The story starts in 1987, when a 20-year-old Jonas Berggren sets up a band with two friends Johnny Linden and Niklas Tränk. He had spent the previous couple of years in a new romantic/punk covers band called G Konrad but he decided that he wanted to record his own songs. Jonas asks younger sisters Linn and Jenny to join them and they call themselves Tech-Noir, after the nightclub in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Terminator. They tour the clubs of Sweden for a few years, recording an unreleased album "Ce Soir" along the way. But Johnny gets bored and leaves in 1989, followed by Niklas who fails to show up to a gig at the Bältesspännarparken, due to the Rolling Stones performing on the other side of town.  As the backingmusic is all playback anyway, Jonas ropes in his mate Ulf Ekberg to replace him. The date is August 6th, 1990 and Ace Of Base are born. 

With the new name which Jonas came up with (they are the masters of the studio, the aces of the base - try not to think about it too much!) the new quartet continue to play small clubs across Sweden with their gothic look and bad PA system. They don't seem to be getting anywhere until they respond to a newspaper ad by John Ballard in 1991. He wasn't convinced that they would ever make it but he did link them up with Klas Lunding at Telegram Records who let them record a demo of "Wheel Of Fortune" but didn't want to release it.  They passed it on to every label in the country but none were interested.

But they weren't going to give up that easily. They decided to try the record labels of Denmark instead and eventually they found one that was interested - Mega Records. Kjeld Wennick and Claes Cornelius could evidently hear something no one else could and bought the demo in March 1992, for a very cheap price. It was the best deal they would ever make!

"Wheel Of Fortune" was re-recorded and went out as a single in Denmark in May but it passed by largely unnoticed. With the ever-increasing influence of MTV, it was essential that they shot a video. Directed by Viking Nielsson, it was filmed in a small studio on a tiny budget but it did the job. A second issue in the summer also flopped but Mega Records kept the faith and it was third time lucky in September 1992 when it finally started to chart. 

Whilst this was all happening, Swedish record producer Denniz PoP was being driven mad by a cassette which had got stuck in his car radio - it was "Mr Ace", an early demo version of AoB's "All That She Wants". Hearing it every time he got in his car got it stuck in his brain and he finally agreed to produce it with his friend Douglas Carr. Interesting fact: it was originally meant to be in a major key but Linn kept insisting that you couldn't do reggae in anything other than in minor. Eventually she got her wish and before they knew it, it was number 1 in Denmark with the first single still hanging on at number 2. The years of hard work were finally paying off.

A third single "Happy Nation" was on the Danish charts by Christmas but they were yet to chart elsewhere - "Wheel Of Fortune" had missed the charts in Sweden. Mega pushed for an album and it was recorded in a matter of weeks. By now the rest of the world was interested and deals were made with for example Metronome in Germany and Barclay in France. In the first week of 1993, "All That She Wants" entered the German chart at #88 and eight weeks later it had climbed to #1. Suddenly they had an international hit on their hands, climbing to #3 in Sweden at around the same time. 

"Waiting For Magic" was just climbing the Danish chart when on 27 March 1993 Swedish newspaper Expressen announced scandal - popstar Ulf Ekberg used to be a member of the nazi group Sverigedemokrater. Ulf came clean about how he'd abused alcohol and drugs, robbed stores and beat up innocent people but explains that he was never really interested in their ideology, he just followed the wrong path and now completely regrets his controversial past. In 1988, when he was 18, a close friend was stabbed to death and it was that that made him wake up to what his life had become. With the help of meeting Jonas and joining Ace Of Base, he has changed and hopes that fans will forgive him. It seems not to be a problem as the following month they perform in front of 55,000 alongside Inner Circle and Dr Alban in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ulf still remembers this as one of the highlights of his time with Ace Of Base. The story is forgotten for a while but it re-emerges in the U.S. in 1995 and Ulf has to once again defend himself on the television programme "A Current Affair".

After seeing how big the band were getting on the continent, next London Records in the UK came on board where "All That She Wants" as an instant hit - entering at #5 on May 2nd, 1993, climbing to #2 the following week and then knocking George Michael's Five Live EP off the top of the charts where it stayed for three weeks. It went on to sell more than 600,000 copies and was the third best-selling single of 1993 behind Meat Loaf and UB40. 

