Arrival

There are 2 types of people in this world: people who like ABBA and boring people

Arrival, a 1976 album by the Swedish band ABBA is the music of the day for me. And what a great day. I used to be judgmental about ABBA for some reason. I was very dismissive and they seemed like terrible bubblegum international pop for a long time in my brain. I can't believe anyone would listen to this garbage! This has changed. At some point I learned to let go and be willing to let the context and circumstances sweep me away and bring me joy. At some point, ABBA became a lovely band and I'm now filled with joy from listening to them. Just let go and let the music take you.

You show me someone that won't allow themselves to enjoy ABBA and I'll show you a joyless, pretentious ass-hat. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Dancing Queen Date listened: 03/08/23

Absolute fucking classic man. Fernando is a whole vibe. Add in Dancing queen, and I mean When i kissed the teacher is kinda weird, but it's good. Plus money, money, money. Solid stuff.

The songwriting and production are so underrated with ABBA. They deserve praise for their masterful and intelligent pop songwriting. It’s a pop masterpiece, with songs that will live forever.

oh oh oh im too excited for this!!! never have i ever clicked the spotify link and hit play this fast!

Gonna start this off by saying that I dislike ABBA in general. Ever since I heard Dancing Queen the first time years ago, I did NOT like that song. Just ABBA itself I just.. It just does not click with me. We'll see how this goes. // When I Kissed The Teacher - Yep. Sounds like ABBA. Booo. // Dancing Queen - >:( . God damnit I hate this fucking song (Still listened anyways, gotta give it the benefit of the doubt). 3:02~ This song does not end plz god kill me. // My Love, My Life - yawn. // Dum Dum Diddle - these all sound exactly the same. idk if it's the fact that their voices annoy me, or that the melody literally just follows the vocals (which is an awfully boring way to make a song) but this is physically painful for me to listen to. // Knowing Me, Knowing You - I have nothing to say. // Money, Money, Money - oh wow the bass follows exactly with the vocals what a change up from the melody doing it! WOW! SO INNOVATIVE!! // That's Me - Y'know, I think I can see what I hate about this album so much. It's flat. There is no depth sonically. Each song sounds like it's mixed in the exact same way as the other. Not only does it feel uninspired, unimpressive, and honestly, boring, but even given the time period this album came out, there were so many other albums released even during the same year that did have a sonic depth to them, or maybe used more than 5 instruments. I mean, every single Beatles album came out (the most recent being an entire 6 years) before this did, and why are those fun to listen to? More noise. The songs feel like they have a strong sonic substance behind them. That's the simplest way I can put it. I'm a sucker for big sound with lots of moving parts, and this is NOT it. // Why Did It Have To Be Me? - Yeah that's what I'm sayin chief. The only reason I even remotely enjoyed this track is because it sounds like The Wanderer by Dion. // Tiger - You can't go from singing about boo hoo Why Me and then the next song is about being a Tiger. Pick a theme now come the fuck on. Funny enough though, the way this song is built and its chord progression has made it my favorite of the album so far (But I promise that is NOT saying much). // Arrival - 0:02 ~Ok the albums lead track, please be not absolute pond water. 0:44 ~ okayyy a bit of depth, nice. come on little buddy, you can do it! 1:48 ~ mhmm, mhmm, yeah. 3:00 ~ Two things. One: Why is this here? What purpose. Two: Thank you ABBA for a semi-pleasant break from the stand-still traffic monotony that this album has been so far. // Fernando - Ok I actually kind of like this one, but only a little bit. GG // Happy Hawaii - I liked this song until they started singing. 2:06 ~ See, the background vocals, it makes the song better doesn't it. Almost like.. almost like adding more interesting things and D E P T H to the song makes it more enjoyable to listen to. Huh. 3:33 ~ Now thats wtf I'm talking about! More harmonies in the guitars yes yes yes. . Wow this song had so many ups and down! /> Final Thoughts: This album had virtually nothing for me. Tbh maybe I'm just not the target demographic and I get that, but at the same time, I don't know how anyone could be. A flat album, 90% sounds exactly the same. Not fun except for extremely infrequent places where 'Oh look, the did something different this time'. I did stick through it though. In the nature of what this website is trying to do, I did stick with it one single full time through. I owe the album at least that much. I will definitely not be coming back to this album on my own, and if I'm a lucky man, will never hear a single song from it ever again. fuck you dancing queen fuck you.

I cannot fucking believe that every single song on this record has a Wikipedia article. Key Tracks: Dancing Queen, Tiger

I love the way Abba have gone from brilliant in the 70s, to cheesy in the 90s, and back up to brilliant now. Every song is perfectly written and flawlessly executed.

