The Minimoog and the GX1are used a lot on Abba-tracks. The GX1 somehow replaced the Polymoog, because it had more sound options and the powerful feature to layer sounds directly on the instrument. Benny bought the last GX1 available with Ser.Number 3088.The GX1 was a prototype-synth, the synth that was the forefather to all the following Yamaha-Synths (CS80!) and its purpose was to show what was technically possible in the mid-70ies, without looking at affordability. The GX1 sounds massive, huge and majestic. I know it, because I played Benny´s GX1 in his studio 2 years ago, to record some sounds for our own album. Another synth that is very important for the Abba-sound is the ARP Odyssey Mark2. That Synth played the Leadsound on "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme". An Arp Odyssey was the alternative Synth to the Minimoog in the seventies, some musicians felt (Was it Santana?) that the Minimoog was more on the male side of sound, while the Odyssey left a more female impression.
Fascinating. Most of this was unknown to me except for Hot Butter's Popcorn. It came out in the summer of 1972 when I was a kid and I loved it! I was more than ready when the sophisticated music of Jean Michel Jarre came along. Popcorn went to #1 in seven territories (it reached only #5 here in the UK, but spent 5 months on the charts). It sold over 2 million copies!
Yes, Benny certainly how to put a synthesizer to very creative use. Sadly, he's never mentioned in the same company as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. Of course he wasn't doing prog rock either. He's never mentioned with Elton John and Billy Joel and he has much more in common with their styles. He's more like Donald Fagen of Steely Dan. Brilliant but always just under the radar. Toss in ELO's Richard Tandy too. Benny is seen at :20 playing around with a Roland Jupiter 8. He's playing with the filter section. I have read he used it on Under Attack for the bass part as well as in other song they recorded post the Visitors LP. I'm lucky enough to own a Jupiter 8. I've had mine about 25 years. It was "the" synth to have in the early and mid 80. By the late 90s it was all but forgotten. Workstations with multi track sequencers and megs sample memory was the thing. Now analog synths are in vogue and BA and ABBA picked the perfect time for a return. Keep an Eye on Dan and No Doubt About it are perfect examples. ABBA - BA was a huge inspiration to me pursuing music and the reason I have a synthesizer collection myself. That and I have always been fascinated by the cool sounds an analog synth can make. I also want to mention Chess since you didn't. You can hear some recycled ABBA songs and lots of synths. Notably a then new and another "the" synth at the time, a Yamaha DX-7 in certain songs. Here's my favorite from Chess, Pity the Child. ruclips.net/video/88LMCbke6lw/видео.html
Great stories and context. Yes, "Chess" certainly made heavy use of Benny's synths as well. In these regards, I love "The Arbiter" and the bonus track which was released in 2014, "Press Conference".
@@bobbysbrother137 Thanks!! Oh yeah! The Arbiter is a good one too. I'll check out Press Conference. Thanks for letting me know. I really like your channel. Good stuff!!! 😀
I agree 100% with you! Benny is a genius but often forgotten by musicians, unfortunately. But love to know that you have the Jupiter 8. Great synth, considered one of the best of all time! I have the new Fantom 8 from Roland. Once in a while Roland do some upgrades for the new Fantom and in one of these upgrades they incorporated the Jupiter 8 as a model expansion. I was so happy! ♥️ Synths are really inspiring!
Abba we're so experimental, they pushed the envelope on everything it seems. Percussions, Synth, Drums, Bass. Way ahead of their time. I'd say they we're pioneers of everything to do with music. Including the music video. Thank ya for the awesome video B.B.! 👍
right about the music video which shortly after that MTV became so popular with that format which no one can prove that they took that from ABBA but it was symetrical in time.
@@melbro62 Yes indeed, thank you for pointing that out :) While we're at it, when you really think about it, fashion as well, the cloths, and hair styles, be it 70's or 80's.
I'm impressed by this tutorial and very interesting video on WCarlos that you narrated so greatly.(The perfect voice for a documentary btw).Benny always kept his ears wide open here and there at the time, being aware on 'what was on'.He could play any key he could lay his hands on and be creative.He lately said that his mother was very proud that her young boy played his accordion so fine without even getting properly trained not even knowing to read notes.When people wouldn't believe her she turned to him saying 'OK SHOW THEM'.And he really damned showed this whole world!.And i still love so much that LIVE performance of 'The Way old friends do' from Wembley '79 'armed' with his 'favourite instrument' accordion and the girls joining him in perfect, tight vocal unisison.
Wow, this is stunning. I've always loved the Yamaha sound of early 80s ABBA. Thanks for honoring Wendy Carlos! I've never heard of Benny's Moogmen-Album. "Switched On Bach II" came out the same year, 1973.
I remember the hit 'popcorn' very well 👌 Benny proved on his professional use if keyboards just how talented he is & the many hits of ABBA are down to his playing prowess. Excellent review as always Bobby's Brother & yet again you educate us the ABBA following with terrific facts 👍
Oh I do remember that Pop corn single!A really weird happy tune at the time.!It was a big longlasting hit and i must have been 3-4 years old remembering my parents in the early '70s playing this in a huge 8 track cassete player they had in the car.
@@bobbysbrother137 I knew Minimoog mainly cause of SOS single but i knew nothing about her.I 'm just learning from you now about that synth persona and it's fascinating.As for Benny...I know an anegdote I had once read on him being such a keyboard freak, saying that he once 'attacked' a big Tiramisu Tart cake misunderstanding it for YAMAHA's new synth!
Benny's ear for a natural sounding "patch" far exceeds all of his contemporaries and all of those that followed. Other excellent exponents would be Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Gary Numan, Van Morrison, John Martyn, Peter Gabriel. Many of the 80's acts are best forgotten. Obviously, the jazz world had Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, etc. My point is that my favourite of ALL of the above is Benny Andersson.
