Hell Freezes Over ;-) (2 Viewers)

[Sinera]

It is interesting to see how near the end of the vid the girls make a dialling gesture with the hands when they sing the chorus 'ring, ring'. In the smartphone days with touch screens, I wonder does any young person who sees this know why they do this gesture and remember phones with rotary dials except for discovering it in a telecommunication tech museum?

 

[Linda]

We left a corded wall phone in the kitchen as an educational feature. Young children have never seen one, and it blows their minds.

 

[Sinera]

We left a corded wall phone in the kitchen as an educational feature. Young children have never seen one, and it blows their minds.

But then it's push-button keypad or also vintage rotary dial?

 

[Linda]

It is push-button.

I do have a piece of furniture that astounds many people. It is a little table and chair that were designed for talking on one of those early phones. If you think about it, the phone line came into the house in one spot and there often was no place for the phone, as it was tall and bulky. So, being a stylish and modern person way back then, you had a piece of furniture small enough to stand against the wall and not be in the way.

 

[Snowmelt]

Not being detrimental in ANY way to New Zealand, but in my early sojourn there, in 1982, I had to use the limited telecommunications available at the THC Hotel I worked at, in Milford Sound. It was plug and patch, the old way: you picked up the receiver and a physical lady at an exchange some way off (probably in Te Anau) plugged you into a line, and dialled, and announced to the person receiving the call who the caller was. It was about 20 years behind where we were at in Sydney, in 1982, so it was an eye-opener to me then, even though I had been a telephonist (plug and patch telephone exchange operator) in a company in Sydney in the 1970's. "Connecting you now" was the term, as I recall. I remember Christmas of 1982, waiting in long queues outside a telephone booth inside the Hotel for the chance to call home.

 

[Sinera]

I do have a piece of furniture that astounds many people. It is a little table and chair that were designed for talking on one of those early phones. If you think about it, the phone line came into the house in one spot and there often was no place for the phone, as it was tall and bulky. So, being a stylish and modern person way back then, you had a piece of furniture small enough to stand against the wall and not be in the way.

Now, that seems to be a real museum piece. Can you make and upload a photo here?

 

[Linda]

Given the size, clearly no one thought they would be talking very much - lol. My Grandmother had it forever, and I've carried on the tradition. It holds a glass bowl filled with crystals and shells - so still is for a communication device, right?

 

[Sinera]

Given the size, clearly no one thought they would be talking very much - lol. My Grandmother had it forever, and I've carried on the tradition. It holds a glass bowl filled with crystals and shells - so still is for a communication device, right?

View attachment 12573

Wow, that was a fast response . Great pic. Cool device. Really 'vintage'. Love it.

 

[Linda]

Really 'vintage'. Love it.

Then you would have a great time in our house - all kinds of things from other times.

 

[Sinera]

Today, on the release day of 'Voyage' (sure it will be great), I actually gave the album from 45 years ago 'Arrival' (1976) a listen.

I bought it recently second-hand (or third, fourth-hand ...) as a vintage original, no repress, reissue or remaster, and it sounds great btw!.

Thought I'd end up giving it a 4/5 on my rating scale. But it's a 5/5, really. Big hits Dancing Queen, Knowing You Knowing Me and Money Money Money on it but the thing is there are no real fillers. It's all good. Maybe their best?

Certainly I had heard it before 'back then' because my parents had this album in their collection in the 70/80s. What really struck me that I had forgotten about the title song 'Arrival' which comes as the last track on the album.

This blew me away and knocked me out of my socks. Brought up emotions a lot. Wow. What a fantastic ethereal folk hymn. And if you heard it the first time you would not believe this is "just a pop group" or Abba at all.

Enjoy, also the good covers, esp. by Mr. Oldfield but I love all of them:


Remakes:






Quite an overload I know, but I could listen to this melody in a loop.

Well ... whatever ... one more ... Piano-Gabi as a soft encore for the lead-out:

 

[Linda]

I was not aware of this song - thanks, love it.

 

[Sinera]

Easily adaptable to many styles. I discovered now it is not even safe from traditional German 'Blasmusik'. ( https://www.dict.cc/?s=blasmusik )




This one is even rockin' the church with it ... Go, Rudy, go !!!

 

[Sinera]

This is where Bjorn takes the singing lead. I heard this song in the late 70s and did not even know or remember it was Abba. I like it because also it 'rocks' a bit more and has a 'moral' theme lyrically.

 

[Linda]

You know, when I listen to the one you post, I see a couple more in the YouTube feed and listen to them, and before you know it, I've listen to quite a few.

 

[Sinera]

You know, when I listen to the one you post, I see a couple more in the YouTube feed and listen to them, and before you know it, I've listen to quite a few.

Yeah, this happens to a lot of people who also comment on this under the YT videos, it does not stay with one video / song then. Here is just one I find as top comment under the Knowing Me Knowing You video with lots of people agreeing under it with more comments: "When u start listening to one ABBA song, believe me, it will be followed by a chain of ABBA songs".

I also learned new vocabulary now. First thought this was about a kind of 'soldier' (trooper, yeah I know it is 'trouper' instead) but it is just about a stage spotlight as can be seen of course in the first seconds of the video:

trouper | Übersetzung Englisch-Deutsch

dict.cc | Übersetzungen für 'trouper' im Englisch-Deutsch-Wörterbuch, mit echten Sprachaufnahmen, Illustrationen, Beugungsformen, ...

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