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ABBA: Bang a Boomerang: sneak peek

Video: Countdown was pivotal in ABBA's success, but it was Reg Grundy who lured them to Australia for Nine.

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Countdown‘s role in ABBA’s success is well-documented, so I’m pleased to see this upcoming ABC documentary on their Aussie success even includes the ABBA special that Nine stitched up in the 1970s.

I had no idea it was Reg Grundy who was behind the idea, as part of a plan to revive Bandstand.

He was even smart enough to secure merchandise rights.

This nostalgic doco, narrated by Alan Brough, airs on ABC1 Thursday, January 30 at 8.30pm.

11 Responses

  1. Looking forward to reliving my childhood watching this doco. @timmydownawell i too am old enough to remember b&w tv, in fact we were the last people i knew to get a colour set finally in 1980 only because the old one broke. I also share the pain of a sports mad father resuting in endless arguments over the tv especially when Young Talent Time & Countdown clashed with the footy!

  2. I seem to recall when they played the Abba special in NZ it was in the afternoon – must have been on a weekend – as my dad was watching rugby on the main (colour) tv we were forced to go watch Abba on the old B&W telly upstairs. How mean.

  3. Settle, Hazza! Daryl was just sharing an amusing anecdote from his brief time with ABBA, not laying the boot in. I thought from your comment that he must have said something heinous about Agnetha….! I think it was quite mean-spirited of Reg Grundy to completely shut Countdown out of the picture. After all, had it not been for Countdown, he might not have even had a reason to bring the group out here when he did.

  4. I wonder how many languages Daryl Somers speaks other than English? And I wonder if Daryl can sing and write songs in other languages that aren’t in his native tongue? I wonder how well he even speaks another language if at all? I wonder if he can play piano and compose songs in 3 languages like Agnetha can? I wonder if he will be remembered like ABBA will be? How many hit records did he play his drums on? He just has to make a big deal of Agnetha’s English and saying not many people can afford to own their own recording studio, which at the time he said it, was also incorrect too. Daryl, her native tongue is Swedish! Not impressed!!

  8. I wasn’t aware of the Grundy/ABBA/Bandstand link although it was Grundy that produced ABBA The Movie as well wasn’t it?

    Funny they mention the merchandise. My dad used to have a bedding shop in the ’70s and he used to sell ABBA pillow cases… I never saw the appeal at the time but I should have kept one it would have been worth a fortune now!

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