Top Of The Pops

ABBA performed "SOS"  on Top Of The Pops according to the BBC's Top Of The Pops web-site (introduced by Noel Edmonds although other archive sources say it was hosted by Jimmy Saville) but, the clip does not exist in the BBC Archive any longer.  They performed LIVE.

Until researching on the BBC web-site, I had not really recalled a performance of "SOS" on Top Of The Pops. In the darkest reaches of my mind the bubbles at the back *could* be a Top Of The Pops performance and seem strangely familiar to me.

Until the third picture below turned up in ABBA - The Scrapbook, the combination of Frida in long cat dress and Agnetha wearing jeans under her short cat dress seemed an odd one. Now it is clear they were rehearsal pictures.  The third picture below must be from the actual performance.

ABBA's UK visit was from 30 September - 2 October 1975.

The pictures are confirmed as Top of the Pops as one of the pictures was submitted by a book publisher for inclusion in Carl Magnus Palm's book, ABBA - The Complete Guide To Their Music. To back this up, the picture is also used on the Top of the Pops web-site.  The third picture below, featured in ABBA - The Scrapbook by Jean-Marie Potiez, also confirms it as Top of the Pops.

Other guests on this edition:

Mud - "La La La Lucy"
Jonathan King - "Una Paloma Blanca"
The Four Seasons - "Who Loves You "(danced to by Pans People)
Mac & Katie Kissoon - "Like A Butterfly"
ABBA - "SOS"
Carl Malcolm - "Hey Fatty Bum Bum"
Art Garfunkel - "I Only Have Eyes For You"
The Chi-Lites - "It's Time For Love"
The Goodies - "Nappy Love"
David Essex - "Hold Me Close"

                   LISTEN!

Click on image for a larger view:

Thanks to Carl Magnus Palm for identifying this entry. Extra thanks to Jozsef, David Calverley and Roy Taylor.
Thanks to EricandDish on YouTube for pointing out the third picture shown featured in ©ABBA - The Scrapbook by Jean-Marie Potiez