Arrival

Bad memories of pervasive 70s disco. Sort of starts things off on a bad foot. Overly packaged, overproduced, overshadowing the actually creative moments lurking somewhere herein. "Soaring" is a bad word here--please no. So the guys can sing too?--please no. I do confess, however, for a fondness for Fernando. Way to go, Scandinavians, for writing a song for Mexican revolutionaries.

Now I remember that I don’t really like ABBA.

Mostly awful. 1.9

Soulless European pop. Dancing Queen is okay as is Knowing Me, Knowing You and the instrumental title track. 2.5 stars.

I will never understand how this got popular. There are some catchy songs, namely the actual singles and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" are good pop songs. I'd like to see someone less ABBAish take a run at that one.

ABBA is only famous because they covered all the songs from Mama Mia.

Yeah, nah. I can understand why they were huge, but, doesn't do much for me.

Well it ABBA, sickly sweet pop, can remember it being on as a kid and it wasn't for me then. It is brilliant crafted pop music no doubt and it has all the Eurovision flare but still its a bit naff. This album has some of the big hits: - Dancing Queen - Knowing me, knowing you - just makes me think of Alan Partridge - Money Money Money - Fernando

I guess I am the only european person who doesn't like ABBA all that much. It sounds like German Schlager to me.

Fun for a couple of songs.

A band that I’m not that into - marmite I think and there’s a couple of songs I’d rather nail my nuts to my head than listen to again

Why did ABBA kiss the teacher Kinda easy to see why Dancing Queen became an anthem. It hits everything. Why Did It Have to be Me? More like Why Did You Have to Go Away from Disco? This is so out of place. Tiger seems a little goofy on the surface but honestly it's a bopper.

Pop album…that’s about all I got

I’ll never tell Linn, but I didn’t enjoy it

so disco no opinions really, its an ok album my favorite song: money, money, money

hobblaschorsch mrntig lorge abba wär normslerwiis nöd min wunsch scho nöd de grösst abba fan aber mal luege when I kissed tescher hani nanig gern gha sorr dancing queen hani rig scho immer gern gha ABER mentig morge my love, my life actually no cute, nonie ghört glaub dum dum diddle katastrophe sie nached mengisch schochli ac/dc konkurrenz was d kreativität bide drums ahgaht knowing me, knowing you hani scho so vill mite salomé bi wii dance tanzt hahahaha s ahhhhaaaaa findi immerno chli weird ABER d giti nachem refrain findi immerno sehr cute die hend ja im jahrestakt musig ussegschisse?? money hani vill nerviger im chopf gha, muss sege bis jz gfalltsmer besser und finds echli spannender als de rest (v.a. d strophe) ok klavier goht dumm ja that's me isch fertig und nüt isch hange blibe OUHH NEI FERNANDO ISCH NO UF DEM ALBUM min grosspapi het das lied gliebt aber ja ich finds so ass bzw. mal luege, money hetmi au überrascht dass es mier besser gfallt s erst mal männlichi stimm eine vo dene heisst safe björn oder? sax no cool tiger rawrawr ich han fernando iwie no gern gha??? happy hawaii chan ja nur guet sii OH WAS ok de rest hassi

Arrival presents a collection of catchy pop tunes with the band's trademark polished production. Released in 1976, it includes memorable hits like Dancing Queen and Knowing Me, Knowing You. The album's upbeat melodies and sophisticated instrumentation highlight ABBA's musical abilities, though I found most tracks overly sweet or lacking in depth. While widely regarded as a classic pop record, it didn't particularly stand out for me, it undeniably holds a significant place in ABBA's legacy and the history of pop music. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACK - None

1.9 I enjoyed the bass playing and Dancing Queen is pretty good but other than that, not really my cup of tea.

Wow. Very overrated. The only track I didn’t skip after 1 minute was dancing queen.

The first time I've listened to ABBA front to back. I thought I liked 'em but after the 33-minute listen, I can safely say that ABBA is best in small doses.

I find it annoying how upbeat and cheerful they try to sound, but musically it feels like something that would play in the end of some old romantic drama. But even I can appreciate Money, Money, Money

Sparkling disco, so beloved by all of the Swedes in my life. Not really my jam, but I appreciate the quality.

