"Frida 1967-1972" is a double CD compilation featuring Anni-Frid's complete official recordings for EMI Svenska AB, plus some bonus tracks. It contains a 12 page booklet.
Reference : 8593602
Release date in Sweden : 13 October 1997.
Track listing
CD 1
CD 2
Bonus tracks, previously unreleased :
Sleeve notes
To the international audience she is known as a member of ABBA, but in Sweden, Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad had a career as a singer for several years before ABBA started. Between the autumn of 1967 and the spring of 1972, Anni-Frid recorded for EMI in Sweden, and for the first time ever, the complete EMI recordings have been collected on one compilation.
If you by chance asked somebody in Sweden what happened on Sunday, September 3, 1967, they might remember that this was the day when Sweden went from driving on the left side of the road to the right. This revolutionary event also coincided with the emergence of a then unknown singer, who also changed tracks in her career that very day.
During 1967, EMI in Sweden, together with children charity organization Barnens Dag, staged the talent competition "Nya ansikten" ("New faces"). On this September Sunday, the national finals took place at the famous outdoor venue Skansen in Stockholm. In all secrecy, the arrangers of the competition had agreed with Swedish Television that the winner should get a special surprise; he or she should debut live on television that same night on the special show which followed live, and celebrated Sweden's major traffic change that night. The winner was 21 year old Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who had chosen to perform En ledig dag; a song which earlier that year had been a hit on Swedish Radio's 'Svensktoppen' chart with Swedish singer Östen Warnerbring.
Not only did Anni-Frid win the competition, but all of a sudden she stepped into the living-rooms of a million Swedish homes with her TV performance. "It's just like a dream", said Anni-Frid to Sweden's leading evening paper Expressen.
Anni-Frid had been on stage singing with various dancehall bands since she was 13, but it was not until this breakthrough that she did her recording debut. - "We really liked her as an artist, and I thought she had all that it takes to go places", EMI producer Olle Bergman later remembered. All the excitement and media attention around Anni-Frid's TV debut stirred up the attention of a lot of the record industry people in Sweden, and talent competition arranger EMI almost lost their new discovery. However, the following morning, Bergman got in his car and drove to Eskilstuna, where Anni-Frid lived, to make sure that she signed for his company.
Anni-Frid's first professional recording took place in Europa Film's studio on September 11, 1967, when she recorded a.o. the two sides of her debut single; En ledig dag/Peter, kom tillbaka. It might have been Anni-Frid's very first recording day, but her years of singing had given her lots of routine, and she only needed to do the vocals to En ledig dag once.
Neither the debut single or the following singles during the first three years with EMI were commercially successful. A couple of them entered the lower regions of the radio chart, but were nowhere to be seen on the sales chart. Press reviews and airplay were good, but perhaps her voice was too sophisticated or the choice of songs all wrong; the recording artist Anni-Frid Lyngstad did not exactly become a household name. - "I must have some sort of record in failing to get into the charts", Anni-Frid said in an interview at the time.
The lack of chart success didn't mean that the early material was poor. She had a very natural and relaxed quality to her voice, and a rare and underrated ability to hit every tone just right, and at the same time sound as she believes in what she's singing.
She turned the banality of Din to sincerity, the leightweight quality of Simsalabim became charming, and the naivity of Härlig är vår jord turned to credibility, just to give a few examples. Härlig är vår jord from the spring of 1969 was by the way Anni-Frid's first 
encounter with the Eurovision Song Contest, which five years later would make such an impact on her career. In 1969, she shared the 4th position in the Swedish finals to select that year's Swedish representative.
The record buyers may have failed her, but there were others who appreciated Anni-Frid's qualities. The established Swedish singer Lasse Lönndahl wanted her to join him on his summer tour of the Swedish folkparks (outdoor/indoor dancehall type venues) in the summer of 1968, and in 1969 and 1970 she worked to a great extent with Swedish singer/pianist Charlie Norman in cabaret shows and in the folkparks.
It was in the spring of 1969, when she was working with Norman in Malmö in the south of Sweden, that Anni-Frid met benny Andersson for the first time. They soon became a couple, and they also established their part of the musical collaboration that eventually would become ABBA - from the recording of her seventh single Peter Pan in September 1969, Benny Andersson produced the remainder of her recordings for EMI.
