POLAR MUSIC STUDIOS 48º AÑOS DE SU INAUGURACIÓN / years from its opening

El 18 de mayo de 1978, Polar Studios abrió sus puertas en St Eriksgatan 58-60, Estocolmo, en presencia de toda la élite musical sueca, así como de directivos de discográficas rivales y figuras del mundo financiero y cultural.

En aquel entonces, Polar Studios era probablemente uno de los estudios más modernos del mundo y quizás también el más caro. En los medios de comunicación, se le describía a menudo como una "fábrica de sueños" para ABBA y Micke. Ahora podían trabajar sin restricciones de tiempo ni espacio.

El estudio era propiedad inicialmente de Micke, junto con Stikkan Andersson, Björn y Benny. La financiación provino principalmente de los fondos de STIM, el sello discográfico de ABBA. El grupo grabó sus tres últimos álbumes aquí, siendo "CHIQUITITA", la primera canción grabada. También los primeros discos solitarios de Frida y Agnetha y las composiciones del musical "CHESS".

El hecho de que el estudio fuera "el mejor y más grande" atrajo, por supuesto, a muchos otros artistas y grupos internacionales a lo largo de los años, como Led Zeppelin, Ramones, Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, Chic, Roxy Music, Génesis y otros.

El gran interés por el estudio a veces causaba problemas con las reservas, sobre todo para el propio Micke y los artistas/grupos con los que trabajaba en aquella época. El estudio se alquilaba periódicamente las 24 horas del día. «Demasiada gente en el estudio», pensaba Micke entonces.

Esta fue probablemente una de las razones por las que Micke dejó Polar Studios tras solo un par de años, para dedicarse a su propio negocio y estudio casero en Sollentuna. Un miniestudio en el garaje que terminó para la Navidad de 1979.

Pero como freelance, Micke volvió a Polar y trabajó en los tres últimos álbumes de ABBA y en una decena de producciones más, de las cuales Chess fue la más grande y extensa.

Anderson compró las acciones de los socios Ulvaeus y Andersson en 1984 antes de vender las instalaciones a una sociedad comercial, El 1 de mayo de 2004, los Polar Studios cerraron definitivamente.

On May 18, 1978, Polar Studios opened its doors at St. Eriksgatan 58-60, Stockholm, in the presence of the Swedish musical elite, as well as executives from rival record labels and figures from the financial and cultural worlds.

At the time, Polar Studios was probably one of the most modern studios in the world and perhaps also the most expensive. In the media, it was often described as a "dream factory" for ABBA and Micke. Now they could work without time or space constraints.

The studio was initially owned by Micke, along with Stikkan Andersson, Björn, and Benny. Funding came primarily from STIM, ABBA's record label. The group recorded their last three albums there, with "Chiquitita" being the first song recorded. Frida and Agnetha also recorded their first solo albums there, as well as the compositions for the musical "Chess."

The fact that the studio was "the best and biggest" naturally attracted many other international artists and groups over the years, such as Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, the Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, Chic, Roxy Music, Genesis, and others.

The high demand for the studio sometimes caused booking problems, especially for Micke himself and the artists/groups he was working with at the time. The studio was regularly booked 24 hours a day. "Too many people in the studio," Micke would think.

This was probably one of the reasons Micke left Polar Studios after only a couple of years to dedicate himself to his own business and home studio in Sollentuna. A mini-studio in the garage that he finished by Christmas 1979.

But as a freelancer, Micke returned to Polar and worked on ABBA's last three albums and a dozen other productions, of which Chess was the largest and most extensive.

Anderson bought the shares of partners Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1984 before selling the facilities to a trading company. On May 1, 2004, Polar Studios closed permanently.

MICHAEL B. TRETOW'S MEMORIAL

Fotos: expressen.se, Patrik C Österberg, Ola Axman

 Agnetha, Björn, Benny entre los asistentes al funeral de Michael B. Tretow en Mikaelskapellet en Estocolmo hoy. Michael, su ingeniero de sonido, murió en mayo a los 80 años. También estaban Gorel Hanser, Janne Schaffer y Claes Olof af Geijerstam. Texto inferior traducción del artículo de Expressen.se.

