SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Universal
Music Enterprises) - With so many people in such a glum mood this holiday season thanks to economic worries, there is one sure way to cheer them up and again bring joy to the opening of gifts - ABBA! Everyone loves the dance-pop phenomenon whose popularity doesn't merely continue but grows each year. Upbeat songs such as "Waterloo," "S.O.S.," "Fernando," "Dancing Queen," "Take A Chance On Me," "Mamma Mia," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "The Name Of The Game," "
Chiquitita" and "The Winner Takes It All" are just as loved today as when the group dominated the pop charts in the '70s.
As the DVD of the movie musical "Mamma Mia!" featuring the music of ABBA reaches stores December 16, 2008 in a two-disc, bonus content special edition, the original hits performed by ABBA can be heard on ABBA GOLD - GREATEST HITS and the recently released nine-CD box set ABBA - THE ALBUMS and Blu-ray edition of "ABBA - The Movie."
On stage since 1999, "Mamma Mia!" has been seen by more than 30 million fans worldwide. The film, which opened in July 2008 and starred Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan, has earned more than $550 million in box office receipts around the globe. ABBA's all-time greatest success is 1992's ABBA GOLD - GREATEST HITS (Polydor/Polar/UMe), which is six times platinum in the U.S. and has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide. In summer 2008, the album soared to No 1 on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart for an eight-week reign, the first time any ABBA album had reached No 1 on any Billboard chart.
Released October 28, 2008 was the nine-CD ABBA - THE ALBUMS (Polydor/Polar/UMe). Containing all eight of the group's original studio albums plus a bonus disc of B-sides, rarities and other hits, the box set brings together all of the albums' tracks in one package for the first time.
The Blu-ray version of "ABBA - The Movie" (Polar/Polydor/UMe), issued November 25, 2008, offers a rare experience of ABBA live, filmed for the original 1977 movie directed by award-winning Lasse Hallstrom. Fully restored and boasting remastered Surround Sound, the approximately 142-minute "ABBA - The Movie" also features several bonuses, including a 40-minute interview with Hallstrom and ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. The film captures the hysteria surrounding ABBAmania, which in its wake has sold more than 400 million records worldwide to date.