In the story of ABBA's less than direct way to world fame, Peter Pan is particularly interesting, since the song was written by Benny together with Björn Ulvaeus, and therefore it was the first record to bring together the talents of three future ABBA members. Benny also plays the piano on this recording. Another important name in the ABBA story, Stig Anderson, himself one of the most prolific lyric writers in Sweden in the 60's, had of course already entered Anni-frid's career with his lyrics to Mycket kär and Så synd du måste gå. At the same time as Benny became a natural part of her musical life, Stig's name also turned up more often on Anni-Frid's recordings.
In between cabaret work with Charlie Norman and the recording of her single Där du går lämnar kärleken spår in the spring of 1970, Anni-Frid also participated in Swedish Television's series "När stenkakan slog" ("Remember the good old 78's?), which was broadcast in the autumn that year. The idea of the series was to let the popular singers of "today", such as Björn Skifs, Sten Nilsson, Mona Wessman and Svenne & Lotta sing schlagers from 1915 to 1955. Not previously released, we are happy to introduce no less than four of Anni-Frid's contributions to the series. The most famous of these is Min soldat, a wartime favourite in Sweden, originally recorded by Ulla Billquist. The other three songs from the television series were all originally launched in Sweden in the late 40's and early 50's. All these songs were exclusive studio recordings for the television series, performed playback on TV.
In the autumn of 1970, after three years and eight singles on EMI, the Lyngstad and Andersson team started working on Anni-Frid's debut album Frida. Perhaps all her cabaret work with Norman, where some numbers required a certain amount of acting skill, had further lifted Anni-Frid's ability to deliver the words of a song. The album Frida is without a doubt the high point of Anni-Frid's years with EMI. Recordings such as Tre kvart från nu, Jag blir galen när jag tänker på dig, Sen dess har jag inte sett'en and Telegram för fullmånen are all obvious proof that the Swedish speaking part of the music business lost a major 'chanteuse' when she later was part of the worldwide international phenomenon ABBA. And her version of Andersson/Ulvaeus Lycka (with Stig Anderson's lyrics) leave the two composer's own version far behind - a truly emotional and personal treatment of a basically very simple song.
During the recordings of the album, Björn, Benny, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid were working on their first project together, the cabaret show called Festfolket. The premiere of the show was preceded by their very first performance together on the Swedish Radio show "Våra favoriter" on October 3, 1970. In a true democratic spirit the foursome performed Agnetha's Som ett eko, Björn & Benny's Hej gamle man! and Anni-frid's Barnen sover from her upcoming album. On this album, we are pleased to be able to include this historic, previously unreleased live performance of Barnen sover, with Björn on guitar and Benny at the piano.
The cabaret show Festfolket, which also toured Sweden in early 1971, was however not a very happy experience for the two couples, and almost became the end of the collaboration between the four of them as a group. Most of the material written for the show (Hej gamle man! and Tre kvart från nu from Anni-Frid's album were two good exceptions) felt out of place, and the long drives on slippery winter roads took their toll. - "It was hard work, quite simply - more hard than fun", Anni-Frid recalls. The plans for a permanent group were shelved, and while Agnetha, Björn and Benny toured together in the summer of 1971, Anni-Frid went on the road with Swedish singer/songwriter Lars Berghagen. The up-and-coming Berghagen had become so popular in Sweden, that he wanted to offer a bit more than just himself and a guitarist, which had been his show up until then. He brought in more musicians, and Anni-Frid was a welcome addition to his show. Before the tour, Lars and Anni-Frid also recorded a duet single, En kväll om sommarn/Vi vet allt, men nästan inget, and when En kväll om sommarn entered the radio chart, they celebrated with an ice cream in Kramfors! This single has become quite a rarity over the years, and the two tracks make their CD debut on this compilation.
The two couples may have temporarily abandoned their plans to continue as a permanent foursome, but still appeared on each others records. The first time that they all appeared together on a recording was when Agnetha and Anni-Frid did back-up vocals for Björn & Benny's Hej gamle man! in 1970, an example of how they kept in touch over the coming year. Perhaps some of the ABBA magic to come had an effect on the success of Anni-Frid's first chartopper on Svensktoppen in the autumn of 1971, Min egen stad. Björn, Benny and Agnetha provided background vocals, and Benny played the keyboards. Min egen stad was a local language version of Benny Andersson's Hep Stars song It's nice to be back, with Swedish lyrics by Peter Himmelstrand. Encouraged by the success of the song, EMI added Min egen stad to the album Frida.
