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Friday Flashback: Olivia!

One show... with Olivia Newton-John, ABBA & Andy Gibb all singing each others' songs.

 

Pure pop heaven….

A flashback from the US this week is a rare 1978 music special Olivia!, which featured Olivia Newton-John, ABBA and Andy Gibb.

Amazingly they all sing on each others’ songs.

The special on YouTube comes with excellent stereo quality. You can watch the whole clip from the start including just before the recording begins and after, with floor crew.

An IMDb user notes:

It was filmed on Monday 8 May 1978, in The Columbia Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles and broadcast on Wednesday 17 May 1978 (ABC), USA and it was released on a laser disc in the USA in 1978. ABBA were special guests, along with Andy Gibb, on Olivia Newton-John’s TV special. This was during “ABBA Month” in the USA. The songs performed Live:- ‘Remember The Days Of The Old School Yard’ (with Olivia and Andy Gibb) ‘If You Love Me’ (backing Olivia)” Dancing Queen’ ‘Fernando’ (edit) ‘I Just Wanna Be Your Everything’ (backing Andy Gibb) ‘Have You Never Been Mellow?’ (you don’t see ABBA on this clip) Please Mr Please (backing Olivia) ‘Take A Chance On Me’ Live ‘Shadow Dancing’ (dancing along to Andy Gibb (not singing) Hopelessly Devoted To You (Olivia) If You Love Me (all together).

You also see ABBA singing Money Money Money (not Live) behind a large glass box where dollar bills are flying down from the top as part of a board game ‘skit’.

The ‘jamming’ session with Olivia and Andy Gibb included the following:- Help Me Rhonda Barbara Anne Opera bit (“Una voce poco fa” from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” (The Barber of Seville by Rossini) – Frida Holiday – Andy Gibb Jailhouse Rock What’ll I Do – Olivia

Thank You For The Music (with Olivia and Andy Gibb) as the credits rolled.

6 Responses

  1. Maybe a broadcaster is interested in showing this one day; and not just as an exercise in nostalgia.
    But perhaps there are the usual ‘rights’ issues or some other issue that means it is not possible. Anyway, the music holds up very well.
    The songs from ABBA, Olivia and Andy Gibb are still much-loved mainstays of ‘oldies’ radio all over the place. And the back catalogues of these artists, Abba especially, sell (and stream) extremely well.

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