Arrival

already know dancing queen, and money money money. dont really like listening to them though

Disco folk music, as it were. Bright, shiny and happy, danceable and nostalgic.

1. when i kissed the teacher: escena inicial de peli de los 80’ con la protagonista corriendo en una tarde de verano vibes / 2. dancing queen: TEMAZO TEMON TEMAIKEN / 3. my love, my life: cute / 4. dum dum diddle: que buena canción loco ojalá la pasaran en el baile / 5. knowing me, knowing you: de mis favs / 6. money, money, money: critica contundente al capitalismo!!!! / 7. thats me: divertida. / 8. why did it had to be me?: me aburrí / 9. tiger: esta está como pa escucharla cada mañana. / 10. arrival: yo como una tonta toda la canción esperando a que canten :(

"when i kissed the teacher" - sacándole lo pedófilo, le doy 2,5/5, además i cant relate porque todos mis profes han sido unos viejos horrendos. update: la escuche como 4 veces y ahora es un 5/5 perdón feminismo!!!1! "dancing queen"- tema de cuarentena, definitivamente lol, lastima que ya esta tan gastada. 5/5 igual, no me importa naaaa. my love my life - casi me duermo, ni lei la letra, 1/5. "dum dum diddle"-parece una canción de xuxa mal hecha, 1/5 (nadie iguala a xuxa) "knowing me, knowing you"- not my cup of tea, ni la terminé. 1/5 "money money money" - abba invented capitalism 5/5. "If I got me a wealthy man I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball" no quiero decir que me recuerda a alguien pero.... "thats me"- "But I'm not a man's toy, I'll never be I'm Carrie not-the-kind-of-girl-you'd-marry That's me" la pongo en la proxima marcha 4/5 "why did it have to be me?" - me gustaría PODER decir que yo dedicaría esta canción pero lo más probable es que me la terminen dedicando a mi 5/5. "tiger" - no la apruebo !!!! 1/5 como me vas a perseguir y estar rompiéndome las bolas todo el tiempo q flashaste ñeri. "fernando" - se tienen q juntar con lady gaga y cantar ale ale alejandro fernando (si mi novio no me dedica esta canción cuando seamos viejos no lo quiero :p) "HAPPY HAWAII"- la quiero cantar algún día no irónicamente (4/5)

Not my style, but well done for sure.

Erg hoempapa maar wel lit

Schwer zu hören, schwerer nicht mitzusingen

Well, it's ABBA. What else is there to say? Catchy pop tunes, a couple of them extremely well-known. But mostly too unassuming and lacking any depth.

Good mix.

Easy and fun listen, very similar to The Carpenters in that regard. I was a little underwhelmed, especially with some of the more singsong-y tracks like Dum Dum Diddle and Happy Hawaii - obviously nothing is gonna rival Dancing Queen, but nothing else made a great impact on me. This could be a 4 off pure enjoyment alone, but a high 3 feels much better for how I felt about this as an album Already Saved: Dancing Queen Saved After Listening: My Love, My Life

Nao da pra nao gostar de ABBA

Some obvs bangers but not my jam really

A solid album full of hooks by the Swedish goliaths of pop

Perfectly pleasant 70's pop.

This was better than I feared. The singles were okay, dancing queen is good. The rest was not annoying.

I like ABBA, but besides the singles I wasn't impressed

ABBA is great in small doses but the happy-pop vibes get really grating after a while. But the good 1st half balances out the 2nd bad half for me.

Best leuk dat ABBA en jaloersmakend hoe zij liedjes kunnen schrijven. Maar een heel album is toch wel iets too much.

Goede timing, zo net voor het songfestival. ‘Knowing me, knowing you’ is een favoriet van me. Verder vond ik het nogal een zit, een hele plaat ABBA.

A classic album and even tho parts of it are problematic, I still really liked the way it sounded.

Fun and catchy pop songs, but I’m just not the biggest ABBA fan. Glad I listened though!

This was pretty good. Easy to listen to with quite a few tunes.

great voices, nice record, some cool songs and a timeless classic

Don't make me listen to more than two songs of ABBA in a row, thanks :-D (and I give it three stars because I still recognize it's a nice pop album of its time)

Not a great album in terms of structure or when taken as a single work, but a really good collection of songs.

Abba is niet mijn ding

Wel prima album, maar het blijft jammerlijk Abba

It's really all disco. Everything.

nice one. Again, from my childhood.

Its a good album i've heard most of the songs before but this sorta music just isnt for me

Never a bad time for abba

I'm now the dancing queen

Abba, Pop. Pretty Nice.

Mixed. Some classics in there, but not really my taste

Oh well ABBA...reminds me of some good parties and other good memories. But I wouldn‘t listen to this on my own.

A typically good ABBA album

I couldn't help but recall that this album was basically written to win Eurovision.

Listened to about 5 songs.

ABBA is a good bit of fun but it's cheesy shit 7/10 haha

3

When i kissed the teacher - 2 Dancing queen - 4 My love, my life - 2 Dum dum diddle - 2 Knowing me, knowing you - 3 Money, money, money - 3 That's me - 2 Why did it have to be me? - 3 Tiger - 2 Arrival - 2

I can see the appeal of this, but I can't get into it. It's too much like the Henry Mancini Choir Does Disco.

They know how to make a pop song, but goddamn so much of this was annoying. "Money, Money, Money" "Dum Dum Diddle" "That's Me" each grated on my so heavily that I was complaining out loud (to no one in particular) when the chorus rolled around for what felt like the 12th time. "Dancing Queen" is played out, but it makes sense why it's a hit, also true of "Fernando" (which I understand was not originally on the album). I actually thought the instrumental "Arrival" was pretty good, and I somewhat enjoyed "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "Tiger," even if the latter was so silly I laughed.

