on the
horizon."
"Voyage" contains 10 songs, all previously unpublished material
apart from "Just a Notion," which was first recorded in 1978.
Ulvaeus said he and Benny had not tried to bring the music up to
date and that the album would probably appeal mostly to old ABBA
fans.
"You can certainly feel that it's 40 years on. I think there is
a depth in the voices, and the music, and the lyrics," he said.
"There is an element of something that comes with age, I think,
in the whole album. Not that it sounds like four, tired
geriatrics. There is a lot of energy in it."
The band has not lost it's golden touch with the two new
comeback singles released so far - "Don't Shut Me Down" and "I
Still Have Faith in You" - top 10 hits on the European digital
charts, according to Billboard Media.
And the secret of song-writing success?
"It's just a matter of writing a good enough melody and a good
enough lyric," Ulvaeus said.
"It's not easy, but it's simple. Whether it works on not, it's
up to the audience. We have done our best as we are now."
From May next year, fans will be able to catch the four
ABBA-tars - accompanied by a live band - singing a selection of
old hits and songs from the new album at a purpose-built ABBA
Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
While the digital show could run and run, ABBA themselves - all
now in their 70s - may call it a day.
"What we would like to leave with is a good album, some new,
good music. I hope that's what we leave with," Ulvaeus said.
"The avatars are taking over now."
(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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