Arrival by ABBA

Arrival

ABBA

3.53
Rating
29707
Votes
1
4%
2
11%
3
32%
4
34%
5
19%
Distribution

Reviews (page 11 of 15)

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, but it's still a solid album from a classic group. It does feel like a few hits surrounded by some filler, but the filler isn't bad enough to make me zone out. But the bangers bang. Except I don't like Money money money which surprised me, I thought I liked that song? Apparently not. Fav songs: - Dancing Queen - Fernando - Knowing Me, Knowing You

Listened in the car yesterday. A great album of brilliantly crafted & performed pop/rock songs. Don't be led by the well known singles - the album tracks are every bit as good.

Pure pop joy! Amazing to have 4 massive hits on 1 album

Good, but a bit cheesy. It's ABBA and didn't expect anything else, but man this album had a lot of hits.

Sneeringly dismissed by me when it came out, this has 5 well-known singles and the rest are decent pop songs

Classic some killer and the rest is filler. Not really an album band are they? As such never listened to one of their albums before and it's pretty awful. You can't knock the big hits, they are classics, but the rest is rubbish honestly.

A maximalist, lush pop album; absolutely stacked with great harmonies. Only cloying occasionally. Highlights: My Love My Life, Dum Dum Diddle, Knowing Me Knowing You, Money Money Money, That's Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me?, Fernando

Just not my thing.

Dancing Queen! Forgot how incredible Fernando is

Reminded me of my childhood

Know and love most of the songs on this album.

Hmmm, very much on the fence with this one. Abba are obviously brilliant at their best but I didn't much want to sit through many of the more formulaic, cabaret-style tunes. Maybe just me, for today it's a 3

Best song: Fernando. I’ve heard ABBA enough tho.

First listen. Some tracks I've never heard before plus the classics

Good times!

Meh, pretty underwhelming to be honest considering how many bangers they've made.

Some bangers but also some shit ones soooooo meow

Certified banger.

3.5 Steady away

How can you not like this. Superb music production, brilliant arrangements. Combine this with the talented writing of Mssrs Benny and Bjorn together with the fab voices of Anna and Frieda and you have the recipe for continuous success. Filled with familiar singalong tunes its a brilliant listen. 👍

not as good as I thought it would be. The songs that arent the greatest hits are not played for a reason. What is up with kiss the teacher, ick.

Catchy, well crafted songs, not ly go to, but I can see why they are so loved.

Kinda weird lyrics, "when i kissed the teacher". Dancing Queen is a classic, such a good song. 'Knowing me, knowing you' and 'Money, money, money', 'Fernando' also great

Banger after banger, bops all around. It's simple, but great.

Some well crafted pop songs. Some of them are better than others. Fernando is a banger.

I wanted to not like this album, but I think it’s impossible to be sad while listening. It just has an upbeat tempo and is so very “ABBA” that you just smile.

Schreckliche Erinnerungen kommen hoch. Aber wie sagt man? Irgendwie ganz ok? Handwerklich gut gemacht? 3 Punkte.

Every song is an earworm, beyond the most obvious dancing queen, and money times 3, knowing me knowing you, the rest of the songs are amazing too. I enjoyed tiger a lot which was one I wasn't familiar with and fernando is one of my favorites (is that a bonus track though?) Great album

Gute Musik muss im ersten Schritt den Hörer zu Emotionen veranlassen und im zweiten Schritt müssen diese Emotion des Hörers der Musik entsprechen. ABBA gelingt es in diesem Album, auch wenn es nicht die Texte sind die überzeugen, es ist das Gesamtwerk. Dieses macht Spaß und ist in sich vollkommen konsistent. Mit den Hits, “Dancing Queen”, “Fernando” und “Money, Money” ist es schon spektakulär. Auch eher unbekannte Songs wie “When I kissed the Teacher”oder “Arrival” halten das Album spanned. Hey ABBA “Knowing Me, Knowing You” 👍😊

Lots of classic hits. But I would be ok never hearing the whole album again.

Well construed pop songs but probably could have left a couple of songs off for a tighter album. Not necessarily repetitive but all the songs are similar - you know it’s Abba somehow. I wonder if anyone in the country realm has covered “Why Did It Have To Be Me” - seems like a no brained hit single for someone. And we’ve come a long way from the mid 70s with a song like “When I Kissed The Teacher.” Surprisingly Arrival isn’t the first song on the album, kind of weird somehow.

First time listening to a full-length (not hits album or compilation) from ABBA. Poppy as all hell of course! Infectious, nothing offensive, good hooks, beats, production, vocal, ---probably won't ever listen to it again after today.

Decent, fun. Sort of like Tabey said for an earlier album, it feels like I’m at a wedding reception. Fernando.

Maybe a controversial opinion, but I do enjoy ABBA. Solid 70s pop, with of course a disco vibe. I do think a little goes a long way, and sometimes I wish they’d switch up the sound a bit. It’s fun to think of what ABBA could sound like if produced by Brian Eno or Daniel Lanois.

Although, I inexplicably love Fernando, it couldn’t save te rest of this for me.

I don’t know if I have any opinion. I think my only exposure has been being in the same room as Mamma Mia is playing. This first song is fucking so bad and creepy and weird and European. But it’s also catchy which is truly the evil power of ABBA. How can you hate this. It’s such good pop music. It’s infectious. Its insidious. It rules. Dancing Queen is just a perfect song, my god. Dum Dum Diddle might be the greatest song ever written it’s so cute and wholesome in this completely embarrassingly innocent way but instead of being cringeworthy it’s adorable. FUCK. Knowing Me, Knowing You almost feels like a completely band. It’s so mature and good. Good Lord is this going to be a 5 star album? Money is so good too. Really love the instrumentals. They manage to be totally of the time without really feeling dated, there’s something unique about them. I really dig it. Is that a weird vocal effect paired with a weird folksy guitar with a fucking killer synth on That’s Me? This album is incredible, I love it. Holy shit. What the fuck. Why Did it Have to Be walks in and farts all over the place by using a generic riff and having one of the dudes start singing. It gets better but this is the first hiccup since the baffling first song. The prechorus and chorus are so good, the verses are a disaster. Thank god we’re back to stupid bullshit I love. Anyone who says these lyrics suck are 100% correct. These people also don’t know how to have fun. This is again one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard.