Here we have a concept disco album by the Swedish band Abba. We follow a tale of a promiscuous high school girl who gets kicked out of school for sexually assaulting her math teacher. She becomes a stripper and is fairly popular with the guys, she tries to have a romantic relationship, but just ends up getting her heart broken, realizing that no one wants a stripper girlfriend. Devastated she quits dancing, but now she is struggling with her bills, alone and broke she spirals into a pit of depression. One night as she's being followed home by a stalker in a tiger outfit (probably a furry), she realizes she's had enough, so she packs her bags and moves to Hawaii, where she meets a man named Fernando, and they live happily ever after. Musically this album is annoying as hell, the repetitive saccharine melodies are particularly painful. The lyrics are stupid. The story is stupid. I hate everything about this. This needs to remain in 70's Sweden. You know those people who use phrases like "someone's got a case of the Mondays"? They're the only ones who listen to this. And only in the presence of others. Because they want to torture you. Abba is shitty torture music. Stay away unless you have masochistic tendencies.

Saw ABBA and just laughed to myself. Then I listened to the album. This is good quality fun stuff. Much better sounding than I remember as a kid. I'm serious. How can you not like Dancing Queen, Fernando and Knowing me, Knowing you? I would guarantee if you put this on in the background of a get together, you would catch people grooving along.... Also enjoyed Money, Money, Money and Why did it have to be me. Not sure you could put out a song like I kissed the teacher these days. And what's wrong with Carrie, that you wouldn't want to marry? Good fun album. I enjoyed listening. I'll give a solid 3. Maybe would have gone a little higher, but can't score ABBA above Steve Earle. 3 for me

12th April 2022 Listened in the morning getting ready to go to brunch on Huntington Beach, wander around the pier then head to Guy and Jana’s for drinks and games in the evening. ABBA bring me such unbridled joy and they should never be mocked or disrespected for giving that to people in such ASM unapologetic way.

Always just ignored Abba. But this forced to me to listen to them properly, and it was very enjoyable. "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money" and "Fernando" were the standout songs on the album.

Dancing Queen is one of my favorite songs, so I enjoyed that one. Found Dum Dum Diddle peppy and Tiger sort of catchy. Otherwise, enjoyed listening but not enough to buy the album.

Made me want to dance

Who doesn't like ABBA?

it's abba. nuff said. excellent uplifting beats, some big hitting classics on here, mixed in with a good dose of melacholy-ish but not too much to bring the overall mood down. a party album - will come back to it again and again!

Wonderful! Improves with age

Such perfect 70s pop - the rhythms, harmonies, and just plain and simple fun.

Unpopular opinion : everybody is peer pressured or family pressured, and pretends to like ABBA. And since show up in your life so often, that you connect ABBA to fun-ish moments, until the brainwashing is complete.

I would like this band if they didn’t sound anything like the way they do. 2/5

This is going to be tough. Historically, I haven't liked ABBA at all. Let's see what happens... When I Kissed the Teacher - Didn't like it. Dancing Queen - Obviously I've heard it before. I was ok with it this time. Dum Dum Diddle - I hate this... Literally "hate." Knowing Me, Knowing You - I don't hate this. There's something decent happening here. Money, Money, Money - The minor key helps. It's not a good rock song, but I feel like it could be part of a European opera. Don't hate it. That's Me - nah Why Did it Have to be Me? - Nothing particularly in either direction here. Tiger - oof no Arrival - No vocals definitely helps Fernando - Not terrible. I'd rather to hear someone else play it with a talented Spanish acoustic guitarist. Happy Hawaii - I'd rather hear this in a Hawaiian style recorded by Don Ho. Or anyone else. Fuck, AC/DC would have made a better version of this. I feel like this album (and all of Abba) is part of the Eurotrash origin story. I forced myself to listen to the whole thing. I won't be listening to it again. Goddamnit, I hate Abba.

Dum Dum Diddle.... need I say more..... Ah well. It has several number one all time super hits that are hard to ignore. Even when you don't like the 70th dance music style of Abba you have to admit that Benny and Björn have been geniuses over a long time. Name any party that doesn't get better when they play Dancing Queen? It's as classy as IKEA.

Love the singles, “Arrival” and at least half of “Happy Hawaii”. Had I the time, I’d talk to Simon’s excellent comment re inverse snobbery and ABBA, which made me felt looked at. To be clear, I think they are a good few tiers above Ace of Bass, but I hear the europop awkwardness outside the singles. I think they built their own world.

