ABBA's Secret – The SOUND | Michael B. Tretow

Today, we dive into the secrets of ABBA’s sound. We celebrate the 79th Birthday of ABBA’s sound engineer Michael B. Tretow, who is one of the most important parts of their soundscape, arguably the fifth member of ABBA – and a marvellous magician? Let’s try to explore the indescribable ABBA sound, by looking at facts, and marvelling at miracles.

0:00 Intro
0:39 The Secrets of Michael B. Tretow
5:10 A Legendary Trio
6:56 More Secrets – Polar & the Times
8:35 Precision vs. Feeling – Agnetha & Frida
10:19 The Legacy of ABBA & Tretow
12:44 The Wonder of ABBA
14:02 Outro

———

Written, narrated, recorded & edited by Bobby’s Brother.

#abba #voyage #tretow

[bobbysbrother]

*PLEASE NOTE*

• 4:14 Michael B. Tretow did not use an actual sequencer on "The Day Before You Came". He achieved a similar effect by electronic means. Thanks to Groenalund for pointing that out.

Thank you all for watching. This video was very important for me to make. Special thanks go out to those who watch until the end. Big hugs from BB!

[themotownboy]

Michael B. Tretow is a genius. As George Martin was in essence the “fifth” Beatle, Michael was the fifth member of ABBA. The love he had for music and especially ABBA’s music showed in his work. I was really looking forward to this video. Well done and thank you!…Happy Birthday Mr. Tretow!😊

[ABBADiego]

What a tribute. With all that went on from 2021 onwards he was a bit forgotten.
I did, on hearing Voyage on release night say, “Tretow is missing from Voyage”, but then I was being selfish.
Michael was supposed to produce Agnetha’s “My Colouring Book” and I believe his fragile health even delayed that release somewhat.
The man was a genius, I do hope he is well and will see this beautifully, carefully, and respectfully put together video.
Mr. Tretow, if you read my message having seen Bobby’s wonderful tribute, you’ll make contact.
Respect to the best sound engineer in the history of the recorded sound.

[booh]

Agnetha & Frida's voices and their well calculated, unique harmony arrangements (and that euphoric three part harmony especially) cannot be emphasised enough as a pivotal part of their sound! Their voices are vital instruments that in my mind is the absolute magic to the ABBA sound.

[cheffrey]

Sound engineers really are the unsung heroes of our favourite records. The Beatles would not have captured their ideas without Geoff Emerick; Pink Floyd would not have sounded so spacious and grand without Alan Parsons.

And you are absolutely right - ABBA without Tretow would not have sounded so rich and majestic. The stars really did align for all the components of ABBA (including their fantastic session and touring musicians) to come together so perfectly!

[marikesl]

To my mind, Michael is definitely the 5th Member of ABBA - his contribution to the absolute uniqueness of the ABBA Sound cannot be overstated, and I will forever be grateful to him!!! And I agree with Benny 100%, without the Ladies and the Third Voice, there would be no ABBA Sound - how blessed we are to be alive to experience this magic!!! Happy Birthday, Michael!!!

[carinacastillo]

The best component of Abba: Agnetha and Frida's voices, Benny's musica, Bjorn lyrics and Michael Treatow, you're right, Bobby!! Excellent description

[billydog]

Nice tribute to a man who was indescribably important to the creation of the ABBA sound and, as we know through Carl Magnus Palms work, equally as important in saving and catergorising Benny & Bjorns output. Many songs aquired working titles from Michael so they could be stored and returned to later. As much as I love the Voyage album, I've strongly felt Michael missing from the project made it a different animal to the previous ABBA albums.I hope he is keeping well and knows how much the fan community appreciates all his hard work over the years.

[toby]

The point about Angetha and Frida's voices is so true. There are a number of good and even great tribute bands around but none have come close to reproducing the vocal quality and uniqueness of these two ladies.

[TheFridaFan]

I'm always surprised by how well Frida and Agnetha blend at the live Eurovision performance. It's one of the most perfect third voice examples I've heard.

[christianoazzuro]

MT had the best material in his hands (ABBA) and was charismatic enough to know how to built the miracle.I love him.Wish him the best and i'm grateful for his offering.

[bobbyyounger]

Always much love and respect for Michael B. Tretow !

[danbike]

Awesome. Michael gave an interview (see YouTube) talking abouth about the girls.
Diring this interview he gave Frida to most impressive compliment a vocalist could receive. He was talking about how the balanced, support (breathing) throughout her wide range. Full, round, warm timbre, etc... He ended with calling Frida's voice "hi-fi" (high-fidelity)!

[danielhoarau]

Happy birthday to mister Tretow !
What a magician of sound ! It's right.
With him, the sound of ABBA was rich and unique.
Thank you

[petersvan]

So good to see this tribute to Michael Tretow, he really deserves it!

[flyjet]

Thank you for bringing Mr.Tretow to our attention! I am a longtime fan of ABBA's music but didn't know about their recording processes. He must be a genius in his craft, to be so essential to the creation of ABBA's music!
Happy birthday Michael!

[Ulvaeus]

Michael Tretow was a huge factor in the sound of ABBA. This may not be a popular opinion but It’s why their last album Voyage was missing a certain something; a sparkle, a creativity. Even though there were some good songs and great vocals the production just wasn’t the same. Having said that I am very grateful for the album.

[frankjoi]

Amazingly well done tribute to Michael B. Tretow and his great contribution, invaluable work.

[CarlosPerdomo]

Bobby, thank you!
It is about time to give credit to the fifth abba member. Without which, we wouldn’t have the abba sound we all love.
It’s a shame that Michael wasn’t able to participate in abba’s latest album. One can certainly hear the difference because the fifth element of The abba sound is missing.
Again, thank you for your amazing video work. This is my favorite for now. ❤🎉

[ucfntio]

The ultimate missing piece of Voyage…. How I missed his “magic touch” in Voyage album !!!