All the hits. Knowing me knowing you is definitely my favourite.

It's fine, if a little boring, but with rare exception, very much not my style.

Love some songs, just wasn’t in the mood.

Viele Hits, die jeder kennt. Aber mieser Sound.

Great opener, energy carries. Not a fan of "Money."

barely a 3. Aside from the popular songs this isn't a great album. 2.5

Fernando almost but didn’t get this to a4

Man - I know nothing about this genre. I’m sure this is fine easy listening or easy dancing, but it’s just not my style, and I do like a handful of ABBA songs here and there. - 2/5: may relisten to a few songs, but ultimately not my thing.

very dope very cool

They have some classics for sure, and I know many people are crazy about them, but they aren’t really my preferred flavor of pop.

Part of me wants to appreciate ABBA more. I can see that they're talented, that they bring in a wide range of styles, and they certainly made something unique and far reaching. I get why they're popular but I can also see why some people hate them. It's campy in a serious way, which itself seems a bit ridiculous. It has a very important place in themed parties and wedding receptions. Not so much in my regular rotation I'm afraid.

The hits power the album. The harmonies are on high over top of piano and synths, with touches of electric guitar. The production is great and would have been a gen in true mid-70s.

There's the 'four singles/8 b-grade album fillers' pop model beloved of Madonna, Britney et al and then there's this. What to make of the fact that the title track has been streamed 4 million times while Dancing Queen has 1.5 billion. What you can make is of course that some tracks are very very good, exceptional, and others not so much - the singles. You could give it 8/5 for the singles. Maybe even 35/5. But let's be clear as an album, unlike say Pulp's Different Class, you take out the big singles and there's being generous a 3/5 album. So it has to be a 4 for me Clive.

Do all of their albums sound like soundtracks for a musical?

Love ABBA Too tracks: Dancing Queen, Money Money Money

Chances are good you've heard "Dancing Queen" before at a wedding or other occasion for hitting the dance floor. This is the album where that song comes from, along with other easy-listening pop tunes. It's a largely inoffensive record with solid production, though your enjoyment will vary depending on how much you can tolerate this style of music. If that sounds like your vibe, then check it out.

Not for me, but undeniably well written pop ditties

when i kissed the teacher

Enjoyable mid 80s with dancing queen

Always had a bit of a soft spot for Abba. There are some superbly produced pop songs on this album. I enjoyed being 'allowed' to indulge a guilty pleasure as part of this 1001 Albums.

This album is pretty much what I thought it would be. I was already familiar with Dancing Queen and Fernando, and the rest of the album is very much the same. It has top notch production, and overall is very nice and makes for a pleasant listen. There is a reason that ABBA tops so many sales and favorites lists. However, it's a little too syrupy sweet for me and not something I see myself coming back to very often.

absolutely perfect pop music. endless bangers, although perhaps doesn’t have the same range as better ABBA albums

ABBA seems to transcend all generations. That's very evident in the fact that some of their songs have gone viral again with the TikTok crowd. The pop sound is just easily digestible. I mean, you've got mega-hits in here such as "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando". The earworms are plentiful in this album. Put on your dancin' shoes!

Melody is the most important aspect of music I enjoy listening. Second is catchy lyrics, and third is good production. ABBA is the master of all three.

There are some of ABBA's best songs on this album ('Dancing Queen' and 'Fernando') which already makes this worth a listen. The rest of the album is largely of similar quality, though some of the tracks are a bit forgettable.

Excellent

Heard it so much in my youth, can't stand it now.

I've always been partial to a bit of ABBA, they were huge when I was growing up in the 70's. Like most people I know their biggest hits, and let's be fair they have a long list of hits, so I was expecting to find this album full of hits and strong lesser-known songs. I was a little disappointed, there were a handful of well known hits, but the rest of it was pretty boring.

they grew them in a lab in order to make songs that honestly still rock severely even if you’ve heard them a million times. i was smiling all throughout. perfect music for going on the bus on a sunny day. What if i eat you? I am the tiger.

what if i eat you i am the tiger

I mean, just amazing. I never listened to ABBA besides their hits. The harmonies and melodies in this album are amazing. It's like a mini musical. I can see why they were so famous. Favorite song was Dum Dum Diddle. Added to my Spotify playlist.

There’s no other band like ABBA. Such pure music.

Lovely lovely ABBA.

One listen was enough to know that ABBA is as vapid as I always thought they were.

Obra maestra, desde la icónica portada hasta la última nota. Incluye la canción pop pluscuamperfecta (Dancing queen) y otra serie de joyas de obligada escucha. Las versiones posteriores del álbum in cluyen, con acierto, un temazo como es Fernando. Se puede decir que marca el cénit de una época antes del puñetazo Punk del 77 y de los musicales Saturday night fever-Grease. Otros discos de 1976: Songs in the key of life, Hotel California, Desire, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, el directo de Peter Frampton, los debuts de Boston y Tom Petty, Jailbreak, Station to station, Fly like an eagle, The year of the cat...