Agnetha, Björn & Benny among the attendants to Michael B. Tretow's funeral in Mikaelskapellet in Stockholm today. Michael, their sound engineer died in May at the age of 80. Also there Gorel Hanser, Janne Schaffer & Claes Olof af Geijerstam. Texto below English translation from Expressen.se article.

The man behind ABBA’s sound, sound engineer Michael B. Tretow, passed away in May at the age of 80.

Today he is being buried in Stockholm where friends, relatives and colleagues have gathered.

- There are so many memories, says Agnetha Fältskog.

Michael B. Tretow passed away earlier in May at the age of 80. On Thursday he will be buried in Mikaelskapellet in Stockholm, just a stone's throw opposite Metronome Studio, now Atlantis Studios, where ABBA’s sound was created.

Guitarist Janne Schaffer worked closely with Abba for many years. He is on site at the funeral to say goodbye to his colleague and friend.

- Micke was a fantastic person and an incredibly skilled sound engineer, he says and continues:

- He was a big part of both Ted Gärdestad's and ABBA’s success.

Schaffer remembers his first meeting with Tretow.

- It was on Ted's Gärdestad's first album, we recorded here, he says.

The guitarist recalls fun memories with the exploratory sound engineer. Among them was when he and Tretow tested a Marshall amplifier in producer Bruno Glenmark's indoor swimming pool.

– It was an amazing sound. It was just that Anne-Louise Hanson's mother was at home and thought it was an earthquake.

– We tried so many different things. Micke was always so interested in doing new things and trying everything.

The ABBA members on site

Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog are also on site.

– There are so many memories, says Fältskog.

Claes Olof af Geijerstam also worked with ABBA as a sound engineer in the mid-1970s. He remembers the first time he met Tretow when Ola & the Janglers recorded at the Metronome Studio.

– A natural talent, a fantastic person, always ready to laugh. We had so much technical fun for us. We loved odd gadgets in the studio, he says and laughs.

– A really lovely guy and a good songwriter. The man behind ABBA’s sound

Michael B. Tretow worked at the then famous Metronome Studio in the 1960s where he recorded material with, among others, Ted Gärdestad, Pugh Rogefeldt, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

Since the 1970s, he was ABBA’s sound engineer on all albums except for "Voyage", which was released as late as 2021.

Tretow has been described by many as the man behind the classic ABBA sound. Among other things, he drew inspiration from Phil Spector's recording technique.

After ABBA split, he continued to work with the members on their solo projects and also musicals, including the "Chess" album.

In 2001, Tretow suffered a brain hemorrhage and three years later, after completing Agnetha Fältskog's album "My coloring book", he ended his career, writes DN.

During his career, Tretow also released cult songs such as "Den makalösa manicken" and "Hubba hubba zoot zoot" under the name Caramba. A studio project he had together with Ted Gärdestad.

HA MUERTO MICHAEL B. TRETOW has died

 Ha muerto a los 80 años Michael B. Tretow, el ingeniero de sonido de Abba durante toda su carrera a excepción de su último álbum y conocido por su "wall of sound" característico. Considerado el quinto miembro de Abba. DEP.

Michael B. Tretow has died at 8. He was Abba's sound engineer throughout their whole career except on their last album and known for his characteristic wall of sound. Considered the fifth Abba member. RIP.

Video "ABBA'S SECRET SOUND", by Bobby's brother (20/8/2024 Michael B. Tretow's 79 cumpleaños/birthday): 

Tributo de Carl Magnus Palm's tribute:

Michael B. Tretow – a tribute

Photo Georgi Toshev, @ Abba The Museum 10º, Stockholm.

 

PHIL SPECTOR DEP / RIP

 El famoso productor musical Phil Spector ha muerto. Maestro del pop e influencia de tantos... Benny y Björn y, sobre todo, el ingeniero de sonido de Abba Micheal B. Tretow, comentó la influencia de su muro de sonido para ellos.

