WHOA! I received a message from THE actual Mike Watson! He said this to me. - "Keep up the good work. It's all about the BASS! By the way Benny was copying the bass lines we made we didn't copy him. Cheers, Mike..." (SO FREAKIN' COOL! Clearly he wanted to be clear that Benny copied him hahaha)
Wow you got a message from Mike Watson........great. Yess ABBA had the best female singers, a very good songwriter and 2 cool bassists.....that was the whole package why they are so good.
@@degeneralist3.088Sure it is. McCartney does/did.Abba and The Beatles are bands with really interesting bass playing, so that must count fo something. U2 may also be included...
At the cafe someone asked me “Who’s you favourite bass player?” I answered “Rutger Gunnarsson” they normally answer “Who’s that?” lol. I enjoyed this interlude here !
I played guitar in one or two indie bands over the years, and received more than the occasional quizzical look when I answered likewise!😄 As an aside, I'd often wondered to what extent Rutger influenced another favourite (and *certainly* underrated) bass player of mine: Mat Osman from Suede- some of his lines are beautifully inventive IMHO, and have that Gunnarsson groove (qv "Europe Is Our Playground", "The Wild Ones", "The Asphalt World").😁✌️
No kidding. I learned about this great bassist only after his passing away, but have enjoyed his music for the past so many years. Still do. I used to practice bass by trying to hum his lines at the back of my throat hoping to hear it in my ears 🤣🤣
ABBA had so many 'true weapons".Bassists such as Rutger were really precious to their team not to mention their genius sound engineer M.Tretow and of course Agnetha's and Frida's vocal blendingt.That was outa this world.'No one to touch them in their field' .ThaNk u for doing Abba.
Everybody involved with ABBA were top notch. The guitarist, Lasse Wellander was also the best in the game. A wonderfully melodic player. A bit like David Gilmour.
Fore the record, Rutger playd one of us and one man one woman. Mike Watson played gimme gimme gimme. Arnold Paseiro playd Voulez-Vous.@@christianoazzuro6711
Hi Andrew, Thank you for this. Rutger and Mike really deserve to be celebrated not just as wonderful bass players but incredible musicians. Their work with ABBA was simply brilliant. Rutger, in particular, had that special feel which blended beautifully with what Bjorn and Benny were trying to achieve. And we must not forget Lasse Wellander and Janne Schaffer whose great guitar skills gave Rutger's bass parts plenty of room to breath. Cheers from the Land Down Under.
Rutger was amazing for sure. I was lucky enough to see them in Eurovision 1974 at Brighton with my wonderful (passed) Dad. It was un-cool to like ABBA in the 80's. Glad their music is still getting played all these years later.
Lasse Welander and Mats Ronander on mighty lead guitars Ola Brunkert on drums Mikael Tretow behind the controls like a Swedish George Martin. Soundtrack of my teens 😎💪
LOVE to see the Abba tracks dissected like this! Gunnarsson's playing added so much color. And fortunately Little Mike Watson is alive and kicking to this very day.
As ABBA for decades, I actually did not pay much attention to the bass line. Only concentrate on melodies. But now I will listen more intensity. Thanks so much for this video.
As always, great content. I am Swedish and grew up with ABBA. Rutger Gunnarsson and Mike Watson are two of the greatest Swedish bass players in my opinion. If Gunnarsson is the Polar Studio's James Jamerson, Watson is the Polar Studio's Bob Babbitt. A similar playing style but not as busy
Thanks so much for doing this. It’s about time. I couldn’t agree more Rutger was a monster bass player and his bass parts gave ABBA songs great foundation and syncopation. I love the vocals of course, great harmonies, but as a musician the bass lines rock and give so much character to the rhythm. 👍👍👍
Thank you so much for this video. You are 100% right. I had been waiting for a long time to see if anybody made a video about Rutger Gunnarsson's influence on ABBA’s songs, and I am glad you did it. His basslines are masterpieces. Unfortunately, he didn’t get more recognition for having so much talent.