Pure disco pop bliss

After listening to other pop songs here, I've noticed I can't take this as given even if it's not my thing. Amazing how some weird Swedes could make such timeless classics Except wenakissatiche

En klassiker

Sænska bomban. Þarna eru slagarar og minna þekkt lög. Ég fílaði þetta alveg þótt ég muni seint kallast ABBA aðdáandi. Kannski þarf ég að vera í sérstöku stuði til að hlusta á ABBA svo það skori hærra en ég er alveg líklegur til að setja þessa plötu á fóninn ef andinn grípur mig.

Guilty pleasure as they say. 4 massive hits on here. Some of the others are a bit wet.

dopo 50 anni ancora una delle migliori band, incredibile come non passino mai di moda !! ✨🥺 5 stelle palese

GLI ABBA RAGAAAA capolavoro indiscusso

The Beatles and the Beach Boys elevated album production beyond coherent-ish song cycle to immersive happening, each creating their own universes of natural laws, logic, mythology; later on, it would be Bowie, Pink Floyd and Queen pushing the form to epic, cinematic spaces. Where the Beatles had Dance Hall, and the Beach Boys had Americana, the new kids smashed and grabbed for the 1970s—garage rock, Glam, Space Rock, Psychedelia as well as folk, blues, rock n roll, anything else they could get their hands on, creating classic albums that were both timely and timeless, anticipating the next thing while rooted in their thing. Bowie would be the only member of this class to truly turn and face the strange. And then there's ABBA, nobody's first choice as an album artist, aside from a Greatest Hits Album. And that would be where you fucked up, because ABBA were album artists, when everything was working, the finest of the 70s. All of the above had serious students in ABBA, who crafted Girl-Group-Inspired Glam soaked what's the Swedish word for Schlager with a strange penchant for Spain and Mexico—the unexpected ingredient from a smiling, affable bunch who looked to be straight from a Lebensborn farm, and it is this weird white otherness that sharpens what, by all appearances, is pure karaoke fodder. You'd be fucked up again if you left this there. One of the best of the whole decade.

Great pop

I mean, come on, it's fucking ABBA. the over-the-top, larger-than-life, with the chorus-like vocals, soaring synths, the odd xylophone here and there; it's all great. although I will say, I was worried about trying to get through a full album, but was pleasantly surprised to find a wide range of variety while also keeping a sense of cohesiveness. each song runs between 3 and 4 minutes, averaging at a comfortable 3m30s each, each song takes just enough time to play with its ideas and themes a bit before moving onto the next one. it's pop music, perfected.

Not guite bubblegum, but definitely pop disco.

There are some huge hits on this (Dancing Queen), but it is difficult for me to separate this piece of work from Mamma Mia.

I’ve never been a fan of ABBA (once considered breaking up with a girl after seeing ABBA’s greatest hits in her CD collection), but I also never listened to one of their albums, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I guess their big hits really are their best stuff.

Good album to listen to if in need of being cheered up. Happy sounding dancy beats and lyrics to match. Good songwriting.

One of the best pop albums of all time. Fun and infectious energy

Muito alegre, enjoativo, manjado. Parece tudo a mesma música!

Awesome record. Infusion of Agnetha and Frida's vocal to the production from the guys was a match made in heaven . It keeps making someone come for more and more, Dum Dum fiddle was a bop , "Knowing me Knowing you" as a mature break up song was very good . "Dancing Queen " is always a hall of fame song."Thats me", and the Title track were also awesome.

Top tier pop. Not something I would probably choose to listen to in most situations. But if you want to unite a disparate mix of generations with some banging tunes - this is it.

favourite: dum dum diddle, money money money, fernando least favourite: arrival this album is great mayb 7-8/10

ABBA is really good at making catchy pop melodies, but really not else beyond that. This album more or less embodies that, not that there is anything wrong with that because there is some very fun tracks. "When I Kissed The Teacher" has not aged well at all though lol

This was my album of the day. Abba rocks. This actually came at a perfect time for me to listen to because just like a month or two ago I started going down the Abba catalog but stopped right before this one. It’s nice to see their huge transition from awesome folk pop to disco and I think this album is fucking fantastical… up until a certain point. The first seven tracks go from awesome sweet melodies that could make you cry to make you think to just make you dance, and then it stops. Because of repetition, the latter half of the album starts becoming a repetitive and boring. And then it picks back up at the end with Arriva and Fernando. Those two songs alone, the way they connect and fully theme the album, I thought would’ve been a perfect way to end it but then they also add Happy Hawaii, which is such an obvious marketing song for some reason. Overall, super fun. I would’ve cut a couple songs, but can’t deny the legendary Dancing Queen, B-. Oh, also they start the album with the song called. When I kissed the teacher, super sussy

The hits are catchy songs for sure, and I think ABBA is pretty well respected even if they are often parodies, right? I honestly thought the production would be better. It's so cheesy and washed out, I don't even know if I like it ironically like I thought I did. Still probably a 3/5 for me. A 4+/5 is something I would put on for my own enjoyment. This isn’t that. Best part is the "ahaaaAH" after the "knowing me, knowing you" line. And the album cover is solid. I just wish I actually liked this. It’s disco but with no soul or funk to it.

Very ABBA’ey, they’re popular but I’m not a huge fan. 2.3

I love ABBA's singles, I feel like the forgettable stuff is pretty forgettable though haha. Like... TOO sparkly sometimes, where I feel like the low end dropped out and all I'm left with is soprano harmonies in major key. It's not bad, and still very easy on the ears for the most part, but I kinda gotta be in the mood. We'll call it a 4 because those singles are 🔥

Good Album with each track different. Ad's in between each track.

Super fun album and one of the all time greats.

Love disco but eating lower cause some of the lyrics are weird

2/5 Had some good songs but nothing special, did all sound the same to me.

Partly heard before Saved 5/10 Top track: Dancing Queen

Not bad not great, about how I would describe ABBA in general. Some of the songs are a bit boring and dated, while others are all time classics that still hold up today. It's a weird mixed bag because at a surface level all the songs are quite similar.