The famous musical producer Phil Spector has dies. Pop maestro and influence for so many... Benny and Bjorn and, specially, Abba's sound engineer Michael B. tretow, commented on the influence of his wall of sound for them.

Phil Spector: una resonancia que va más allá de su propia música

MICHAEL B. TRETOW: FELIZ 75 Happy birthday

Felicitamos al ingeniero de sonido de Abba, Michael B. Tretow, que hoy cumple 75 años.

Congratulating Abba's sound engineer, Michael B. Tretow, who is 75 years old today.

"ARRIVAL" 40th

Se confirma la edición 40 aniversario del álbum de Abba "ARRIVAL" para el 7 de octubre. Será una caja 7'' que incluye los cuatro singles extraídos del disco y un doble LP, nuevas notas y una nueva entrevista con el ingeniero Michael B. Tretow.

Abba's "ARRIVAL" 40th anniversary edition has been confirmed to be released on October 7th. It will be a 7'' boxset including the four singles taken from the album and a double LP, new liner notes and a new interview with sound engineer Michael B. Tretow.

MICHAEL B. TRETOW, 70 HOY / Today

Ingeniero de sonido de ABBA'S sound engineer

Video:

"THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME", INTERPRETACIONES / Interpretations

La página web británica NME ha colocado "THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME" ("El día antes de que llegaras"), la última canción grabada por Abba, como la sexta mejor canción pop de la historia. Y en el artículo hay interesantes interpretaciones de la canción. Incluímos aquí el artículo en inglés.

British webpage NME has placed "THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME", Abba's last recorded song, as the sixth best song in pop history. There are interesting interpretations about the song in the article which we include here.

The Greatest Pop Songs In History – No. 6: ABBA, ‘The Day Before You Came’

The final song ever recorded by ABBA was arguably also their finest.

Many years after it was laid down in the studio, sound engineer Michael B Tretow recalled the session. He remembered Agnetha Faltskog recording her lone vocal track with the lights dimmed. On completing the final verse, she is said to have taken her headphones off before leaving the studio (and the band) quietly through the back door. This tantalizing image of things left unsaid, under a brooding shimmer fits perfectly with the song’s bald, bleak beauty.
It’s an interesting track in part because ‘The Day Before You Came’ totally breaks with the popular impression of the band as all showbiz smiles, massive harmonies, gaudy outfits and Scandi wife-swapping. ‘The Day Before You Came’ stands in totally opposition to a career that seemed to live off the maxim “more is better”.

Musically the track scuttles along like a slow heartbreak, sparsely painting its picture with the sole palette of a synth and Agnetha’s lone vocal. This is deceptive however, as there are layers of sonics beneath the smooth surface, suggesting so much going on under the skin.
On the surface the lyrics seem to reflect the timeline of a woman who is reminiscing on her mundane routine before she met her world changing lover. But a deeper probe suggests something a bit darker at the core. There was the working title of the song (‘The Suffering Bird’) , hinting at a prison like fragility. There’s the disorientating ambiguity of Agnetha’s words (“I’m certain…”, “I must have…”,”I’m sure,”) which suggest a zombie sleep walking through their life (“It’s funny, but I had no sense of living without aim/ The day before you came") and hints at depression ("I need a lot of sleep"). There’s also the reference to her bedtime reading matter (“The latest one by Marilyn French or something in that style,”). Marilyn French was a radical feminist author who was infamously misquoted as saying: “all men are rapists.”

The most intriguing theory is that the protagonist is a ghost, who is eerily detailing the minutiae of her daily life before her murderer –the “you” of the title- ended her life. It might sound far-fetched but Frida and Benny’s celestial harmonies of the verse and the harmony (or is it shrieking?) of the middle eight certainly add kudos to this theory. It makes the ambiguity final line ("And rattling on the roof I must have heard the sound of rain / The day before you came") a bit more chilling.
In a 2010 interview with The Times, Bjorn Ulvaeus was asked what happened after the man "came". He said:
"You've spotted it, haven't you? The music is hinting at it. You can tell in that song that we were straining towards musical theatre. We got Agnetha to act the part of the person in that song. In retrospect, it might have been too much of a change for a lot of Abba fans. The energy had gone."