The thing that really creeps me out about these guys is that they’re always writing questionable lyrics about skeevy things they’re trying to get girls to do (“When I Kissed the Teacher” indeed!), and then they get their wives to sing that stuff! It’s no wonder these marriages barely made it out of the 70s. I so badly wanted to give this one star, but, I mean, “Dancing Queen” and “Money Money Money” are decent jams. Thing is, all of ABBA’s big hits are so impossibly overplayed, they’ve become like musical wallpaper, and if I never heard any of them again, I’d never miss ‘em. Meanwhile, the album tracks are inane at best, and at worst are soppy, gloppy, ridiculous nonsense.

I will admit I was less than excited when I saw this one pop up. 70s bubblegum pop is not really my kind of music. I think I had probably heard at least most of this record before. I mean amidst the sea of disco at the time this was released I can understand why people liked it so much. It doesn't hold up for me though. I mean imagine if When I Kissed the Teacher was released today.... I don't know, the whole 70s synthesized pop dance music is just something I can't really get on board with. Great vocals on this record though, so I enjoyed it for that. But ridiculous and sappy lyrics for the most part. I know a lot of people love Abba (#128 in the world on Spotify as I write this???!?!), I am not one of those people. 2/5

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.

Just not my thing.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Great singles, so-so album tracks

Nah.

Couple of decent tunes on this one.

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

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.

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

not for me

god I can't stand them

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

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

Dancing Queen and Fernando were okay.

The singles I already knew were OK. And "Tiger" is so dumb it's fun. But a lot of forgettable mediocrity beyond that.

Nope.

Proof that pop music still mostly sucks when it's done well

I can see myself playing this taking a long drive down the coast on a nice sunny day with the top down…. Unfortunately that’s something I’m unlikely to do so this album doesn’t do it for me.

I don't get it.

2.3/5 For me, nothing more than the singles I’m already familiar with. Except a pretty creepy opening track about jailbaiting a teacher.

ABBA are just really odd right? I don't hate the music and the tracks are super iconic and I'm sure they're great, just something about ABBA gives me the heebie jeebies. They creep me out.

Not really an ABBA fan. Some songs were ok but some were actually annoying for me to listen to.

Nope. Can't do it. Fuck ABBA.

1 if it wasn't for fernando money and general vibes

I know it is cool to like ABBA now but besides some obvious skill at writing hooks, I just don’t find much to really latch onto.

Not a great album but several songs were good with knowing me knowing you being great!

Apart from the one song that everyone knows, the others were quite weird songs, didn't age so well, especially the lyrics.

There are 2 ways I can look at this album - do I think musically it's a good album? absolutely. There's layers of complexity to both the songwriting and execution technically. Do I like it though? not really. Rating it based on how much I actually enjoy and appreciate these albums rather than how much I respect them musically.

Karaoke Hen Do Bullshit

Not my deal

The hits are great. The deep cuts... not so much.

I don't like ABBA.

It just doesn't sound very interesting

Jag tycker inte att det är jättebra. Skulle kunna ge deras greatest hits en 3:a pga institutionalisering.

Välproducerat som satan. Det som skaver är den dåliga engelskan, att det ibland blir lite dansbandskänsla och att det är rätt tjatigt.

2/5. Too discotastic for me.

Europop trash can with one half eaten eclair sticking out, just visible above the rim. If you’re craving fresh, monotonous executive-to-studio anal drippings, this is the record for you. Plain bagel. 2.5/5

It is obviously very famous and impactful, but I just don't enjoy this sort of music. I find it almost upsetting upbeat and cheery

I should just stop being a grump and admit that “Dancing Queen” is a perfect song, and it’s perfect everything, so vibrant, amazing, yeah. But I’m still grumpy. I should like this, because it’s so fun and unserious and they’re making hilarious risky choices with the production. But for some reasons, the whole is less than the sum of its parts for me! Or maybe it’s like adding salt to a dish… a tad too much, and you’ve overdone it, and all you can taste is the salt. That’s my reaction to the music part… over-salty. I tend to fall off the train with albums where the pieces fit together a little *too* well. I start to sense a conspiracy. Yes I’ll dance to these songs at every wedding, yes they are fun, I found myself having fun occasionally, but something about it just feels super off and… weirdly sterile? Solely in the production here. The songs make sense to me. I think I have to give this at least a 2 for sheer voluminous effort, and I did have something of a good time, really. I just feel a little nauseous afterwards and want to skip everything other than Dancing Queen, the second run. 2/5

Well, I can now say I've listened to an ABBA album. Silly and upbeat, but definitely not my jam.