Disco pop goodness. Just a lot of fun

My grandad thought the only two bands worth a damn were credence Clearwater revival and abba. He was right 50% of the time and very wrong in this instance. Campy, cheap, very proto Waterman. Though I'd enjoy, didn't at all.

Dancing Queen is a classic, but I've never liked ABBA and this album is no different. Just not my style at all.

A jolly offering from the Swedish maestros. Whilst some songs feel every one of their 48 years, there are more than a couple of all-time pop classics, serving to edge the start-rating up to 4....

I liked Fernando, and the instrumental that sounded like something from an Irish funeral. 2*

Really great album , really love the first song ( When I kissed the teacher ) bit im Soo sick and tired of Dancing Queen. Loll

Undeniably catchy 70s disco pop. It's fun, and there's some bangers on here. However it's just so poppy, and a little one-dimensional at times.

I've never like Abba and this album won't change that. I know they are good song writers but they leave me cold.

March 27, 2024 HL: "Dancing Queen", "My Love, My Life", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money", "Why Did It Have to Be Me?", & the title track and "Fernando" Oh come ON

Love ABBA love this album

Pretty good, nothing amazing though.

A classic and extremly well produced pop album. If you do not like pop it is ok but this is top of pop

I used to get so many copies of this record at auction when waiting for furniture to come up for bid. I have some fond memories of listening to them, and it's hard to deny an era-icon smash like "Dancing Queen," but ABBA are for me a Greatest Hits type of group.

Perfect pop. Eurovisions finest do it again!

It's quite hard to be objective with this album. The singles from this are so huge, and (certainly in the UK) so regularly played that they sort of interrupt the flow of the album. It is impossible to fault the production and performances, and most of the songwriting, too. Knowing the back story does make this a brutal album, and whilst Knowing Me, Knowing You probably takes the lead on being the most well known break-up song, but some of the lyrics in My Love, My Life are just heartbreaking.

A great moment in time. The music seems so innocent now. And the hooks are memorable.

Much, much better than I expected. A 3.5 bumped to a 4 for subverting expectations in a big way. 2 things though: The lyrics and title on that opening track...woof. Dancing Queen sounds like it's starting in the middle of the song. Why doesn't it have a proper build? It's still a bop.

What’s not to love

unbelievable bop ratio on this record

So many goated songs on here - but “when I kissed the teacher” and “happy hawaii” (seriously wtf was that song) keep it from being a 5. But most of these songs are very special, and i really loved the title track, which I hadn’t heard before.

Pretty perfect pop album

Pop, 1976 -> 3

hawaiii and dum diddle can be skipped , rest of the album is solid gold 70s pop !

Got the record of this but never play it as I'm not a big ABBA fan. Very appropriate to be listening to in Stockholm, fits the vibe nicely. Too syrupy and sweet for me. I get too much of a 'schlager' vibe.

What more can I say about an album that contains "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and "Money, Money, Money"; plus the title instrumental track "Arrival" itself. A great album.

Dancing Queen is iconic. The rest of the album was poppy pleasantness. Not usually my style, but fun away.

fernando valenzuela used to enter baseball games to fernando, 3 stars for that song alone

It’s ABBA so of course it is a lot of fun! Catchy songs, nice vocals, but it was almost sickeningly sweet by the end of the album bc I had been so overloaded with ABBA.

whoo can look me in the eye and say this album doesn't kill? hmm?? no weapon formed against ABBA shall prosper

They're super uncool but damn that's catchy 4/5!

I always do love Abba, but I’m pretty sure we can all agree that ‘Abba Gold’ should count as an album (rather than greatest hits), and then that can be on the list.

Their bangers are bangers. Their other stuff, meh.

What an odd choice to open the album with the song I Kissed The Teacher, when there were 2 bonafide hits on it. ABBA's sound is worse and more contrived than I remembered. They were always the musical equivalent of empty carbs, but they were tolerable when I was young. Kinda like eating JuJuBees as an adult, like "what was I thinking?" All that said, the song Knowing Me Knowing You is a great song. My guilty pleasure I guess. I gave it a 3 because, even though it's musically equivalent to JuJuBees, they are just so adorable.

In the words of David St. Hubbins, "it's such a fine line between clever and stupid." Such vapid lyrics and silly pop sounds, but it's nice and it makes me smile and dance in the kitchen. The exact opposite of what I listened to at the time, so I'm happy to listen with fresher ears. Agnetha's voice is beautiful. So operatic.

Eurovision GOATs

first listen so so good, i listened with the springtime windows open fresh out of a shower

An all time great. A part of history

Great singles, so-so album tracks

Nobody does pop better than Abba. Easily 5 stars.

I mean, it's Abba. The soundtrack of my family roadtrips growing up when my mom had control of the radio.

It's impossible to have a bad time while listening to Abba.

For me their best stuff is always the sad stuff: winner takes it all, and here, knowing me, knowing you. Not a big fan apart from that (and find dancing queen unlistenable), but there's some obviously great pop here (that doesn't do much for me), and some average filler. A ha.

ugh i couldn’t get Money, Money, Mon-ay out of my head after it came on yesterday. driving to work: “…Money, Money, Mon-ay.” teaching 3rd period: “…Money, Money, Mon-ay.” grading papers before going to sleep: “…Money, Money, Mon-ay.”

The title was very apt, great album.

There are ABBA bangers, and weird ABBA. This has both.

Dancing Queen

Too much disco for my taste. The disco demolition happened for a reason.

Classic rock is classic and of course there has to be an ABBA album on this list - they’re almost their own sub-genre of rock. Probably best that that disc has their most famous song as well as their most underrated song (Fernando).

