From this unfamiliar vantage, he proceeds to lure us into an Illinois of serial killers, superheroes and his personal memories. At times it feels like a school pageant; at others, like something much darker. Stevens' banjo strums are the only ties to the hillbilly tradition that led to rock, one frail folk strand amid martial drum-rolls, school band brass and classical piano. When the band, which consisted of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad split in 1982, they had sold more than 180 million albums.Part of the appeal of Eurovision is the number of countries that can enter. The pop glam single rocketed to the top of the charts and within two years, sold more than six million copies. Abba did not make an appearance.The shortlist of songs was chosen by fans from the competition's catalogue of winners at eurovision. Ten of the nominees came from online votes while four extra songs were wild cards thrown into the mix.The special was shown in 31 countries, but notably not in Britain, despite Sir Cliff Richard and Brotherhood of Man fighting it out for best song. "Save All Your Kisses for Me" (1976) by Brotherhood of Man ended up in fifth place in the anniversary contest, while the Cliff Richard classic "Congratulations", which was entered despite never having won the Eurovision contest, was eighth.
Richard sent a video message of congratulations marking the contest's birthday party.The BBC chose not to carry the event as it was "too remote" for British audiences. The Irish Times suggested that the BBC lost interest in the celebration after it withdrew from hosting it when complications arose with the proposed venue, the Royal Albert Hall.Viewers who did manage to catch the special, which was also shown online, cast their votes as they traditionally do via text messages and phone calls. National juries from 31 countries also weighed in with their favourite selections.Although Eurovision is sometimes derided for trumpeting songs that don't even fall in the peripheral vision of the rest of the music industry, the 1974 selection of "Waterloo" launched Abba's international career. Abba may have split up more than two decades ago, but their fans have proved that they are still one of the most celebrated pop bands of all time. The Eurovision song contest celebrated its 50th birthday by beaming live from Copenhagen with all its usual kitsch and glamour. Saturday night's programme ended with the announcement that Abba's catchy "Waterloo", which won Eurovision in 1974 and shot to the top of the charts, was the best all-time song in the history of the contest. The Italian "Nel Blu Di Pinto di Blu", better known as "Volare" which gave Dean Martin one of his all-time hits, came in second, and in third place was the 1987 winner "Hold Me Now" by Ireland's Johnny Logan.Although the Swedish smash hit was bookies' favourite, there were 14 other songs in the viewers' poll - not all of them winners of Eurovision.The two-and-a-half hour special included a mix of archive video and live appearances from former winners, including Logan, who was dressed in white, and Brotherhood of Man, who received a standing ovation from the 6,000 strong audience. Other performers included Israel's Dana International, Denmark's Jakob Sveistrup, and the dance troupe Riverdance.
"We were looking at ways of trialling it on real people but, with it being a dinner suit, there are very few areas or professions in which people wear dinner suits all the time," the spokeswoman said.They gave a range of suits to the LPO to model and they proved a triumph. "They're still wearing them for their 2005-06 season at the Wigmore Hall," she said. "It's a good partnership."The Coolmax suit is exclusive to Marks and Spencer where it has just become available in 130 of its stores Bob St John Wright had only one lament "I just wish they made tail suits in it.". It's a real bonus."Andy Barclay, a percussionist, added: "Having a suit that is also washable is great - especially as we're wearing them five nights a week in the summer."A spokeswoman for M&S said its designers had decided that there was a need for a dinner suit that not only looked stylish but was, in effect, air-conditioned.Then they pondered who they could get to test it out. Even with air-conditioning in the theatre, the audience were in shirt-sleeves this summer and we were in dinner suits, slaving away playing Verdi But this suit feels half the weight of what we usually wear. But if the gentlemen of the London Philharmonic Orchestra looked a little more cool and collected than normal in recent months, Marks and Spencer can take the credit. M&S have been testing their special new high-tech dinner suit on players performing with Glyndebourne Festival Opera in Sussex over the summer. Made from Coolmax, a breathable fabric previously used only in high performance sportswear, the suits move moisture away from the body to the outside of the material in a process that is often described as "wicking".Throw in machine washability and M&S believes it has created a product that will stop even the most highly strung musician getting hot under the collar.Bob St John Wright, a first violinist, said: "We do nearly 70 performances a year in the pit during Glyndebourne and it gets incredibly hot.