What a fine new video is this.I'm learning things i ignored.She seems to be such an important synth persona! .I always listened to some synth stuff and still has vinyls from acts such as Vangelis/JMJarre/French band's discography SPACE(of the 'Magic Fly" fame)/some Kraftwerk e.t.c.Since you mentioned the moog synth on EAGLE!That one still sounds 'adventurous' and not outdated at all.Sounds such a glorious,fresh and impressive recording,especially the first intro seconds,not to mention the killer keyboard riff on GGG.Ireplaceable(,Madonna knew what to chose by Abba and why she insisted.Utubers too.).I think it's the band's second most played video after DQ.This riff is its trade mark.And i'm still fascinated by the cover that Benny did on the opening instrumental track Gammal Fadbopsalm in their 1979 world tour.Magical.As well as the intro used in SNC's live performance.Reminiscent to the synth sound that The Stranglers used on 'Midnight Summer Dream'.
@@bobbysbrother137well BB just finished the third attendance of ABBA Voyage today here in London. Fantastic and out of this world spectacular. So happy it is all the hype and more. You are right the best seats are those first Three rows in mid-front of stage. Worth the trip, a joyous blast !
@@bobbyyounger7632 I think I'd go every month if I was living in London. So nice you saw it a 3rd time!! Soon, I'll be talking about the show and my experience in May. Thanks for the comment!
Very interesting. I didn't know anything about that woman with my name. There are many women artists almost unknown just because they were women. Benny was/is a master with synthesizers, with him a synthesizer never sounded more emotional and warm. His instruments sounded unmistakably ABBA.
Wendy Carlos career is even more interesting since she started as Walter. My early 70s Orange Clockwork gatefold album credits said Walter Carlos. Being a transgender herself, makes her story more unusual and notable, having had to overcome barriers and do extra explaining when almost nobody before her had gone thru such. And still keeping her high composition and research standards. Impressed by that unique sound of hers, I searched for her music since those early young times. Plus, I was fortunate early on to discover her website, where plenty of interesting information about her creative music and other endeavors is shared.
The more I have experimented with synths the more admiration I have for ABBA and how Benny chose and used such memorable synth sounds, some clear, and some very subtle and used sparingly, to bring magic to their sound. A master of layering and harmonising. A very good video thank you.
Great video as usual, Benny is a genius. I'll never forget Wendy Carlos score in The Shining. I also remember Vangelis who was a synth legend, his work include Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner.
Fascinating 👏 I've always found myself drawn to synthesizer music since I was a child and to find it growing evermore dominant in ABBA's sound as the years went by was an absolute joy for me. The anthemic intro's of "Me and I" & "Lay All Your Love On Me" are superb, then the incredible "The Visitors" & "The Day Before You Came" have remained my favourites. The sound also drew me into other synth based bands of the time; Yazoo, Eurythmics, Human League, Visage, Ultravox and many more 🥰🙏💗
When i heard H.League's 'Don't you want me' i thought that its main keyboard line was same one of Abba's 'Eagle' in diguise.Decades later one of the HLeague team admitted that this sample was really 'inspired' by Abba's 'Eagl'e.Phil Oakey was a self confessed Abba fan at those times and the girls (Suzanne and Joanee) were rather 'closet' fans since it was 'uncool' to say so.Btw FRIDA had attented a HL gig in March '82 in Stockholm and they all made some photos behind the scenes drinking and having fun.Photo is still available on Mikory's channel.
@@christianoazzuro6711 Oh yes, I've seen those photos of Frida with Human League. I always thought ABBA were inspired by HL with the trench coats too 😄 Now, the similarities of "Eagle" to "Don't You Want Me" I had never spotted before, but I hear it now! Amazing 👏 I'd also read how Vince Clark was inspired by "Lay All Your Love On Me" to write "Just Can't Get Enough" for Depeche Mode.
@@raywright8226 oh Vince?!Really?Didn't know that!Well i knew he got the decision to create a synth band after listening to some early OMD and esp an early track titled(i think) 'Messages.'I knew A.Bell was a huge Abba fan but wasn't sure on Vince(which i really respect and acknowledge his greatness.Thanx for the info!
P.S. A correction...that OMD song for VC was really 'Electricity' from their same debut album but whole lp has been important to him on 'quiting' acoustic instruments and move into synths.
interesting!! Thanks Bobby's B. Don Lewis, another synthesizer virtuoso passed on this past week, aged 81. He designed and developed multiple synthesizers to play simultaneously during the 70s & 80s, his design was called the LEO (the Lewis Electronic Orchestra).
Such fascinating insights, especially about Wendy Carlos! I have to say, I had never heard of her before, so thank you, BB! I have always loved ABBA's use of synthesizers, especially on "The Visitors", "Eagle" and now, "Keep An Eye On Dan"! They add so much to the feel and texture of their music, even when you don't really "notice" the syths, like when Benny is emulating orchestra instruments. I think that's a big part of why I love ABBA, that mixture of synth with other instruments. It's the perfect balance, in my opinion. Benny knows exactly how much of each to put to use for the mood of a specific song - bravo!
Wooooow! Thank you so much for this precious content! As a huge ABBA fan and a musician/ producer myself I found this video extremely interesting! I knew that Benny used the mini moog and even the yamaha GX-1 a lot but didn’t know all the rest. Please keep sharing your knowledge with us. Thank you!🙏🏻
Super episode, as always. Fascinating to hear about Wendy Carlos, and to reflect on Benny's amazing synthesizer work. Interesting about the J. S. Bach link too -- I was just watching the recently released Q&A in which Benny mentions his love of Bach.
From 5:48 up to 6;22 you just gave the absolute discription i would have so acurately liked to express but couldn't find the excact words about Abba's way of using synths.Meaning They didn't overdo it but throwed them in such 'portions' that wouldn't sound 'strange' or 'cold' but sparkling, exoticly weird ,adventurous and finally captivating.Marvelous!
0:18 I recognize this traditional Swedish song; we used to sing it in school each year before summer break. What's the name of the version that's on your video? Also, thanks for exposing me to 'November 1989'. I didn't know about that album, so I'm listening to it now, and the first track, 'Skallgång', is amazing. It's electronic, but it captures the nordic melancholy and folk sound nicely.
@Niclas Eriksson Ja, jag har väldigt fina minnen från den tiden. Sommaravslutning var en höjdpunkt i min barndom. Synd att svenskar är så feminiserade och ryggradslösa att de har röstat för vad som kommer att utmynna i att svenskar och svensk kultur blir en minoritet om typ 30 år.
