Encouraged by this success, they entered the 1973 Swedish selections for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ring Ring. They finished third, but the single and the album of the same name competed for the top positions on the Swedish chart. Ring Ring also became a hit in several other European countries.

The group entered the selections again in 1974, this time with Waterloo, which took them all the way to the finals in Brighton, England. By this time they had changed their name to ABBA, an acronym of their first names. ABBA was also the name of a Swedish canned fish company, which luckily agreed to lending their name to a pop group. The Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974 turned out to be the most famous moment in ABBA history, when the group won the international juries over with Waterloo.

Soon after this triumph, Waterloo was Number One on the charts all over Europe, and even reached the US Top Ten. The album of the same name was also a huge hit in Sweden. However, the "stigma" of being winners of the Eurovision Song Contest made it difficult for ABBA to be taken seriously when they tried to follow this first success. It was not until some 18 months later that they got a major worldwide hit again with SOS, taken off their third album, simply titled ABBA.

Mamma Mia, also taken from ABBA, returned the group to the UK Number One spot, which they occupied a total of nine times between 1974 and 1980. Mamma Mia was also a Number One hit in Australia, which was the first territory to release it as a single in August 1975. Over the next few years, Australia would be caught up in a virtual ABBA fever, giving the group a total of six Number One hits.

Soon after this triumph, Waterloo was Number One on the charts all over Europe, and even reached the US Top Ten. The album of the same name was also a huge hit in Sweden. However, the "stigma" of being winners of the Eurovision Song Contest made it difficult for ABBA to be taken seriously when they tried to follow this first success. It was not until some 18 months later that they got a major worldwide hit again with SOS, taken off their third album, simply titled ABBA.

Mamma Mia, also taken from ABBA, returned the group to the UK Number One spot, which they occupied a total of nine times between 1974 and 1980. Mamma Mia was also a Number One hit in Australia, which was the first territory to release it as a single in August 1975. Over the next few years, Australia would be caught up in a virtual ABBA fever, giving the group a total of six Number One hits.

1976 was the year when ABBA finally and firmly established themselves as one of the most popular groups in the world. The different greatest hits compilations released in the UK and Australia this year (Greatest Hits and The Best Of ABBA respectively) are still among the best-selling albums of all time in those territories. Classic single releases such as Fernando and Dancing Queen topped the charts all over the world. In April 1977, Dancing Queen became ABBA's only US Number One.

In late 1976 ABBA's fourth album, Arrival, was released. The album stormed up the charts and spawned hits such as Money, Money, Money and Knowing Me, Knowing You. This was followed by a concert tour of Europe and Australia between January and March 1977. The tour was a complete success with capacity houses everywhere. When the tour reached Australia, work was also begun on the feature film ABBA - The Movie. The premiХre of the film in December 1977 coincided with the release of ABBA - The Album. Hits from the album included The Name Of The Game and Take A Chance On Me.

The spring of 1978 saw the group embar on a major promotional campaign in the USA, leading to a Top Three single with Take A Chance On Me and a Top Twenty entry for ABBA - The Album. The hit singles Summer Night City and Chiquitita were followed by ABBA's sixth album, Voulez-Vous, released in April 1979. Earlier that year, Bjorn and Agnetha announced their divorce. This did not mean the end of ABBA, but it did overthrow their image of two happy, music-ma couples.

ABBA's single Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) was released in the autumn of 1979, coinciding with a major tour of Canada, the United States and Europe. Around the same time a second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol.2, became an international success.

In March 1980, ABBA took their tour to Japan for what turned out to be their very last live concerts. The rest of the year was devoted to the recording of ABBA's next album, Super Trouper, containing classic hits like The Winner Takes It All and the title track.

In March 1980, ABBA took their tour to Japan for what turned out to be their very last live concerts. The rest of the year was devoted to the recording of ABBA's next album, Super Trouper, containing classic hits like The Winner Takes It All and the title track.

In February 1981 the final blow was dealt to ABBA's happy-couples image of the 1970s, when Benny and Frida announced their divorce. This event still didn't stop the foursome from wor together. At the end of the year, ABBAs eighth album, The Visitors, was released. One Of Us was the biggest hit off the album.

1982 saw the energy gradually running out of the group, as Bjorn and Benny set their sights on writing the musical Chess and Agnetha and Frida were reviving their solo careers. The only ABBA LP release this year was a compilation double album of their hit singles, entitled The Singles - The First Ten Years, including two new songs. Although the single The Day Before You Came was one of the group's most accomplished recordings it failed to become a worldwide hit on the scale that they had been used to. At the end of 1982, ABBA decided to take a break. If they wanted to they could always get back together after a few years, they reasoned.


THE ABBA REVIVAL

More than two decades after ABBA's "temporary break", there still has been no ABBA reunion. But the groups music lives on: the 1990s saw the beginning of a major revival, with successful cover versions and high-profile movies using ABBA songs on their soundtracks attracting a great deal of attention. The compilation CD ABBA Gold, released in 1992, has sold 26 million copies to date.

The 1993 companion album, More ABBA Gold, went on to sell 2.5 million copies. The box set Thank You For The Music followed in 1994, containing all the hits, selected album tracks, plus rare and previously unreleased recordings.

1999 saw the London premiere of the hugely successful musical Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of ABBA. The musical opened on Broadway two years later, and today it is the world's most popular show. Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 17 million people and is currently playing to 15,000 people across four continents every night. On the fifth anniversary of the musical, it shows no signs of slowing down. Mamma Mia! opened in Korea in January 2004, while the Australian production goes on a tour of South-East Asia and Australasia, starting in New Zealand in March. An International Tour will commence in Dublin, Ireland in November. The musical is staged in ABBA's home country of Sweden in February 2005.

2004 sees the 30th Anniversary of ABBA's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, and naturally, Universal Music will continue the catalogue upgrading programme that has been going over the past few years. So far, ABBA's eight original studio albums have been reissued with additional bonus tracks, revised artwork and expanded booklets. The compilation albums ABBA Gold and ABBA Oro have been reissued with revised booklets and updated liner notes, and a double-CD compiling all ABBA singles, The Definitive Collection, has sold more than 1 million copies. Recently, The Definitive Collection featured on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 best albums of all time. ABBA's videos have been collected on two different DVD releases: The Definitive Collection and ABBA Gold, featuring the cleaned-up and remastered original film clips. There was also a relaunch of the official website, ABBA - The Site, an acclaimed resource for authoritative information about the group, and also the Internet's most popular meeting place for ABBA fans.

Many different releases are planned for the 30th Anniversary year of 2004. First up is the DVD release of the television special ABBA In Concert, made during ABBA's 1979 tour of North America and Europe. ABBA In Concert comes with several bonus selections, including a never-before-seen performance of  Thank You For The Music. In April, ABBA's Waterloo album is released in a 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, featuring additional bonus tracks and a DVD of previously unissued television performances.