Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Pretty self-explanatory
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krm
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Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by krm »

Västerviksfestivalen July 12th 1978

A couple of times the last years EC has been referring to his initial meeting with ABBA. (this occasion a.o. http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 24_Skavlan )

During the 1978 summer tour a final date was added to the sweden leg, when the opportunity to play a festival where ABBA was supposed to be present showed up. At least that is how the story is told. The date for this was july12th and EC&A did an unannounced appearance as surprise guests and 50% of ABBA (Benny and Frida) were in the audience. As the festival was a folkmusic festival, there was no room for the usual gear and all was performed unplugged.

Apparently, this was not 100% the right festival/audience for the guys. The three reviews of the evening was extremely negative and questioning. Västervikstidningen reported on the 13th that "EC was the surprise of the evening - WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT". Nice photo on the front page.
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Västerviksdemokraten is a bit more enthusiastic. The reviewer had seen him earlier in the week and was positively surprised. He mentions that EC played Knowing me, knowing you among a few other songs on accoustic guitar.

Kvällsposten is very brief and writes a bit neutral, but manage to mention that Benny and Frida were happily surprised when playing their song.
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krm
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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Västeviksdemokraten:
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Kvällsposten:
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krm
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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In the book "På ruinens brant" (ISBN 91-630-3345-3) about the 30 year jubilee of the festival, each year is presented with a page aswell. Elvis gets a brief mention here as well, but it is only references from the previous mentioned newspaper articles.
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by verbal gymnastics »

All we need now is a translator for all of those articles...
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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krm
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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verbal gymnastics wrote:All we need now is a translator for all of those articles...
I´m your man! :-)
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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Pete and Steve playing guitar?!

Interesting.
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by sulky lad »

If you watch the official promo for PLU, you will see Steve playing all the right chords ( and in the right places) and even strums to the correct rhythms on Elvis' Jazzmaster. I think Elvis also mentions that Steve dubbed a guitar part on Pidgin English ( that National guitar sounding intro) on the "A Conversation With " IB promo, if memory serves me right !
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krm
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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sulky lad wrote:If you watch the official promo for PLU, you will see Steve playing all the right chords ( and in the right places) and even strums to the correct rhythms on Elvis' Jazzmaster. I think Elvis also mentions that Steve dubbed a guitar part on Pidgin English ( that National guitar sounding intro) on the "A Conversation With " IB promo, if memory serves me right !

great! correct memory but wrong song. It was on "tears before bedtime" - I had to give it a listen.
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Pete plays acoustic guitar on "You Bowed Down."
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docinwestchester
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by docinwestchester »

And No Coffee Table wrote:Pete plays acoustic guitar on "You Bowed Down."
Any live performances on guitar (other than this one)?

I was there when he sang (into a mic). It took a bit of effort by EC to get him there, but he did it. Starting at around 2:15:

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krm
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

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Google translate made this out of the first article:

Surprise of the festival - Elvis Costello - was a disappointment! Throughout his tour in Sweden, he has acclaimed in the press.

"There are few who play so vital, so vivid and sharp rock like Elvis," wrote Aftonbladet.

This was not noticeable track on Wednesday evening. On the contrary, Elvis Costello and his costumed group looking like a bad plagiarism of 50s rock singer. Like those who performed before the days of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

Elvis Costello was singing to acoustic guitars, and without the accessories a rock singer requires in terms of amplifier etc, it all fell flat.

Moreover, one wonders what a rock band has a song festival to do? It is well at least not supposed to be some kind of rock gala.

The feeling that the song festival in Västervik becoming a commercial stunt can not be avoided.

But the evening was - fortunately - not only by Elvis Costello! Folk & Rackare, the group from Gothenburg, who plays the self-organized Norwegian and Swedish folk music was tremendously talented.

So far they have never received a bad review and it will not now either.

This group has a form of pride in what they do and an interest in what they sing and the enormous musical knowledge. Carin, the only girl in the group has a huge fine voice - a voice that becomes an in true harmony with the other musicians. For real musicians that's what they are.

The group Folk & Rackare in addition to Ulf and Carin also two Norwegians and Norwegian it was also Jan Eggum from Bergen in Norway.

His acoustic guitar playing was professionally and technically skilled. Unfortunately, his appearance a bit monotonous and the attention and enthusiasm had cooled considerably before he reached the end of the song.

Lars Rune Jävebrant sang so called "dårdikter" of the 20th century uncrowned queen Black Mask alias Anna Myrberg.

He sang including a show about the man who lived backward, and that was exactly what it felt like - back in time!

Lars Rune Jävebrant was tonight's second caricature. Caricature of a guitar player at the pub that bothers one when eating.
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Re: Scandinavian tour 1978 pt2 or how EC met ABBA

Post by johnfoyle »

Image

A better version of the photo of the all acoustic Elvis & The Attractions has been found.

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... %A4stervik
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