Wendy Carlos = Walter Carlos. Her translation of baroque music into synthesizers was brilliant. I had his/her entire collection. An incredible keyboardist.
As a fan of ABBA and as an absolutely massive fan of Electronic music, especially 70s Electrónica, watching this video was great; thanks for making this. Also, if anyone here's interested in an electronic hidden gem, I highly recommend 'Lothlórien' by Enya. My favorite ABBA songs, when it comes to the implementation of synthesizers, are these ones: The Piper One Night In Bangkok Move On Eagle Should I Laugh Or Cry Lay All Your Love On Me Head Over Heels
@@rasul01 Your discription is excellent and i couldn't agree more!CB is one of my all time faves and since i heard this i had a 'twisted' fantasy' imagining this masterpiece being sung by Frida and Agnetha and being placed as a track in the 'Super Trouper' album.Imagine it as an opener!Of course no offense to the exceptional Enya.
Ok, so how could I have missed this video from appreciated (and already subscribed to) Bobby's Brother?? The intersection of Benny's music and synthesizers, both being personal favorites. Space/Time oddities I presume. Up then to some points. Once I was fortunate to have listened to an ABBA's live rendition of either Sitting in the Palmtree or Tropical Loveland. Most definitely at one of those 73 to 75 barely known live dates. The thing is that I was amazed to listen there Benny's playing his synths emulating birds and nature sounds to create atmosphere. Very much like the sound of Seagulls in Move On. The relevant bit is that if such concert performance is confirmed Benny would be predating even Jean Michael Jarre with his famous 1976 Oxygene album, where at the last track he emulates seagulls and the sea waves quite perfectly. That is a relevant piece of information that would love to see confirmed. Then there is the abundant and interesting information there is available (but scattered) about Benny's GX-1 synth. This subject deserves its own video or article. I don't remember Carl Magnus Palm having done it yet, but I could be mistaken. However I do have gathered several relevant sources, so just pm in case you'd feel it would be useful. Also the Prophet synth he acquired at the 80s and his beloved Synclavier that I believe he still uses in his office. One interesting question to Benny remains unasked, it is; why he didn't (if he didn't) got himself into the early digital side of the synth power? Famously the Fairlight sampling and mangling early stations, that for instance Peter Gabriel openly embraced. Or Yamaha's own early pioneering steps that released the digital continuation of the GX-1 (Electone) line at the early 80s, and why Benny didn't notice or wasn't offered their DX-1 (the predecessor of Yamaha trailbrazing DX-7 later on), despite his very public visit to the Yamaha factory at Japan in 1978, where Yamaha engineers gathered the last advances they made and manufactured their last GX-1 for him... and from there no further contact with Yamaha? So, this subject has been only superficially touched by journalists/historians. Benny himself could shed plenty of light to this, if given the questions and ideas with good time for him to recollect. However, so far we followers/communicators have yet to connect the dots from those early times, where intuition and musicality for sure was the goalpost, and so later on (now?) we may reflect back and tell the story in completer form.
Have always loved "Switched on Bach", "The Well Tempered Synthesiser" and the soundtrack work by Wendy Carlos. My parents played her records when I was little. I equally love ABBA's use of synths, they sound amazing!
I've never heard of Wendy before now. She was a great inspiration for Benny with his synthesiser music. I was heavily into synth pop in me teenage years with bands like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode. Wendy and our king share the same birthday.
Wow, this has got to be my favourite of all your vids so far! Excellent work to disect the sound and shine a light on the synths and Wendy Carlos. There is so much work related to Bach out there. We also love the Swingle Singers´ Bach and Douglas Hofstadter´s book Gödel, Escher, Bach...
Oh wow, very nice you enjoyed this particular video so much. I was also happy to see how it all overlaps sometimes, when so many talented people come together in a way.
There were some groundbreaking female British electronic pioneers like Daphne oram and Delia Derbyshire some of Michael b tretow's work reminds me a little I love some of abba's electronic adventures like Elaine
Hi. Great great uploads. Been to the show and loved it to death. Will probably go and see it again as I live in London. One question about the thumbnail of this particular upload. Fab image! Did you do it yourself? If not, whose work is it? I am so intrigued by this art work. Thanks.
Since you’re one of the world’s foremost experts on all things ABBA I wanted to ask you about ABBA’s live performances. Even tho they sounded great live they always declared themselves more of a studio band. One thing I noticed with their love performances is that the women more often than not would sing in unison, leaving the harmonies for the backing vocalists and Bjorn (and sometimes Benny… but most of the time it looked like he was just mouthing words). Have they ever spoken about this or maybe how difficult it is to sing in harmonies so tight when sung live? Occasionally they would harmonize live with CHIQUITITA for example. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
Hej Gary, yes, thanks! You will not find her music on digital platforms, unfortunately, but try to look for the classic vinyls or her CD remasters via second-hand (they are out of print now).
Cool! The synths contributed greatly to ABBAs’ space age sound . I sometimes think Benny might be the originator of the cheesy sounding synth hook pop phenomenon that became ubiquitous in dance and pop in the 1980s and beyond
It's beautiful. I found it on a friend's social media page, but I don't know its original source. Send me an e-mail to bobbysbrother@yahoo.com, so I can send you the picture.
@@bobbysbrother137 I first time spoted this in Skye Brooks channel where there was a beautiful xtended 'sweet harmony country remix' of ICBTW,having Agnetha doing second voice on her own lead vocals(!)(don't know how that was obtained but sounded wonderful and totally convincing).And some viewers were also impressed by the artwork of this 'photo' and had commented too.(Perfect shot for a t shirt! )Video is still available btw.
Thanks for the Info about Wendy Carlos. My first encounter was with 5 years Kraftwerk. My father had an album called AUTOBAHN. Kraftwerk Was the first german Band in the Rock all of fame.
