ABBA :: Charts & Sales History

by **zeus555** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:44 pm

My 3,000th UKMIX Post - at last! (Only enough to
be the 286th biggest UKMIX Poster, but, there are
19,145 Members here).

Benny - Did you notice that whilst ABBA were No.1 in
the USA, UK, & Germany, 35 Years ago, this Week,
the same Artist was at No.2 in both the USA & UK?

It was David Soul. In the USA, he was behind ABBA
with 'Don't Give Up On Us'. In the UK, he was behind
ABBA with 'Going In With My Eyes Open'.

I wonder if it is the only Week, that the same 2 Acts
have been No.1 & No.2, in both Countries - with 2
totally different Hits?

http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/archives/usa/us75.htm

http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/archives/uk/uk75.htm

http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/archives/germany/ger75.htm

Zeus555

by **Benny** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 5:47 pm

zeus555 wrote:Benny - Did you notice that whilst ABBA were No.1 in
the USA, UK, & Germany, 35 Years ago, this Week,
the same Artist was at No.2 in both the USA & UK?

It was David Soul. In the USA, he was behind ABBA
with 'Don't Give Up On Us'. In the UK, he was behind
ABBA with 'Going In With My Eyes Open'.

I wonder if it is the only Week, that the same 2 Acts
have been No.1 & No.2, in both Countries - with 2
totally different Hits?

I didn't notice that David Soul was at number 2 with two different songs in the UK and in the US - like Abba at number 1. Strange thing indeed, it would be interesting to know if this has ever happened in another week

.

by **prici900** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:10 pm

I have been reading my old Abba Books and it's funny the contradictions about Abba Sales -

I am from the school of thought that Abba had indeed sold about 180 million by the time of their demise and are on about 250 million or so now.

The evidence is patchy but is there

In 1977 Stig issued the statement that Abba had sold 53 Million records around the world - this was early 1977 before DQ hit the top of the charts in the USA and before Abba had thier biggest week of sales - which one person narrowed down to one week in 1977 when Abba were number one in the USA, Germany and England.

Also stig got some of his sales wrong as he said that DQ had sold 3million around the world at this time (More than this) so long a million (way less) and I do x 5 a million - (I would say at least 1.5 million as it was a big hit in a number of places and would have sold at least 400,000 to get to number 15 in the USA.

By the end of the 70's it was said that Abba had sold around 150 million around the world nad in record mirror it highlighted that Abba were one of the few groups that sold large amount of singles and Lp's in equal measure.

I have been working on a more detailed graph of Abba sales that I will put on shortly - I disagree with Johnny boys first page as it's too UK centric and although Abba enjoyed massive success here this is not the only country they managed it -

by **prici900** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:20 pm

Here we have a limited singles and LP overview up until the end of 1976-

Singles Overview Title SE US UK AU CA FR JP DE NL
She's My Kind Of Girl -- -- -- -- -- 97 07 -- --
People Need Love 17 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Ring Ring (Swedish) 01 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Ring Ring 02 -- 32 07 -- 82 -- -- 05
Waterloo (Swedish) 02 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Waterloo 03 06 01 04 -- 03 -- 01 02
Waterloo (EP) -- -- -- 60 -- -- -- -- --
Honey, Honey -- 27 -- 30 -- -- -- 02 16
Hasta Ma?ana -- -- -- 16 -- -- -- -- --
King Kong Song -- -- -- 94 -- -- -- -- --
So Long 07 -- 91 -- -- 64 -- 11 --
I've Been Waiting For You -- -- -- 49 -- -- -- -- --
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do -- 15 38 01 12 14 -- 06 03
Rock Me -- -- -- 04 -- -- -- -- --
SOS -- 15 06 01 09 59 15 01 02
Bang-A-Boomerang -- -- -- -- -- 59 -- -- --
Mamma Mia -- 32 01 01 20 -- -- 01 13
Fernando 02 13 01 01 02 01 -- 01 01
Dancing Queen 01 01 01 01 02 05 19 01 01
Money, Money, Money -- 56 03 01 -- 01 -- 01 01

The LP'S

Ring Ring 02 -- -- 10 -- -- -- -- --
Waterloo 01 145 28 18 -- -- -- 06 --
Abba 01 174 13 01 -- -- -- 31 03
Arrival 01 20 01 01 08 15 03 01 01