Exactly... this video would seem as the bassist was but there would be no ABBA without Benny. Other ppl added but to what was created already which Benny did most of it.
I actually saw ABBA live in Seattle in 1979, the only time they ever toured the USA. Thanks for posting this. I'd never really thought about the bass lines. One reason is that back when this music was new and released on vinyl, there were few people who had the quality of music systems one would need for the bass to stand out. You need a heavy duty receiver or amp, and some large speakers with big woofers on the bottom, and a graphic equalizer where one could boost the bass, and then one would actually have to think of doing that for an ABBA record.
Nice to hear a bass players opinion. I´m a Swede who grew up in the 70´s and 80´s and Super Trouper was my first album. And it was different times back then. Absolutely everybody had a descent HiFi system at home and my parents were no exception. I realized quickly that ABBA´s bass was a very nice thing. In fact I got a life long HiFi hobby to thank ABBA for. Also, I always thought they mixed their albums very nice, and that is of course thanks to the brilliant Michael B Tretow. Thank´s for sharing. The bass was more amazing and interesting than I thought it was.
Even though I was smitten with Agnetha, since the 1974 Eurovision song contest. And - never got over that. Rutger, influenced me to be aware of bass in the mix, and want to play it. That started in 1976, when I was 13. I have only just processed the impact he has had over me, most of my musical life. What a great time to be alive.
I like reading these comments and seeing some less known but so very good songs mentioned . Nina, Pretty Ballerina, I've Been Waiting For You, Soldiers.... ABBA has so many great and beautiful songs. I've been listening to them solid since the 1st grade. I'm 55. Thank you for the music and thanks to all that point these wonderful elements out. Keep your music alive.
Happy to see Rutger‘s amazing work highlighted. Outstanding, legendary bass player, phenomenal musician and by all accounts he must have been a really good guy as well. What a legacy. Definitely one of my bass heroes!
Rutger is a legend (RIP) and the bass line on One of us, is definitely epic, busy bass a la Motown, nice and tastefully carved into the arrangement, always loved that one!
Absoluetly right. Rutger was one of the top notch bass players of all time. And thats the big secret - complex bass lines, sounds easy but so hard to develop and play. go beyond the music creates such a deeper meaning to easy pop songs... thanks for this channel.
Andy, I am totally on the same page as you mate - Rutgers lines blow me away and you've absolutely nailed them - well done sir! I've adored this bloke for years and he, like Maurice Gibb, don't get a fraction of the credit they deserve. They were part of a group of bassist that made me pick up a bass in the first place and I NEVER get tired of playing their songs - massively influential
I played the Mama Mia show and all the parts were transcribed exactly. They were KILLER! I always respected with Gunter did but getting that in-depth with the transcriptions gave me a renewed appreciation and admiration. His parts were both busy, yet perfectly tasteful. And my favorite track to play was "One of Us."
Rutger was the man - I met him up north on my way back from Östersund - He told me about the simple harmonies that sounded huge .. I used in on one of my tracks from that time "Marie" :-)
Hey, noticed you changed the camera angle. Looks good! Another great video. I think great musicians know when to play a supportive role and know when to shine on a solo or other intricate part. So cool listening to isolated tracks. Its amazing hearing what a part sounds like apart from the rest of the piece.
I would definitely add their sound engineer, Michael B. Tretow as part of their secret weapon. He was indelible in mixing and making their vocals sparkle, against their unique melodic soundscape. His absence with their latest album i.m.o is sorely missed (though it's still a 👌🏻album).
This is great stuff. ABBA songs were the ones that really had me listening to the bass parts, not to mention the entire arrangement. Rutger was such a fantastic player, so amazingly musical. He was also a hell of an arranger. I transcribed his string arrangement for "My Love My Life" and it's so masterfully written. Sits in the song so well. 11:18 - so true! Great work mate.