It’s shame he took this view because their mastery of this Cold Wave keyboard sound suggests they could have seamlessly made the transition into the next decade, building on what they began with 'The Day Before You Came'. As it is, the song is the ultimate tease, a door left ajar, a murder mystery with its final page torn out. Which arguably makes it all the more wonderful.

Video "THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME", Abba live/en vivo 1982:

ABBA, "JUST LIKE THAT": LA HISTORIA DE UNA CANCIÓN INÉDITA / The story of an unreleased song

Hoy contamos la historia de "JUST LIKE THAT" ("Simplemente así"), una de las últimas canciones grabadas por Abba que nunca vió su edición oficial, salvo en el Abba Undeleated del "Abba, Thank you for the music"-box. Incluímos audios de la canción. Uno que incluye las distintas versiones del tema. Y también la historia de la canción en inglés.

Today we tell the story of "JUST LIKE THAT", one of the last songs recorded by Abba that never saw its official release, except for the Abba Undeleted from the "Abba, Thank you for the music"-box. We include audios of the song. One with the different versions of the song. And also the story of it.

Tomado de/Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unreleased_ABBA_songs

•Just Like That” is the title of one of Swedish pop group ABBA’s last songs, and has caused a lot of interest and hype among ABBA fans as it has not yet been released in its entirety.
ABBAs composers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote “Just Like That” sometime in the springtime of 1982, and the group started recording sessions with this and a handful of other new songs in the beginning of May that year. The composers however lost interest in the track after several attempts at recording it, and decided in early June to put the “Just Like That” tapes aside. Journalists visiting ABBA in their studio during these sessions wrote about the new material, and fans thus heard of the new ABBA songs to come. Two titles were mentioned: “Just Like That” and “I Am The City”. Just Like That was also mentioned in an official Polar Music Press release in the summer of 1982. It stated that the song was completed and would be released on the next studio album. However, the outcome of these last recording sessions during the summer months of 1982 was two singles released in August and November 1982 respectively: “The Day Before You Came”/”Cassandra”, and “Under Attack”/”You Owe Me One”. The a-sides were included in the new ABBA release The Singles: The First Ten Years, a double LP celebrating ABBA’s singles from 1973 until 1982. Although the foursome stated the group would continue work in 1983, this eventually did not happen.
During 1983, demo versions of later unreleased ABBA songs were circulating amongst London’s theatreworld as being possible melodies for the up-coming Rice/Andersson/Ulvaeus musical Chess. These then became bootleg versions circulating among fans during the 1980s, and as such there has been a growing interest for their official release. Benny and Björn allowed for a snippet of “Just Like That” to be released in a ‘medley’ track in a box set released in 1994: Thank You For The Music, but this became nothing but a teaser for the avid ABBA fan. The “Just Like That” ‘snippet’ released in 1994 revealed the chorus of the track only, and not only did it include an unmistakenly shared vocal by Agnetha and Anni-Frid, but also a saxophone solo by Raphael Ravenscroft, who worked on Gerry Rafferty‘s hit “Baker Street” in 1978 (one of the few times that ABBA used a musician outside the usual ABBA circle).
In June 1982 the song was shelved, but after ABBA split up, Benny and Björn looked at the song again, and in 1984 decided to rework both composition and lyrics and ended up with two new songs. The first, which kept the original “Just Like That” chorus, was recorded by Swedish duo Gemini when Benny and Björn wrote songs and produced their first album in 1985. “Just Like That” was even released as a Gemini single in the UK. The other part of the song, composed around the original “Just Like That” verses, had the demo title “When the Waves Roll out to Sea”, and as such was one of the songs tried out (by both Elaine Paige and Tommy Körberg) as “With The Stars Shine In The Sky” during sessions for Benny and Björn’s work with Tim Rice for the Chess musical, but it was once again put aside.
