Whistles blow for ABBA: Australian postmen are quivering at the news that Swedish pop group ABBA will visit next month

The Daily Telegraph 28 February 1976

Wherever they go, ABBA are followed by a huge swag of mail.

On a recent visit to Poland, 10,000 fan letters arrived in less than a week, and postmen were forced to abandon their bicycles for trucks.

Now ABBA have agreed to make a one hour Bandstand special in Sydney and Melbourne next month.

They have asked that Australian pop artists also appear on the show.

The special will be released internationally. Although the show is the main reason for the promotional tour, the members of the band have another mission in Australia.

“We want to thank the people in Australia who gave us our start,” guitarist Björn Ulvaeus said.

“Our records were being played in Australia before the radio stations in Sweden picked them up.

“It was only after the people in our home town heard about us hitting the top of the charts in Australia that we took off everywhere else.”

ABBA were an overnight sensation with their single, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do soaring up the charts all over the world.

“But we were struggling to find another song to follow up I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” Björn said.

“It was then that we heard that radio stations in Australia had started playing one of our album tracks, Mamma Mia.

“We decided to release that as our next single and it became a worldwide hit.”
ABBA then equalled The Beatles record of three records in the Top 10 at the same time.

ABBA take their name from the first letters of the names of the four members of the group – Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid.

Björn is married to Agnetha and Benny has been engaged to Frida for some time.

Whenever they get the chance, the four singers/musicians hide away in a fishing village in Stockholm.