OK. You got me you silly vikings. I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. This band had some serious talent and I'm not surprised they blew up the way they did. The vocals and interplay between the members is done very well, and the songs presented here stay interesting throughout even if I may not be crazy about all of them. I don't think it's a stretch to say this band is much more than a glitzy disco group, and they possess some strange edge. I'll be glad to dig into more of their discography as well as Anni-Frid Lyngstad's solo work.

The melodrama! The dancing! THE FEELINGS. I thought I wasn't into ABBA before this and I was wrong.

A classic, but most of it isn’t really my taste.

4.9 stars. It's hard not to rate this album highly cuz there are SO many hits. "Tiger" is a new favorite. "When I Kissed the Teacher" I am choosing to believe is about an adult Geometry class. The title track is a departure from all of the upbeat singles, but it does create anticipation for "Fernando." Only weak song is "Happy Honolulu," sounds like a kinda bland 50s song, and they don't even pronounce Hawaii right.

Karaoke night

Most pop albums feel like they are carried by their hits. This album is no exception as Dancing Queen and Money, Money, Money are easily the standouts. But where most pop albums simultaneously feel like their non-hits are dragging them down, that is not the case here. Without the two aforementioned songs this album is probably a light 4. But it's getting a 5 from me because those hits really hit.

Some absolute bangers for sure, but the filler slides ABBA into big standard euro pop range.

Really early form of pop, it certainly isn’t rock but I’m amazed to call it pop. It was really good but the middle tracks got a little dry it’s like their singing the same thing over and over Favorite track: dancing queen, Fernando Least favorite: knowing me knowing you 3.6/5

So so disco

Get your flares on grandad. This is a humdinger.

3 just bc Dancing Queen is one of the greatest pop songs

This was better than I expected, but I expected it to be a 2.

1. 4.2 2. 4.8 3. 3.4 4. 3.8 5. 3.8 6. 4.2 7. 3.6 8. 3.5 9. 3.8 10. 4 11. 4.2 12. 3.7

I read somewhere that the reason behind ABBAs continued popularity was despite the lack of engaging lyrics, which can be attributed to English not being the first language, the production and layering of the songs is just so sugar. I agree this album has so many classics we have all heard a million times and someone still aren’t quite boring. The fact this album contains at least 5 songs most people would know word for word without ever making a conscious effort to listen to, is a testament to the catchiness and popularity of ABBA, Whilst this may not be my genre at all, this album is an absolute titan of pop music. 4.5* with the only thing stopping it being a solid 5 is it’s lacking any edge or unpredictability.

Love it!

Fun, peppy, emotional.

Un clásico, con canciones que nos sabemos la mayoría aunque no viviésemos la época. Pero no es mi música ahora mismo.

Crazy that all the ABBA songs that I know are on one album currently

There should be an exception to the "no greatest hits complications" rule in album rankings for ABBA. Not than any of their good songs were on this one...

Couple of decent tunes on this one.

I have to admit, I am an Abba fan so this music is not foreign to me. I have heard about half of the songs before. I like this album even though my favorite Abba song, S.O.S., is not on this album

Incredibly consistent Pop album from a band I thought of as deeply unserious until now. Yeah I liked ABBA, but my assumption was they were a fun singles band. This is great stuff, the harmonies deliver on every song, every track is at least fine and the best songs are amazing. Top tracks: When I Kissed The Teacher, Dancing Queen, Dum Dum Diddle, Money Money Money, That’s Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me?, Fernando

I needed this listen. This was fun.

It’s hard to imagine a better ABBA album. It has half of ABBA gold plus the B sides are good to fine (which is unusual for ABBA)

I can't stand this group.

Excelente!!

Dancing Queen!

Abba are some of the best musicians of our time. While theres other bands i prefer i only have respect for them

It's not my jam but I can't say it's not great. High 3/low 4.

Legendary.

Yes, now I listened to it one time too often. Thanks.

The singles are great, but the filler is a massive drop off, quality wise.

Another good album.

4 stars mostly because of Fernando

I love ABBA! This has got some really good songs, and a few I haven't heard MY love, my life is sad. Prophetic? I liked it a little less than I thought I would!

There are songs here I absolutely love. Joyous, beautifully produced pop music. Timeless! But the other tracks I could have skipped all the way through.

Lots of catchy songs on this album, some of which I had previously heard. Some of them tended to sound very similar. Overall, a very enjoyable album to listen to.

this album is my love, my life

Dancing Queen is an incredible song. The album is decent, but that song is so joyous and freeing. ABBA has had better albums, though.

terrible

I mean, it's ABBA

Really nice, it was really cool

I thought I was going to enjoy this more, but I did not. I enjoy ABBA's radio hits, but their deep cuts aren't that great, at least to me. Some of them are even a bit cringeworthy with as corny as they sound. Arrival? More like Departure. And I grew up listening to ABBA. Not a fan.

This is just not a great album. There are a few hits on it, but outside of that, the music isn't great and the lyrics are subpar at best.

Really, really enjoyed this album! I'm somebody who enjoys the older, old-school songs. This didn't feel like it lasted too long, and even if I'm not going to remember every song, what is on offer I see myself coming back to! Highly recommend!

Few duds but lots of bangers, not a no skipper

I had to force myself not to skip the massively overplayed tracks. But I adored the ones I didn't know. ABBA deserves the hype. Very poised and warm music. I'm a sucker for the theatrical 70s.