So true- bassists are the unheralded dynamos! They propel the undercutrent of the song without many bein even conscious of it! I’m blown over by the bass on Philadelphia Freedom, for example.
Great analysis, thank you! I have always admired the ABBA bass lines. Such a key part of the music. Even for those who may not consciously listen for it, the bass adds to the overall perception of the music and the success of the song.
I am not a musician, but I enjoyed every second of your video. I grew up with ABBA music, and from time to time I still like to hear them, and I knew that Rutger was a first class bassist (although in some comments I've heard that he was bassist on concerts, but not on the albums, which might be wrong). But your analysis, and playing live was such a pleasure to listen. Keep such a good work, you have one more follower. Regards from Serbia...
6:20 I played „Lay all your love on me“ with my band and it‘s a really challenging but also satisfying bass line especially the melodic part in the verse that iirc gets doubled with guitar. I tried to do some octave double stops to simulate this sound.
I just love your passion and your enthusiasm! Thank you for this interesting video. I know those songs quite well but I never really paid close attention to the bass parts, except for Super Trouper because it is impossible not to notice it. Those are impressive pieces of virtuosity!
1:53/1:59 deff that's some tribute band and not Abba btw.No one can really replicate those exotic Swedes in a convincing way.they are so gorgeously utopic.Thanks for 'One of Us" it's got such a fab bass.
@@BassFreedomThank you Andrew for defining.The notification was just very brief and the letters tiny small some of us couldn't notice so easily so it escaped my sight too same way it happened to couple of other commentators from what i read in the comment text.But put the "blame" on me and keep the rest of my comment,lol.Btw can we hope for a part 2?I think there's more left to be explored and i feel many of us would have liked some more,eh?
I think that might be Arrival From Sweden. I saw them last year and only realised afterwards that they had an original ABBA bass player. They sound very good - well worth seeing if you get the chance.
ABBA’s true secret weapon is the magical musical Maestro Michael B Tretow. Micke is the ultimate sonic genius who was an integral part of creating the unique, timeless, multi-layered and immersive ABBA sound, his sonic experiments and musical mastery transcends all boundaries of time and generation, and really he should get more acknowledgement for all of this
Wow!! Thank you Andrew. Super excellent presentation of this awesome & totally under appreciated collection of musical talent, AND for giving due credit to the critical role of some amazing bass players in “completing” the final product of beautiful and lasting music. Keep up the superb work.
I just found this channel. These are awesome 😎 I play Tuba and gee it would be so awesome to play these instead of the boring daa-da-daaaa we get written.
When I first heard "knowing me, knowing you" I had to find out who played the amazing bass......it was Rutger.....and I never heard better. Great vid thanks.
That was a treat. I first stumbled across your channel looking at the BeeGees basslines, then next, I stumbled across this one... my two favourite 70s bands.
I am so glad you made a vid about this. I was watching a small gig of ABBA playing in Japan and it was blindingly obvious they were in fact a seven piece band. Gutner himself was classically trained and had a huge imput into their sound. So why weren't the other three given full credit and be named members? Basically for commercial reasons the two couples worked great as a brand and getting more names and faces added would not have looked so good. Also the other three came and went more, especially the drummers, so in a way they were session musicians. The Beatles on other hand were a genuine 4 piece, any one else joining would do normally for very minor roles and they were given full credit, although Billy Preston by the let it be album had a become the virtual 5th Beatle. If the beatles had carried on, would he have been a full member? Probably not as its best bands stick to their original identity.
Thanks for this analysis of some of the best of the wonderful ABBA bass lines! The recent appreciation for Rutger Gunnarsson (and Mike Watson) makes me very happy. I grew up with ABBA and started to play bass as a teenager. Two of my favorite bass lines were the songs you picked - "One of Us" and "Lay All Your Love on Me". At that time, in the mid 70s, it was rather uncool to be a teenager ABBA fan in Sweden. ABBA were stars with a huge international fan base, but back home they were often regarded as "too commercial" etc. I couldn't care less. I still play the bass (I'm 67 now) and still love these bass lines, although I don't listen to ABBA very often nowadays.