In the autumn of 1971 and the spring of 1972, Anni-Frid continued her collaboration with Lars Berghagen, as they both appeared in the revue "Mina favoriter" at the Folkan theatre in Stockholm. During this period, the collaboration between Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid became more active. In January of 1972, Anni-Frid recorded her last single for EMI, Vi är alla barn i början/Kom och sjung en sång. In many ways it was a symbolic closure for this part of her career; the A-side was written by Björn and Benny, the lyrics to the B-side were written by Stig Anderson, Benny produced and did the back-up vocals together with Björn and Agnetha. Soon, Anni-Frid as a recording artist would call herself Frida, and together with her "back-up vocalists" and under the guidance of her "lyric writer" they would be the first team to take Swedish pop music all over the world - but that's another story.
Carl Magnus Palm, 1997.
Credits
(translated into English by Sven Åke Peterson - EMI Svenska AB)
"Frida 1967-1972" was compiled by Sven Åke Peterson and Carl Magnus Palm.
Special thanks to Jean-Marie Potiez, who initially came up with the idea to this album.
REVIEWS
SWEDEN
Expressen (Lars Lindström) - 17 October 1997
"...Perhaps the story of ABBA started right here, with her seventh solo single Peter Pan, released by the 23 year old Anni-Frid Lyngstad in September 1969. It was the first song that Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote for her, a two minute nine seconds pop song with Benny's piano, cheerful lyrics and a peppy melody... There were even more ABBA-ingredients in Min egen stad, written by Benny in his Hep Stars days. The solid rock beat and the added charm of Agnetha Fältskog's backup vocal gave Frida her first n°1 on "Svensktoppen" in 1971...I am very weak for these type of schlagers, often recorded with a big orchestra, and with a timeless charm. They are strong in the same way as I love the songs with Siw Malmkvist, Sylvia Vrethammar and Lill Babs from the late 60's...Even more interesting on this album is the folk song tone in songs like the traditional Sen dess har jag inte sett'en, Riedel/Vreeswijk's Telegram för fullmånen and Himmelstrand's Barnen sover. This tone is not just in the songs, it is also present in Frida's voice. Add to that Benny Andersson's passion for Swedish folk music, and you might be close to the Swedish tone in ABBA's music. The tone we didn't hear then, but which may have helped to give ABBA such a special and personal style..."
Dalademokraten (Lennart Götesson) - 17 October 1997
"...The music is Swedish schlagers, typical of the time. It is quite evident that Frida already in this period displays a sophisticated sincerity... Frida moved quite close to night club songstress. Sometimes it's almost a 50's, or even a 40's style in the songs... Frida is in great voice, and shows an amazing versatility, where she handles jazzy tunes as well as ballads and chanson... to a Frida collector, this album gets top grades."
Aftonbladet (Anders Hvidfeldt) - 24 October 1997
"Fridas's career - before ABBA. We're are talking the distant sixties, 30 year old schlager recordings like Peter, kom tillbaka with traditional stings and horn arrangements by orchestra leaders such as Ivan Renliden and Marcus Österdahl. Then Benny Andersson came into Frida's life, both as a lover and as a producer. In other words, this release is a piece of musical history. Get the double CD, and travel back to a much less complicated time in life."
Kvällsposten - 24 October 1997
"All EMI recordings plus five bonus tracks on two CD's. A fantastic historical document which exposes Frida before ABBA swept the world off its feet. On these recordings, she was already a fullfledged artist. This CD is not just for the most devoted ABBA fans."
Arbetet (Tony Kaplan) - 27 October 1997
"...The music is laid back and very pleasant, showing off Frida's growing personality in the late 60's... Anni-Frid Lyngstad has always possessed a very appealing soft timbre. This album is not about wailing and shouting, but cool schlagers of the time, all performed with conviction and sincerity... Extremely recommendable for grown-up ears - and you can't complain about the variety of the material either, from Jules Sylvain and Peter Himmelstrand to Arthur Rubinstein (!) via Björn and Benny, Vreeswijk, Carole King, George Riedel and Paul Simon... In other words, plenty to listen to, and you will be happy to do it."
Göteborgs Posten (Tore Ljungberg) - 4 November 1997
"Before the ABBA period, Frida was a talented singer of schlagers who, sometimes, was listed in the "Svensktoppen". Melodies were often good but were also foreign hits with texts by Olle Bergman, Stikkan Anderson, Peter Himmelstrand and some original songs composed by and written by Björn and Benny...Anni-Frid Lyngstad 1967-72 is an entertaining and nostalgic trip into schlagers."