ABBA - Arrival Hmmm. Thought I’d like this more. A bit shit apart from Dancing Queen. Music inoffensive enough but the lyrics are pretty buns throughout. I like the idea of abba, the occasional hit single, rather than sitting through an actual album. No hidden gems here. A bit boring. Best track : dancing queen ⭐️⭐️

a couple of very good classics (2/5)

Abba has escaped my scrutiny for 50 years. Despite their monster success in my youth, frequent appearances for decades in several forms and massive 21st century revival, I have given them little thought. Their presence parallels the Star Wars phenomenon that I have similarly overlooked although in a more openly dismissive fashion. Abba never truly entered my radar. I cannot say, “shame on me.” While the catchiness of several songs cannot be missed, I struggled to find other aspects of their music that stood out. There is formulaic blandness to their music that infrequently caught my attention in positive and negative ways. This type of pop contains its own Wall of Sound. Unlike the Phil Spector version, which crammed everything into a mono mix orchestra of heartbreaking drama, Abba’s music sounds like a puree of vegetables with only a niblet of corn occasionally providing something tasty. Pounding drums in “Tiger”, the disco ball sounds of “Dancing Queen” and some attitude present on “Money, Money, Money” from the keyboards, lyrics and strong solo singing. However, this song grabbed me on the same cartoon-like level of Boney M’s “Rasputin.” With the emphasis on vocals, it is imperative that they seize the ears in some fashion. I find Abba’s singing pitch-perfect in a most uninteresting manner. Perhaps the production shaved off most of the humanity, but the offerings failed me even as fun bubblegum. Unlike several recent records, I totally support Abba’s inclusion on the list, but not anyone who argues for their artistic greatness.

Meh. Not horrible, just not a big fan of disco. Obviously have heard Dancing Queen a thousand times and the rest of the album sounds pretty similar.

"When I Kissed the Teacher" - 2.45 "Dancing Queen" - 3.5 "My Love, My Life" - 2.0 "Dum Dum Diddle" - 2.5 "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - 3.5 "Money, Money, Money" -3.0 "That's Me" - 2.5 "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" - 3.1 "Tiger" - 3.5 "Arrival" - 1.5 "Fernando" - 2.78 "Happy Hawaii" - 3.8

Top of the pile of albums that do crazy things to your blood pressure. Sickly sweet pop meets blinding white disco, it's as corny as it is undeniable.

No much of an ABBA person.

They get way too much credit for their sound with that musical. They have okay disco tracks, but it's not as iconic a sound as fans make it out to be. Only like two of these tracks in the entire album are memorable.

I listened to like 4 hrs of ABBA when I was going through the Rolling Stone top 500 albums & they put a compilation album on the list…im tired of these people yelling at me. A B(ba)

A bit like the beach boys, it's super familiar and obviously popular but not something I'd ever listen to again by choice.

FEEL THE BEAT FROM THE TAMBOURINE... then again, it is very much just 70's disco pop. abba's best songs are all from different albums. so i would feel weird rating this 3-4 stars. also meryl streep sang money money money better.

3 bangers but couldn't stomach the rest of the album.

Disappointed with this one. Other than the hits it's an underwhelming listen. Not much more to say. A short album, but not the pop orgazm I was expecting for an album that contains one of the best pop songs ever written (dancing queen of course). My love my life is probably my favorite non-hit here. A nice melodramatic ballad. Other than that, not bad, but not good as well. A 2.5 .middle of the road.

Read the Christgau review. It's a gem. Listening to this in the K-Pop era adds a bit of a wrinkle to looking back at 1970s disco-pop. Will the giant K-Pop hits sound this dated in 40 years or will the extra effort to be cool make them age better? Most of these songs are throwaways but I really like Knowing Me, Knowing You.

Second album proposé après 'The Visitors' que je n'avais pas trop apprécié (noté 2/5). Ce nouvel album contient des hits connus du groupe, que je n'appréciais pas à l'époque, et que je n'apprécie toujours pas 50 ans après ... Pop sucrée pas désagréable mais que je n'écouterais pas une seconde fois. =>2/5 Une bonne surprise quand même : découvrir la version originale de 'Arrival'. Je connaissais la version de Mike Oldfield, mais je ne savais pas que le morceau avait été composé par Abba.

I don't think anyone outside sweden can understand how annoyingly everywhere Abba was when we grew up. Now i realise it's perfectly competent m.o.r pop and I still can't stand it.

Four of the 12 songs got airplay but the rest of the album was just so-so for me. An odd mix of styles.

meh-they all seem to blend together. don't understand the appeal-70's disco pop

I learned why disco died a long time ago

meh-really don't get the appeal. all the tracks kinda blur together. 70's disco pop.....

one hit

RATING: 4/10 HIGHLIGHT: Knowing Me Knowing You LOWLIGHT: Dum Dum Diddle

- It's a little precious for me. Some famous hits on here, but I just never could get into Abba. - I try to listen to these albums a couple times, but I really didn't want to when I got home from work - it's just too bubblegum and samey. - The lyrics are pretty nondescript - and the weird when I kissed the teacher thing... - I do like that it's upbeat, there's definitely a time and place for it, but in my living room isn't it, lol.

So highly rated and beloved - Dancing Queen is an all timer - the rest was just the same shit over and over. I couldn't get thru it.

The top review says 'There are 2 types of people in this world: people who like ABBA and boring people '. Call me a boring people because this is 2 passable disco tracks and a whole load of overly saccharine filler crap that I just really do not care for. I would love to give it a 1 out of spite, but that's not fair.

I know I am supposed to like ABBA but as a whole I just don't. The popular tunes are good bops as they say but otherwise I am just not a big fan.

Not my thing.

Bubblegum pop from the 70’s basically. Not my style, pretty receptive. I don’t like some of the synth sounds. A couple of ok songs though.

Ok

It was okay

Es un musical

Almost every known hit but imho 20bpm too slow

What a waste of vinyl.

Maybe I was in a bad mood. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe I’m just used to hearing their collections of hits. Maybe it was the weather… but outside of the big singles, I didn’t love this.