Interesting Bobby's Brother. Terry Miles is the guy that made me want to learn to play. He has many keyboards and Synths and does Thursday Live Streams. By the way, I just uploaded I Have A Dream on my channel. 🎹 👍
@@joewhite6421 Yes Joe. Terry Miles and Dr. K. are the 2 people that made me buy a keyboard 2 1/2 years ago. I've been watching Terry, Kevin, Anthony, and Elsie Miles live streams since the start of the pandemic and I'm friends with the family now. I sent them all Montauk T shirts. My video with the most views is my Boogie Woogie Medley if you get a chance to check it out. Thanks 🎹
Hi Bobby. ABBA main channel released some songs of the Tour in 1080p HD version. Do you know if there is another change apart from the HD quality? Like some different arrangements than the DVD version? If so, you can make a video about it. Thank you
He should be far more recognized as pioneer. It is all because of their 'bubblegum image' from the start of their carrier that these kinds of aspects are overlooked by the serious music media I think. For me it was always clear. especially the tasteful musical and perfect integration of synths in their productions as pointed out in this video.
Re: the space-themed artwork inspiration from Wendy Carlos to Gnesta Kalle and his Moogmen... consider that John Keating's "Space Experience" was released in 1972, so perhaps the "spaciness" of the Moog sound was already ingrained in the popular imagination, and both 1973 albums were inspired sonically and visually by John Keating? I also see that Rutger Gunnarsson played bass on Ny-Gammal Kultis, another ABBA connection. The album can be heard in full here on RUclips: ruclips.net/video/xcOHEF73vOo/видео.html
I know you speak of pop music, but the Moog & other synths were crucial in progressive rock, such as Emerson Lake & Palmer. My favorite band, Rush, used synths heavily in the early-mid 80s (to the annoyance of many fans bcs the slick 80s synth sound was too much of a departure from the prog rock 70s synth sound).
I have a couple of issues with synths. First, they immediately sound dated. Examples: Irene Cara/Giorgio Moroder's 'What a Feeling" and Laura Branigan's "Gloria". Synths were used instead of horns and strings. Then there is the whole Stock/Aitken/Waterman catalogue - all synths instead of real instruments save a guitar once in a while - music with no soul and no organics save for the vocals, and leaves your heart cold. Catchy in its day, of course - but the substitute for the orchestral disco sound my generation had grown up with. At the other extreme was synth for synth's sake - two examples are Kraftwerk and The Human League's "Dare" album. Then, there is moog for sound effects - usually a variation on nature's "approaching wind" or "airplane take-off" sounds. Or, percussive embellishments like on Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" and other disco songs by other artists. I think ABBA did it right - they managed to use synths sparingly (except for Lay All Your Love On Me and Me and I - which I'd love to hear orchestrated) and maintain a classic, warm sound that speaks to the human heart.
Really enjoyed this reminder of the work of Wendy Carlos and would be wonderful to think Benny may have been influenced by her work. Your mention of Popcorn made me recall another earlier use of an electronic keyboard (think it might called a clavoline) in a instrumental track called 'Telstar' from 1962 by a British band called The Tornados. It has a sound that reminds me a bit of both ABBA's instrumental tracks 'Arrival' and ' Intermezzo No.1'. Have you listen to it? m.ruclips.net/video/ryrEPzsx1gQ/видео.html
One important thing that should be mentioned is that the original Moog and the Minimoog were monophonic, which means that you can only play one not at the time. To play chords you had to record the various notes of the chord separately, which was quite complicated.
He used the Polymoog for chords and polyphonic playing. The Mellotron was polyphonic as well, but its not a synth. Its more an early kind of sample keyboard, playing back recordings of real instruments with magnetic tape.
@@GroenalundMusic That's correct, but the Polymoog wasn't released until 1975 and I'm not sure when Benny bought one. He used his Minimoog for many years and brought it on tour.
I love Benny playing synths. Such a talented keyboard wizzard
Perfect example!
ruclips.net/video/luqs4qgi09c/видео.html
The Minimoog and the GX1are used a lot on Abba-tracks. The GX1 somehow replaced the Polymoog, because it had more sound options and the powerful feature to layer sounds directly on the instrument. Benny bought the last GX1 available with Ser.Number 3088.The GX1 was a prototype-synth, the synth that was the forefather to all the following Yamaha-Synths (CS80!) and its purpose was to show what was technically possible in the mid-70ies, without looking at affordability. The GX1 sounds massive, huge and majestic. I know it, because I played Benny´s GX1 in his studio 2 years ago, to record some sounds for our own album. Another synth that is very important for the Abba-sound is the ARP Odyssey Mark2. That Synth played the Leadsound on "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme". An Arp Odyssey was the alternative Synth to the Minimoog in the seventies, some musicians felt (Was it Santana?) that the Minimoog was more on the male side of sound, while the Odyssey left a more female impression.
No doubt about it, Benny’s use of synths was a HUGE part of ABBA’s layered sound! You are spot on with your observations, BB!
Thanks! It's fascinating for me to see how the paths of so many talented artists cross over space and time (starting with Bach, centuries ago).
Fascinating. Most of this was unknown to me except for Hot Butter's Popcorn. It came out in the summer of 1972 when I was a kid and I loved it! I was more than ready when the sophisticated music of Jean Michel Jarre came along. Popcorn went to #1 in seven territories (it reached only #5 here in the UK, but spent 5 months on the charts). It sold over 2 million copies!
Thanks! Good to know more details and context. Imagine if it wasn‘t a hit, and Benny never got that inspiration..?!
JMJ is good stuff!
@@PatrickRosenbalm As a fan of John Carpenter, I really like his collaboration with JMJ from 2015, "A Question of Blood".
The original version of 'Popcorn' came out 1969.
@@rasul01 That's correct.
Yes, Benny certainly how to put a synthesizer to very creative use. Sadly, he's never mentioned in the same company as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. Of course he wasn't doing prog rock either. He's never mentioned with Elton John and Billy Joel and he has much more in common with their styles. He's more like Donald Fagen of Steely Dan. Brilliant but always just under the radar. Toss in ELO's Richard Tandy too.
Benny is seen at :20 playing around with a Roland Jupiter 8. He's playing with the filter section. I have read he used it on Under Attack for the bass part as well as in other song they recorded post the Visitors LP. I'm lucky enough to own a Jupiter 8. I've had mine about 25 years. It was "the" synth to have in the early and mid 80. By the late 90s it was all but forgotten. Workstations with multi track sequencers and megs sample memory was the thing. Now analog synths are in vogue and BA and ABBA picked the perfect time for a return. Keep an Eye on Dan and No Doubt About it are perfect examples.
