Rock and Roll Cage Match: Music's Greatest Rivalries, Decided by Manning Sean

Author:Manning, Sean [Manning, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780307449658
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Published: 2008-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Now that the real story has come out, it is possible to see the entire history of Abba as nothing but a reaction to all things Gibb. Quite simply, the phenomenal success of Abba can be attributed to only one factor: Benny Andersson’s pathological need to “beat” Barry at every turn, all in an attempt to re-create that cold, cold night in Sweden, oh so long ago. His bitterness can easily be seen in Abba hits like “Waterloo” and “The Winner Takes It All,” but it is also subtle, showing itself in songs like “SOS,” a reaction to the Bee Gees’ 1968 sleeper hit “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.”

Basically, once Benny rose from the ashes of defeat, he set about putting together the group that would rival “That Band,” as he had begun referring to them. The Bee Gees had successfully graduated from what Benny had called “limp-wristed sixties balladry1 and Beatles rip-offs”2 to certified funkmeisters with hits like “Jive Talkin’ ” and “Fanny (Be Tender With My Love).”

Initially he knew that he would have to add siblings to the mix if he really wanted to compete. There is something to be said for bands with siblings—folks who have known each other for their entire lives and speak an unspoken language that carries over into remarkable songwriting. Unfortunately, one of Benny’s brothers was tone-deaf and the other had been lost on a Nordic whaling expedition. He’d have to find replacements.

But he was forgetting one thing. The Bee Gees weren’t composed of just any old brothers. The Bee Gees had twins, the fraternal bookends Robin and Maurice.3 How could his new band ever compete with that synergy?

If there was one thing Benny learned from skiffle, it was to make the best of what instruments you had. If life throws you empty herring tins, you bore a hole in both ends and call it a clavichord.

“Hmmm,” thought Benny. “Holes in both ends. . . .” Suddenly it hit him. Anni-Frid! And his best friend and Westbay Singers bandmate Björn was going out with this chick Agnetha. That’s it! They would ask the girls to be in the band. That would also make up for Barry’s falsetto, which, try as he might, Benny just could not duplicate.

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