Yeah… it’s alright. Some good jams, but ultimately, I didn’t enjoy the album. Could be the genre, coulda been the wine.

I’m kay

Попса попсой, под настроение такое можно послушать, но в настоящий момент мне это не особо интересно. Дэнсин квин и маниманимани хорошие, остальное можно скипнуть спокойно.

What a weird song to open with. Dancing Queen is on here which I can't deny is an all timer. That's the only reason it's has more than one star.

Terribly dated and tacky thing.

2/5

1976. Became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date.

It does not evoke any particular feeling in me, not a huge Abba fan, not a hater either, it's just ok

not my fave

I dont like

Meh

Decent

Some great songs but a whole album of ABBA is too much for me.

I just find their stuff really on the nose and boring

tiene temas conocidos de ABBA, pero sigue sin ser mi "onda"

Non è il mio genere

Not sure if l was just in a bad mood or what, but ABBA is kind of annoying.

Lots of quintessential ABBA here, which is typically not my taste, but listening to this album in full did help me recognize the strong storytelling in these songs. I had never heard the title track, Arrival, which I thought was pretty in an unusual way. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of upbeat disco with the less than joyful content in Knowing Me, Knowing You. Another personal highlight was Why Did It Have To Be Me since it felt like a different flavor than the other tracks. Overall, this is a fun album but it isn’t one I’d spend more time with.

Not for me

A few popular songs, but I don’t understand why some get so excited with this band.

Tendenserende til psykotisk lalleglæde, men hvad fa'n - er det ikke det man får med Sverige? Dejlige basgange ngl. Kæft "Money, Money, Money" er en banger - trækker op! "Arrival" - ulideligt nummer Cover trækker op

Nice to hear famous ones in context...

dramatic but like in a musical theater sense instead of something cooler. at times just plain kooky. pleasantly surprised by the kookiness kinda working musically on arrival tho and i quite like the verses on fernando. but then they just get so… abba on the chorus and i don’t like it.

Just not for me

ABBA has a few hits here and there that I can stomachs in small doses. This is too much abba.

there’s something about abba that just doesn’t really click with me. i didn’t really care for the opener. dancing queen is fun though. i used to hate that song but i think it’s grown on me. i think it’s their voices. maybe i just got this one on a bad day. it might just be that first song. i love my love, my life. yea it’s either the most incredible song ive heard or doing nothing for me. why is there a blues song on this. i wanted to like this. my friend’s a big abba fan but yea i wasn’t really feeling this. favorite tracks, dancing queen, money money money, my love my life. the rest was fine.

Dancing Queen.

We've surely all sung along to ABBA tunes on the radio at some point in our lives. They can certainly make a catchy song and I appreciate there's more to the craft here than a lot of pop music since... but frankly, it's just not for me.

I like ABBA but this album wasn’t good. I’d rather listen to their greatest hits. Cringe listen, sorry.

I don't really like Abba

Not my kind of music.

A moment in time. Great album from the Swedish band, which does undoubtedly deserve their inclusion. I would keep 'The Visitors' as the better record. 7/10 [DROP]

2.0 stars. This might be the first album in this project that I genuinely didn’t connect with. I understand why ABBA is beloved - the hooks are undeniable and the production is built for movement, but the overall sound feels very locked into its era, and not in a way that resonates with me. It comes from a specific time and cultural feeling that just feels distant. I can absolutely see how this would light up a dance floor, and “Dancing Queen” is legendary for a reason, but much of the album left me cold. There are flashes of catchy songwriting, but as a full listen it just wasn’t for me. Favorite track: Fernando

too chill

Disco at its discoest. Some well known songs, good if you are in a very specific mood, otherwise awful and dated, despite talented vocalists.

Only abba I know is abacabb

It’s pretty top heavy. The big singles are classics but I can’t get with the rest of the album. It’s a fun album tho

Started off well with the first few tracks and a bit meh from there. I genuinely started off thinking this would be a four-star album and then just lost interest.

Not my fav! I liked the first couple songs but i think i stopped listening htrough the last half of the tracks? not sure, although those songs i know i have listened to before like "money money money", "thats me", etc. what i do like is that i found some good abckground songs like "when i kissed the teacher" and "my love, my life". this album makes me think of dream land and cotton candy and blue and pink and like yeah lol. woukd i say its my taste persay? no. but i do have a good bunch if the tracks on my liked songs, and honestly its hard for me to find good songs to multitask/study with but i did like listening to some of these while doing work in a busy space. not too distracting. not bad abba!!

i think that SNL skit has ruined Abba for me

Perfect pop. Just not for me.

I find this album generally disagreeable

This is 70s pop that I just can't sit through. Not my scene. No.

A few decent songs but not really my kind of thing

some of them are classics but no for me

I have always heard ABBA colloquially and I’ve never minded them. It’s fun music, dancing queen you’ll instantly recognize anywhere. But when I actually sat down and listened to Arrival, my first full ABBA album I just got mad for some reason. It’s not harmonically interesting at all but somehow still annoyingly over the top. Completely missed me here

Disquinho insignificante!

Def not an album I would choose to listen to.

Well, I can see the appeal. A little.

Favorite track(s): Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money

They're very talented and it's objectively a good example of what it is. But I'm just not really into this type or genre, and I'm trying to reduce the breadth of my three-star category, LOL.

They are so …pastel. LOL Not for me.

Yeah no thank you.

I dislike this band a great deal, but Fernando goes alright.

I didn't get to listen to the full thing

Not really my cup of tea, but it is a classic

Shiny, smooth, and boring. I can see why people like the band. But I don’t.

Ugh

2 stars because it's Abba, I really don't like this type of music

Dancing Queen is a classic of course, but this just generally isn’t my style. Can see why others like it though.

even the "hits" suck on this album

Feel like several half cooked songs

One of the larger overall critiques I have with this challenge is that it’s rarely the albums themselves which are influential. Rather it’s the one or two songs which passed through the filter of time that had great influence. This is knees of those cases, since honestly this is just here for dancing queen. Everything else doesn’t matter.