ABBA - BA was a huge inspiration to me pursuing music and the reason I have a synthesizer collection myself. That and I have always been fascinated by the cool sounds an analog synth can make.
I also want to mention Chess since you didn't. You can hear some recycled ABBA songs and lots of synths. Notably a then new and another "the" synth at the time, a Yamaha DX-7 in certain songs.
Here's my favorite from Chess, Pity the Child.
ruclips.net/video/88LMCbke6lw/видео.html
Great stories and context. Yes, "Chess" certainly made heavy use of Benny's synths as well. In these regards, I love "The Arbiter" and the bonus track which was released in 2014, "Press Conference".
@@bobbysbrother137 Thanks!! Oh yeah! The Arbiter is a good one too. I'll check out Press Conference. Thanks for letting me know.
I really like your channel. Good stuff!!! 😀
I agree 100% with you! Benny is a genius but often forgotten by musicians, unfortunately. But love to know that you have the Jupiter 8. Great synth, considered one of the best of all time! I have the new Fantom 8 from Roland. Once in a while Roland do some upgrades for the new Fantom and in one of these upgrades they incorporated the Jupiter 8 as a model expansion. I was so happy! ♥️ Synths are really inspiring!
Abba we're so experimental, they pushed the envelope on everything it seems. Percussions, Synth, Drums, Bass. Way ahead of their time. I'd say they we're pioneers of everything to do with music. Including the music video. Thank ya for the awesome video B.B.! 👍
What an awesome group. Long may they last. Stephen Hall
right about the music video which shortly after that MTV became so popular with that format which no one can prove that they took that from ABBA but it was symetrical in time.
@@melbro62 Yes indeed, thank you for pointing that out :) While we're at it, when you really think about it, fashion as well, the cloths, and hair styles, be it 70's or 80's.
Hej BB
Really appreciate info it’s Benny and his pioneering ability’s 🙏
I'm impressed by this tutorial and very interesting video on WCarlos that you narrated so greatly.(The perfect voice for a documentary btw).Benny always kept his ears wide open here and there at the time, being aware on 'what was on'.He could play any key he could lay his hands on and be creative.He lately said that his mother was very proud that her young boy played his accordion so fine without even getting properly trained not even knowing to read notes.When people wouldn't believe her she turned to him saying 'OK SHOW THEM'.And he really damned showed this whole world!.And i still love so much that LIVE performance of 'The Way old friends do' from Wembley '79 'armed' with his 'favourite instrument' accordion and the girls joining him in perfect, tight vocal unisison.
Wow, this is stunning. I've always loved the Yamaha sound of early 80s ABBA. Thanks for honoring Wendy Carlos! I've never heard of Benny's Moogmen-Album. "Switched On Bach II" came out the same year, 1973.
How you continue us to find relevant material is eclipsed only by your impeccable research! Amazing!!
I remember the hit 'popcorn' very well 👌 Benny proved on his professional use if keyboards just how talented he is & the many hits of ABBA are down to his playing prowess. Excellent review as always Bobby's Brother & yet again you educate us the ABBA following with terrific facts 👍
Many people here remembered "Popcorn", too. Very nice. And thank you for continuing to appreciate my videos.
@@bobbysbrother137, now it is also recycled by Swedish artist Tove Lo on 2 die 4. 😊
Oh I do remember that Pop corn single!A really weird happy tune at the time.!It was a big longlasting hit and i must have been 3-4 years old remembering my parents in the early '70s playing this in a huge 8 track cassete player they had in the car.
Oh wow! Didn‘t it wet your appetite to buy a Minimiog and start a band? Lol. Do you also know or remember Wendy Carlos?
@@bobbysbrother137 I knew Minimoog mainly cause of SOS single but i knew nothing about her.I 'm just learning from you now about that synth persona and it's fascinating.As for Benny...I know an anegdote I had once read on him being such a keyboard freak, saying that he once 'attacked' a big Tiramisu Tart cake misunderstanding it for YAMAHA's new synth!
Very interesting!
Benny's ear for a natural sounding "patch" far exceeds all of his contemporaries and all of those that followed.
Other excellent exponents would be Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Gary Numan, Van Morrison, John Martyn, Peter Gabriel.
Many of the 80's acts are best forgotten. Obviously, the jazz world had Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, etc.
My point is that my favourite of ALL of the above is Benny Andersson.
What a fine new video is this.I'm learning things i ignored.She seems to be such an important synth persona! .I always listened to some synth stuff and still has vinyls from acts such as Vangelis/JMJarre/French band's discography SPACE(of the 'Magic Fly" fame)/some Kraftwerk e.t.c.Since you mentioned the moog synth on EAGLE!That one still sounds 'adventurous' and not outdated at all.Sounds such a glorious,fresh and impressive recording,especially the first intro seconds,not to mention the killer keyboard riff on GGG.Ireplaceable(,Madonna knew what to chose by Abba and why she insisted.Utubers too.).I think it's the band's second most played video after DQ.This riff is its trade mark.And i'm still fascinated by the cover that Benny did on the opening instrumental track Gammal Fadbopsalm in their 1979 world tour.Magical.As well as the intro used in SNC's live performance.Reminiscent to the synth sound that The Stranglers used on 'Midnight Summer Dream'.
Cool....I have that album Switched On Back...Fun !
AMAZING! The opening song gets me all electrified already.
@@bobbysbrother137well BB just finished the third attendance of ABBA Voyage today here in London. Fantastic and out of this world spectacular. So happy it is all the hype and more. You are right the best seats are those first Three rows in mid-front of stage.
Worth the trip, a joyous blast !
@@bobbyyounger7632 I think I'd go every month if I was living in London. So nice you saw it a 3rd time!! Soon, I'll be talking about the show and my experience in May. Thanks for the comment!
Very interesting. I didn't know anything about that woman with my name. There are many women artists almost unknown just because they were women. Benny was/is a master with synthesizers, with him a synthesizer never sounded more emotional and warm. His instruments sounded unmistakably ABBA.
