Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1979
Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage

Swedish pop group ABBA, have denied longstanding rumors that they are enemies, according to The Associated Press.

In a rare joint interview published Friday (January 23), Agnetha Faltskog, 58, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 63, set the record straight.

"A lot has been written about how Agnetha and I fought and quarreled with each other. There is absolutely no truth in that," Lyngstad was quoted as saying by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, according to the AP. "Of course we competed, but to good effect."

"No, we didn't fight. But we have to live [through] a whole lot of such misinterpretations," Faltskog said.

Lyngstad and Faltskog formed ABBA in 1970 together with male members — and their now-ex-husbands — Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. The women's versatile, soaring voices lofted Andersson's nimble melodies to create some of the most memorable pop singles of the 1970s, including "Waterloo," "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Money, Money, Money." The group has sold an estimated 370 million records and have long dismissed lucrative offers for them to re-form.

"Mamma Mia!," the musical and film based on their music, has been a long-running hit. (Dominic Cooper, who stars in the film, recently told us that a sequel is not in the works.)

Abba split in 1982 after the inter-group marriages (Lynstad to Andersson, Faltskog to Ulvaeus) dissolved in divorce.

The two women came together Thursday to accept Aftonbladet's lifetime achievement award.

The four former group members are rarely seen together in public but reunited in 2008 for the Swedish premiere of the "Mamma Mia!" film.

• ABBA

Black Sabbath
Photo: Warner Bros.

Ozzy Osbourne might not give a *%#@ about whether or not the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Black Sabbath, but that didn't stop the hall's nominating committee from putting the heavy metal pioneers on the final ballot for the sixth time.

Joining Sabbath on the ballot, which was sent out to the 1,000 or so voting members of the Hall of Fame last week, are six first-timers and eight returning acts. The Police, Swedish popsters ABBA and politically charged rockers the Clash make their first appearances, as do Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Chic and Steve Winwood.

Returning to the ballot for at least the second time are AC/DC, Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, punks the Sex Pistols and the Patti Smith Group, Detroit radicals the MC5, electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, blue-eyed soul singers the Righteous Brothers and R&B vocal group the Dells.

Upon his group's past nominations, Osbourne has stated that he thought the Hall of Fame voting was a farce because it wasn't done by fans (see "Ozzy Tells Rock Hall to Forget About Black Sabbath"). The selection process begins in spring when the nominating committee — made up of around 60 artists, label executives, journalists, lawyers and publicists — meets to brainstorm potential nominees. The committee also is responsible for selecting the final inductees based on voter ballots.

Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria includes "the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," according to the organization. In addition to performers, the hall also honors "early influences," "sidemen/woman" and "non-musician" inductees each year, chosen by the nominating committee without voter input. Voters this year are asked to rank their top eight choices from the 15 nominees; the number of annual inductees varies each year from five to eight. The class of 2002 ushered in six inductees, including the Ramones, Talking Heads and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (see "Kurt Loder Weighs In On The Rock Hall Of Fame: Still No Sabbath, AC/DC". Ballots are due October 18 and the inductees are typically announced in December or January. The induction ceremony takes place each year in the spring.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Cleveland, Ohio.

• Black Sabbath
• ABBA
• The Clash
• Elvis Costello
• The Police

K-tel's <i>Gimme Indie Rock</i> LP

K-tel, the compilation specialist whose catalog includes Masters of Metal, Neon Nights and The Magic of ABBA, has closed its U.S. branch and filed for bankruptcy.

K-tel International USA, a subsidiary of music distribution giant K-tel International, ceased operations at its Maple Plain, Minnesota, headquarters on Monday and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company said in a statement. The company's other subsidiaries, including Dominion Entertainment, K-tel Entertainment UK and K-tel DVD, will continue operating.

The U.S. branch is the third K-tel International holding to close in recent months, following Dominion Vertriebs GmbH in Germany and K-tel Marketing in England. The three companies combined for 99 percent of the $15.7 million K-tel lost in its last fiscal year.

In its statement, K-tel blamed most of the U.S. branch's losses on one of its largest customers, music retailer Trans World Entertainment, charging that it had not been making payments. A lawsuit filed by K-tel USA against Trans World is before a federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

K-tel International also announced Wednesday that it plans to minimize its reliance on licensed material from major record labels by developing new products from its own Dominion catalog, which includes music by the likes of Patsy Cline and Percy Sledge.

The company formed in the late '60s and released its first album, 25 Polka Greats, in 1971. The label mostly focused on pop and classic rock, but also released compilations featuring disco, comedy and other genres.

K-tel reached its heyday in the late '70s, but by 1985, it was forced to file for bankruptcy. However, the label made a strong comeback by becoming part of the American stock exchange and launching subsidiaries, including K-tel USA and Cold Front, a dance and electronic label. K-tel has even reached out to younger listeners with the 2000 release of Gimme Indie Rock Volume One, which included tracks by the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr.

• The Flaming Lips
• ABBA
• Yo La Tengo
• Dinosaur Jr.

Swedish disco stars ABBA have reportedly turned down a billion-dollar offer to get back together.

• ABBA

Abba, the dance-pop group that wouldn't die, will get the tribute treatment courtesy of Evan Dando, Ash, Bananarama, and a host of others next month.

• ABBA
• Ash
• Bananarama
• Evan Dando
• The Lemonheads

Looks like the "Dancing Queen" will be trading in her disco ball for running lights.

• ABBA
• All