First track has a poppy, tinny sounds to it. Backup vocals are pretty energetic. Second track is a classic. Money money money is a popular track. I largely dislike the sound of this group. I think it’s the genre and the bouncy teeny bopper kind of sound.

I just can't stand ABBA. I took this opportunity to try and understand why I hate this music so much. I Actually gave it a listen, thinking that maybe over the years I'd hear it in a new light, but I couldn't get through any one song to the end. I actually like the production, it's got that kind of 70s airy mix - apparently a complaint is that the mix is too busy and overall too polished, but I don't hear it. It's nothing like today's over-compressed pop music. Rhythm section is super tight. And there's no denying those 2 guys are brilliant at writing catchy pop songs. But for whatever reason I find it grating to listen to. Way too corny, too campy and sugary. I tried to watch mama mia with my daughter this summer and got up less than halfway through. Those tunes do create ear worms for me, but just the worst kind. Giving it a 2 for how incredibly catchy some of the songs are.

Too much bubblegum. I can't hang.

Started off wrong, couple of bangers and couple of skips at the end.

Je n'ai pas peur de la mort car je suis convaincu qu'une fois mort je n'entendrai plus jamais ABBA. À moins que l'enfer existe... 2.49 étoiles

Although Dancing Queen was certainly an iconic piece of the era, ABBA in general, and this album in particular, don’t do much for me.

I like a few of their notable songs.

Arrival entstand überwiegend in den Metronome Studios in Stockholm und dokumentiert ABBA auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer internationalen Präsenz. Die schwedische Gruppe verbindet hier eingängige Popstrukturen mit klarer Studioästhetik und einer ausgeprägten melodischen Handschrift. Besonders prägend sind Songs wie „Dancing Queen“, „Knowing Me, Knowing You“ und „Money, Money, Money“, die bis heute zu den bekanntesten Titeln ihres Katalogs zählen. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen europäischem Pop, Disco-Einflüssen und klassischem Songwriting, wobei die sorgfältigen Arrangements und der mehrstimmige Gesang im Vordergrund stehen. Insgesamt wirkt Arrival geschlossen und zielgerichtet und zeigt ABBA als Band, die ihre musikalische Sprache konsequent verfeinert hat.

I never used to mind Abba, in times before Mamma Mia, then suddenly you heard them everywhere. This has enough non hits to be interesting, however it's all a bit children's TV.

Oh yes ABBA . I’m expecting a disco classic ala Sister Sledge or Chic… except neither Benny or Bjorn are Niles … the only Rodger’s around here is my ears being rogered by middle of the road musak The singles are great the rest is mediocre at best - well apart from “why did it have to be me “ which would be awful if it was a shawoddywoddy song . The irony with the title song , arrival, is it never arrives … a 2+ minute intro to a song that never starts - even then you know it would be some horrible pastiche of a Scottish Christmas song Close it’s an intro to (the acceptably good) Fernando that nobody asked for . This is Hard; it should be a 1 but the 4 singles pull it up to a 2 The snobbery to not include best of albums is notable here as my favorite abba album is “ABBA gold” now that would be 4 stars

Honestly a couple bangers on this album, particularly Dancing Queen and Why Did It Have To Be Me. Didn’t hate the album but mostly mid besides those 2. I enjoy 70s disco to an extent, this wouldn’t be my first choice.

Is this what they call disco? Not my cup of tea. Maybe if I was a middle aged woman I would like this album. Although dancing queen brought back some good memories of middle school music class. Not a bad album but personally did not enjoy it.

Just started listening to this the night before - first song feels very traditional late 70s pop, and I normally hate that style because it fucking ruined rock and roll, but this is nice, feels like a beach boys beat but sounds like it could be Diana Ross singing- liking this. Ohhh shit we got dancing queen - haven’t heard this song since high school and it’s kinda weird to listen to but if u get over that this songs dope. ‘My love, my life’ feels like it could grow on me after a few more listens, felt catchy towards the end. ‘Dum Dum Dittle’ this is a song I don’t know but I’ve heard so many times in analysis of ABBA as being such a unique song for its chord progression and theory and yeah it definitely sounds like it, some weird things they do in the song that are super non traditional, they make it work, but I don’t necessarily hear an advantage of it or a intrigue about the song like I do with other weird songs, prob least fav in album so far ‘Knowing me, knowing you’ this has big rock feels but then the main chorus is more dance revolution, so I don’t really like that part just because I don’t like that genre, but the rest of the song is common sounding but I like it, the guitar is fun light in the album, tone is wack kinda cool. ‘Money, money…’ awww shiiiiiiiiiit. This shits weird!!! Tempo changes in the first 20 seconds and a hockey tonk hell yeah. More guitar again, some parts very fun. Good song, felt short, excited to relisten to this one ‘That’s me’ one of my favorite songs from a structure aspect ‘Why did it…’ Man what cant these guy do this shits dope. Genre switching like crazy in this album. ‘Tiger’ dope beat switch at end, want to sit on this one ‘Arrival’ wow, just listened and relistened immediately, beautiful experience. Opening sounds like a common bagpipe tune but I guess it’s synths? Not sure what type idk what year this was. Also pretty unreal to think that they were singing this shit with minimal production compared to today’s standards, their voices are simply lovely. ‘Fernando’ this song sounds like a different song, or maybe I’m just thinking of this song? This is the first song in the album wherr I think like yeah they’re forsure not English or American, definitely some other European influence coming out in this song and I’m enjoying it. Setting up as a good penultimate ‘Happy Hawaii’ very cool intro. Think I’m about a minute into the song and it sounds like a song that would be very different if it’s not stereo, so I’m going to listen to a mono version of this song next because this one seems to have too much going on for me. Couldn’t find a mono version, relistened to this one, very enjoyable. Good album, very fun experience. Some songs felt less original then others, some felt weirder than others. Good time was had by all. It’s 10am now, starting my second listen, skipped dancing queen this time around