I have always been an ardent admirer of the late, great Rutger Gunnarsson. However, let us also give due to the other half of the ABBA rhythm section, Ola Brunkert. While other bassists/drummers did some session work with the group, only Gunnarsson and Brunkert appeared on tracks featured on every ABBA album (save for 2021's Voyage).
WHOA! I received a message from THE actual Mike Watson! He said this to me. - "Keep up the good work. It's all about the BASS! By the way Benny was copying the bass lines we made we didn't copy him. Cheers, Mike..." (SO FREAKIN' COOL! Clearly he wanted to be clear that Benny copied him hahaha)
What is your opinion? Is it allowed to play bass with a pick?
Wow you got a message from Mike Watson........great. Yess ABBA had the best female singers, a very good songwriter and 2 cool bassists.....that was the whole package why they are so good.
@@degeneralist3.088Sure it is. McCartney does/did.Abba and The Beatles are bands with really interesting bass playing, so that must count fo something. U2 may also be included...
Hello sweetie, as a big Abba fan, I never paid attention to the bass, only the lyrics and the melodies. BTW, you re cute...
@@eliaspapoudaris6012 Thank you
And where are the goosebumps come from? Two seconds of ABBA did that to me.
Rutger Gunnarson was an incredible bass player, for sure!
At the cafe someone asked me “Who’s you favourite bass player?” I answered “Rutger Gunnarsson” they normally answer “Who’s that?” lol. I enjoyed this interlude here !
I played guitar in one or two indie bands over the years, and received more than the occasional quizzical look when I answered likewise!😄 As an aside, I'd often wondered to what extent Rutger influenced another favourite (and *certainly* underrated) bass player of mine: Mat Osman from Suede- some of his lines are beautifully inventive IMHO, and have that Gunnarsson groove (qv "Europe Is Our Playground", "The Wild Ones", "The Asphalt World").😁✌️
No kidding. I learned about this great bassist only after his passing away, but have enjoyed his music for the past so many years. Still do. I used to practice bass by trying to hum his lines at the back of my throat hoping to hear it in my ears 🤣🤣
Me too! Good man!
RIP Rutger, truly a legendary artist, a son of Sweden
ABBA had so many 'true weapons".Bassists such as Rutger were really precious to their team not to mention their genius sound engineer M.Tretow and of course Agnetha's and Frida's vocal blendingt.That was outa this world.'No one to touch them in their field' .ThaNk u for doing Abba.
Everybody involved with ABBA were top notch. The guitarist, Lasse Wellander was also the best in the game. A wonderfully melodic player. A bit like David Gilmour.
R I P Lasse.😢
Janne Schaffer is not a bad guitarist either. Played with ABBA.
Lasse was a friend of ours and is much-missed. Great player.
ABBA has been favorite band since I first heard them as a kid in the early 70s.
Add “The winner takes it all”, “Crazy world”, “Angeleyes” and “I’ve been waiting for you” to this. Also extremely underrated ABBA bass lines
'Money, Money, Money' too
'MMM" gr8 bass but even also 'One of Us",'Gimme Gimme Gimme','One man one woman".'Voulez Vous" to mention but a few.
Oh i forgot 'Super Trouper",Great bass i was just listening to the backing track yesterday.Unbelievable details that aren't audible at once.
Fore the record, Rutger playd one of us and one man one woman. Mike Watson played gimme gimme gimme. Arnold Paseiro playd Voulez-Vous.@@christianoazzuro6711
Winner, Day Before, Soldiers…. The list goes on.
