1. ABBA on Swedish TV January 1975
3. I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do - the single
4. The promotion in Europe & the videos
6. The promotion in Germany, Denmark & Holland
8. More TV promotion - Autumn 1975
10. ABBA in USA - November 1975
11. Mamma Mia - one more successful single
ABBA on SVT January 3, 1975
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The group started the new year with a TV performance. They were guests in the TV special "Nygammalt" on Swedish TV on January 3, 1975. They performed two songs from the latest single - So Long and I've Been Waiting For You. It was ABBA's first appearance on Swedish TV since the victory in Brighton in April 1974!!!
LP in South Africa
January 1975 saw the very first ABBA album release in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The album "Waterloo" reached quickly the top of the South African chart. This edition of the album contained "Ring Ring" as a bonus track which could be even seen on the track listing as the title "Ring Ring" was printed in a different character style.
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The red chair session
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This session was taken at the end of 1974 alt beginning of 1975. One of the shots was used on the Australian compilation "The best of ABBA" released at the beginning of 1976.
The Panther session
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The "Hey" session
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Bang-A-Boomerang
The next project that involved Björn and Benny was Svenne & Lotta's participation in Melodifestivalen. Benny's old friends from Hep Stars covered the ABBA song "Bang-A-Boomerang" and performed it in the Swedish outtake to the Eurovision Song Contest. The song appeared in two versions (Swedish and English) on Svenne & Lotta's album called "2". Five songs on the album were produced by Björn and Benny and the duo covered more B & B compositions on this album. Among them ABBA's "Dance (While the music Still Goes On)" and "Kära Gamla Sol" originally recorded by Björn and Benny themselves in 1970. Svenne & Lotta's version of it was recorded in English and entitled "Roly-Poly girl". The song "When You Walk in the Room" was even covered by Svenne & Lotta on this album - Agnetha Fältskog would make her own version of it 29 years later on "My Colouring Book" in 2004. Björn and Benny as well as most of the ABBA musicians played on the album and Micke Tretow was one of the engineers engaged in this project. The Swedish version of "Bang A Boomerang" reached # 2 on Svensktoppen in February and Svenne & Lotta's cover of "Dance" became #2 in April 1975.
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The ABBA members were among the audience in the TV studio following Melodifestivalen.
ABBA 1975 - various photo sessions
One of the early 1975 photo session. The pictures were published mostly in Swedish papers which can mean that the photos were taken by a Swedish photographer. It can be quite difficult to place several photos in the right period of time under 1974-75 even if Frida's hair-do helps sometimes...
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More photos
Several photos that are difficult to put in the right period of time. For sure it is beginning of 1975 with all crazy stage outfits.
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The Honey Honey outfits |
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This early 1975 session is relatively well-known and it was used for the cover of the ABBA biography "Bright lights and dark shadows"
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On January 10 ABBA started their Scandinavian tour in Oslo (Norway). This part of the tour would continue in: Stockholm, Lund, Copenhagen (DK), Göteborg, Helsinki (F) and Umeå. Part 2 of the tour was planned for the summer 1975.
Germany and France
At the end of January ABBA went to Germany to promote their new single "So Long" in the TV Show "Disco"
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Bravo sessions
Wolfgang Heilemann took as usual exclusive photos of ABBA during their stay in West Germany.
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TV outfits
Great memory featuring ABBA in their early glitter and glamour outfits
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On February 1, 1975 they arrived in Paris for more promotion
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Photo session
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Recording sessions and holidays
In February and March ABBA continued recording the new album and at the end of the March it was time for holidays. Agnetha and Björn went to Greece and Frida and Benny to California
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I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do/Rock Me - the single
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A new single "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" was released in April 1975. It entered the UK chart on July 12, 1975 and stayed there for 6 weeks reaching number 36 as the highest position. One more flop in England and one more disappointment for ABBA. But in West Germany the single was much more successful. It entered the chart on April 14, 1975 reaching number 6. In France the single reached no 14. The US release would wait until December 10th, 1975. The single was on the chart for 8 weeks reaching #15. In Holland the single "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" b/w "So Long" and it entered the Dutch chart in March 75 reaching #3.