One good song

Oh god, not ABBA. My husband and I made the mistake of seeing Mama Mia (the musical, not the movie). When it finally ended, we looked at each other and said, "wow that was dreadful." I thought the ABBA fans surrounding us were going to to assault us. What a rabid fanbase! We survived and left the theater intact. My dislike of ABBA only intensified. Yes, there are some super catchy, sorta fun in the right atmosphere songs on here (Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You, Money Money Money, Fernando). But if you don't really love ABBA, 42 minutes of Arrival feels like a slog. ABBA seems to have a limited song structure. "My Love My Life" sounds too much like "Fernando." Any song by any artist about getting it on with a teacher or student creeps me out. "That's Me" weirdly reminded me of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now." What the hell is going on with "What Did It Have to Be Me?" What in the 1950s doo-wop is this? ABBA is good for the big hits only. The rest is just entirely unnecessary. I still don't like ABBA.

Nope. As a swede ive been tortured with this all my life. I can add one star for the craftmanship, but this really doesnt give me anything.

Singles are better

All that cheese!

The writing, the music, the vocals all exemplify what I hate most about genuine "pop" music.

ABBA is best listened to either at weddings or in greatest hits form. Two stars is a bit harsh, but the album contained too many punishing songs between the singles

I don’t really like ABBA

I couldn't stand ABBA when they first appeared. Later I sort of liked them a little bit in secret, and then not. 50 years later I've given my head a wobble and can embrace some of the music. They were part of the music scene, whether I liked it or not, in the 70s.

A classic...not soul crushing and manageable.

I just can't bring myself to like this

4.5

The hits are nostalgic rest of it is not good. I’m sure the album had a unique sound during its time but retrospectively not very good.

I dont think abba was made to be listened to through my headphones on the bus tbf

Whoa, this was a wildly mixed-bag, rollercoaster listening experience. Some of Arrival’s production choices and songwriting turns are absolutely brilliant (the soaring chorus of “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” the build-and-release tension of “That’s Me”); others are downright annoying (the synth squiggles of “Dum Dum Diddle” - especially post-chorus - or that deeply questionable sax line in “Why Did It Have to Be Me?”, not to mention the flanger-soaked vocals on “Tiger”). And what’s up with the title track? That one feels completely out of place after the previous glam rock excursion in “Tiger”. Plus, a lot of the topics seem like they’ve fallen out of time, and sometimes the lyrics are just overly cringey (“When I Kissed the Teacher” and “Dum Dum Diddle” being the most obvious examples). Actually, if I think about it… most of the lyrics are simply terrible. Still, regardless of how you feel about ABBA, it’s impossible to deny that Benny and Björn sure as hell knew exactly how to write instantly memorable pop songs. To add to my opening statement: to some degree, listening to Arrival felt like hearing some tracks for the first time again: Foe example, paying close attention to the brick-wall-like wall of sound on “Dancing Queen”… I still have a hard time coming to terms with it. I never loved ABBA (quite the contrary), but giving it some time and deliberate attention, I can now see more clearly why Sid Vicious and Joe Strummer were kind of into this Swedish Eurodance powerhouse. Leaning heavily into the disco sensibilities of the early ’70s, ABBA took some risks - and a lot of them paid off (while just as many didn’t). Too bad the record is such a mess and tries to be all over the place.

Aga loves Abba. I've heard a bit too much Abba - and whilst there are a couple of bangers on this album - in particular Knowing Me Knowing You.... (aha! ) its rather let down by ear bleeders like Dum Dum Diddle......

Between 'When I Kissed the Teacher' and 'Does Your Mother Knew' ABBA has written the two best perv-influenced pop tunes of all time. But the teacher one is ok because it's the girl kissing the teacher and not the other way round. The album doesn't hang together as well as The Visitors which was amuch more interesting proposition (albeit I was not too taken with that as an album, but some standout tracks). Some classic singles, but all else forgettable to substandard. ABBA really are a great singles band.

After listening to this album, I understand that Abba were a singles band, not an album band. 3 1/2 classic Abba hits with some other songs of dubious quality - Dum Dum Diddle wins the prize for the most dubious.

A grudging 2* for Dancing Queen. Nothing else to see here. Next.

Pop sensation Abba! Glad I listened to it. Will probably never listen to it again lol. 6/10 for a pop album. 3/10 for personal enjoyment.

Not sure about this Euro pop.  It's a cheese fest that only really has a home in theatre or some weak pop competition. It's an obsessive jolly/pop fest but for me a bit like commending a serial killer for being fabulous at it. Ok they are good at it.  Just a shame some songs were excruciating - e.g. "Tiger" Premium Eurovision wankers!

I genuinely don't understand why ABBA continue to have such a broad appeal. I find them banal, sickly sweet, and generally irritating. My perception is clouded by all the times some DJ has tanked the vibes on a dancefloor by deciding that ABBA was an edgy or ironic crowd pleaser. That said, I tried my best to listen with an open mind and can say this: It's upbeat, joyful, a bit mainstream poppy but that's ok. I don't think it's aged well at all, but I can't deny their inexplicable influence on pop culture.

There are bits i can appreciate iate - the bass sound on knowing me knowing you,the drum sound on dancing queen - but the over all is not for me. A lot of songs i know on here which is testimony to their catchiness and as a pop record that has to be a measure of success, but the unknowns, like dum dum diddle about secretly loving someone obssessed with playing fiddle, not ao catchy. Not terrible, just not my thing. Didnt finish.

Dum dum Diddle to be your fiddle …

Only serves to confirm that Abba are just a singles band.

A blister pack of pure polish and airbrushed joy. Arrival is the national anthem of a fantasy world where everything sparkles just a little too brightly...a place so perfect it’s almost creepy.

