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It was known exactly where these disks will be on sale -
what day and hour. Usually in the shop on Kirovskaya.
From the morning, people were coming to the shop and standing in long queue,
Komsomol members were always getting first, because they had special badges of operative group,
kind of they regulate the line, but actually they were buying disks.
After it, these disks could be exchanged for anything you like:
another disks, brand clothes, foods - because we had deficit of everything,
and ABBA was very popular in all layers of population. Everybody listened to ABBA.
I also honestly stood the queue, bought a few disks,
and went to one of parks to exchange them for anything good.
Militia caught me with these disks, - this operative group,
they wore special armbands on their sleeves on which was written "Komsomol oper group".
They were called OBHSS, translation is impossible now already.
Among those who protect our labor and rest - youth.
Operative group in action.
Squad, stand right, attention!
From this minute we start to protect public order on territory of Moscow.
Well, natural, as usual, letter to my job, and natural of course, comradery court.
Old man, former partisan, reads aloud the letter from OBHSS.
I was accused under three articles: ABBA, Boney M, and Demis and Roussos,
exactly this was written - Demis and Roussos, - two men, like Simon and Garfunkel.
Nothing should break the rhythm of our lives, darken the joy of our weekdays.
I consider it's my duty to be in operative group,
because we still have disgraces in our district and we all should eradicate them.
I got the public defender - leader woman, mother of 3 children, executive worker.
After having read the letter, she says: I listened Boney M, just one song, - bad, very bad song.
I didn't listen to ABBA, but they say, very good songs.
Let him sing it, - she says. I couldn't sing, so I was convicted.
I was deprived of the bonus for quarter of year and 13th salary.
I'm a victim of ABBA in fact!
The song of struggle and solidarity, song of hope, - youth sing.
In the autumn 1980, Swedish collective recorded the new disk named Super Trouper.
At the same time, seducer of Soviet youth's minds, Seva Novgorodtsev,
in his programme "Sevaoborot" on BBC introduced Super Trouper for the Soviet listeners,
and bitting USSR politics, he killed ABBA on all Soviet area.
"Well known to you Swedish group ABBA released last week a single disk with the song Super Trouper.
Translation of this title has caused some difficulties to me,
but having consulted in the two-volume dictionary, difficulties I've managed to overcome.
So, the song Super Trouper, which means in Russian
"The excellent trooper of fighting and political training of paraborne troops".
Let's remind that Soviet paratroopers at the time
were associated in the world with the war in Afghanistan.
ABBA, supposedly having sung the song blaming this war,
immediately fell into disfavor from Soviet authorities.
Somebody told to someone. We carefully registered radio interception in the Foreign Ministry.
I was employee of Foreign Ministry, and there was such concept as radio interceptions.
These radio interceptions for some reason, unlike all other papers,
directly were passed to the heads of the state, immediately.
Such impression that BBC for them was more authoritative source of information
than own analytical centres.
And apparently somebody gave a command to close,
and in general, the cold snap began in relations to ABBA,
until the Gorbachev's arrival.
Gorbachev of course defrosted it all, but there was not ABBA already.
Leaders of that time have seen the open sneer in this song about uneasy task facing our troops in Afghanistan,
they started to withdraw ABBA records from the radio fund,
and forbade domestic performers include the songs of Swedish quartet in their repertoire.
Remember I had big problems when I tried to get permission for though 10 seconds of the song Happy New Year
to illustrate my New-Year reportage. For the sake of these 10 seconds I went to main musical redactor of foreign broadcasts,
I won't say her name, and simply begged her to let me include though 10 seconds.
When my son was born, I remember the song Super Trouper, because I sang it to him.
Once I asked him, he was 2 y.o, "Lesha, what you want me to sing, what lullaby?"
I didn't know songs like this. And he said "Sing Super Trouper, mama"
None of Swedish quartet's members suspected what big sensation their new album Super Trouper has caused in Soviet Union.
Because actually there is no talk about any troopers.
Simply, once musicians were photographed surrounded by circus performers - acrobats, fakirs and clowns -
and during this photosession Bjorn and Benny, inspired by circus atmosphere, composed a new tune
which, as it seemed to them, perfectly suited to the title of album - Super Trouper.
That's how is called in English the big circus searchlight.
This is the song about searchlight and uneasy destiny of artists, and there is no trace of hint of politics in it.
ABBA songs for many Soviet people were this searchlight, that lighted the way in the darkness of tunnel.
These light, slightly naive songs told us what can be life actually, without Baikal and Amur, Komsomol and CPSU.
Our people were ready really to adorn life on their land,
but the officials frightened of strange events of 1980, in every possible way prevented this.
They were afraid of all at that time - I mean the party, government.
--Evgeniy Boldin, producer- They were afraid of all bright, unexpected, powerful.
Because there was agiotage in the world and crazy success of group,
not only our country liked them but they were popular around the world,
it's rare phenomenon - ABBA.
Cretinism existed in our country - then more than now,
-Stas Namin- Collegium of the Ministry of Culture of USSR - real collegium - Demichev was there and deputy Minister of Culture Ivanov,
and all the rest, - they sat and discussed a question that the group Flowers of Stas Namin
is propaganda of USA military and Pentagon,
because at some backstage jam session our drummer wore the shirt on which was written Montana,
and they said that firm Montana finances Pentagon, so we propagandize the military.
It's I tell you not the fantasy, but there is real documents of Collegium of the Ministry of Culture of USSR,
which met only for this theme.
How he was not noticed by Swedish border guards and police - a mystery.
Maybe just luck. First thing that he saw on the shore - fish cannery called ABBA,
which, as it turned out, urgently needed laborers.
Valerka by that time pretty well speaking Swedish, asked to work.
And since he agreed to any conditions, they hired him without checking any documents.
That's Swedish democracy.
He settled to live in a dorm and devoted all free time to getting information about his beloved.
One month later, he knew not only that Agnetha is divorced now
and lives with two children in the apartment in the central Stockholm,
but he received the main information - her phone number.