| 31 December 1978

Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus

In November 1978, ABBA travelled to Japan for a 10-day promotional trip, the purpose of which was to "break" the group in a country which had so far resisted ABBA's charms, with the exception of the occasional medium-charting hit. In addition to gazillions of press and radio interviews, and television appearances, the main event of the visit was the taping of a television special devoted entirely to ABBA. The special featured ABBA performing no less than 14 songs, three of which were performed live with a full orchestra backing, resulting in unique arrangements never used before or since. The television special, simply entitled ABBA Special, was subsequently released on VHS and laser-disc.