grumpyf1

"OK guys, let's try not to be too OTT... ah. Too late." When Swedish quartet Abba last recorded music together, I was 15 years old.  I know that, based on my youthful good looks, you’re probably thinking that was about 20 years ago. 30 at a push. Miles out – it was 35 years ago. Following aborted attempts at a ninth album, they went their separate ways in 1983. As they never officially went on record to say they’d split up, you could argue this has just been a very, very, long break. More than long enough for other returnees, such as Take That, to grow up, form a group, have hits, split up, leave it for a while, get back together, have more hits, then gradually shed members. Arguably still at their peak when they said “Thank You For The Music” and vanished, Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid produced some of the most joyous and infectiously catchy pop music of the 70s and 80s. As with most music icons, it wasn’t long before they were viewed as cheesy, kitschy...