Arrival [Album6581] By ABBA . . . . . Cover art for Arrival by ABBA Submit media links Type Album Released 11 October 1976 Recorded 4 August 1975 - 18 September 1976 RYM Rating 3.54 / 5.0 from 6,629 ratings Ranked #241 for 1976 Genres Europop Euro-Disco, Pop Rock Descriptors female vocalist, melodic, happy, love, uplifting, lush, optimistic, energetic, playful, male vocalist, anthemic, rhythmic, duet Language English Track listingShow track credits A1 When I Kissed the Teacherlyrics3:00 A2 Dancing Queenlyrics3:50 A3 My Love, My Lifelyrics3:52 A4 Dum Dum Diddlelyrics2:53 A5 Knowing Me, Knowing Youlyrics4:02 B1 Money, Money, Moneylyrics3:05 B2 That's Melyrics3:15 B3 Why Did It Have to Be Me3:20 B4 Tigerlyrics2:55 B5 Arrivallyrics3:00 Total length: 33:12 PreviousNext Previous in discography: ABBA ABBA The Album Next in discography: ABBA Rate/Catalog --- Catalog Set listening Tags Review Track ratings indie_echo Oct 14 2025 5.5 ¿Cual es el valor de la nostalgia? ¿Es justo valorar la música antigua con los ojos de la actualidad? ¿Hace una canción un album? Empezaré por el final. No, una canción no hace un album. Si, es Dancing Queen, es uno de los temas de pop más famosos de todos los tiempos y probablemente de los mejores de los 70, pero está acompañado de un puñado de temas bastante mediocres (excepto quizá Money, Money, Money). Entonces, ¿es justo valorar la música antigua con los ojos de la actualidad?, no del todo, pero no hay que negar que la mayoría de las canciones en Arrival son totalmente incapaces de pasar el filtro de la atemporalidad. Hay ciertos toques Kitsch que pueden pasar como simpáticos, pero las letras a nivel temático tampoco es que sean para tirar cohetes. Entonces, ¿Cuanto juega el factor nostalgia ala hora de valorar propuestas como la de Arrival?, pues puede que un valor importante, pero hay que reconocer cuando se está tirando de los recuerdos y cuando hay cosas que quizá no eran tan maravillosas como las recordábamos. Arrival es un disco de pop correcto propulsado por un hit universal, pero un hit universal no justifica un álbum. Falta sustancia.

I realize that these are iconic songs but I just can't sit and listen to a full album of ABBA anymore.

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

Sin más, ABBA nunca ha sido santo de mi devoción salvo alguna canción típica que repetida muchas veces me llega a cansar. Se puede rescatar "Dancing Queen".

Cheesier than my underpants.

Meh...

Ugh

It’s not the worst

i don't know if i've ever listened to abba except for dancing queen so this will be interesting... when i kissed the teacher is a hell of a song to start with. dancing queen so iconic. these songs remind me of looking through my mom's record collection when i was little but it's just not for me. dancing queen i will always love you but the rest are forgettable.

Obvs knowing me knowing you is sick, but nah. Only scanned through it but I’m not listening to all that.

Fernando is great. The other classics are overplayed, the rest was annoying.

dont have much to say about this one. everyone knows abba

Not my thing at all. The songs just felt... idk. Just didn't like it.

I first heard of Abba because I had a cat named Fernando. Everyone kept asking if I named him after the Abba song, so I checked them out. I almost considered changing his name, but I named him Fernando because it just fit him. I still miss him, he was the sweetest kitty ever. Any way, Abba. No thanks. I'm not a pop fan, and this is just disco flavored pop music with all songs sounds pretty similar enough. It's not hateful, but it's just bland.

Worse than I would have through. Mainly Unmemorable

Surely a classic, but so cheesy and not really my taste! Unless maybe I am really drunk :)

Did not care for this album outside of the obvious Dancing Queen

It's smart - achievable vocal ranges and repetitive lyrics make the songs very easy to sing along to. But I'm not falling for your trap Agnetha!

We have hit the disco era and boy is it lame. Arrival has the smash hit "Dancing Queen" and I will say I somewhat enjoy the song but everything else by ABBA is poker stick material. This album got so cheesy. At times it felt like I was listening to some bad stage play. "Money, Money, Money" and "Tiger" are good examples with the later taking the 2nd best track slot. Come on list...give me something good soon. 1.75 stars for the Swedes.

First time listening to this album in full. The older I get the more I realize that ABBA is a greatest hits type of band. The popular songs from this album are great but the rest is so mid and silly. No "hidden gems" or anything like that. I'd already known all the best songs from it before I even hit play. Eh 2/5

I like ABBA but this album is one of their weakest. Dancing Queen and Money Money Money are standouts on an otherwise underwhelming album

It’s abba

At least four 4 star songs, but to listen to as an album… nope

Outside of two songs, this was a hard one to get through.

АВВА поважаю звичайно, чудові вокали, основа з клавішами завжди імпонує. Незважаючи на те, що тут вистачає хітів і супер хітів теж, але як альбом мені це не дуже працює. Деякі пісні занадто далеко за рівнем від кращих і для поп-альбому це не дуже динаміка.

Tout est bien fait, c'est maîtrisé, ça s'enchaîne assez bien alors pourquoi je me suis autant ennuyé ?

Some classic bangers and a generally enjoyable album overall but I didn’t find any hidden gems that I didn’t already know about. I’d rather listed to one of their greatest hits albums

There are a few ok songs, but the music is almost complete trash.

Yeah. OK I listened to the whole thing. It was a bad as I thought it would be

Dancing Queen is great, the rest of the album is good but just not really memorable. 2.49 / 5 stars.

2 good songs otherwise blah

ABBA is good, this album is meh. Couple of hits, but didn't rivet me.