July 15, 2021 All the light is topaz. Someone came to look at the house next door and I stopped it so they wouldn't hear me playing ABBA with the window open at 9:30am. Sorry ABBA for doing you like that. Cheesy, but I love it. There are a few classics on here. Also, somewhat surprisingly learning I'm kind of into ABBA's album cover aesthetic?

There's a weird inverse snobbery around ABBA - if you don't think they are unbridled geniuses then you must hate pop music and be a really boring human, a joyless cipher. I find them a bit basic and awkward in the classic Europop fashion - fun and tuneful but no different fundamentally from Ace of Base or Eiffel 65. This album cover was everywhere when I was a kid, and the mysteries contained therein were revealed today as: a bit basic and awkward, if fun and tuneful. Didn't hold my attention long despite fond memories of "Dancing Queen" signaling lights-up horror at The Dome in Tufnell Park, and amusing thoughts of Zapata and Villa chilling over a margarita to "Fernando". Aha..

Undeniably catchy pop. Not my thing, but I can see it has to deserve 5 stars. Not sure 'when I kissed the teacher' could be played in public these days...great tune though. 4 massive international hits, but a purely singles band. Who has ever heard an album track of theirs (unless they actually bought the album, obviously)? 'Dum dum diddle' - really? Practising for the next Eurovision Song Contest, obviously. 'Tiger' could easily have been a single, too.

Its ABBA, only losers don't like ABBA

Despised them back then and still cannot listen to them…they were the Monkees of the 70’s..terribly irritating…so much better music in that era

I respect them and remembered some of the songs from when I was a kid. But so far this has been the most difficult to wade through in its entirety.

Utter. Garbage. Disco is the worst thing to ever happen to music. So much hate.

Arrival When I Kissed the Teacher, in many ways is a suitable bedfellow for Does Your Mother Know, and amusingly and slightly ickily kicks off 30 odd minutes of pop melody brilliance. Dancing Queen is of course a truly fantastic song, the piano, the strings, the synths, the number of hooks, the catchiness, the joyousness. It's easy to think it's been ruined by ubiquity and hen parties, but that doesn't matter, it's a brilliant bit of popular song designed to be enjoyed by as many people as possible. My Love, My Life is one of many songs on here that feels a bit Christmassy, or at least Christmas adjacent, with the bells at the end. When I Kissed the Teacher also some bells going and Why Did It Have to Be Me has some Wizard Christmas song energy. And Arrival feels very Christmas Special TV show with its bagpipes-ness and ah ah ahhs. That’s Me and Tiger I hadn’t heard before, but they are both fantastic, That’s Me has a bit of a Waterloo feel with its boogie pop sound, and it has another brilliant hook after the chorus, and Tiger is superb, full of hooks and a great dramatic sense to it. Occasionally it flirts with sugary sickliness, eg My Love, My Life, but some of the cello strings doing interesting things just about pull it back. And something like Dum Dum Diddle is pretty throwaway, but it's still a great bit of catchy pop. It’s taken me a while to warm to Money, Money, Money but now I think it’s great, a rolicking euro-drinking disco stomper. And Knowing Me, Knowing You is up there with SOS and The Visitors as my favourite Abba songs, doing that characteristic Abba trick of marrying sad, despondent words after divorce with fantastically catchy and brilliantly structured uptempo pop-rock music. Despite flirting with some cheese and some throwaway moments, it is an incredibly joyful 33 minutes of brilliant music. 5. 🚁🚁🚁🚁🚁 Playlist submission: Knowing Me, Knowing You

We had this one on 8-track when I was a kid. I don't know precisely who in my family "owned" it --- it seemed to just belong to all of us, which was unusual. My mom (now 82) didn't ever listen to a lot of popular music but she can still name Dancing Queen from the opening glissando. I loved listening to this today. ABBA sounds distinctly superb and these are some top-notch pop songs.

This is one of my favorite ABBA albums, so I was excited to see it here! The album has a little of everything that ABBA is great at: dance, rock, ballad, folk music, boogie boogie. All the songs are great, and I'm glad the bonus track version includes Fernando! Perfect Swedish vocals, lovely arrangements, excellent production.

Bangers on bangers

Banger after banger

Yay, ABBA! This is their 4th collection of catchy tunes and memorable melodies. Among others, we find classics as Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Money, Money Money, Arrival and Fernando. Of course, not all tracks are equally good, but there hardly is any filler material here. Onle My Love, My Life and Dum Dum Diddle do nothing for me, but everything considered, this is a great album. 4.5/5

Fantastic album by ABBA!! Don't think there was one song that I disliked. Their harmonies are distinct and so beautifully done. From catchy party tunes like Dancing Queen and Money, Money Money. To the more captivating verses of My Love, My Life and Why Did It Have To Be Me. Overall stunning! Probably my fav album they've produced.