ALREADY 5 STARS, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BANDS, WHO I LOVEE, FROM MY CHILDHOOD TO THIS DAY. Literally, I've heard a lot of them, Beatles, deep purple, Queen, and many others when I was a child, ABBA is simply THAT group. I am a gradual adder of songs so I don't know all of their songs(I know about 90 or more), so I don't know only three songs here, others are bangers, however, my upcoming review of each song will be as objective as I can(or not). First song, I LOVEE THIS SONG, probably will say that about each of them tbh. It starts slow and then transforms into a wholly fun and boogie experience, when I first heard this, I was really feeling the energy, it's just perfect, even if the lyrics are a little weird, thoughh I know it by heart, and it's not that bad when I've already sang it out loud a lot. I love the after chorus slow down, it's getting back to how it started. THE INTRO IS SOO GOOD TOO, like much different from the whole song, but it's just fun in the best way possible. I would talk more, but I'd rather dance and sing with them. Second song, THE CLASSIC OLD GOLD SONG, it may be overplayed, but it's one of the best songs one could hear, and a great start for a non-ABBA fan. Also the lyrics of this are quite depressing in a way, because they are basically indicating that they are no longer dancing queens and are watching that one girl, so it's all about perspective, but it's all in my opinion and what I've heard online. In the last chorus they sing it more passionately and I LOVEEE THAT. Also every song at the end fades away, as it is expected from this time. Third song, ohh I don't know this one, I'm adding it to my Spotify liked songs tho. It's quite slow for now. I love her vocals here. The chorus is gonna be very good I sense it, oooo it transitioned into it very well. This is all the way slow, I mean I wouldn't expect if they just made this disco after the intro yk. This is underrated tbh, it's like transcending in a way. It's quite melancholic and I'm here for it. 4th song, OOOH ONE OF MY FAVS, this is a horny song for me. She sings about a man who plays his violin and she wishes she was that violin, as in to be close to him in a way. Silly little song this is, plus it's catchy and just I could not not love this. Also the instrumentalss, abba just does them in a very good unique way. 5th song, NOW THIS IS MY JAMM, it's my childhood song too, when that chorus instrumental hits, I go back to my house when I was dancing with my family in the living room with the speaker all the way up, thing is I'm not even old. THE WHISPERING, ONE OF THE BEST PARTS HERE. The ending of the second verse is sooo good and the lyrical delivery is perfect. I also love that Björn and Benny are here too, they rarely show up so. This is so sad lyrically, yet It's so disco cored, and danceable as fuck. That guitar riff at the end is also very memorable for me. JUSTT PERFECT. 6TH SONG, WHO DOESN'T KNOW THIS SONG, it's soo catchy, the instrumentals, the lyrics. I've played this song over and over too much for as long as I'm alive. I wish there were more songs like this from other artists(there probably are but still, like this mischievous vibey one). Just before the last chorus comes in there is this beat drop, I ADORE AND LIVE FOR IT, plus the outro has that kind of vibe too. I will always love this album with all my heart(not only this one though. 7th song, weird thing that this has no chorus, yet it's veeery catchy and monotonous yet progressive in a way. THE BRIDGE IS SOOO MAGNIFICENT. I love how melancholic the instrumentals can get if you pay attention, like at the end after she repeats carrie thing, it gets kinda sad, additionally the outro has the same thing injected in it. Basicallyyy I was also addicted to this song. 8th song, EVERYONE SINGS HERE, I love that about it. Also I love the lyrical delivery of "I only wanted a little love affair" it scratches my brain every time I hear it. I so know these lyrics too. Its instrumentals are unique to me also. 9th song, LOVE THE VOCALS HERE. The lyrics are literally about a tiger, unless there's a deep meaning in it. I love the changes in this song, it's fast and all mostly, then there's this post-chorus, which is much slower and idk why I couldn't remember those lyrics. Love love the Outro of vocalss. 10th song, first time hearing this. Ohh it's an instrumental. Well it's very ABBA. It's so Swedishh, that instrument, idk how to say it in English, is definitely the main attraction here. The vocals are a nice touch too. It's also quite melancholic in its fashion. 11th song, SUCH NOSTALGIAAA. I love the chorus here, but the build-up with the verse is also quite amazing. The vocals are astounding to me, the angelic voices of them is just too good for this world. Apparently this is Anni-Frid's solo song which then appeared here, I do listen to both Agnetha's and Frida's solo songs, I just love their voices too much. 12th song, also first time hearing this. OUUU I LOVED THAT BEAT CHANGE. IT'S SO ABBA, OH MY GOD IT'S "why did it have to be me". I DIDN'T KNOW I WOULD LOVE THAT SONG EVEN MORE, but a whole different lyrics, I'm amazed. Plus it has summer vibes, makes it much better too. This actually shouldn't be on arrival, the song I mentioned replaced this, but I'm very glad I found this, it's a gem indeed. Oh the outro is instrumental, which is rare from ABBA. I AM IN LOVE WITH ABBA EVEN MORE. I've never listened to the whole of their album, but I have listened to them this much time just chose what I wanted to play most of the time. Anywayyy as I said 5 stars, and I'm gonna rate many of my favourite groups like this without no question.

first half of this album is an easy 5 stars but it loses steam a little bit after Money, Money, Money. still a very good album though! i’ve been an abba fan for years but never sat down and listened to this all the way through. very silly how Happy Hawaii is basically just Why Did It Have To Be Me with different words

Its kind of good actually

Not a fan of high production m7sic.

ABBA perfected pop music in 1975. We need to stop trying to improve on it and just listen to this until the end of time.

Disco Pop der 70er, Generationen von Tanzschülern haben zu den Klängen von Abba Foxtrot un Discofox gelernt. Eingängige Melodien und Texte zum Mitträllern...

It's ABBA. Absolute banger

Nice to listen to. Kid would love it

ABBA is a decent band, one that encapsulates the disco era of the 1970s. So for as much as I enjoy some of their music, unfortunately their sound never progressed enough to warrant them as one of the greats imo. This album just wasn’t the one to do that. 🥇Fernando 🥈Dancing Queen 🥉 Why did it have to be me? HM: Knowing Me, Knowing you

They don’t make pop music like this anymore 🤷🏻‍♂️ An album that puts you right back into its era, I can just see myself in the 70’s driving around with the windows down at night bumping this fallen hopelessly in love.

