Allow us to take you back in time, 50 years to exact…
It’s April 6th, 1974, and the 19th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest is taking place The Dome in Brighton, London. Decked out in colourful glam-rock costumes and sky-high heels, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, aka Swedish pop superstars ABBA, take to the stage to perform a storming rendition of their song ‘Waterloo’, then wait with baited breath as the votes are counted and the winners revealed… we think you know how the rest of the story goes!
Five decades on from the bands record breaking Eurovision win, Polar Music International celebrate the milestone with a special 50th anniversary re-release of their iconic second album, ‘Waterloo’.
Reissued in a variety of different formats, including a Half-Speed mastered 45RPM 2LP Vinyl, a limited edition box set of the three vinyl singles, and a unique 10-inch vinyl disc featuring ‘Waterloo’ in four different languages, the record is available to purchase online HERE.
A new line of special 70’s inspired anniversary apparel is also to be released.
In a joint statement, the members of ABBA say of their 50th anniversary: “It’s slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several.”
“We see evidence of that every time one of us visits ABBA Voyage in London and it’s because of this we can celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world.”
‘Waterloo’ will be celebrated internationally today (April 6th) via a series of special events set to around the globe.
With the “Piano Moment”, Benny Andersson has pre-recorded a short piano piece that will be experienced as if Benny were there and playing live. In London, Berlin, Warsaw, and Stockholm, all the pianos will be linked together simultaneously and play the piece every hour during the anniversary day.
In England, the piano is placed at Waterloo Station in Central London.
To further commemorate this milestone in music history, the highly sought after release of songs from ABBA’s catalogue in Dolby Atmos is finally happening, with ‘Waterloo’ now being the first track to become available in this format.