icethesite - ABBA, CHESS, Kristina and more

Benny with Allsång på Skansen host Anders Lundin

Early report on BAO/ABBA-related activities:

BAO opened with Du är min man (now having acheived 217 weeks on Svensktoppen) and moved on to perform Nu mår jag mycket bättre.

Benny next paid tribute to his friend Stig Olin, who died in early July. Olin was the writer of the popular Jag tror på sommaren and also tonight's choice En gång jag seglar i hamn (One Time I Sail Into Port), which was sung by Helen and Tommy with Benny on piano.

In a brief interview onstage, Benny remarked modestly about how "pleased and grateful" he is for the way it has gone with ABBA all these years.

Mamma Mia was followed by Super Trouper (both performed by Donna and The Dynamos from the Stockholm cast of Mamma Mia! - Gunilla Backman, Charlotte Strandberg and Sussie Eriksson along with choir) and the show finished with Gunilla singing Tack för alla sånger (Thank You For The Music) accompanied by a heartily vocal but damp crowd (both on and off stage).

Helen Sjöholm

Tommy Körberg and Helen Sjöholm

**View the whole programme as broadcast tonight on the SVT Allsång på Skansen subsite. An extra 30 minutes (not broadcast on TV) will be available to view tomorrow.

The album first hit the top spot in its year of release (1992) and returned in 1999 for three more separate stints at No.1. Today's chart confirms that Gold has again topped the UK Album chart. It is also the oldest album to reach the top spot in the UK chart. What an amazing feat!

At the time of writing, it holds the sixth 'Most Chart Weeks' of any UK album position - 365 weeks in the Top 75 and 708 weeks in the UK Top 200.

As we now know, there has been no re-release of Gold (so far, anyway) in the UK (the version on sale currently is the 30th Anniversary edition).  More ABBA Gold is, however, scheduled for release on August 25 and available now at amazon.co.uk for £7.99 (see link left).