Filmed: Mid-May 1973
Location: Geraardsbergen, Belgium
Broadcast: 26 October 1973, BRT
Release status: This performance has not been included on any officially released video or DVD
Shown in: Belgium
Ziet u er wat in? = Do you see anything?
Other translations for the programme title could be: Do you like it? / You think there's something to it? / Something interesting? / Do you see something in it?
Ziet u er wat in? was a weekly show, which began in 1968, in which a few programs from the upcoming week were announced with short trailers. It was broadcast by BRT (Belgian Radio & Television - now called VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie), the public broadcaster of Belgium (Flanders), Belgium.
This amazing clip emerged showing ABBA being filmed performing Ring Ring at an outside venue in Belgium - presumably for a TV programme.
In fact the ABBA clip was made for an episode of Tienerklanken (Teen Sounds) (30/11/1973) in which they questioned the youth's musical preferences. ABBA fan YVR emailed Belgian public broadcaster VRT about the clip who confirmed it was for Tienerklanken as a trailer for the following week. However, it would appear that for the actual programme they broadcast a clip of Suzi Quatro (or someone else) instead of ABBA! ABBA fan PDM confirmed that other performers on the same stage were Suzi Quatro (performing Can the Can), Peter Koelewijn and his Rockets (Angeline) and Neil Sedaka. This last name is particularly interesting given his contribution to the English lyrics for Ring Ring.
We can therefore discount the theory/memory that this clip was for a programme called Slalom.
Furthermore, although the actual clip of the performance (not the filming of the filming!) was not broadcast, maybe this means the full performance is still in the archives waiting to be discovered?
The footage is dark and not great but better than nothing. Note that the cameraman was rather taken with Frida's rear and both ladies' tummys! If this was mid-May then that was excellent work from Agnetha who would have only given birth to Linda just three months earlier.
The location has been amended from Zolder to Geraardsbergen since ABBA fan PDM, 10 years old at the time, was present at the recording in his hometown. It was filmed at the small airport of Geraardsbergen (which still exists and the plane that you see in the background of the video is still there (but in very bad shape).
We know they they performed People Need Love and Ring Ring for a Belgian TV performance - which was probably this one (in the absence of any others).
This was probably the Belgian part of a promotional tour of Germany (Disco), Austria (Spotlight), Denmark (Television City and Sommerlørdag) and Netherlands (Popzien) in the first few months of 1973. Frida, Benny and Björn wore the same outfits as for Popzien.
This clip was discovered here c/o TV production company Cobra.
Lyrics available on the Official ABBA site
Thanks to Lutgart Smedts, Steve Layton, Yannick Van Rillaer, Philip Muytjens, Emilie De Laere, Paul De Man, Tony Rogers, Harold Hanlon, Petri Kaasalainen, Jozsef, Karin Angeleyes, Henk Jansen and Filip and Jurgen Parys c/o ABBA Village
Information for original 'Brussel's entry from ABBA - The Book by Jean-Marie Potiez and filming date information from Carl Magnus Palm