My point is soo much more happend after this on a world-wide scale and I alos think that by having a UK centric mindset cloeses us off to major sucessess in other countries - no matter how long or short that sucess lasted - Poland being a country in question - one million sales from just two Lp's in that country - 250,000 for the Abba LP and 800,000 for Arrival - and this country did not have charts at the time - no doubt the singles and the greatest hits Lp also sold considerabley.

by **prici900** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:24 pm

btw The graph above is not the one I am working on - that's from another site -

I would love the german fans to have a bit more input to this site as they may have some access to sales from west and East germany

by **Benny** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:16 pm

Prici900, if this thread is "too UK centric" then this is due to the fact that we have much more information about UK sales than about sales of other European countries. I would love to give more input on German sales but there are not many sources to get information from - only the official gold and platinum certifications which started in 1976 and old issues of Billboard magazine.

Regarding Poland, there is this famous story that the country had a yearly contingent for Western LPs and that in one year they used the whole contingent to buy 800.000 copies of "Arrival". I don't know if this is really true or a myth.

These are the German sales figures I found in some articles (mainly from Billboard magazine):

"Fernando" 600k (Billboard 6 Nov 1976)
"Arrival" 200k in 14 days (Billboard 20 Nov 1976)
"Money Money Money" 300k (Billboard 8 September 1979)
"Knowing Me Knowing You" 300k (Billboard 8 Sept 1979)
"Super Trouper" single 450k (press release by the record company February 3 1981)
"More Abba Gold" 268k (Billboard Sept 1994)

Sales for "MMM" seem a little bit too low, given the fact that it topped the charts over Christmas.

These are the German album sales based on certifications:

"Gold" 2.5 million
"Arrival" & "Super Trouper" 1 million each
"Very Best Of" 0.75 mio
"Best Of", "Waterloo", "The Album", "Voulez Vous", "GH2", "The Visitors" 0.5 mio each
"GH1", "The Singles The First 10 Years", "A wie Abba", "16 Abba Hits" 0.25 mio each
"Complete Singles", "Definitve Collection" 0.3 mio each
"More Gold" 0.25 mio

by **prici900** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 4:32 pm

Hi Benny

yep I know that there is a lot of heresay when it comes to Abba's sales in Poland but I have tow books (Which are mostly accurate about waht we know about abba sales and if anything some are underestimates).

The first book is called Abba by Abba and Christer Borg compliled this book in 1976 - the end of that year - it states that the Abba LP sold 250,000 in poland and that Russia had 25,000. It also mentions that no other group come near Abba in East germany - but does not mention sales (Pages 48 and 49).

The other book is by Harry Edington - published I assume in mid-1977 Judging by the singles he discusses which include Knowing me knowing you. On Page 132 he states that the Abba Lp sold over 200,000 and that Arrival stands at 800,000. He alos mentions that the Abba LP SOLD 25,000 in Russia (Page 133) and that Stig (I know he was a big of a bragger and not always accurate) said that "we are the biggest thing that has ever happend in Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Czechslovakia.

I have other books dating from the 70's that pretty much backs these claims and as the material was written soo close to the date that these sales took place why should we doubt them?

by **prici900** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 4:40 pm

Did abba sell as many singles as they did LP's - it does seem so - in record mirror in 1982 Alan Jones- chart expert with Music week now - discussed that Cliff Richard sold a lot of singles and then highlighted a few artist who may have sold more singles than he had around the world (The usual suspects - Elvis, Beatles) and states and quite possibly Abba but the bulk of their sales came from Lps - Btw the amount of singles that he was saying that Cliff had sold was about 77 million -

Soo if Abba had sold 77 million singles or more? Then it goes without saying that their Lp sales were greater than that which means they may have indeed sold about 170 to 180 million records by the time of their demise off the pop landscape

by **prici900** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 5:34 pm

intrestingly the following is on
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
but they got thier information from Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 201. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995 - which may be untrue as most the book was done in broad strokes of the truth.

"Due to the Cold War, Western music was actively discouraged throughout Eastern Europe at the time. Despite this ABBA: The Album sold an unprecedented million copies in Poland in 1977, exhausting the country's entire allocation of foreign currency. In Russia, only 200,000 copies were permitted to be pressed. However, demand within the USSR indicated they could have sold 40 million copiesic was actively discouraged throughout Eastern Europe at the time".