The ABBA version, with its composition of verse and chorus, was left unsatisfactory by Benny and Björn in June 1982. They have stated this first version sounded ‘wrong’: verse and chorus did not fit together, and that is why it was scrapped, and the two admit this happens regularly in their way of writing music: a mediocre song can become a bridge or a riff in another song, and a good melody line can lie around for years until it surfaces in a composition.
“When the Waves Roll out to Sea” surfaced when Benny was working on the Swedish staging of Chess -- Chess På Svenska -- in 2002, as the 1984 musical by now had a new libretto and new material was needed. The verses to the old “Just Like That” were added to a new chorus in 1984, and now it found its place in Chess -- almost 20 years later -- as the number “Glöm Mig Om Du Kan”, a ballad sung by the Russian character Molokov, with Swedish lyrics by Björn.
There are at least two known bootleg demo versions of ABBA’s original version of “Just Like That”. The first attempt at recording the song has become known as the ‘slow’ version, or ‘dream’ version. This version has a simple instrumental melody in between the verses and the choruses. Also apparent is a guitar riff that eventually made its way into the verse melody of ABBA’s last official single release, “Under Attack” (“Don’t know how to take it/don’t know where to go/my resistance’s running low…”).
The second version of the song is known as the ‘na na na’ (or ‘la la la’) version. The song is essentially the same as the first; the same backing track and arrangement, but this time, with Agnetha singing emotional ‘na na na na’s on top of the instrumental melody.
The final and completed version of the song has become known as the ‘saxophone’ version. This is the official ‘final mix’ of “Just Like That”. This version is very different to the first two, with a different arrangement and a new backing track. In place of the previous instrumental melodies/’na na na’ vocal overdubs, there are lengthy saxophone riffs (courtesy of Raphael Ravenscroft). This version of the song is the only version to be released, albeit not in its entirety.
Michael B. Tretow, ABBA’s recording engineer throughout their whole career, did the editing of the released version of the track for the 1994 box set, and did a fine job in cutting and pasting the track, leaving the chorus to repeat in a loop (and thus not ‘releasing’ the melody in the verses).
Carl Magnus Palm, author of the ABBA biography Bright Lights, Dark Shadows” in 2001, states in his 1994 book ABBA -The Complete Recording Sessions on this last version that this “…is what would have reached the listener’s ears had the track been released”.
Agnetha said in 1994: “I haven’t heard it in several years, but I remember it as a very good song and recording. It is one of my big favourites, and I hope it’s going to be released one day”.
The lyrical theme seems to have been transferred from the shelved “Just Like That” in June 1982 to the lyrics for “The Day Before You Came“, which were recorded in August the same year: “Until that day/My life had been a river/Following the same/pre-destinated course/Suddenly detouring so unexpectedly/With uncompromising force/My strongholds broke down all too easily/I remember well/How it did embarrass me/I hung on to his every smile/Marveled at his style/ [...] /Just like that…/And once again/the river’s flowing slowly/Following the same and uneventful course/Now the tears have dried/it’s become a pleasant break/I recall without remorse/But now and then/I wonder where he is/And I will admit/he had something that I miss/I guess he was a rolling stone/The only one I’ve known…”
The song was originally intended to be featured in the ABBA musical, “Mamma Mia!“, sung as a love duet between Sophie and Sky, but was removed during rehearsals, as it did not progress the story.

Audio "JUST LIKE THAT" a composition in process:

So, I decided to make a movie, which contains every step of composition of the song "Just like That" by ABBA. The first part is the version called "Slow Version". The second part (with a different Intro) is the "Na, Na ,Na Version". The third part is the last version of ABBA and is called "Sax-Version". All these Songs were recorded in 1982. The fourth has another chorus, this song`s called "When the waves roll out to sea" and has been recorded in 1983. The Fifth part is a Chess demo sung by Elain Paige. This version contains another verse.
The sixth part is the finall version of "Just like that" sung by Gemini in 1985. In the oppinion of Benny and Bjorn is this the final and best version, but i think, the ABBA Versions are bettter. Hopefully they will release the song. ( The quality isn`t good, because these songs are just Demos) Enjoy....

