The album will be entitled "The Voyage" and will consist of 10 new tracks written as usual by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. Two tracks from the album have already been released and have shot up the singles charts - proving that Abba are as popular as ever. And just why is that?
The answer is simple. Their music over the years has oozed class and never lost its popularity. So I settled down a couple of days ago to listen to the new tracks. And I listened and listened over and over again until the tracks were burnt into my mind. I must have played each of them 20 times and it's a long time since I did that with a song.
And the overall impression was one of wonderment and joy. Wonderment that the band is recording again after 40 years and joy that the songs are as strong as ever.
The first song "I Still Have Faith in You" is a song of reconciliation - a powerful ballad. The second "Don't Shoot Me Down" begins with a typical Abbaesque slow intro before turning into more of a rocker with those trademark harmonies from Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog. This song sounds as if it has come straight from a stage show and straight from any one of their albums of the past.
Many people view Abba as simply a pop group that had a few good tunes. But that is nonsense. If that's your view have a good listen to their lyrics. Bjorn and Benny have written some of the darkest words about breaking up in the history of pop. Just give a close listen to songs like "The Winner Takes It All." Many of their albums are sombre despite the melodies at times sounding upbeat.
So back to the two new songs. "I Still Have Faith In You" is the band re-uniting, putting any difference behind them, proving that as far as relationships go they have learnt from the past.
"I still have faith in you
I see it now
Through all these years that faith lives on, somehow
There was a union
Of heart and mind
The likes of which are rare and oh so hard to find
Do I have it in me?
I believe it is in there
For I know I hear a bittersweet song
In the memories we share."
This is such a contrast to their break-up songs. It is four people once again enjoying each other's company. Four people that as the album title suggests have been on "A Journey." And it sounds that this may even have come as a surprise to even them.
I still have faith in you
And I will say
I never really thought I'd feel this way
But I remind myself
Of who we are
How inconceivable it is to reach this far
We have a story
And it survived
And we need one another
Like fighters in a ring
We're in this together
Passion and courage
Is everything."
On first hearings I thought "I Still Have Faith In You" to be the stronger of the two songs but I have now changed my mind. "Don't Shoot Me Down" is pure classic Abba. The theme of re-union continues but there is one line of deep introspection and admission when the following words are sung
I believe it would be fair to say
You look bewildered
And you wonder why I'm here today
And so you should, I would
When I left I felt I'd had enough
But in the shape and form I appear now
I have learned to cope
And love and hope is why I am here now
The interesting thing for me is that the two female band members have allowed the two males to write such stark and even harsh almost apologetic lyrics - even an admission of guilt.
"I'm not the same this time around."
"My tantrums and increasing frustration."
These are mind-numbing lyrics "let's put the past behind us, we cannot throw away all our history."
It's taken 40 years of occasional empty promises about new material to bring us to this point. I won't say it's been worth the wait because no new music is worth waiting four decades for. But one thing is certain, I'm looking forward to many more admissions and soul searching in the other eight songs to be released at the beginning of November. Then there's going to be a number of concerts in London with special hologram style shows featuring Avatars (or I believe that should be Abbatars) of the foursome.
It's all going to be a riot of sound and a few flashbacks to the glorious years of pop music. It will also remind me of that evening in our parish church where we all sang Abba songs and danced in the Aisles. Perhaps we could have a reprise of that as well.