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List Price: $24.95 | | Publisher: Music Sales
Salesrank: 250221
Released: September 1, 2008 |
| Our Price: $12.78 |
| Used Price: $18.05 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
Paperback edition of the first truly thorough and honest 'warts-and-all' ABBA biography, covering all aspects of the members' lives and careers: the period before the group came together, their amazing 70s, their marriages and divorces, their business empire and their careers after the group.
Abba: Bright Lights Dark Shadows Reviews:
Very good point of view and done with a fair hand. 
2009-10-25 - I never knew much about ABBA in the days when they were at their peak. I was a busy college student living in Illinois in the early through middle 1970's, listening to Paul McCartney and Wings, Bob Dylan and Carly Simon. I remember hearing the song "Waterloo" once on the car radio as I passed through Dwight, Illinois and thinking, "Now, this is really different." I vaguely remember "Dancing Queen" and "Take a Chance" playing on the radio, but never knew much about the foursome called ABBA (except for the fact that the blonde on the record promotion posters looked like a twin to my girlfriend at the time).
A couple of years ago, or so, I had something occur that got me interested in the group, and I began reading about them. I learned very quickly that it is very difficult to separate the real story from the media and tabloid adulterations of the lives of these four artists. I watched many of the film clips, particularly the interviews and news stories,on internet services, such as "You Tube" and Truveo."
When I heard of Carl Magnus Palm's book, I began to search for it. In trying to locate a copy, I actually wrote to Mr. Palm, and he graciously told me how a new edition had just been printed in English. I had also just received an Amazon gift certificate from my sister, so I put it to good use and bought a copy. It was worth all of the effort, and I have to definitely say that Mr. Palm does an excellent job of sticking to facts as much as is possible. He does not put any halos on anyone, but also does a fine job of treating his subjects with dignity in his book. He describes some of the problems that the group members had in their lives, but does not belittle them.
This book stands as if it were really seven books: a biography on each of the four performers, a section on Stig Andersson (their manager and driving force), a biography on the group as it performed as a whole, and a follow-up on the later years after the disbanding of ABBA. It is a lengthy book when first seen, but treating it as if it is seven books under one cover makes it all of the more interesting.
What I found the most interesting is how, while at the top of their group fame, the stress still had such a devastating effect on their group social dynamics. Mr. Palm really shows in detail how their lives changed from the inside and outside forces, even with the fame and riches that others might think would lift the cares of the world away. This book is priced fairly, and is worth the money in the hours of interest it held to me.
Love Abba!!! 
2009-09-18 - I bought this book because I knew so little about the lives of these artists.
But I was a bored by the repititious explanations of Agnetha's unhappiness at
having to travel, her obsessive relationship with her children. (or so I thought)
Anyway the author could have left out a lot of details. It seemed he gave the chronilogical history of their journey in too much information.
However, I did find the four bios good at the beginning. and the pictures were good too. So if you want to know more about them. It's here.
Excellent work
2009-05-12 - This is an excellent work, very detailed. The author is to be congradulated. If you are ABBA fan, or are just interested in the history of music business in Europe during the 60's,70's and 80's this is a good choice. The cast of characters, you will find, display the typical human frailities. We tend to build up entertainers with our own super-human expectations, and are suprised to find out otherwise.
great book
2009-05-09 - If you are a abba fan this is a book that you should buy. This book goes into great detail about what it was like for them from the early days till the end. I love this book!
The Real Story of ABBA
2009-04-30 - This was a great read, I learned a lot about group member from reading this
