Grammy Nominees 2017: The Full List

Abba's Best Fashion Moments Of All Time

No band is still as relevant in 2023 as Abba. Despite reaching worldwide fame in the 1970s, the Swedish quad comprised of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, is still appearing on the red carpet for events that are celebrating their iconic music over 50 years later

This year the band was nominated for not one, but four Grammys. Despite missing out on another award to add to their stretch of accolades: Abba Voyage is currently ongoing at the ABBA Arena in London, Mamma Mia! The musical has been playing at the West End since 1999, and their iconic hits like Mamma Mia, Gimme Gimme Gimme and Dancing Queen are still at the top of every girls night playlist.

MORE: Suki Waterhouse stepped out in three retro outfits that we can't wait to copy 

RELATED: How to get a 1970s inspired blow dry at home according to a celebrity hairstylist 

For fashion fanatics, their signature, eccentric 70s style is still unrivalled. From cool-girl flares worn by the likes of Mia Regan to Suki Waterhouse's white knee high platform boots, when looking for retro style inspo, we constantly revert to the band's fits. From elevated accessories to everyday trousers, people are constantly taking influence from the maximalist, matching outfit, dramatic dressing icons. Talk about s-quad goals…

Though the aesthetic of the 70s is particularly relevant right now thanks to Prime Video's hit series Daisy Jones and the six, there are numerous trends from recent seasons on and off the runway that we can attribute to Abba doing first. For example, Fashion Month AW23 was awash with kitschy animal print: from Daniel Lee's unexpected duck hat, to JW Anderson's frog mules that are a strong contender for the ugliest shoes of the year. Abba coordinated bizarre wildlife animal t-shirts with knee high boots way back in 1978.

They dressed like no other band during their time, prompting them to become, and stay, recognised for their iconic fashion alongside their infectious music.

Abba in... Kitschy animal print Abba in... The 2023 minimalism trend Abba in... 70s It-girl print Abba in...Their iconic tiered flares Abba in...70s hippie Abba in... Cool white jumpsuits Abba in...Maximalist disco fever Abba in...Coordinating unitards Abba in...Kimono inspired suits Abba in... Ethereal cat dresses Abba in... Ultra chic fur Abba in... Zip-up jumpsuits Abba in...Tonal dressing

Like this story? Sign up to our Hello! Fashion newsletter to get your weekly 'Fashion Fix' delivered straight to your inbox.

Watch ABBA's New Lyric Video For 'Does Your Mother Know'

ABBA - Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage

ABBA have shared the latest in their series of new lyric videos for their classic hits. The new clip, again directed by Tom Readdy and Lucy Dawkins at the award-winning Yes Please Productions, is for their 1979 hit "Does Your Mother Know."

Shop the best of ABBA's discography on vinyl and more.

The video uses visuals from the original promo for the song, combined with bold graphics and fonts for Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' lyrics. "Does Your Mother Know," with lead vocals by Björn, was the second single from ABBA's sixth studio album Voulez-Vous, following the lead song "Quiquitita," which was itself given the lyric video treatment in March last year. Other new promos in the series have included "Waterloo," "Voulez-Vous," "SOS," and "Lay All Your Love On Me."

"Does Your Mother Know" was a No.1 hit in Belgium and reached the Top 5 in the UK, Ireland, Finland, and the Netherlands. It reached No.19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was singled out by the magazine as one of the best cuts from the Greatest Hits Vol. 2 compilation, released to coincide with ABBA's tours of Europe and North America in the last quarter of 1979.

The synth bass intro to the song was one of the first things to be created in the studio by Benny Andersson with his new purchase, the Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer. In a Polar Music article in 2011, he said thatv programming and saving sounds on the GX-1 was a laborious process that took "for-bloody-ever." He revealed that it cost over 300,000 kronor, which was about US$68,000 at the time), "which was and still is quite a lot of money for a synthesizer." When he came up with the "Does Your Mother Know" intro, "Then I thought: Worth every penny!"

In other news, the official ABBA website recently marked the 73rd birthday of Agnetha Fältskog, on April 5, with an edition of its "Short Quiz" series about her life and times. It can be accessed here.

The 50th anniversary of ABBA's debut album Ring Ring will be marked with a number of special editions, which can be pre-ordered now.

For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music.

uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.

The Forgotten Members: The Unknown ABBA, A Fifth Beatle And The Second Boy From Oz

How could that have possibly happened?

But scratch the surface of the world of pop culture and there is a long list of forgotten figures who ought to be a little better known given their incredible proximity to celebrity.

There are a few clues as to why Wellander had been largely overlooked in the ABBA universe, which according to his own comments in recent years, appears to be the way he wanted it.

"You know, ABBA wasn't a full-time job for me in the 1970s and 1980s. I am, and was, a freelance guitarist, and I was very busy during these years doing studio sessions, TV jobs, tours, nightclub shows and so on," he said just two years ago.

"I played with many different groups and artists, but working with ABBA was of course always a bit special."

Pete Best at the Casbah Club in Liverpool in 1994.Credit: Paul Cooper

No doubt drummer Pete Best would have loved to have been able to say that during his lifetime.

Often labelled the "fifth Beatle", and more unkindly as the "unluckiest" musician of all time, Pete Best played drums for the famous ensemble in its early days, but was kicked out just before they had their big break.

Original Beatles George Harrison, Pete Best, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.Credit: Keystone Pictures USA / Alamy Stock Photo

Best had played with The Beatles during their time in Hamburg in the early 1960s. They returned to Liverpool in the summer of 1962 with a record contract in the bag and were scheduled for a television appearance, with their first single in the works.

Peter Allen on stage in New York in 1977. Credit: Michael Putland

But on August 16, 1962, Best was fired by manager Brian Epstein, apparently for reasons which Best himself said remained unclear throughout his life. Soon after his sacking, the Beatles' first hit, Love Me Do, was released with Ringo Starr at the drum set.

Best gave up music and became a public servant, living a life of obscurity. For many years, he didn't even tell his own daughters that he'd once been a Beatle.

When the Beatles' Anthology Plus album was released in 1995, including the band's early recordings, Best finally received recognition, some four decades late.

Even Australia's beloved "Boy From Oz" is something of a misnomer.

The Allen Brothers on Bandstand.Credit: TCN Nine

The late Peter Allen owed a lot of his success to his showbiz "brother", singer and guitarist Chris Bell, with whom he performed for many years as a duo called the Allen Brothers.

Indeed, they were the "Boys from Oz" when they formed in 1959, appearing in nightclubs in Surfers Paradise and making their first television appearance on Teen Time.

The duo relocated from the Gold Coast to Sydney in 1960 where they were scouted by Brian Henderson, who put them on his Bandstand, gaining them national popularity and providing networking opportunities with the likes of Olivia Newton-John.

A three-week nightclub tour in Tokyo proved so popular it was extended across South-East Asia for two years. At the Hilton in Hong Kong, the Allen Brothers were spotted by Judy Garland, who subsequently became their permanent manager and allowed them to open for her in her London concerts.

In the 1960s, the duo moved to New York City and supported Garland in performances across America and Canada. Allen met Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli, they married in 1967, but were separated by the end of 1969, remaining friends.

Loading

Not long after the Allen Brothers were kaput too. But while Allen became a huge international hit, working on Broadway and in Hollywood, with musicals and television series made about his life, Bell appears to have quit the music industry entirely, with barely a mention of what became of him.

At least Lasse Wellander was remembered.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day's most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.

---