Hi Andrew, Thank you for this. Rutger and Mike really deserve to be celebrated not just as wonderful bass players but incredible musicians. Their work with ABBA was simply brilliant. Rutger, in particular, had that special feel which blended beautifully with what Bjorn and Benny were trying to achieve. And we must not forget Lasse Wellander and Janne Schaffer whose great guitar skills gave Rutger's bass parts plenty of room to breath. Cheers from the Land Down Under.
My dad said to me back when I was still a kid in the '80s that disco ain't disco without those amazing basslines
The song "Knowing me, knowing you" has a really crazy bass line and its crazy good as well. Great video you made highlighting these basslines.
One of those “what is he playing?” basslines but it sounds so good!
The Name of the Game is another great ABBA bassline.
Rutger was amazing for sure. I was lucky enough to see them in Eurovision 1974 at Brighton with my wonderful (passed) Dad. It was un-cool to like ABBA in the 80's. Glad their music is still getting played all these years later.
Lasse Welander and Mats Ronander on mighty lead guitars
Ola Brunkert on drums
Mikael Tretow behind the controls like a Swedish George Martin.
Soundtrack of my teens 😎💪
LOVE to see the Abba tracks dissected like this!
Gunnarsson's playing added so much color.
And fortunately Little Mike Watson is alive and kicking to this very day.
Mike is still playing and touring regularly, internationally even. Fantastic bassist!
As ABBA for decades, I actually did not pay much attention to the bass line. Only concentrate on melodies. But now I will listen more intensity. Thanks so much for this video.
An analysis that was a long time coming!!
These guys were pure perfection in adult pop production and performance.
It's adult pop a term?
As always, great content. I am Swedish and grew up with ABBA. Rutger Gunnarsson and Mike Watson are two of the greatest Swedish bass players in my opinion. If Gunnarsson is the Polar Studio's James Jamerson, Watson is the Polar Studio's Bob Babbitt. A similar playing style but not as busy
Thanks so much for doing this. It’s about time.
I couldn’t agree more Rutger was a monster bass player and his bass parts gave ABBA songs great foundation and syncopation. I love the vocals of course, great harmonies, but as a musician the bass lines rock and give so much character to the rhythm.
👍👍👍
Well said, my friend! Thanks for watching.
The song Gimme Gimme has some of the sickest bass lines I've Ever heard
You cannot forget Mikael B Tretow, if you are talking about Secret Weapon.
100%
Couldn't agree more. I call him the fifth ABBA member...
Thank you so much for this video. You are 100% right. I had been waiting for a long time to see if anybody made a video about Rutger Gunnarsson's influence on ABBA’s songs, and I am glad you did it. His basslines are masterpieces. Unfortunately, he didn’t get more recognition for having so much talent.
The genius behind the music is Benny Andersson
I would actually say it was a very lucky combination of people. They all contributed to the songs in their own way.
Exactly... this video would seem as the bassist was but there would be no ABBA without Benny. Other ppl added but to what was created already which Benny did most of it.
The Super Trouper bass in the chorus is Benny on his MiniMoog. The original bass line played by Mike wasn’t used.
The Name of the Game also has an incredible bassline!
I actually saw ABBA live in Seattle in 1979, the only time they ever toured the USA. Thanks for posting this. I'd never really thought about the bass lines. One reason is that back when this music was new and released on vinyl, there were few people who had the quality of music systems one would need for the bass to stand out. You need a heavy duty receiver or amp, and some large speakers with big woofers on the bottom, and a graphic equalizer where one could boost the bass, and then one would actually have to think of doing that for an ABBA record.
These are incredible. I knew aguitar player who hated Abba. He didn't understand why I loved them. I told him it was the groove.
Nice to hear a bass players opinion. I´m a Swede who grew up in the 70´s and 80´s and Super Trouper was my first album. And it was different times back then. Absolutely everybody had a descent HiFi system at home and my parents were no exception. I realized quickly that ABBA´s bass was a very nice thing. In fact I got a life long HiFi hobby to thank ABBA for. Also, I always thought they mixed their albums very nice, and that is of course thanks to the brilliant Michael B Tretow. Thank´s for sharing. The bass was more amazing and interesting than I thought it was.
