When Swedish pop icons ABBA took to the stage for their appearance at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England, to perform Waterloo, guitarist Björn Ulvaeus was sporting a silver, 13-pointed, star-shaped guitar.
That instrument – along with the group’s dazzling satin attire and none-more-70s’ platform boots – gave them a visual impact that has become synonymous with the aesthetic of the decade. ABBA would go on to win with their performance, beginning their ascent to the pop stratosphere shortly afterwards. Ulvaeus used this guitar on subsequent promotional TV appearances and on their first European tour in late 1974, before retiring it.