5/10

Quite a few of Abbas iconic tracks... which if you're into them... then it will be fabulous. But I'm not into them, I'm that inbetween age range to never have got the hype, not old enough for their heyday... and not young enough to be reintroduced through Mamma Mia the movie. So.. the best I can give them is a 2, and that's for Dancing Queen, and not because I liked the song, it's because my mate used to do a class piss take dance to that track, we used to get the clubs to play it early in the night and he'd do his dance... was a piss take... but he always got a lot of interest from the girls, so we humoured his wee routine lol.

Silakka nauttii

Fernando and Tigers don't make up for the rest of the album. I see why they made a musical using Abba music it all feels like mediocre music plucked from musicals and synthetically reproduced removing the sting of the lyrics.

Pop, disco. Non esattamente il mio genere, sia per le tematiche che per le melodie, ma senza dubbio sono presenti anche alcuni pezzi di spessore. Trovo che la voce femminile inizi a diventare fastidiosa dopo un ascolto prolungato. Conoscevo solo SOS, che ha un posto nel mio cuore.

Great hooks, bouncy, not my style

Dancing queen is a classic, none of the other songs really hold up to that song. Upbeat songs are fun.

Quite frankly, I'm a little surprised to see ABBA on the list. "When I Kissed the Teacher" is such a weak opening for an album. "My Love, My Life" - is just so. much. schmaltz.😛 There were several songs I couldn't get all the way through, especially "Happy Hawaii" because the lyrics were so mundane and dumb. I don't have anything against ABBA, but I think with them, you are best off just listening to their greatest hits, a number of which are found in "Arrival." Two stars, because I was so annoyed it was not pure "ABBA Gold".

I get why they are/were popular, but I found this surprisingly hard to listen to even though being familiar with their music (Dancing Queen etc.). Best way I can explain my experience is that it was like eating unseasoned chicken.

Not sure how to properly rate this. Musically, it isnt for me. Its ultimate pop, bordering on cheese. Not a lot of substance, but I’m not sure that’s what it wants to be anyway. Its certainly iconic and for what it is, very good. Incredibly catchy, glittery, camp. Cant knock their talent for producing this sort of music, and they have some great harmonies. The big songs are fucking huge classics, the filler on this is instantly forgettable. Quite a contrast. Apart from Dum Dum Diddle, the best track on here. My wife loves it. She loves Mamma Mia too, and given its on ITV2 every night I feel like I’ve done my time with Abba. It also brings up a personal annoyance tht I’ve had to endure Mamma Mia countless times, yet the second I bring up History of the Third Reich or World at War she suddenly decides that actually we should both have a say in what we watch. Plays the democracy card when it suits her. And for that reason, Abba aint for me. Blame Mamma Mia, democracy, and countless weddings.

While they are horrendously overplayed, I have some time for ABBA, they are good songwriters and a lot of their more lively songs have good hooks. Except for money money money the lively songs were absent from this album, lots of piano and sweeping strings, and I spent most of it bored. The songwriting talent is still clear but these songs aren't for me. Will probably score their other albums higher.

Woof, Dancing Queen and Fernando really salvage this extraordinarily corny album

Interesting to hear Abba songs I ain't heard before.. Knowing me knowing you got that guitar damn. Not really my cup of tea tho.

All the ABBA classics. Not to interesting

Fernando was a banger

Couple Jamz, but overall not for me

Bleh. This hasn’t aged well, and I wasn’t much of a fan in the first place.

Basically exactly what you’d expect. Not really my thing.

Ok for what it is...i'm just not a huge ABBA fan. 2/5

Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I find Abba's stuff hugely overrated.

I guess it's OK...

First cut, meh. Second cut "Dancing Queen" timeless anthem. Third cut, dreck. Fourth, bad dreck. Fifth track "Knowing Me, Knowing You" timeless anthem. Sixth track "Money, Money, Money" timeless anthem, I guess, though not as strong as the other two. Seventh, dreck. Eighth, meh with sax. Nine, wow, so bad. Ten, bagpipes? Electronic bagpipes? Wow. I'm listening to a bonus version with "Fernando" which wasn't on the original album but I gotta say, based on some of my other reviews, it's hard to give this a very good rating, though it has a couple of classic tracks on it. From the era where the record companies were happy if an album had two hits on it, and the rest was filler, and people bought the record. Ugh! I went into this knowing full well what I was likely to find, prepared to hold my nose and give it a three based on the monster tracks, and after listening, I think it doesn't even merit that rating, because the other tunes are so terrible.

This is not my jam...but I didn't hate it! They're real musicians making decent music, I just don't like it.