The band could barely take in what was happening when Richard Sweret and Clive Davis at Arista Records told them they wanted to bring them to the United States. However, they felt the album was a bit too clubby and needed commercialising a little with a few new poppier tracks and a cover. 

In the UK "Wheel Of Fortune" was released as the second single and entered at #21. Linn remembers having to sing live on the world famous Top Of The Pops that week. "I had no voice left, so I could hardly sing at the sound check. The sound engineers were shaking their heads - it was easy to read their minds 'can we really put this on the air?' I really felt the pressure on myself. The band were working hard and Linn especially could never have imagined having so much success so quickly. In the end, the performance wasn't bad at all and the single climbed to #20 the following week but that's where it peaked. The album re-entered at a lowly #67 after having peaked at #21 after the first single, but many were already crying "one hit wonder".

Meanwhile in the USA, "All That She Wants" went to radio at the end of the summer 1993 and by November it had climbed all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. As per Arista's request, a minor-key cover of the Diane Warren-penned song "Don't Turn Around" was recorded for the U.S. album release. It had originally been recorded by Tina Turner and had been a UK #1 hit in 1988 for reggae group Aswad, but had so far not been a U.S. hit. A couple of songs considered not good enough were taken off, such as "Münchausen (Just Chaos)" which Jonas later went on to apologise for its existance! New more mainstream compositions "Hear Me Calling" and "Living In Danger" freshened the album up considerably, but it was another track written by Jonas which would prove that Ace Of Base were no one hit wonders.

The album, re-named to "The Sign", was unleashed to the U.S. public in time for Christmas whilst "All That She Wants" was still riding high in the charts. It was selling strongly but when the second single, the new song "The Sign" was released to radio, it exploded and climbed up the chart even quicker than the first one had done. The European labels were very keen to release the track as well so the album was re-released under the name "Happy Nation US Version".

By February 20th 1994, "The Sign" had already got to #1 in Germany, #2 in Sweden, had climbed to #3 in the US and entered at #7 in the UK. On April 2nd, it climbed to pole position on the Hot 100 and spent six weeks there. It was still in the charts by the end of 1994 and went on to become the best-selling single of 1994, winning a Grammy nomination in the process - and the album, which also went to #1, sold an incredible 10 million copies, being certified diamond. 

It wasn't all fun and games though because on April 27th German fan Manuela Behrendt broke into the Berggren home in Gothenburg and Jenny wakes up finding a knife at her throat. After a brief struggle, Jenny's father manages to restrain her and call the police. Only mother Birgitta is harmed but it has a big effect on the whole family, especially Linn. Manuela spent a year in prison and was banned from entering Sweden for ten years but the band decide from then on they need bodyguards at all times.

Happier news comes on May 4th when the band accept the award for the world's best-selling Scandinavian act at the World Music Awards. Next "Don't Turn Around" hits the charts and gets to #4 in the USA, #6 in Germany and #5 in the UK. They're too busy to even appear on Top Of The Pops but perform on ITV primetime Brian Conley show on June 11th. They spend the whole summer galavanting across the world promoting, not that they need to! In October they shoot a video for "Living In Danger" at a underground train station in Stockholm with director Matthew Broadley who had also directed their other recent videos. It's not as big a hit, only peaking at #20 in the States and #18 in the UK but it helped to secure the band the world record for best-selling debut album of all time, with 21 million copies sold worldwide. 

December 7th sees the band picking up Best Newcomer and Best Single at the Billboard Music Awards before taking a short Christmas break but the band are soon back at work because it's time to record their second album. How could you possibly follow it up?

Ignoring record company pleas for more of the same, the Aces return to their Base in Sweden and write a much more mature album which they call "The Bridge". Each member contributes several of their own tracks and the end result is a mishmash of happy pop and melancholic ballads. The lead-off single, "Lucky Love" is more straightforward pop than previous releases and is given its world exclusive first performance at the opening of the World Games in Gothenburg on August 4th, 1995. It is explained that Linn has been suffering with throat problems which damaged her voice which explains why Jenny has stepped forward to share the lead vocals with her. 