Uppsala Nya Tidning (Ulf Gustavsson) - 19 November 1997
"...this collection is a strong and fresh document about a good singer who always has a lot of sensuality in her voice."
QX - December 1997 (gay newspaper)
95 % - a must!
My thought after having listened to the 38 recordings made between 1968 and 1972 is : fantastic! Frida never had any special commercial success before the ABBA period. Everything is on this compilation : from the politic song duet with Lasse Berghagen to Frida's version of Can't take my eyes off you (Du är så underbart rar). I love the naïve lyrics, the affected rhymes and the falsetto voice."
Kom Ut n°9 (Michael Björnfot) - December 1997 (gay newspaper)
"...For the first time, EMI have put together all the songs recorded by Frida between 1967 and 1972. As a bonus, you also have some unreleased tracks and rarities. This double CD is a must for all the fans and collectors."
Barometern (Tommy Granlund) - 16 December 1997
"The perfect Christmas gift for the ABBA fans, all the Anni-Frid's recordings before ABBA compiled on a double CD. A nice packaging with an original record sleeve, and bonus tracks from a TV program, previously unreleased...From the very beginning, Anni-Frid was a perfect singer who sang sophisticated schlager music."
ENGLAND
The MOJO Filter (Chris Ingham) - December 1997 / January 1998
"Much of the early stuff (singles and B-sides) is moderately amusing Eurovision easy pop : banjos, compahs, bossas, Swedish language version of '60s lounge classics like Can't take my eyes off you and Surround yourself with sorrow, sung thinly but sweetly by 21-year-old Anni-Frid. By 1970's "Frida" album, produced by future ABBA maestro Benny Andersson, the game was considerably raised. Dynamic, intelligent arrangements and recognisably full, careful vocals. She even tackles Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, turning it into a thing of MOR loveliness. The later singles aimed clumsily for the charts, but there are clear hints of multi-layered, anthemic ABBA sound emerging."
HOLLAND
SQUEEZE (Harald Roelofs) - December 97 / January 98 (gay magazine)
(Thank you to Philippe Ellul and Colin Collier)
Since last year's Scandinavian only release of the Swedish language "Djupa Andetag" CD, once again everybody is crazy about Frida and ABBA. With "Djupa Andetag"'s sensational success, EMI Sweden had to face the most frustrating thing from their past : the fact that Frida left them in 1972 for Polar Music - the label for which all of ABBA's songs were recorded. But they suddenly remembered something : Frida made her debut on Swedish television thirty years ago. On 3 September 1967, Sweden changed from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right, and to make the day more pleasant, Swedish television broadcast programmes to keep people home for the day. Newcomer Frida was the sensation of the evening - EMI were very enthusiastic and immediately offered her a contract. Frida herself isn't celebrating her thirty year anniversary as an artist but EMI are. They have just released a double CD featuring almost all her work from the period 67-72. The CD is called, of course, "Anni-Frid Lyngstad : Frida 1967-1972". All the songs have been digitally remastered and many of them sound like old ABBA songs. This is not surprising since some of the songs were written and produced by Benny and Björn. Some other songs could have been Eurovision Song Contest winners, like Kom och sjung en sång. EMI, at that time, didn't make the right choice from Anni-Frid's repertoire, since they put the song out as the B-side of the single Vi är alla bara barn i början, written by Benny and Björn.
The CD is a must for all fans. Some tracks are a bit dated, but you soon forget that when you reach the batch of the most famous songs. Frida recorded a lot of cover versions, but her renditions are so good that you soon forget the originals.
And, of course, there are the beautiful Benny and Björn productions when you would swear that you're listening to ABBA. ABBA, of course, without Agnetha. But, it makes you wonder if there is anything missing...
How to order "Frida 1967-1972" ?
The "Frida 1967-1972" double CD (ref. 8593602) can be ordered through :
ABBF Record Service (records, books and merchandizing for sale) :
http://www.tip.nl/users/abbf.record.service
POP IMPORT
Susan Kleen
Kaprisvägen 34
S-331 53 VÄRNAMO
Sweden
e-mail contact : sjoarps.metall@gnosjo.mail.telia.com
Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Frida News Service (U.K.)
Kathryn Courtney O'Neill - 1 Barrow Hill Road - Shirehampton - Bristol - BS11 9QT
internet : http://abbanews.netgates.co.uk/
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