I mean this is a clear Zach 5/5 Grew up with Abba and I love the deeper cuts on this album too. Starting off so fun with when I kissed the teacher god I wish I was the teacher! My love, my life is such a sonically rich ballad. Dum Dum Diddle is the clear standout and not sure how it did not get into mamma mia it is sooooo camp and EUROVISION its crazy haha That's me is wrong I would marry her! Tiger makes Survivors version look like a cover wow Having a literal hymn sung in Arrival is just beautiful I feel like the album should have started with that cause wow I am in ABBA church praise. of course, dancing queen, knowing me knowing you, Fernando, money money money all classics and forever mainstays in the cultural landscape. I need this album on CD bad I realize but ABBA is so hard to find!

Not yet convinced abba are exactly an albums act, but the singles are all classics and the album cuts don't feel like their filling space on the record, even if I wouldn't say I'm particularly fascinated by most of them.

Jeg som aldri har likt Abba, likevel får det full score. Veldig bra!

Familiarity bias but also impeccable pop

Classic album.

Classic ABBA. I know some people say it can get old. And I am sick of the Classics but I can't help but bop.

Fantastic album. Fun, varied, and timeless. Dancing Queen is definitely the best song on here but its surrounded by tons of other great tracks that make this a worthwhile album.

ABBA! I have a soft spot for them because they are legit GOOD.

FINALLY! Something worth listening to. I feel like this generator gives me a lot of noise. Never seen this album cover before - super cool egg helicopter.

Good classic always great to listen too. Has aged slightly

Pretty good pop; everyone knows ‘Dancing Queen’, and that’s the best song. The end.

Had a lil menty b during my second listen of this one. Nothing like crying to “Dancing Queen” as you drive down the 5. Either way, I love this album, so no chance I was gonna give it less than 5 stars. The title track of this album was actually one of the only ones I hadn’t heard before. And it’s my least favorite song.

I love this album so much. Banger after banger. And then to end on instrumental Arrival after going so hard on every other song, forces you to think back through all of the other songs you just heard and all of the emotions you just felt. Wild.

Classic disco.

Dang, Abba is just such a sonic oasis and melodic paradise. What an absolute joy to listen to and to lift up your spirits!

A good album that is unfortunately let down by not having heard it before you have listened to the famous songs hundreds of times They are timeless classics and the other songs on the album while good aren't. So through no fault of the artist the album doesn't sound as good as it probably is nearly 40 years later

Dancing queen Fernando

Lyrics/Vocals- 5/5 Instruments- 5/5 Vibes- 5/5 Overall- 5/5 This was a great listen. Not a dull song on here, although "Money, Money, Money" didn't resonate with me as much as many of the others.

Varied and distinct. With great guitar lines too.

This album has enough hits to get it into the classics, sure, but the deep tracks are alright too. Some a bit of a snooze, but for the most part, people are missing out if they only listen to the songs that were in the musical/s. Also, fun fact, “Dancing Queen” was written about me. Hard to believe considering I was born in ‘02, but facts are facts. 4/5

Can't say I've ever listened to an ABBA album front to back until today and it wasn't terrible. Contains the undeniable bangers of Dancing Queen and Fernando, Tiger was alright too.

I grew up listening to my parents copy of Abba's greatest hits record so I love the hits from this album (Dancing queen, knowing me, knowing you, and money, money, money) the rest aren't really for me. I am a big fan of the bagpipes in Arrival, though.

As someone who has gone through ABBA's whole discography (for some reason) I have severely underrated this album. It used to be an issue where I thought only of this album as the Dancing Queen album with some super underrated tracks like Dum Dum Diddle and Tiger, while most of it was forgettable, and while I still kind of think some of the tracks due have this forgettable quality to them, the album as a whole is top notch. The bass playing is on point, the vocals are strong throughout, and the whole thing oozes that pop charisma the band is known for whilst hardly ever slowing down, save for a single ballad that has good, slowed down grooves to ensure you never stop jamming. Sure, the ending is a little unnecessary, and there are still iffy moments, but as a whole this is an album I really should have appreciated more years ago, because this is nonstop heat, in that ABBA only kind of way.

Good overall.

Really really enjoyed!!!

Classy 70s pop. They really knew what they were doing. Shame some of this has been borrowed by Partridge as a joke. A couple of fillers - real Saturday Seaside Specials. When I kissed the teacher would be more than a bit suspect these days. But very good for what it is

As a species, what the hell were we thinking? Ok, this stuff sort of comes out of 1950's/60's variety hour entertainment .... except the arrangements are boring and thin. Ok, maybe this was Eurovision before there was Eurovision? The sad part is we are now forever forced to look back and admit that we made this band important, we gave them hits and gold records ..... it's so embarrassing. 1.5 for the 2 songs with hooks .......