Can’t be mad listening to Abba

If it’s good enough for Alan Partridge, it’s good enough for me.

First off, there's no denying Dancing Queen is an all time banger. Just a great pop song through and through. The rest of the album is quite solid. A well constructed, well crafted pop album. Not every song hits but most of them do. Deserves to be on this list.

It's ABBA. If you want to get down with some well-crafted pop songs, this is your jam.

4.5 ESTE ALBÚM ES MI VIDA, LO MEJOR DE MI VIDA. ME SÉ TODAS LAS CACNIONES Y DE CORAZÓN. CÓMO LO AMO. ABBA VINO A SALVARME DE TODO LO MALO. Aunque debo admitir que había alguna canciones que no conocía. Creo que esas tendría que escucharlas de nuevo. Excepto "That's me".

Pop. Varios megahits. No me apasiona tanto como a ti :-P Un 4.

Fun disco album that tells us how Abba dominated pop in the 70s. With catchy lyrics and melody, each track stands on its own. "Dancing Queen" is one of the best disco tracks of all time. I just wanted to point out how stupid "Dum Dum Diddle" is and how I feel they were trying to make a point the lyrics don't have to make sense. "Why Did It Have To Be?" was a nice surprise, incorporating jazz, blues, and rockabilly yet still making it catchy pop. The closing title track almost feels like the end of mass. The 1997 bonus track "Fernando" is another favorite of mine, capturing a unique perspective of the Mexican Dirty War. Overall not my favorite Abba album, but with solid production and creativity, it certainly tops the pop scene of the era.

ABBA, 100% a singles band. ABBA Gold would have been more appropriate on this list. Dancing Queen and Fernando are the highlights.

As someone who enjoys ABBA and has been to more than a few disco/dance theme events focused on the band, it's easy to sit back and enjoy this album without thinking about it too much. That said, being a little more critical, I don't really consider it to be anything more than pretty good. It's almost perfect pop- it's cheery, it's fun, and it gets your feet tapping and body moving. The instrumentation somehow makes the songs what they are without really stealing any of the spotlight from the vocals. Each song is short, but pretty much the perfect length it could be. They leave you wanting more without overstaying their welcome. They all could be sing-alongs after just a few listens given how infectious the melodies are. That said, they really don't have much actual substance. It's just something to feel good about without a lot of brain activation. Sometimes that's all you need, like here where it's intended to be that kind of pop record. If you're looking for more depth, though, you probably should look elsewhere. There's also the issue of fatigue; for as short as the album is, the consistent style on each track can get a little old by the time you reach the end. Much like the Britney Spears album, I can appreciate the effort without really thinking it deserves to be rated super high on a list like this. It's just not something I can say is "great" when compared to a number of the other efforts on here. I will give this one a bit more credit than Spears' though, due to the timeframe it was released and the global/cultural impact that it still has. I think it has better artistry, and the band actually wrote the songs themselves. Plus, I found it more fun (personal preference, most likely). That leaves it as a pretty good album in my eyes. Overall: 3.1/5

When I was a kid I set a challenge to myself to see what would happen if I ate 1 piece of every kind of halloween candy in my bag. It was fun at first... then I felt sick. ABBA is like that. I like them in small doses, but a whole album makes me want to barf by the time I get to the end.

Tough one, on the one hand you got some monster hits and production genius, on the other there are some really dumb songs on here. And a few questionable choruses. Think I prefer their breaking up album more

You ever eat something really sweet and decadent and you know it's going to make you want to puke but you just keep hammering down fork fulls into your fat face? This is the audio version.

3 stars only for dancing queen

3/1001. You probably had to be there, yet I wasn’t there. Weird album to critique, some songs (Dancing Queen) are absolutely iconic as they’re larger than music, but I can’t get the deeper cuts to stay with me. The vocalist is infectious but it gets to the point of becoming grating at times. I’m sure I would have loved this in the 70s. Right now it’s not plainly bad, but it’s not interesting to me either. I’ll go 4/10.

I'm sorry but Abba does nothing for me as a whole. Thier music is so comically Eurovision down the line to me... Best song on the album for me was "Knowing Me Knowing You" the only other songs I actually liked were the bonus tracks (in fact I liked both of them better than "KMKY") (5.7) ★★½

Dancing queen and Fernando are good, the rest sounds too much like show tunes.

Non merci

ABBA schmabba

Garbage One star because I can’t give it zero!

