ABBA'S SECRET WEAPON

Guitarist Janne Schaffer reveals his role in the biggest hit-making machine of the 70s

- Amit Sharma

The release this month of a new ABBA album, Voyage, their first new material in 40 years, is the surprise comeback of 2021. And it brings back wonderful memories for the guitarist who played on the band’s biggest hits in the 70s and early 80s.

“ABBA sold over 380 million records,” says Janne Schaffer, “and I’m on over half of those, which is pretty cool!”

In that imperial phase, ABBA recorded and released 98 songs – 50 which featured the Stockholm-born session guitarist and jazz virtuoso who hung out with Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix on their first Swedish tours before hooking up with ABBA in 1972.

Now, as he looks back on his years as a part of that record-breaking hit factory, Janne says: “It was always good music. And the new songs sound great. I think the comeback will be a huge success.”

What were the most guitar-heavy tracks you recorded with ABBA?

There are three that come to mind. Rock’n Roll Band, Watch Out and King Kong Song, which are from the first and second albums. If you listen to them, you can hear a lot of heavy rock guitars in there. We’d been listening to Deep Purple and similar things. On