Objectively? Excellent album. How many bands release an album that becomes a de facto best of? And that also soundtrack so many movies? I still groaned when it popped up though. Very much an overplayed album. Still listened, I hope it doesn't pollute my algorithms.

Poor

Abba is a group where the singles are undoubtedly some of the best disco records ever made. The album has more filler than a hen do. Stay for the singles but swerve the rest there really isn't much else

not feeling as classic as i thought it would. Sounds a little dated

Besides dancing queen and a couple other good songs I found this album whatever

Dee enjoyed her singalong.

Wow, the album opener kinda starts it out off-kilter. Thank goodness Dancing Queen swoops in like Will Smith from Men in Black with that memory eraser. The harmonies on the album are gorgeous and ethereal. However, the melodies get old quickly for me; it feels dated and overproduced at times. I don’t think it’s a bad album; it’s just not for me.

Not my thing really but clearly they are very good at what they do.

I don't hear no "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"... 2 stars for this slow excuse for disco.

Not for me.

I only know the hits, which actually I'm not entirely averse to. There's a sense of nostalgia to a certain degree, but I also acknowledge the influence (both direct and non-direct) on some acts that I really do like, including **The Cardigans**, **The Ark**, **Queen**, **The Darkness**, and **Rainbow**. I was also struck by the **Sparks**-esque vibe, although probably not surprising given they operated in similar timeframes and both embraced theatricality and pop sophistication, I'm always reminded that **Ritchie Blackmore** genuinely said that **ABBA** was “probably my favorite band of all time,” saying their music was “so melodic, and it just worked,” Melodically, **ABBA** is in a class of their own. Their songs are deceptively complex and I respect them for that. It wouldn't have endured if it wasn't good on some level. Longevity alone means there's some real substance beneath the surface even if it's not really my thing. I love the cover art. It's very symbolic and it complements the music - sleek, polished, but with real emotion and grit just under the surface.

It has the hits, but the rest is pretty boring. Fav: Money, Money, Money

Familiar disco songs...

Not for me. At times ok but mainly had to skip songs.

This is not a good album. Dancing Queen is an absolute banger, a real masterpiece of disco pop, but the rest is just studio filler. I'm not a disco hater... But if you're looking to dance it's really just that one song. Tiger and Fernando are both good, not not great. Also, looking at the other reviews, everyone gets weirded out by I kissed the teacher but just rolls with the dancing queen being only 17? Hmm ok y'all.

Look I get it, its ABBA. But this sucks. It's so annoying Best Song: Dancing Queen Rating: 3/10 (Irritating) Stars: 2/5

The definition of catchy but dull

I don't really understand why ABBA is considered a landmark of music and why so many of its fans are annoying little cucks that worship them. Not really a bad album, but not my thing.

I don't like bland pop tunes with cute blondes mouthing repetitive words and gestures but I know most of the rest of the world totally gets off on them.

I loved Dancing Queen, but the other songs didn't really stand out to me.

Not my favorite. Dancing queen is an overplayed classic, the rest of this album 👎

Not a fan of

- "Everybody likes ABBA". No, not me. - "I'm a punk rocker/metalhead/jazz aficionado but ABBA is my guilty pleasure". Nobody cares. - "Every song is fun here". Every song is the fucking same here. - "If you don't like ABBA, you're boring". At least I'm not a cheesy, soulless individual. You get the point. The spirit of Eurovision (one of the most pathetic aspects of this part of the world) condensed in a single band. 2 stars because Dancing Queen is cool.

Not for me

I don't like ABBA, let's move on

5/10 Money Money Money nearly saved it, but the irritation factor and the terrible lyrics were just too much. Highlight: Money Money Money

It’s obviously well constructed, but so so banal. I can see ABBA’s value at a wedding or the comedy of playing Fernando to cheer on your favourite athlete of the same name, but this is not essential listening. AI could have written these lyrics. There’s something so plain about this music. A bologna sandwich on white bread, but at least the bread is decent.

Some big hits on this one but hard to like an album in 2025 that starts the way it does lol.

I've never been an ABBA fan I know that means I lack sufficient Joy or something in my life to not appreciate them. But just doesn't do it for me.. that said, there were a couple sons on here that were less annoying.

Biggest shrug in the history of shrugs

Eh

Just not for me.

Can’t fault it for what it is, and what it is it does well. For me it’s impossible to sit through this entire album. So saccharine and honestly boring. Not dropping to one because of notability.

Can I appreciate that some women adore ABBA, sure. Have I had fun karaoking ‘Fernando?’ Yes. But really…no to all of this. It sounds like a kids’ album. I was not in the mood for cheery Swedes. If you need to play ‘Dancing Queen’ at a wedding reception to get out your glam vibes. Have fun, no judgement. But I don’t want to listen to a full album of this.

A little too show choir for me.

ABBA is about as neutral of a band as I can imagine, so this album fit that in it neither excited nor disappointed, and the only song I can recall from this is Dancing Queen which was played multiple times a day, every day, at the Value Village where I worked in my early 20's. That all said, I guess by my metrics I have to give this a 2 because I would never choose to listen to this album.

ABBA isn’t too bad, but they’re just a band I’m never going to get into. I think it’s because every time I hear them, it takes me straight back to that scene in Addams Family Values where the scout leaders lock Pugsley and Wednesday in a log cabin and blast “Dancing Queen” to torture and “normalize” them. As it happens, “Dancing Queen” is on this album, so when I listen to ABBA, I can’t help but see them as a torture weapon wielded by strait-laced, nerdy normies. Lol!

An odd mix of bangers and dross. Proof that even the best aren't perfect. Brilliant at times , awful at other times.

Never really listened to Abba outside of some unavoidable singles. I'm dubious... Yeah, I can appreciate the production and pop hooks but this isn't my jam. Dancing Queen does kinda bop though.