Unhörbar

I've loved ABBA since I was a kid, listening at my grandmother's house. I know it's not for everyone, but it's for me! Whether that's nostalgia or not, I have to rate this a 5.

its abba. need i say more?

they really said 'what if we made an album with only bangers' and then just like did that

el album es historia, una obra maestra eterna hay algunos temas medio largueros o que no me encantaron pero los conocidos compensan completamente

ARRIVAL have very good songs, Solid Album

was away from my computer & could not take notes. fantastic album. disco? yes please.

LOVED IT!!!!

Moni moni moni🗣

Un álbum muy espiritual, me resonó en el alma las canciones sobre elección en el amor.

This is so peak

Album #65: Arrival - ABBA Genre (W): Pop, Eurodisco Singles: Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You, That’s Me I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I love the production of this album. How polished it is. The lyrics are also really good as well, they’re perfect for pop radio and timelessness! Favorite songs: All of it!!

If mainstream commercial pop music were still like this, I would have nothing to complain about. Although, I doubt someone would write lyrics as those of When I Kissed The Teacher today, which adds to the fun...

So good, all the classics on one album and some more! Had it on repeat.

one of my fav from abba gold aura

ABBA might be the only band to make great pop. I like to tell people I like pop, but I don’t really like "pop" I like alt-pop like Fiona Apple; ABBA is the one exception. They’re also the only good disco band.

amazing top tier

Incroyable - tout l’univers de l’album est dingue, avec des sonorités tres marquees, aucun mauvais gout

Fun pop album.

god i love abba <3

Onhan tää nyt legendaarinen, eikä syyttä, niin monta bängeriä että päähän sattuu.

<3333333333!!!!!!!

Awesome album full of hits! 9.1/10

Des chansons très reconnaissables, dotérs d’une grande richesse musicale.

quintessential

I openly admit to having a guilty love of ABBA but even if I didn’t … wow… what an album! Talk about having an album overflowing with talent and top hits!

This is some funny timing. I've been on a massive ABBA kick the past few months following a conversation we had at band rehearsal. It's cliche to say "Aren't ABBA brilliant?" but, aren't ABBA brilliant?

Hjerte: 5 Hjerne: 2 (det er svensk)

I’ll be honest: I used to be one of those people who dismissed ABBA as nothing more than bubblegum or cheesy Eurovision Pop, but listening to Arrival in full has completely flipped my perspective. It is, quite simply, pure pop perfection. From the iconic opening of "Dancing Queen" (the rare kind of song that opens to the back half of the chorus) to the surprisingly deep layers of "Knowing Me, Knowing You", every track feels meticulously crafted. The production is masterful, blending infectious disco rhythms with lush harmonies and even touches of Swedish folk. It’s the kind of music that fills a hole in your soul and makes it impossible not to move; even the deeper cuts like "Tiger" and the atmospheric title track "Arrival" showcase a level of songwriting sophistication that most modern artists can only dream of. For me, it’s a solid 5-star classic.

Ok, hear me out. This is a four star album, not a five star album. ABBA didn’t make albums; they made collections of songs. I haven’t heard this album since I was about ten, but I knew it well. And I loved many of the album tracks, like Tiger, Why Did It Have to Be Me, When I Kissed the Teacher, and Arrival. But the hits on this album were hits for a reason: they’re simple but clever and sonically layered. Pop perfection. Knowing Me Knowing You is a devastating song about divorce that masquerades as a disposable pop song, and then you realize how many layers of guitars are on this track. But five stars? This is a four star album. Indeed. But I could not stop listening to this album all day. It filled the hole in my soul. No other album on this list had that effect on me. It seemed insulting to only give it four stars.

The hits are undeniable so I was more interested in the rest of the songs. They were decent. I will say Dancing Queen is so overplayed that I’m kinda tired of it.

lessgoooo

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Bangers

A scientific study said that “Don’t Stop Me Now” is the world’s happiest song. Those scientists are incorrect. It’s “Dancing Queen”.

It was Queen Elizabeth approved.

Perfectly structured and paced album that's great from start to finish.

Hits after hits and paced/sequenced really well - does feel like a proper album and just a joy to listen to, has to be a 5

I love all of these songs more than my own children. Truly firing on all cylinders. Going from When I Kissed the Teacher to Dancing Queen is a stroke of pure genius. Absolutely love it x

Anything ABBA immediately gets 5

Great sound, instrumental, voices, 1980s vibes, always liked ABBA. Money money money, Fernando, classic hits. Found a good underrated song Tiger.

Not exactly my cup of tea, but holy cow how many legendary songs can an album hold? Incredible record.

This album is just bop after bop.