ABBA lead tributes to the man who shaped their signature sound
ABBA have led tributes to their sound engineer, Michael B. Tretow, who has died aged 80.
News of the Swedish record producer's passing was confirmed to the Swedish publication Aftonbladet.
ABBA's manager Görel Hanser confirmed the sad news. No cause of death is known at this time.
After being chosen by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson to be their sound engineer in 1970, Michael worked on all of the 'Waterloo' hitmakers' albums except for 2021's 'Voyage'.
In a touching tribute, Benny Andersson told the outlet: "You meant more to us four in ABBA than anyone else.
'I hope and believe that you felt it throughout all the years that have passed since we worked (and continuously laughed) in the studio.
'Our music lives on, it seems, and you are the one who made it timeless. You were a fantastic inspirer and joy-maker, and the finest sound engineer the world has ever seen.
'I miss you. And I've saved all your coconuts!'
Björn Ulvaeus said the way he shaped the Eurovision-winning band's sound 'cannot be overestimated'.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad said: 'No one fit the bill as well as you.
'For us, you are forever part of the ABBA sound and you will never be forgotten.'
Fourth band member, Agnetha Fältskog, recalled spending time with Michael just recently.
She reflected: 'So glad I got to spend some time with you a few weeks ago… You were so sick, but your laughter and humour were still there.
'So many memories are preserved, your encouraging words during the recordings meant so much. We are sad now, a talented and unique person has left us. Sleep well Micke, you are in our hearts forever.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hacks' finale explained: ‘There wasn't any other way to go'
This story contains spoilers about the season four finale of Hacks. When Merrill Markoe was the head writer for NBC's Late Night With David Letterman in the 1980s, she used to stand by the studio doors to watch the host deliver jokes to the audience. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. 'Oh my god,' she recalls thinking. 'If this doesn't get a laugh, I'm screwed.' That's how high the stakes felt writing for late-night television, an unrelenting beast that must be fed daily with heaps of material, much of which could be found wanting and scrapped at any moment. So when Markoe starred as herself on the Max comedy Hacks this season as a writer on fictional comedian Deborah Vance's talk show, that real-life stress came roaring back. In one scene, Ava Daniels – the show's head writer, played by Hannah Einbinder – nervously confesses to Markoe what an honour it was to work with her, and that she hoped it wasn't strange for the late-night TV legend to be reporting to someone younger. Markoe assured Ava that she absolutely did not want to be head writer, adding, in an improvised line, 'I don't want to call it hell on earth, but, I mean, it's a job for a lunatic.' Loading The 'lunatic' line turned into a fan favourite during this fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning Hacks, which recently concluded and centred on the uniquely magical and confounding cultural touchstone of late-night comedy. Markoe didn't know what she was saying until it was out of her mouth, but she felt it with all her soul. 'Somebody, I can't remember who it was – it might have been Jay Leno – told me that [executives] broke it down into segments where they showed you what was getting a higher rating and a lower rating,' Markoe said. 'Like, if a girl came out in a real short skirt, the rating went a little higher. And then if somebody came on that nobody was particularly interested in, the rating went a little lower. So they just make it so that it's impossible not to be completely crazy. 'We didn't discuss ratings so much, although I know Dave took them personally. I mean, how can you not?' she continued. 'You have a show that you think went really, really well, but it turns out that the ratings were not that good. But you think, 'Well, wow, that was really quality stuff we did.' That's a very confusing little thing to put yourself in over and over and over and over.'
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Hacks' finale explained: ‘There wasn't any other way to go'
This story contains spoilers about the season four finale of Hacks. When Merrill Markoe was the head writer for NBC's Late Night With David Letterman in the 1980s, she used to stand by the studio doors to watch the host deliver jokes to the audience. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. 'Oh my god,' she recalls thinking. 'If this doesn't get a laugh, I'm screwed.' That's how high the stakes felt writing for late-night television, an unrelenting beast that must be fed daily with heaps of material, much of which could be found wanting and scrapped at any moment. So when Markoe starred as herself on the Max comedy Hacks this season as a writer on fictional comedian Deborah Vance's talk show, that real-life stress came roaring back. In one scene, Ava Daniels – the show's head writer, played by Hannah Einbinder – nervously confesses to Markoe what an honour it was to work with her, and that she hoped it wasn't strange for the late-night TV legend to be reporting to someone younger. Markoe assured Ava that she absolutely did not want to be head writer, adding, in an improvised line, 'I don't want to call it hell on earth, but, I mean, it's a job for a lunatic.' Loading The 'lunatic' line turned into a fan favourite during this fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning Hacks, which recently concluded and centred on the uniquely magical and confounding cultural touchstone of late-night comedy. Markoe didn't know what she was saying until it was out of her mouth, but she felt it with all her soul. 'Somebody, I can't remember who it was – it might have been Jay Leno – told me that [executives] broke it down into segments where they showed you what was getting a higher rating and a lower rating,' Markoe said. 'Like, if a girl came out in a real short skirt, the rating went a little higher. And then if somebody came on that nobody was particularly interested in, the rating went a little lower. So they just make it so that it's impossible not to be completely crazy. 'We didn't discuss ratings so much, although I know Dave took them personally. I mean, how can you not?' she continued. 'You have a show that you think went really, really well, but it turns out that the ratings were not that good. But you think, 'Well, wow, that was really quality stuff we did.' That's a very confusing little thing to put yourself in over and over and over and over.'
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Sadie Stanley explains why she found it 'very natural' to work with Joshua Jackson on Karate Kid
Sadie Stanley found it "very natural" to work with Joshua Jackson on 'Karate Kid: Legends'. The 23-year-old actress plays the on-screen daughter of Jackson's character in the what has become the sixth instalment in the martial arts franchise, and thinks that they gelled so well to begin with because he is a father in his own life. She told ScreenRant: "That process was very natural. We got lunch when we first arrived and hung out for a little bit and just got to know each other. "He has a daughter of his own, Juno, who's adorable, and he is such a dad. He talks about her constantly, gushes about her, shows pictures, talks about what she's into these days and what she's like. He very clearly just has such dad energy." The 'Kim Possible' star noted that her character Mia is "very protective" of her father throughout the story of the film and She said: "Of course, Mia's a little protective of her father. She lost her mom when she was young, and that really forces you to grow up a lot when you're that age. She just has her dad. It's just them two against the world working in this pizza shop trying to make ends meet. "I think that definitely informs her relationships with other people." In the film, Mia strikes up a relationship with Ben Wang's character of Li Fong and noted that was one of the turning points for her on-screen father because it served as a "challenge" in his own life. She said: "I think when she meets Li, she really holds up a mirror to him and challenges him to be more honest with himself and with others. She really sees his potential before he fully sees it in himself. "I think that's really special when you can do that for somebody. Just in general, Mia is a person who sees through the noise, and she's very emotionally intuitive, a grounding force." In the early 1990s, Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank appeared in 'The Next Karate Kid' and Sadie insisted that she would love for the Hollywood star to make a comeback to the franchise. She said: "Absolutely. Great question. Please bring her back. She's fantastic. I'm obsessed with her. That would be so cool. We can have all four of them train Mia."