Funk soul brotha

It’s ABBA, just some extremely basic but relatively enjoyable pop music. Nothing special

I had fond memories of singing ABBA with my dear departed mother on long road trips. I wanted to like it again. But i do not like it now. The songs are trash. Overly serious for such mundane and even silly topics (“i kissed the teacher;” “dancing queen”). The lyrics are simply dedigned to rhyme and scan — the story they tell is often internally inconsistent (“there us nothing we can’t do” & breaking up is “the best I can do”?? — weak!) & always delivered as if everything depends on *this one song*. There’s no snap to this pop — it’s all hyper-orchestrated and soulless. I guess they harmonize well enough. A two bordering on a 1.

Ja, nee, daar loop ik niet warm voor. De kinderliedjes (When I Kissed the Teacher) van ABBA zijn af en toe leuk om een feestje maar gaan we hier absoluut geen serieuze beoordeling geven. 4/10 Highlights Knowing Me, Knowing You

Average

No thank you

Det startede godt.. Men blev pladen gik i hak, og tilbage var det kun datids pop efter en helt stram skabelon. Jeg fik lyst til at skippe for at komme lidt videre, efter bare 15 minutter...

I’m no dancing queen

Went in excited because there are a lot of ABBA songs I enjoy, but was a little disappointed. The hits were definitely hits, but a lot of the songs sounded the same. And there was a saccharine tone that started to get old. Overall- not bad, enjoyable at parts. Probably a 2.5/5

The production and arrangements are uninspiring and very samey, and let down a lot of the songs. Listen to Melonie Cannon's version of Dancing Queen to hear how good ABBA's material can be in more imaginative hands.

Not my style

One ABBA song is a tasty delight but an entire album is insufferable. There are a couple hits on the album but otherwise it’s just annoying.

1. Knowing me, knowing you 2. Dancing queen 3. Money money money Skjønte først nå at ABBA er dansband på engelsk. Mye fillers, få killers her ass..

Light 5 Dancing queen and rich man's world good 2 awful songs Rest okay

So I feel like this band is subject to a lot of glaze. Dancing Queen is a fine song, but everything else is coated in 70s cheese, and quite frankly gets annoying really quick. In addition, the lyrics are laughably terrible. When I Kissed the Teacher might be the worst start to an album ever. That being said, I would like Dancing Queen more if it wasn't so overplayed, and I did quite enjoy the title track as a refreshing creative instrumental free from cringe-worthy lyrics. These guys are good songwriters and instrumentalists, I just don't care for the style.

Not my bag

Dancing queen is obviously a good song, but the rest of the album, just isn't my thing. I'm sure it has a brief place in time and history where it was relevant, but I was never around for that time and place.

Yep, that's some ABBA, all right. I think we've all heard ABBA before and know what to expect. If you have not heard ABBA before, maybe go to a wedding reception every once in a while. Guaranteed you'll hear plenty of it. Zero surprises on this record.

Look, there's a reason why Abba's best selling album is their Greatest Hits.

The album is fine. Not for me.

yuck

This album reinforced my stereotype of pop songs as hit or miss. I liked Dancing Queen which Ive heard a million times, and as for the others from Mamma Mia!, I like the movie soundtrack versions better. The rest of the songs were misses for me.

Everyone loves this band, I’m glad they do, I just don’t get it yet

A couple of classic dance floor tracks for sure but o it a good album for real ABBA fans I think

Not bad. Not my style, but they are a good band with good songs. It fell off a bit towards the end.

God I do not care for ABBA.

Far too catchy

Just sounds like a greatest hits album, no red thread. It‘s just your usual ABBA

i just cant get into abba but this album made me smile because it made me think of alan partridge

It was ok

I’ll never be an ABBA fan and this isn’t for me 2/5 A 2 in my scale means it has merit but isn’t for me. I assume many of you are ABBA fans

Not an ABBA fan

I tried, but I just can’t enjoy this at all. It’s just not good.

It's not that I don't enjoy ABBA, I do enjoy most of the more dancey songs on here but it feels as if this album can go from a really great pop song (Dancing Queen, Tiger) to a bad one (Why Did It Have to Be Me) which makes it all the more frustrating of a listen. I don't wanna feel like this about ABBA because they are fun! But I don't think the fun can last for 30 mins really (I would not be opposed to checking a second album of theirs)

1. teacher - 1 2. queen - 3 3. life - 1.5 4. dum - 1 5. knouuing - 1.5 6. money - 1.5 7. me - 1 8. uuhy - 1 9. tiger - 0 10. arrival - 0 11. fernando - 3 12. hauuaii - 1

No, sorry. I never did like Abba in period. Neither did anyone I knew. It was the band elderly relatives said they liked in order to try and relate to us young folk. Abba weren't in any respect "cool". I cannot comprehend the nostalgia for them now. 2/5 but it only gets that much because it is "well done" nonsense.

Es una verga esto. Realmente muy dietético y meloso. Las baladas son un asco. Rescato algún estribillo pegadizo y nada más.

2.5

The singles brought back some good memories from the past, but the rest were pants I thought.

I like Money Money Money

Sounds like a musical. Some huge classics. Not my thing.

I mean it's Abba and i know they bring a lot of joy to a lot of people, but I'm not one of them! Still hard to be to harsh on this well producced catchy pop that has lots of harmonies and infectious hooks. This is for all those that lose their shit to me what is shit.

I think this album is okay. I like the beat of the songs in this album but the lyrics are sometimes confusing. 2/5

2.4 2x some classics on here, but not really my thing

Well done pop music but they have never really appealed to me

I always had the impression that ABBA were ‘a good pop outfit’ but this was pretty dull. I do fancy the Voyage hologram show that has an installation in Geeenwich still though, but I think that’s just because it’s the closest I’ll get to being like Tron.

This is the album with Dancing Queen. All the rest of the songs are not very memorable, some hit me as a bit creepy. But all very upbeat.

There is no denying Dancing Queen, the rest is trash

A great classic and an okay one are on here. But I can’t stomach the idea of listening to this as a full album again.

Ok