Even though I was smitten with Agnetha, since the 1974 Eurovision song contest. And - never got over that. Rutger, influenced me to be aware of bass in the mix, and want to play it. That started in 1976, when I was 13. I have only just processed the impact he has had over me, most of my musical life. What a great time to be alive.
I like reading these comments and seeing some less known but so very good songs mentioned . Nina, Pretty Ballerina, I've Been Waiting For You, Soldiers.... ABBA has so many great and beautiful songs. I've been listening to them solid since the 1st grade. I'm 55. Thank you for the music and thanks to all that point these wonderful elements out. Keep your music alive.
Happy to see Rutger‘s amazing work highlighted. Outstanding, legendary bass player, phenomenal musician and by all accounts he must have been a really good guy as well. What a legacy. Definitely one of my bass heroes!
Every part of ABBA is important: the songs, the singers and the musicians. 🩷 ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 🩵 💙 💜 🖤 🩶 🤍 🤎
Rutger is a legend (RIP) and the bass line on One of us, is definitely epic, busy bass a la Motown, nice and tastefully carved into the arrangement, always loved that one!
Nina, Pretty Ballerina is another song of theirs with a standout bass line. My Mama Said also.
My Mama Said is seriously underrated. It just slicks along.
My Mama Said is an insanely catchy tune, and I only discovered it recently. Wish they had done a few of that style.
Absoluetly right. Rutger was one of the top notch bass players of all time. And thats the big secret - complex bass lines, sounds easy but so hard to develop and play. go beyond the music creates such a deeper meaning to easy pop songs... thanks for this channel.
Abba songs are so much fun to play, i have to stand up because i cant help myself dancing around while playing this style of music
I love Rutger. So nice seing him get some recognition
Andy, I am totally on the same page as you mate - Rutgers lines blow me away and you've absolutely nailed them - well done sir! I've adored this bloke for years and he, like Maurice Gibb, don't get a fraction of the credit they deserve. They were part of a group of bassist that made me pick up a bass in the first place and I NEVER get tired of playing their songs - massively influential
Super Trouper, such a sad bittersweet song
I played the Mama Mia show and all the parts were transcribed exactly. They were KILLER! I always respected with Gunter did but getting that in-depth with the transcriptions gave me a renewed appreciation and admiration. His parts were both busy, yet perfectly tasteful. And my favorite track to play was "One of Us."
For me the most stunning group 😍
Rutger was the man - I met him up north on my way back from Östersund - He told me about the simple harmonies that sounded huge .. I used in on one of my tracks from that time "Marie" :-)
Hey, noticed you changed the camera angle. Looks good! Another great video.
I think great musicians know when to play a supportive role and know when to shine on a solo or other intricate part.
So cool listening to isolated tracks.
Its amazing hearing what a part sounds like apart from the rest of the piece.
Thanks for watching :D The isolated tracks are so cool for bass. And yup, switching the angles up...tryin' to keep it interesting haha :)
I would definitely add their sound engineer, Michael B. Tretow as part of their secret weapon. He was indelible in mixing and making their vocals sparkle, against their unique melodic soundscape. His absence with their latest album i.m.o is sorely missed (though it's still a 👌🏻album).
Don't know anything about playing bass but watched you videos bc Abba and thebee gees are two of my all time favorite bands
This is why I like disco and ska. The bass lines and beats.
I HAVEN'T LISTEN TO ONE OF US SINCE IN 20 YEARS; I NEED TO CHECK IT OUT AGAIN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE BASS. THANKS FOR THE INFO MAN!
WHO couldn't like ABBA ??? Inspirational bass lines !! Thanks !!
One of the best groups ever..