In the Abba monthly magazine of the day - I think issue 14 (but will check)it is again mentioned that Abba sold huge amounts of Lps in Poland - I will get the exact quote and page number as proof.

by **zeus555** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 4:50 pm

I thought that you'd like to see this. It is pertinent
to ABBA.

THE NATION'S FAVOURITE NUMBER 1 SINGLE

As it is the 60th Anniversary of the UK Singles Chart, a huge Poll
has begun, to find the Country's 'Favourite Number 1 Single'.

There have been 1,192 UK No.1 Singles, since November 1952.

A 'Panel Of Experts' have made a short-list of 60 of those No.1's.
& you can Vote for them. Each Voter can choose 10 of the 60 No.1
Hits.

http://www.itv.com/nationsfavouritenumberone/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/going ... ars-794406

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-new ... ngle-1337/

Later this Year, the results will be revealed in a 3 Part TV Series, on
ITV1 & ITV1+1. They might be planning to reveal the order of the
entire Top 60, for it to be spread over 3 Shows.

AN HONOUR FOR THE BEATLES, ABBA, & MADONNA

The Beatles, ABBA, & Madonna, are the only 3 Acts, to have had 2
of their No.1 Hits chosen to be Voted on.

The Beatles get 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', (1963), & 'Hey Jude', (1968),
& ABBA get 'Dancing Queen', (1976), & 'The Winner Takes It All', (1980).
Madonna gets 'Like A Prayer', (1989), & 'Vogue', (1990).

So, The Beatles are the only Act with 2 No.1's chosen from the same
Decade, & ABBA & Madonna, are the only Acts with 2 No.1's chosen
from different Decades.

Zeus555

by **zeus555** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:29 am

Some new Totals off Alan Jones, (Music Week Sales Report), Monday 16th April 2012.

Regarding the All Time UK Singles Acts:,

1) The Beatles, with Digital Sales added in, they now have 21,824,296 UK Singles Sales.

2) Elvis Presley has - 21,532,246 UK Singles Sales

3) Cliff Richard has - 21,498,951 UK Singles Sales.

4) Madonna is 4th - 17,582,206 UK Singles Sales

After The Beatles, the 2 Groups with the most UK Singles Sales are:,

A) Queen - 12,556,708

B) ABBA - 11,189,520

Rhianna is already on 13,311,889 UK Singles Sales, & she only began having Hit Singles
in September 2005.

Lady GaGa has 7,246,566 - and she has only been Charting since January 2009.

All Totals go up to Sunday 8th April - which is the W/E 14th April Singles Chart.

Alan Jones added:,

"The ABBA total in 2003 included estimated sales of 920,000 for Dancing Queen - but it has since sold a further 132,777 copies (all but six of them digitally) which, if the original estimate is correct,, would elevate it to a million seller, with a to date tally of 1,052,777".

Zeus555

by **brian05** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:44 am

For your information,

From Music Week December 22nd 1979. I don't know how accurate these claims are.

by **prici900** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:27 pm

The Abba LP better known as the limousine LP –was the LP that really launched Abba as international LP stars. This LP is usually not included as being a big seller and it is true that some countries tended to pass it by – USA, England and Germany being prime examples, however sales in some countries were very impressive, countries such as Australia, Poland and Denmark spring to mind (Note that these three countries are not usually renowned for having big LP sales) and for this particular Abba album the sales were huge.

Total sales for this LP range from 2-to 2;5 million – I would say more like 4 or 5 million by the end of the 1970’s and I am making a case for this.

What we know- there is a claim for the following sales –

Australia –700,000 – depending on the source you look at.

Sweden – 450,000 – Massive seller there.

Poland – 250,000 (Sited in two books from 1977)

Denmark – 200,000 +(Sited in two books from 1977)

France – 200,000 (Difficult as it was known as the golden double LP which was essentially the Abba LP with additional tracks)

England – 170,000.

Norway – 100,000+

Belgium 50,000+ a big seller for them here.

Canada – 50,000+ it has an award for this which is amazing given it was not a big charting hit there.

Austria – 50,000+ this was a massive seller for them there.

Italy – 50,000 – this was a big seller for Abba here due to the success of SOS single.

Russia – 25,000 +

Germany – 40,000 at the most – a very small seller in Germany due to the fact that the greatest hits sold so many.