Really good. They’ve got their sound down to a science. Fernando and Dancing Queen will live forever.

can never go wrong w this classic

Overrated

it's pure sunshine, how could it be less than 5 stars?

hell yes!! i was so excited to see ABBA when i loaded the page! this album has some absolute classic swedish pop bangers, along with a few duds and a song about gettin it on with your teacher. as a 90s kid, was that just like, the cool thing to do in the 70s and 80s? yikes i don't think i'd ever listened to an ABBA album that wasn't a greatest hits collection so this was neat. definitely some filler but overall, great. favorites: dancing queen, knowing me knowing you, money money money, tiger, fernando

- instant 5 - i love abba

not for me

The first time I ever heard (or remember hearing, at any rate) an ABBA song I was living in Russia. I was driving with someone in a rickety car when Money Money Money came on. I distinctly remember thinking this is the dumbest song I have ever heard, I can't believe someone wrote this, this would never be popular in the US. Obviously I was very wrong on that score, it was just that I had just missed ABBA by a couple of decades (and preceded it by another decade). I came back to the US and my real ABBA education began. I somehow acquired Erasure's ABBA-esque album, which I loved - but didn't yet recognize the connection between it and Money Money Money (or even that ABBA-esque was a cover album). Not long after that the movie Muriel's Wedding came out and it seemed that everyone in the college audience could sing along to the ABBA songs in the soundtrack while I was in the dark. A couple of listens to a best of album soon meant that I could sing along too. I stand by my original opinion about Money Money Money being one of the dumbest songs ever. But overall ABBA is pretty catchy.

Pure joy listening to this.

Very upbeat and fun!

Fuck ABBA

Tjah, ABBA.

god I can't stand them

Any Album with "Dancing Queen" is going to be worth a listen.

Über-Pop!!! Fantastic songwriting. Although you might be annoyed of the over-presence of the smash hits you just need to give it a try as if it was for the 1st time you listen to these brilliant songs

Clasicos

A cheery affair.

Mid-70's frenetic saccharine disco-pop that somehow makes me think of Christmas music. Not my thing. No. Title Length 1. "When I Kissed the Teacher" 3:00 5/10 2. "Dancing Queen" 3:50 7/10 3. "My Love, My Life" 3:52 5/10 4. "Dum Dum Diddle" 2:53 4/10 5. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" 4:02 5/10 6. "Money, Money, Money" 3:05 5/10 7. "That's Me" 3:15 4/10 8. "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" 3:20 4/10 9. "Tiger" 2:55 4/10 10. "Arrival" (instrumental) 3:00 5/10 11. "Fernando" 4:12 4/10 12. "Happy Hawaii" 4:25 4/10

As letras não são muito o forte do álbum, e tem algumas músicas chatas, mas a produção é tão boa que não tem como não se divertir Fav tracks: When I Kissed The Teacher, Dancing Queen, Dum Dum Diddle, That's Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me? Least fav track: Money Money Money

Everything ya want in an album! Musically interesting and diverse, with fun catchy hooks and choruses. Loved reading up more on ABBA as I don't really know there history and was curious once I saw their last album was recorded in 1981 and then they came out with a new one 40 years later in 2021. Wonder if that one's any good? Also didn't know all four members were married at one point? Very cool story. Living legends for sure. Quite enjoyed this record, hoping for more ABBA and if not, I'll definitely be revisiting this record.

This is 70s Pop at its finest. I always thought of ABBA‘s music as lightweight and kind of annoying, but I have to admit there’s some real catchiness and musical value here. The songs are lightweight and fun for the most part, with dancing Queen, the best of them all by longshot. Had a lot of fun with this album and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I’ll have to work on getting rid of the stigma. I have around this in so many other genres, because a lot of times music actually really great! 3 1/half stars for this.

Man I love Abba and this album has a good amount of their hits as well as some pretty good ones I hadn't heard before. Something about Abba is insanely catchy and brings me such a good mood. I like that they mix up the singer every now and then and switch to their male singer. As much as I dont like 70's-80's pop, I LOVE Abba. 5/5 stars

Well it’s abba….

Pure joy! ❤️❤️

Great Album

What a disgrace of a band to my personal tranquility and comfort. I sincerely can not stand their music. I must be fair, though, and not doom them with the lowest rating. Their influence is huge and got billions of people dancing in clubs for decades. I'm not one of them. Expected Marc rating: 1

Everybody knows who ABBA is by now, 70's Euro-disco from Sweden. It's cotton candy -- kind of fun and sweet but without much substance to it. As long as you don't expect it to be more than it is, the simple (some might say insipid) upbeat energy is enjoyable for a while (not too long, lest you slip into a diabetic coma). Dancing Queen's fame notwithstanding, I think Fernando is the best song on this record.

Classic AF SO SICK OF IT but it’s good

Not a fan of ABBA

They were on the moment. Great.

5/5 Amazing early pop album, I do indeed need a (wo)man after midnight

Horrendous

Pretty decent album. Dancing Queen is the standout track, and the rest is catchy pop with some nice singing.

un super clásico dancing queen, Fernando y demas para mi el mejor disco de ABBA

Hits and void

How can you not give it 5 stars. It's ABBA with most of their hits. Not even a problem picking this one

Удивительно, что заглавный Arrival стоит в конце альбома, хотя мог бы быть, по звучанию и названию, отличным интро. Начинать потенциально популярный альбом песней When I Kissed A Teacher - куда более экспериментальное (скорее странное) решение. Хай хайз, лоу лоуз. Несмотря на ностальгию, мне все еще не понятен статус Money x3. Лучшая песня - Knowing Me, Knowing You.

Muy bueno. Me encanta. Todos los temas. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Timeless good music

Terrible

70s Swedish Pop goodness

It's Abba pop brilliance but also some serious bubblegum.

One of the first proper albums I ever listened to around the age of 5 or 6. Mostly I liked the helicopter on the front.

Slusajuci ovo sam mentalno na visu i ljeto je Klasik🌞

predobar album, happy vibes, 11/10

bez obzira na moju vjecnu ljubav prema abba-i i nekim pismama s ovog albuma, nije mi najbolji njihov tako da ne mogu dat 5

Sve bi dala da je ovaj album duži! Napokon pop koji ima dobar tekst

loved it!

Cada canción es pegadiza. 5/5

Pretty good album, some classic songs and some ones I was not familiar with

It sure is Abba.

Went from the weirdest album on the list with Duck Stab by the Residents to the most syrupy pop album on the list. Neither is my cup of tea.