Wendy Carlos career is even more interesting since she started as Walter. My early 70s Orange Clockwork gatefold album credits said Walter Carlos. Being a transgender herself, makes her story more unusual and notable, having had to overcome barriers and do extra explaining when almost nobody before her had gone thru such. And still keeping her high composition and research standards.
Impressed by that unique sound of hers, I searched for her music since those early young times. Plus, I was fortunate early on to discover her website, where plenty of interesting information about her creative music and other endeavors is shared.
krasse Sache, danke dafür! :)
The more I have experimented with synths the more admiration I have for ABBA and how Benny chose and used such memorable synth sounds, some clear, and some very subtle and used sparingly, to bring magic to their sound. A master of layering and harmonising. A very good video thank you.
Great video as usual, Benny is a genius. I'll never forget Wendy Carlos score in The Shining. I also remember Vangelis who was a synth legend, his work include Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner.
As always very interesting and fascinating, thanks BB.
Fascinating 👏 I've always found myself drawn to synthesizer music since I was a child and to find it growing evermore dominant in ABBA's sound as the years went by was an absolute joy for me. The anthemic intro's of "Me and I" & "Lay All Your Love On Me" are superb, then the incredible "The Visitors" & "The Day Before You Came" have remained my favourites. The sound also drew me into other synth based bands of the time; Yazoo, Eurythmics, Human League, Visage, Ultravox and many more 🥰🙏💗
When i heard H.League's 'Don't you want me' i thought that its main keyboard line was same one of Abba's 'Eagle' in diguise.Decades later one of the HLeague team admitted that this sample was really 'inspired' by Abba's 'Eagl'e.Phil Oakey was a self confessed Abba fan at those times and the girls (Suzanne and Joanee) were rather 'closet' fans since it was 'uncool' to say so.Btw FRIDA had attented a HL gig in March '82 in Stockholm and they all made some photos behind the scenes drinking and having fun.Photo is still available on Mikory's channel.
@@christianoazzuro6711 Oh yes, I've seen those photos of Frida with Human League. I always thought ABBA were inspired by HL with the trench coats too 😄 Now, the similarities of "Eagle" to "Don't You Want Me" I had never spotted before, but I hear it now! Amazing 👏 I'd also read how Vince Clark was inspired by "Lay All Your Love On Me" to write "Just Can't Get Enough" for Depeche Mode.
@@raywright8226 oh Vince?!Really?Didn't know that!Well i knew he got the decision to create a synth band after listening to some early OMD and esp an early track titled(i think) 'Messages.'I knew A.Bell was a huge Abba fan but wasn't sure on Vince(which i really respect and acknowledge his greatness.Thanx for the info!
P.S. A correction...that OMD song for VC was really 'Electricity' from their same debut album but whole lp has been important to him on 'quiting' acoustic instruments and move into synths.
interesting!! Thanks Bobby's B.
Don Lewis, another synthesizer virtuoso passed on this past week, aged 81. He designed and developed multiple synthesizers to play simultaneously during the 70s & 80s, his design was called the LEO (the Lewis Electronic Orchestra).
Such fascinating insights, especially about Wendy Carlos! I have to say, I had never heard of her before, so thank you, BB! I have always loved ABBA's use of synthesizers, especially on "The Visitors", "Eagle" and now, "Keep An Eye On Dan"! They add so much to the feel and texture of their music, even when you don't really "notice" the syths, like when Benny is emulating orchestra instruments. I think that's a big part of why I love ABBA, that mixture of synth with other instruments. It's the perfect balance, in my opinion. Benny knows exactly how much of each to put to use for the mood of a specific song - bravo!
Just noticed the new concert uploads on the ABBA channel. They look and sound great!
Yes, I mentioned it recently at the end of my previous video. We might talk about the new versions soon
Keep an eye on Dan uses 1970 synthesizers, similar to the foreigner hit long long way from home.”
Wooooow! Thank you so much for this precious content! As a huge ABBA fan and a musician/ producer myself I found this video extremely interesting! I knew that Benny used the mini moog and even the yamaha GX-1 a lot but didn’t know all the rest. Please keep sharing your knowledge with us. Thank you!🙏🏻
I love ❤️ you Bobby you are incredible love bastion XOXO
I love you too, thanks!
ABBA TO ME IS JUST THE MASTERS OF EVRRYTHING WITHIN' MUSIC 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Gracias Bobby Brother por darnos a conocer la historia de la música de Benny Anderson y ABBA, muy interesante!
Saludos desde México!
By the time they got to The Visitors their sound was synth-pop in all but name.
Super episode, as always. Fascinating to hear about Wendy Carlos, and to reflect on Benny's amazing synthesizer work. Interesting about the J. S. Bach link too -- I was just watching the recently released Q&A in which Benny mentions his love of Bach.
From 5:48 up to 6;22 you just gave the absolute discription i would have so acurately liked to express but couldn't find the excact words about Abba's way of using synths.Meaning They didn't overdo it but throwed them in such 'portions' that wouldn't sound 'strange' or 'cold' but sparkling, exoticly weird ,adventurous and finally captivating.Marvelous!
Nice you found the words through me :-) yes, they've never overdone anything in their mixes, it's all delicately interwoven.
0:18 I recognize this traditional Swedish song; we used to sing it in school each year before summer break. What's the name of the version that's on your video?
Also, thanks for exposing me to 'November 1989'. I didn't know about that album, so I'm listening to it now, and the first track, 'Skallgång', is amazing. It's electronic, but it captures the nordic melancholy and folk sound nicely.
@Niclas Eriksson Tack! Såg även på slutet av denna video vad sången heter.
@Niclas Eriksson What a fab opening was it!
@Niclas Eriksson Ja, jag har väldigt fina minnen från den tiden. Sommaravslutning var en höjdpunkt i min barndom.
Synd att svenskar är så feminiserade och ryggradslösa att de har röstat för vad som kommer att utmynna i att svenskar och svensk kultur blir en minoritet om typ 30 år.
Súper… trouper❣️And happy BD Wendy Carlos where ever you are
Wendy Carlos = Walter Carlos. Her translation of baroque music into synthesizers was brilliant. I had his/her entire collection. An incredible keyboardist.