Finland - 25,358

Holland – 40,000 approximately - high charting album – must have been slow and steady.

Japan 10,000 maybe – it was not a big seller there.

New Zealand – 5,000 +– was a big seller for a small country.

Switzerland – 40,000 a big territory for Abba and one of the countries that took them to their hearts very quickly

USA –100,000 – maybe or maybe that is being too generous.

Zimbabwe – 10,000 – 20,000+ it was a massive seller there for such a small country

Hong kong – 10,000 +

Ireland – 4,000

It also sold in East Germany –where it would have sold big as Abba had their greatest success there in the years 1975/1976 unfortunately sales figures are unknown at present, it would have also sold in south Africa –Greece, Mexico,

Something that seldom gets taken into consideration is new fans – I brought my first Abba LP in 1978 – Abba the Album and then over the years got their back catalogue – including singles – I am sure that I was not the only person who would have picked up records in retrospect. This means that sales would have increased over the years for the Abba album – especially in their active years as a group.

by **Benny** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:04 pm

Interesting to see how unequally successful the "Abba" LP was - a huge seller in countries like Australia and Sweden on the one hand and a flop (more or less) in the UK and Germany on the other hand.

Sales for "Abba" from Billboard Magazine:

Australia - 570k (issue 22 January 1977)
Japan - 220k (issue 10 March 1979)
Sweden - 475k (issue 8 Sept 1979)

by **zeus555** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:50 pm

The Wednesday Mid Week Charts have been revealed, in the UK.

LINK:,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/update/albums

That is the Top 40 Singles & Albums for Sales on Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday.

'The Visitors' (Deluxe), is in at No.32! It is the first time that an ABBA Studio Album
has been in the UK Top 100 for 30 Years! (And that was 'The Visitors' - No.94 on
W/E 8th May 1982). The last time that an ABBA Studio Album was in the UK Top 40
was W/E 3rd April 1982 - 'The Visitors' - No.37. And the last time one was in the
Top 75 - W/E 17th April 1982 - 'The Visitors' - No.64.

So, it looks like it will be in the Top 40, over 30 Years later - for W/E 5th May 2012.
(Which is what the date of Sunday's Weekly Chart will be - 29th April).

IT IS A DECLINE - SINCE YESTERDAY'S MID WEEKS

Although Tuesday Mid weeks are no longer published in the UK, I asked The OCC
(yesterday), where 'The Visitors' was for Sales on Sunday & Monday.

It was at No.22 in the Tuesday Mid Weeks - so it lost ground on Tuesday, hence
its No.32 place in the Wednesday Mid Weeks.

THE LESSONS HERE......

1) More Fans will buy ABBA 'Deluxe' Editions, if they have 'New' Music added.

2) The previous 'Deluxe' Editions only did this, in the UK:,

ARRIVAL - No.197
THE ALBUM - FAILED TO CHART
VOULEZ-VOUS - No.148
SUPER TROUPER - No.146

Notice that the one with the least 'rarities' added failed to Chart at all.

3) Add some 'New' Music, & let the fact be well known - the UK Media - and
we have 'The Visitors' 'Deluxe' entering the Top 40 of the UK Album Chart.....

4) Benny & Bjorn know this to be the case - they are not stupid. The only issue is
whether they care. Whether it means anything to them, that an ABBA Studio Album
has entered the UK Top 40 for the first time in 30 Years.....

Zeus555

by **tino** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:27 am

That'd be great, if the album really manages a re-entry. It would be its 22nd week inside the top 75, if I'm right, the same number of weeks like "The Singles- The First Ten Years".

"From A Twinkling Star To An Passing Angel" shows and proves easily, what kind of masterful creators of melodies and tunes Benny & Björn were (of course, the final version of the song did and does it for decades).

Back in 1994 when I bought the "Thank Your For The Music"-Box-Set and first listened to "Put On Your White Sombrero" I really thought, how could they ever left this jewel out of an original release. Okay, it may have not really fitted on the "Super Trouper"-Album as it was planned and let it be a kind of "German Schlager" mixed with Italian (resp. Spanish) Schmalz, but others would kill for having such an exciting tune.