Despite not being as enthusiastic about the band as the rest of the world beforehand, the single, on release in October, enters straight at #1 in Sweden, giving them their first chart-topper in their homeland. The band say that throughout their career they have suffered the wrath of the nasty Swedish tabloids who have always dismissed them as ABBA wannabes, so this was a victory.

However, whilst the single did fairly well internationally too, it only got to a mediocre #20 in the UK and the album flatlined at #66. The second single "Beautiful Life", with an expensive looking video directed by Richard Heslop, did fare better getting to #15 on both sides of the Atlantic but although the album still sold more than 5 million copies worldwide it seemed clear that they weren't quite as hot as they used to be, in some ways much to the relief of the band. 

You wouldn't know it judging by the reception they get at the Viña Del Mar festival in Chile in February 1996, where thousands of fans sing along to all their hits. Midway during a tour of Asia in March though, Linn becomes exhausted and decides to head back home leaving the rest of the band to cope without her. This was clearly the beginning of Linn's problems which would become apparant with the release of the third album. In May they perform at the World Music Awards for the third year running and Linn bizarrely thanks Michael Jackson in her acceptance speech. After the release of "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry", which doesn't do anything more than merely bubble under the Hot 100 for a few weeks, and doesn't even get a UK release, the band take a long break to reflect on the madness that has been the last four years.

Many rumours that they have decided to split are unfounded however, because before long they set to work on the next album. This time they decide that they will not feel pressured into hurrying like they did with "The Bridge". They are pretty much out of the public eye throughout the next two years, apart from emerging to perform at Swedish princess Victoria's 20th birthday party on July 14th 1997.

The following May the lead single that everyone has been waiting for is released. "Life Is A Flower" is a positive up-beat song, perfect for the start of summer. It's an instant radiohit and smashes in at #5 in Sweden and after a well executed promotional campaign by London Records it does the same in the UK in July, returning them to the top 10 for the first time in four years. A-listed on both Radio 1 and Radio 2, it climbs to #3 on the national airplay chart which all helps the album hit a very respectable #15 on the LP chart. The third album is widely considered the band's best work, named "Flowers" because the vast variety of different styles of song the band say resemble a "bouquet of beautiful flowers"!

Oddly, Clive Davis at Arista decides "Life Is A Flower" is too European for a market that has started to become saturated with bland R&B records so releases a cool cover of a Bananarama 1984 hit "Cruel Summer". It's a big success, against all the odds climbing to #10 on the Hot 100 and selling half a million copies but the success is short-lived as the album (re-named "Cruel Summer"), despite promoted with appearances on Good Morning America and Ricki Lake can't make it past an irritating #101. A re-written version of "Life Is A Flower", "Whenever You're Near Me" can only make it to #76 but at least they're having more success in Europe and Asia.  Sad news comes on August 30th when it's announced that one of the men that helped propel Ace Of Base to stardom, Denniz PoP has died after a year long struggle against stomach cancer.

One thing that it's impossible to not notice is the fact that Linn has retreated into the background. Jenny sings almost all the vocals on the album and Linn appears blurred in promotional photos, leading to many rumours. We will probably never know the full story, but it's generally accepted that Linn has grown tired of fame and wants to live a more normal life. An article published by German magazine Bravo doesn't help fans' fears though. On the videoshoot of "Cruel Summer", Linn is said to have acted very strange - she looked depressed, refused to talk to anyone and Jonas reportedly shouted at her because she wasn't happy with appearing in the video at all.

Anyway, the single is a #8 smash in the UK whilst the next single is chosen by Polydor in Germany to be "Travel To Romantis". London Records decide that it's again, too European, to be a hit in the UK (!) so they independently choose the Motown beats of "Always Have, Always Will" which is even given decent odds of being the Christmas #1. No video is shot but clips from the Swedish documentary "Our Story" make a nice trip down Memory Lane. In the end it's the Spice Girls who make it a hat-trick and the single gets to a respectable #12 but ends up selling more copies than the previous hit, spending ten weeks on the chart. Polydor Germany follow suit and release it too and amusingly is a bigger hit than "Travel To Romantis" but can only make a rather average #48. But by the end of the year "Life Is A Flower" has sold an incredible 264,000 copies in the UK placing it #61 on the chart of the year. Although the album hasn't sold spectacularly well, the big comeback is considered a success.