Basically, it was ABBA pioneering new wave music. Yes, spearheaded by Benny.
I'll second that up to a point. Polished new wave for sure.
This is Gold!!!!!!!!!😊❤👑👑
As a fan of ABBA and as an absolutely massive fan of Electronic music, especially 70s Electrónica, watching this video was great; thanks for making this.
Also, if anyone here's interested in an electronic hidden gem, I highly recommend 'Lothlórien' by Enya.
My favorite ABBA songs, when it comes to the implementation of synthesizers, are these ones:
The Piper
One Night In Bangkok
Move On
Eagle
Should I Laugh Or Cry
Lay All Your Love On Me
Head Over Heels
oH 'Lothorien' is a track i reaaly love as well as Caribbean blue' from same album.
@@alexioverdo5225 The swelling, grand-scale electronic intro in 'Caribbean Blue' is one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.
@@rasul01 Your discription is excellent and i couldn't agree more!CB is one of my all time faves and since i heard this i had a 'twisted' fantasy' imagining this masterpiece being sung by Frida and Agnetha and being placed as a track in the 'Super Trouper' album.Imagine it as an opener!Of course no offense to the exceptional Enya.
Ok, so how could I have missed this video from appreciated (and already subscribed to) Bobby's Brother??
The intersection of Benny's music and synthesizers, both being personal favorites.
Space/Time oddities I presume.
Up then to some points. Once I was fortunate to have listened to an ABBA's live rendition of either Sitting in the Palmtree or Tropical Loveland. Most definitely at one of those 73 to 75 barely known live dates.
The thing is that I was amazed to listen there Benny's playing his synths emulating birds and nature sounds to create atmosphere. Very much like the sound of Seagulls in Move On.
The relevant bit is that if such concert performance is confirmed Benny would be predating even Jean Michael Jarre with his famous 1976 Oxygene album, where at the last track he emulates seagulls and the sea waves quite perfectly.
That is a relevant piece of information that would love to see confirmed.
Then there is the abundant and interesting information there is available (but scattered) about Benny's GX-1 synth. This subject deserves its own video or article. I don't remember Carl Magnus Palm having done it yet, but I could be mistaken.
However I do have gathered several relevant sources, so just pm in case you'd feel it would be useful.
Also the Prophet synth he acquired at the 80s and his beloved Synclavier that I believe he still uses in his office. One interesting question to Benny remains unasked, it is; why he didn't (if he didn't) got himself into the early digital side of the synth power? Famously the Fairlight sampling and mangling early stations, that for instance Peter Gabriel openly embraced.
Or Yamaha's own early pioneering steps that released the digital continuation of the GX-1 (Electone) line at the early 80s, and why Benny didn't notice or wasn't offered their DX-1 (the predecessor of Yamaha trailbrazing DX-7 later on), despite his very public visit to the Yamaha factory at Japan in 1978, where Yamaha engineers gathered the last advances they made and manufactured their last GX-1 for him... and from there no further contact with Yamaha?
So, this subject has been only superficially touched by journalists/historians. Benny himself could shed plenty of light to this, if given the questions and ideas with good time for him to recollect. However, so far we followers/communicators have yet to connect the dots from those early times, where intuition and musicality for sure was the goalpost, and so later on (now?) we may reflect back and tell the story in completer form.
Have always loved "Switched on Bach", "The Well Tempered Synthesiser" and the soundtrack work by Wendy Carlos. My parents played her records when I was little. I equally love ABBA's use of synths, they sound amazing!
Good job by your parents, I must say. Fantastic!
I've never heard of Wendy before now. She was a great inspiration for Benny with his synthesiser music. I was heavily into synth pop in me teenage years with bands like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode. Wendy and our king share the same birthday.
I don‘t know if Wendy Carlos was an inspiration for Benny, but it would be odd if not. Fantastic!
Aretha Franklin Whitney Houston i was also heavily into synth pop in the '80s.DD's keyboardist Nick Rhodes is also a such a synth wizzard.
@@bobbysbrother137 i bet he was but be ware to openly ask him about it on your next meeting!(he!he!)He will have an honest answer.
@@alexioverdo5225 Yes, I will certainly be asking this to him :-)
@@bobbysbrother137 lol!ok!.(And also tell him we love him cause he made us happy again).
Wow, this has got to be my favourite of all your vids so far! Excellent work to disect the sound and shine a light on the synths and Wendy Carlos. There is so much work related to Bach out there. We also love the Swingle Singers´ Bach and Douglas Hofstadter´s book Gödel, Escher, Bach...
Oh wow, very nice you enjoyed this particular video so much. I was also happy to see how it all overlaps sometimes, when so many talented people come together in a way.
ABBA did it beautifully. Too many of the early 80's bands overdid the synth sound.
There were some groundbreaking female British electronic pioneers like Daphne oram and
Delia Derbyshire some of Michael b tretow's work reminds me a little
I love some of abba's electronic adventures like Elaine
Hi. Great great uploads. Been to the show and loved it to death. Will probably go and see it again as I live in London. One question about the thumbnail of this particular upload. Fab image! Did you do it yourself? If not, whose work is it? I am so intrigued by this art work. Thanks.
Since you’re one of the world’s foremost experts on all things ABBA I wanted to ask you about ABBA’s live performances. Even tho they sounded great live they always declared themselves more of a studio band. One thing I noticed with their love performances is that the women more often than not would sing in unison, leaving the harmonies for the backing vocalists and Bjorn (and sometimes Benny… but most of the time it looked like he was just mouthing words). Have they ever spoken about this or maybe how difficult it is to sing in harmonies so tight when sung live? Occasionally they would harmonize live with CHIQUITITA for example. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
Hey hey bb I have so have to look into Wendy Carlos and get music…. Thank you for another abba history
Hej Gary, yes, thanks! You will not find her music on digital platforms, unfortunately, but try to look for the classic vinyls or her CD remasters via second-hand (they are out of print now).