Benny & Björn both told a thousand times that were are no other songs - however, if just demos or even proper productions- left in the tank. But all the snippets on the box-set and now on "The Visitors" make clear, how many treasures remain half-recovered (I can't tell why, but since 1994 one of my alltime ABBA favourites is "Just A Notion). Not to mention that every close to- and real hard ABBA fan is waiting for a final and official release of "Just Like That".

By the way, does anyone know the sale-figures for the latest moderate chartrun of "18 Hits"?

Last FM · by **arab** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:30 am

Sweden
18[N] The Visitors

by **Benny** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:14 pm

US Catalog Chart

thebigham wrote:4/28 Billboard charts:

CATALOG 200

56 ABBA GOLD-GREATEST HITS 2,533 78 1,420 5,338,273

by **Benny** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:32 pm

The Visitors (Deluxe Edition) enters the UK Top 75 at number 62

Plus Abba have two other albums in the top 100, "18 Hits" at number 83 and "Gold" at number 90 (up from number 120).

by **zeus555** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:45 pm

The Visitors started high, & declined all Week.

Tuesday - in at No.22, Wednesday - down to No.32, Thursday - down to No.41.
Friday - unknown,(by me), & Sunday - No.62

Many Fans said they were unable to find copies in the Shops
so that didn't help. It will be out of the Top 100 next Week.

In the meantime, 'Gold' is up from No.120 to No.90,
to be back in the Top 100 - its 648th Top 100 Week.

And '18 Hits' stays at No.83 - its 36th Top 100 Week.

We will see how well, (or badly), The Essential Collection' does, in the
W/E 2nd June Chart.

Where-ever it Peaks, 'The Essential Collection' is bound to reach the Top 75.

It will make 2012 the first Calendar Year, in which ABBA placed 4 Albums
in the UK Top 75 - 'Gold' & '18 Hits', having done so before 'The Visitors'.

Zeus555

by **prici900** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:58 pm

Hi I brought my Visitors CD on friday - the last one in HMV - so maybe it might stay in the charts next week as the demand was bigger than was expected.
It is lovekly to see a studio LP back in the charts I guess it must have sold three to four thousand to get to 62.

I for one am not looking forward to the new complilation and as its money for old rope - It never ceases to amaze me that the Abba Complilations still sell even after over the market has been saturated - the last one I brought was the definitive collection and that was only because of the 12" Voulez Vous and the re-mix ring ring.

I would love a new Abba LP made up of the things that are unreleased like Rikky Rock 'N' Roller -Funky Feet -Monsieur, Monsieur -the 12" of take a chance on me - Just a Notion -Rubber Ball Man -Like An Angel Passing Through My Room (Disco Version) - and of course Just Like That. The LP could be called alturnative journey and be classed as Abba's 9th original LP - the carpenters have done such wonderful things like this and it is new to the fans ears - sales would be big

by **prici900** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:07 pm

Benny and Bjorn need to seriously think about their fans and give us something NEW and Differnet for our loyalty -

I would love to see a new LP (Well new to us) made up of of the quality alturnative tracks that I just mentioned - as so many exist - and how lovely for Abba to be charting all over the world again with a 9TH studio LP

Come on lets try and get our wonderful Abba to give us the Alturnative Journey LP and add another couple of million to their sales.

by **zeus555** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:12 pm

Sadly, Benny & Bjorn feel that they/ABBA owe the
Fans nothing. It will be a very long time - if ever
- that ABBA Fans will get anything else that we do
not already have - as regards ABBA Music.

And many Fans also feel that ABBA owe nothing to the Fans.

In the meantime, 'The Visitors' will not be in the
UK Top 100 next Week.

As usual, ABBA will be represented by 'Gold', &
'18 Hits'. Both of which are steady sellers, & seem
to be all that most people want from ABBA.

'The Essential Collection' will be in the Top 75
in 5 Charts time - W/E 2nd June.

We will see if it can beat 'The Definitive Collection',
which was a No.17 UK Hit, back in 2001.

Zeus555

Last FM · by **arab** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:33 pm

Music Week wrote:Two former number one albums return in new incarnations - Abba's final studio album The Visitors and T. Rex's ElectricWarrior - chart-toppers in 1981 and 1971 respectively. Newly remastered, expanded and featuring a DVD of rare performances and interviews, The Visitors re-enters the list atnumber 62 (1,934 sales), making its first appearance in the chart for 30 years

by **Benny** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:59 pm

Thanks arab, almost 2000 copies sold, not bad