Audio "JUST LIKE THAT", Abba:

CHESS, EL PRIMER MUSICAL DE B&B / B&B's first musical

Portada primer disco/First record-sleeve.


"Chess" es el músical con letras de Tim Rice y música de Benny Andersson y Björn Ulvaeus. La historia cuenta un triángulo amaroso entre dos jugadores de ajedrez en un campeonato mundial y una mujer que es la manager de uno de ellos y se enamora del otro. Aunque no se tuviera la intención de representar a ningún jugador profesional real, las personalidades de los personajes tiene parecidos con los jugadores Viktor Korchnoi y Bobby Fisher.

Siguiendo los patrones de "Jesucristo Superstar" y "Evita", se grabó un álbum-conceptual de "Chess" en 1984 del que se extrajeron varios singles de éxito. La primera versión teatral se estrenó en el West End de Londres en 1986 y duró 3 años. Una versión muy remozada se estrenó en Broadway, Nueva York en 1988, pero con una pobre aceptación de crítica y público.

El álbum original se grabó y editó en 1984. Se grabó en los estudios de Polar Music en Estocolmo, (los estudios de Abba), con el ingeniero de sonido del grupo Michael B. Tretow. Dos singles del álbum "One night in Bangkok" ("Una noche en Bangkok") cantado por Murray Head y el dueto "I know him so well" ("Lo conozco tan bien") con Elaine Paige y Barbara Dickson, fueron éxitos mundiales ese año (el primero nº3 en el Billboard americano, y el segundo nº1 en Inglaterra 4 semanas en febrero'85).

En esta década ha habido revisiones del musical original como conciertos y grabaciones. Del 2002, es la versión de un concierto en Estocolmo grabado para la TV y que luego se editó en CD y DVD de una versión renovada y corta en sueco: "Chess pa Svenska" ("Chess en sueco"), con Helen Sjöholm y Tommy Korberg en el elenco. Nominado a 8 Premios de Teatro Guldmasken y ganando 6, entre ellos a los dos mencionados como mejores actores principales. La última revisión ha sido la versión concierto en Mayo del 2008 en el Royal Albert Hall de Londres con la Orquesta Filarmónica de Londres y un elenco que incluye a Josh Groban, Idina Menzel y Marti Pellow (líder del grupo Wet Wet Wet), entre otros. Un CD y DVD de este concierto están previstos para editarse próximamente. Informaremos.

English version
"Chess" is the musical with lyrics by Tim Rice & music by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus. The story involves a romantic triangle between two players in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists weren't intended to represent any specific individuals, the characters' personalities resemble those of chess grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi & Bobby Fisher.

Following the pattern of "Jesus Christ Superstar" & "Evita", a concept album of "Chess" was recorded in 1984 and generated several hit singles. The first theatrical version opened in London's West End in1986 and stayed on 3 years. A much-altered production premiered on Broadway, New York 1988, but with a poor reception from both critics & audience.

The original album was recorded and released in 1984. It was recorded at Abba's Polar Music Studios in Stockholm and engineered by the group's Michael B. Tretow. Two singles from the album "One night in Bangkok" sung by Murray Head and the duet "I know him so well" by Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson became worldwide hits that year (the first nº3 on the American Billboard chart, the latter nº1 in the UK for 4 weeks).

There has been revisions of the original musical as concerts and recordings during this decade. From 2002 is a concert version in Stockholm recorded for TV and later released on CD & DVD of a revisted short version, the first one in Swedish: "Chess pa Svenska" ("Chess in Swedish") with Helen Sjöholm & Tommy Korberg in the cast. Nominated to 8 Guldmasken Theatre Awards and won 6 of them, among them the two mentioned actors as main leading roles. The latest revision has been the concert version in May 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the London Philarmonic Orchestra and a cast that includes Josh Groban, Idina Menzel & Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet, lead vocalist), among others. A CD & DVD of this concert is due to be released soon. We'll keep you informed.

"One night in Bangkok"

"I know him so well"

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