Desperate to shift some albums on the back of the success, a beautiful ballad co-written by Billy Steinberg (who wrote Madonna's "Like A Virgin") called "Everytime It Rains" which was recorded especially for the American album release is tagged on to the end of a re-release of "Flowers" and released as a single. But as it's sung completely by Linn no video is made and the band don't come to promote it. But helped by strong support by Radio 2 it does at least make it up to #22 on the chart in April 1999. With "Life Is A Flower" already a distant memory though the re-packaged album doesn't even make the top 200 so the project is abandoned.

The rest of 1999 brings sadness in July when the Berggrens' father Göran dies of a heart attack but joy in November when Jonas' first child Julia is born. In October a new single is released to promote the surprise release of a greatest hits compilation, "C'est La Vie (Always 21)". It only gets to #50 in Sweden and #64 in Germany though and due to a complete lack of support the UK release is cancelled, although "Singles Of The 90s" comes out anyway and enters at #62 before triumphantly disappearing altogether.

Bizarrely, "C'est La Vie" goes to #1 in Spain of all places in January 2000 and the follow-up "Hallo Hallo", helped by remixes by XTM does okay at #21 but it's a new low in Germany where it can only crawl to an embarrassing #99. In the States, Clive Davis in his infinite wisdom decides an unpromoted Metro remix of "Everytime It Rains" will help shift "Greatest Hits" in April 2000 but neither make the top 200.



Is it all over for Ace Of Base? To the relief of fans the band press on with the recording of their fourth album which they promise will be back to basics, classic Ace Of Base. Writing and recording starts in 2000 although they're not working very fast as Jonas gets distracted into marrying Birthe and Jenny has found her faith and starts singing hymns on Swedish television with her boyfriend Jacob. A new single is promised for January 2001... Jonas' second son Göran after his father is born in May 2001 and there's still no sign of it.  Performances of both "All That She Wants" and "The Sign" get played on TOTP2 in 2001 and a tripleset of the band's first three albums appears in HMV's Biggest Ever Sale in November but still no new single, but we're promised it'll be out in the Spring.

Finally in the early hours of July 24th 2002, Austrian radio station Ö3 gives the world premiere of their comeback single "Beautiful Morning". The nice radiofriendly ditty pleases fans who set out on making it a worldwide hit with a huge campaign of bombarding radio stations with e-mails (getting us into trouble but gives Polydor in Germany their fastest moving single on the airplay chart of the year). After getting into the top 10 on airplay and being C-listed on VIVA, it disappoints slightly by only getting to #38 on the sales chart but at least they get on TOTP in Germany where an army of fans go to support them.  It's better news in Sweden where it enters at #14. The album "Da Capo", co-produced by Axel Breitung who had previously worked with Vanessa Amorosi and No Angels does okay but the band seem content with being more of a cult band these days. With London Records gone to Warner Bros, Polydor aren't convinced the band are still relevant to the UK music scene and half-heartedly release the album on October 21st but without any promotion it doesn't return the band to the charts.

"All That She Wants" is still seen on VH1's #1 marathons from time to time and Terry Wogan still occassionally plays "Everytime It Rains" on his Radio 2 breakfast show but it's looking ever unlikely that the band will ever add to their tally of 12 UK top 40 hits. 

Fans blame wrong single choices, over-production and under-promotion for "Da Capo"'s relative failure. As of 2006, the band are said to be have started work on their next album but it is unclear as to when it will be released. Like with the last album, we're promised that Linn will be making a comeback and the sound will be back to the band's roots but we shall see what happens.  Jenny recently married Jakob and had her first child and has been working with a new band called Arose, who have just released their début album.  She is also hoping to release a solo album.  Whatever happens, the Ace Of Base story is far from over so keep with www.aceofbase.co.uk for all the latest news!