@@bobbysbrother137 I found a couple of tracks on Spotify but I will indulge in finding something thank you bb
Cool! The synths contributed greatly to ABBAs’ space age sound . I sometimes think Benny might be the originator of the cheesy sounding synth hook pop phenomenon that became ubiquitous in dance and pop in the 1980s and beyond
May I ask where you got the thumbnail photo? It's beautiful and I'd love to look at it closer.
ITS wonderful indeed!
It's beautiful. I found it on a friend's social media page, but I don't know its original source. Send me an e-mail to bobbysbrother@yahoo.com, so I can send you the picture.
@@bobbysbrother137 Thanks! I just dropped you a line.
@@bobbysbrother137 I first time spoted this in Skye Brooks channel where there was a beautiful xtended 'sweet harmony country remix' of ICBTW,having Agnetha doing second voice on her own lead vocals(!)(don't know how that was obtained but sounded wonderful and totally convincing).And some viewers were also impressed by the artwork of this 'photo' and had commented too.(Perfect shot for a t shirt! )Video is still available btw.
Many say Joy Division was 1st to do synthetic but they overlook Lay All Your Love On Me, the first synth based song to hit it big.
Thanks for the Info about Wendy Carlos. My first encounter was with 5 years Kraftwerk. My father had an album called AUTOBAHN. Kraftwerk Was the first german Band in the Rock all of fame.
Kraftwerk and "Autobahn" are stunning. Nice you've heard their music so young!
👏👏👍
Súper… trouper❣️
Interesting Bobby's Brother. Terry Miles is the guy that made me want to learn to play. He has many keyboards and Synths and does Thursday Live Streams. By the way, I just uploaded I Have A Dream on my channel. 🎹 👍
Is this the same Terry Miles who also appears with Doctor K. ?
@@joewhite6421 Yes Joe. Terry Miles and Dr. K. are the 2 people that made me buy a keyboard 2 1/2 years ago. I've been watching Terry, Kevin, Anthony, and Elsie Miles live streams since the start of the pandemic and I'm friends with the family now. I sent them all Montauk T shirts. My video with the most views is my Boogie Woogie Medley if you get a chance to check it out. Thanks 🎹
Hi Bobby. ABBA main channel released some songs of the Tour in 1080p HD version. Do you know if there is another change apart from the HD quality? Like some different arrangements than the DVD version? If so, you can make a video about it. Thank you
Hej PAD, yes, we could talk about it in a video soon!
I love the synths on abba albums. Benny is a very talented keyboard player and it gives their sound a distant sound
Can you share a link to the image you used of ABBA in the Tron-like outfits please?
Send me an e-mail to bobbysbrother@yahoo.com, so I can send you the picture.
I want to chill with Wendy on her birthday
Nothing about The Visitors?
He should be far more recognized as pioneer. It is all because of their 'bubblegum image' from the start of their carrier that these kinds of aspects are overlooked by the serious music media I think. For me it was always clear. especially the tasteful musical and perfect integration of synths in their productions as pointed out in this video.
Keith Emerson was the greatest moogist (and Wakeman, Moraz, Fritz, Hensley, and many more) and of course, Me!! I love my Moog Matriarch Dark.....
Re: the space-themed artwork inspiration from Wendy Carlos to Gnesta Kalle and his Moogmen... consider that John Keating's "Space Experience" was released in 1972, so perhaps the "spaciness" of the Moog sound was already ingrained in the popular imagination, and both 1973 albums were inspired sonically and visually by John Keating?
I also see that Rutger Gunnarsson played bass on Ny-Gammal Kultis, another ABBA connection.
The album can be heard in full here on RUclips: ruclips.net/video/xcOHEF73vOo/видео.html
I know you speak of pop music, but the Moog & other synths were crucial in progressive rock, such as Emerson Lake & Palmer. My favorite band, Rush, used synths heavily in the early-mid 80s (to the annoyance of many fans bcs the slick 80s synth sound was too much of a departure from the prog rock 70s synth sound).
Absolutely, why don't you ask Benny?
I have a couple of issues with synths. First, they immediately sound dated. Examples: Irene Cara/Giorgio Moroder's 'What a Feeling" and Laura Branigan's "Gloria". Synths were used instead of horns and strings. Then there is the whole Stock/Aitken/Waterman catalogue - all synths instead of real instruments save a guitar once in a while - music with no soul and no organics save for the vocals, and leaves your heart cold. Catchy in its day, of course - but the substitute for the orchestral disco sound my generation had grown up with.
At the other extreme was synth for synth's sake - two examples are Kraftwerk and The Human League's "Dare" album.
Then, there is moog for sound effects - usually a variation on nature's "approaching wind" or "airplane take-off" sounds. Or, percussive embellishments like on Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" and other disco songs by other artists.
I think ABBA did it right - they managed to use synths sparingly (except for Lay All Your Love On Me and Me and I - which I'd love to hear orchestrated) and maintain a classic, warm sound that speaks to the human heart.
0:18 Den Blomstertid nu kommer
Really enjoyed this reminder of the work of Wendy Carlos and would be wonderful to think Benny may have been influenced by her work.
Your mention of Popcorn made me recall another earlier use of an electronic keyboard (think it might called a clavoline) in a instrumental track called 'Telstar' from 1962 by a British band called The Tornados. It has a sound that reminds me a bit of both ABBA's instrumental tracks 'Arrival' and ' Intermezzo No.1'. Have you listen to it?
m.ruclips.net/video/ryrEPzsx1gQ/видео.html
Interesting, but a mellotron in not a synthesizer in any way.
❤⚘💚⚘❤⚘💚⚘🇧🇷2025
One important thing that should be mentioned is that the original Moog and the Minimoog were monophonic, which means that you can only play one not at the time. To play chords you had to record the various notes of the chord separately, which was quite complicated.
That's some crucial information, thanks! It makes one be even more amazed at the art they created on the Moog.
He used the Polymoog for chords and polyphonic playing. The Mellotron was polyphonic as well, but its not a synth. Its more an early kind of sample keyboard, playing back recordings of real instruments with magnetic tape.
@@GroenalundMusic That's correct, but the Polymoog wasn't released until 1975 and I'm not sure when Benny bought one. He used his Minimoog for many years and brought it on tour.
Wendy Carlos was a transgender pioneer...