Dutch TV
The 1975 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Stockholm and ABBA were of course in focus during the Eurovision heat in the capital of Sweden. The group members gave several interviews for TV stations from all over Europe. Agnetha and Frida appeared on Dutch TV which followed the group Teach-In representing The Netherlands.
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Promotion in Europe 14-15 April 1975
In April ABBA promoted their new single in Holland, Belgium and France. In Holland ABBA appeared in the TV specials "Top Pop" & "Eddy Go Round" performing "I Do I Do I Do" and their forthcoming smash hit "SOS" which would be released as a single some months later.
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The photo session with on the boat
This photo session was taken in April in Paris during their promotion trip in Europe.
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The videos
Four videos were filmed in April. Lasse Hallström directed all of them. The promo videos for "Mamma Mia", "I Do I Do I Do..." were made in the studio. "Bang-A-Boomerang" on various spots in Stockholm (City and Djurgården) and SOS partly in the studio, partly outside.
Mamma Mia
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Bang-A-Boomerang
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ABBA's third album called simply "ABBA" was released on April 21, 1975. It contained 11 songs including their latest single hits "So Long" and "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do". All songs from this album were released on singles. The album became the first international ABBA album reaching high positions in many countries all over the world. It entered the British chart in January 1976 and stayed there for 10 weeks reaching number 13. In USA the album was released on August 28, 1975. It appeared shortly on the album chart reaching #174.
The promo ads
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The photo sessions
The cover photos were taken at the Castle hotel in Stockholm and in the car outside the hotel.
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The album was released in most countries with the same cover photos and layout. Some alternate covers and different versions of the album could be though found in some European countries.
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LP made in Australia |
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The West German release with different front cover |
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The Polydor release with "ordinary" cover. |
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The Czechoslovakian release came in 1976 and it contained two bonus tracks: Fernando and Dancing Queen. |
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Made in Poland |
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Pick a bale of cotton...
Possibly the strangest musical ABBA project was the recording of American folk medley: Pick A Bale Of Cotton, On Top Of Old Smokey and Midnight Special. ABBA wanted to contribute to the German compilation album with the profits donated to the cancer fond. Slightly remixed version of the medley would appear 3 years later on the B-side of the SP "Summer Night City" (go.to.ABBA The Album+1978). The medley was recorded on May 4, 1975
Before the tour
Agnetha and Frida gave an extended interview for the Swedish weekly "Hänt i veckan" in May 1975. Several pictures of Agnetha and Frida exercising their dance numbers before the forthcoming tour were taken at the ABBA head-quarter in Baldersgatan in Stockholm.
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Disco, West Germany, May 24, 1975
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ABBA went to Hamburg in West Germany for the second time this year and participated in TV show "Disco" performing "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do". Wolfgang Heilemann took lots of new pictures which would soon be published by "Bravo" and other newspapers all over the world.
The photo session
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On May 25 ABBA were awarded at the restaurant "Die Gurke" for 2 million singles "Honey Honey" sold in West Germany.
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More photo sessions
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The lion session
The session taken by German photographer Bubbi Heilemann in May 1975 in Hamburg.
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Paris
The day after ABBA were in the capital of France where they recorded their performance of "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do" to be aired one week later on French TV.
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Cat & dog sessions - spring 1975
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ABBA in Denmark
May 27, 1975
At the end of May ABBA arrived in Denmark and made a TV special "Omkring et flygel" (which was shown on Danish TV on June 21, 1975). The host was Bent Fabricius-Bjerre.
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The Tivoli sessions - Copenhagen
ABBA received gold records for sales of the LP "ABBA" in Denmark.
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The Agnetha-ice-cream photo session
One more 1975 classical photo session featured Agnetha among puppets with a big ice-cream in her hand.
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ABBA in Holland, June 11, 1975
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ABBA went to Holland and did a performance in "Eddy go round" TV special. They sang several songs from their latest album and gave an interview. One of the many "cat & dogs"-sessions was taken after the show.
The TV Show
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