Once known for successful pop records and a wardrobe of polyester jump suits, this is a reassessment of a band now cemented in their position as one of the all time great pop acts.

ABBA were once reviled by most critics, but now bands like Bjorn Again and Erasure keep the phenomenon thriving. This is their background story. Written with the co-operation of the members of the band, Andrew Oldham's biography features the early years when as engaged couples as they then styled themselves, they failed to make it as Sweden's entrant for Eurovision with a song called Waterloo. It caused a national outcry. It is a history of worldwide hit records, infighting, partner swapping, and financial disaster - they do not get one kroner in royalties for many of their songs - and bitterness. But it is also a story of triumph.