Swedish quartet ABBA released their third, self-titled album in 1975.

It was a record that led the group to their international breakthrough and eventual domination of the 1970s pop music world. ABBA also provided a blueprint for everything that defined the group, cementing once and for all the band's musicality and approach. It presents a unique and timeless sound that still resonates fifty years on, remaining as fresh as the day this remarkable recording was released.

This is the story of the album, from its inception to its triumphant commercial breakthrough and all in between, including ABBA's first live tour outside of their native Sweden. It is written from a perspective of not only a fan, but from that of a musician who has spent time in Stockholm and has recorded with some of ABBA's inner circle.

Along with in-depth analysis of the music, it also includes new and exclusive interviews with many of the original musicians who were there in the studio, recording the album's now classic tracks. These include bassist Mike Watson, plus guitarists Janne Schaffer and Finn Sjoberg, and the book features a foreword by author Carl Magnus Palm. It's a story retold like never before.

Author Biography

Joe Matera is an Italian Australian musician, music journalist, and author. Over the course of his illustrious performing career, he has played guitar for famed British music legend Steve Harley, supported the likes of Canned Heat, The Animals, and Bay City Rollers in concert and earned a top-five-selling instrumental album on the Australian ARIA chart. He has co-written and recorded music with ABBA guitarist Janne Schaffer, as well as legendary English pop-rock group The Korgis. A respected music journalist too, his writings have appeared in Guitar Player, Record Collector and The Guardian, among many others. He is also the best-selling author of Backstage Pass: The Grit and the Glamour and Louder Than Words: Beyond the Backstage Pass.