This is great stuff. ABBA songs were the ones that really had me listening to the bass parts, not to mention the entire arrangement. Rutger was such a fantastic player, so amazingly musical. He was also a hell of an arranger. I transcribed his string arrangement for "My Love My Life" and it's so masterfully written. Sits in the song so well.
11:18 - so true! Great work mate.
True-but without the Four Incredible Singer writers the ABBA magic would have never happened. Everyone should see ABBA Voyage in London.
really true!!!
Just WOW ! The guys were awesome !
Another great insightful video.. well done young man.. As a 70s 80s bass player i appreciate these videos..
Thanks so much!!!
Wow WOw Wow...
Thank you for this!
Andrew thanks for all of these. The passion and kick you get out of these is really inspiring.
Thank YOU Phillip!!!
Fan of Rudger’s. He played a melody in the background. Fan since 1976.
So true- bassists are the unheralded dynamos! They propel the undercutrent of the song without many bein even conscious of it! I’m blown over by the bass on Philadelphia Freedom, for example.
Great analysis, thank you! I have always admired the ABBA bass lines. Such a key part of the music. Even for those who may not consciously listen for it, the bass adds to the overall perception of the music and the success of the song.
I am not a musician, but I enjoyed every second of your video. I grew up with ABBA music, and from time to time I still like to hear them, and I knew that Rutger was a first class bassist (although in some comments I've heard that he was bassist on concerts, but not on the albums, which might be wrong). But your analysis, and playing live was such a pleasure to listen. Keep such a good work, you have one more follower. Regards from Serbia...
Great job Andrew! Thanks for the heads up!
Love this !
6:20 I played „Lay all your love on me“ with my band and it‘s a really challenging but also satisfying bass line especially the melodic part in the verse that iirc gets doubled with guitar. I tried to do some octave double stops to simulate this sound.
Can you do a breakdown of Under Attack?
Love that song and baseline is cool :-)
omfg fucking finally. this man is soo criminally underrated
I just love your passion and your enthusiasm! Thank you for this interesting video. I know those songs quite well but I never really paid close attention to the bass parts, except for Super Trouper because it is impossible not to notice it. Those are impressive pieces of virtuosity!
I'd say their secret weapon was Michael B Tretow, their sound engineere.
This channel deserves many more subscribers!
I totally agree, I always was connected to ABBA even before I started playing bass, maybe it was the bass that drew me subliminally.
Fascinating … thanks for sharing 🙏
Lenny knew several ABBA Songs by heart. That’s fkn sick af
What have liked to see Waterloo examined in this way.
1:53/1:59 deff that's some tribute band and not Abba btw.No one can really replicate those exotic Swedes in a convincing way.they are so gorgeously utopic.Thanks for 'One of Us" it's got such a fab bass.
I credited that at the bottom it’s a tribute band. It’s Mike Watson playing WITH them! Thanks 🤗
@@BassFreedomThank you Andrew for defining.The notification was just very brief and the letters tiny small some of us couldn't notice so easily so it escaped my sight too same way it happened to couple of other commentators from what i read in the comment text.But put the "blame" on me and keep the rest of my comment,lol.Btw can we hope for a part 2?I think there's more left to be explored and i feel many of us would have liked some more,eh?
I think that might be Arrival From Sweden. I saw them last year and only realised afterwards that they had an original ABBA bass player. They sound very good - well worth seeing if you get the chance.
ABBA is soooooo beautiful !!!
Fine Work!!!
ABBA’s true secret weapon is the magical musical Maestro Michael B Tretow. Micke is the ultimate sonic genius who was an integral part of creating the unique, timeless, multi-layered and immersive ABBA sound, his sonic experiments and musical mastery transcends all boundaries of time and generation, and really he should get more acknowledgement for all of this
I agree, the artist has the idea but the studio brings it to life...😊😊😊
Love your useful, informative analyses and presentations.
You are completly right.
Wow!! Thank you Andrew. Super excellent presentation of this awesome & totally under appreciated collection of musical talent, AND for giving due credit to the critical role of some amazing bass players in “completing” the final product of beautiful and lasting music. Keep up the superb work.
I very much appreciate your comment! Thanks so much!
Great analysis!
Rutgers bass is absolutely badass for a bass player to copy 😃👍❤️
Vorning 1966.. grew up with ABBA.. ❤ THANK YOU
I just found this channel. These are awesome 😎 I play Tuba and gee it would be so awesome to play these instead of the boring daa-da-daaaa we get written.
I always wondered who played the bass in ABBA as I couldn’t see any of the 4 main member playing it. Now I know!!
When I first heard "knowing me, knowing you" I had to find out who played the amazing bass......it was Rutger.....and I never heard better. Great vid thanks.
That was a treat. I first stumbled across your channel looking at the BeeGees basslines, then next, I stumbled across this one... my two favourite 70s bands.
Thanks for being here :)
Never heard it like that - thanks a lot for this video! 👍
nicely done - man u have passion that jumps off the screen - now gonna listen a lot deeper to abba’s bass lines
Those live clips starting at 1:52 are NOT ABBA. It's some tribute band.
It says that credited at the bottom. It’s Mike Watson sitting in WITH the tribute band.
@@BassFreedom Okay. I didn't see it mentioned. Thanks
I am so glad you made a vid about this. I was watching a small gig of ABBA playing in Japan and it was blindingly obvious they were in fact a seven piece band. Gutner himself was classically trained and had a huge imput into their sound. So why weren't the other three given full credit and be named members? Basically for commercial reasons the two couples worked great as a brand and getting more names and faces added would not have looked so good. Also the other three came and went more, especially the drummers, so in a way they were session musicians. The Beatles on other hand were a genuine 4 piece, any one else joining would do normally for very minor roles and they were given full credit, although Billy Preston by the let it be album had a become the virtual 5th Beatle. If the beatles had carried on, would he have been a full member? Probably not as its best bands stick to their original identity.
Thank you for thiis inside info. Yess it was not alone teh vocies or the good songwriting but the bass is incredible too.
He stays away from pedalling letting the kick do the work. ❤❤❤
I played bass in a local production of mama mia. WOW was I in for a surprise to how difficult it was. My hands hurt after super trouper.
The chorus is a Minimoog bass.
Wow!! It’s as if my ears have been cleaned out!! Great to notice the wonderful bass lines!!
The same is for the drumtracks...amazing
Hey Andrew great work! The video is amazing, congratulations! O vídeo ta incrível, parabéns!
Thanks for this analysis of some of the best of the wonderful ABBA bass lines!
The recent appreciation for Rutger Gunnarsson (and Mike Watson) makes me very happy. I grew up with ABBA and started to play bass as a teenager. Two of my favorite bass lines were the songs you picked - "One of Us" and "Lay All Your Love on Me".
At that time, in the mid 70s, it was rather uncool to be a teenager ABBA fan in Sweden. ABBA were stars with a huge international fan base, but back home they were often regarded as "too commercial" etc. I couldn't care less. I still play the bass (I'm 67 now) and still love these bass lines, although I don't listen to ABBA very often nowadays.
Have a listen to Rutger's bass on My Mama Said, very underrated song.
Absolutely! One of my favourite ABBA songs, mainly due to the fantastic bass.
Waiting for a second part, there should be so many more songs including 🙏🙏🙏 Voulez vous ❤
I just did Voulez Vous! Check it out:)
Wonderful video with my ABBA's fav song
If you like groovy basslines I guess you'll love the French Claude François' "Magnolias forever".
I have always been an ardent admirer of the late, great Rutger Gunnarsson. However, let us also give due to the other half of the ABBA rhythm section, Ola Brunkert. While other bassists/drummers did some session work with the group, only Gunnarsson and Brunkert appeared on tracks featured on every ABBA album (save for 2021's Voyage).