If someone were to lay a claim again me stating that my vitriolic opinion of disco was originated because of a Disco Sucks t-shirt I saw on TV once, I would not be able to refute them. Have I heard many disco records? No. Am I excited to list to more disco after hearing this record? Also no. The thing about this album that drove me insane was that musically it was terrific. If you hear the notes of the singing it meshes so well with the instrumentation to craft a hyper-danceable sound that could make it impossible to not bop along in your chair. However, when I listen to the words this album is about as entertaining as running a marathon wearing underpants made of razor wire and salt. [Pre-Chorus] You don't care It's not fair And you're only smiling When you play your violin [Chorus] Dum dum diddle, to be your fiddle To be so near you and not just hear you Dum dum diddle, to be your fiddle I think then maybe you'd see me, baby If this were an album of Swedish folk music played on fiddles, accordions, or nyckelharpas, then it is a banger. As dance music, however, it just doesn't work for me. None if this would matter if as a listen would be justified in immediately turning off the record when they realize that track one is a song about a female student sexually abusing their teacher. It is difficult to imagine a time when a producer or record label would be cool with this. Either way you shake it, this is a mesmerizingly good album that I don't expect I will ever choose to listen to again.

Some good songs but a whole album of ABBA is a big ask for my ears.

Kuinka hyviä kappaleita on tehtävä, että hirveyden saa anteeksi? Ehkä Dancing Queen ym. riittävät, ehkä eivät. Tiedän vain, etten kuuntelisi parhaitakaan näistä teoreettisella vapaa-ajallani. Mitä sitten että laulaisin baarissa mukana?

Not my cup of tea

Honestly never have gone out of my way to listen to ABBA so interested for this. Kiss the teacher just reminds me of the South Park episode where Ike sleeps with the teacher and the police just say "Nice" when they realize she is a hottie. Dancing Queen is a jam but nothing I'll go out of my way to listen to. Money Money Money is kinda dark lol Who is this Bjorn guy and why is he singing over the other A's. Also their names are all so fucking svedish. Agnetha Fältskog Anni-Frid Lyngstad Björn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson Fernando! I would kms if that was my name and then this song came out. Pretty diddy though. Honestly not much here for me besides the two I had already heard.

Not my bag at all...

One of the greatest pop songs of all time, from a band that released a list of superlative pop songs. Yet as an album it’s really hard work. The lyrics on many of the songs are banal and predictable and the tunes weary. A magnificent singles band , one of the best ever, and a terrible albums band.

Turns out I'm not a big ABBA fan.

Just can’t do it

Klassikko mutta kokonaisuutena epätasainen kuten kaikki abban levyt. Artisti joka kannattaa arvioida muilla perutein kun levykokonaisuulsien suhteen 2/5

This album wasn’t for me. I can appreciate the talent, and I can see why they are popular, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Knowing Me Knowing You was better than I remembered but overall this was not an album I enjoyed.

Seems like everyone hates disco, but I'm not one of those people. That said, I didn't love this album. "Dancing Queen" is a classic, but the rest of the album runs the gamut from fine and blah.

Ok ... it's Abba. Too disco-y for me. Besides "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", the songs were skip-tracks.

This is one of those bands everybody knows but who can really listen to this except on Broadway?

Dancing Queen is a bop. I can handle a song or two of ABBA but a whole album is a bit like the musical equivalent of eating a pound of cotton candy. It's too much. Definitely a singles band for me, and even that I can mostly take or leave.

You all know this sounds like. Great if you like that sort of thing. I can see the appeal, but it’s not for me.

noty

Not much that stands out here. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

I will make if all the way through, but I don't want to.

Ok

When I saw this as my first album, I literally said “ahhh fuck”. Not the type of music I would ever choose. The first song was hard to get through (what a creepy track/lyrics), but the rest of the album wasn’t too bad to putter and clean the house to. Dancing Queen is a classic but still not my jam. I didn’t realize that this is their fourth album, and this track was this far into their career!

I am unashamed to say that "Dancing Queen" is a catchy and classic song. I honestly gave the rest of their music a chance, but I just couldn't get into it. Just not far me.

Abba just isn’t for me. Kind of like Fleetwood without the edge.

скучные баллады

They're the kind of band that sounds like they're actively trying to make pop hits, which is unappetizing. This listen of "Dancing Queen," I really liked it and was noticing how commanding the drum groove is - it really defines the song. Many of the other songs I kind of disliked. Interestingly, the other night, in 2023, ABBA was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year - so points for staying power I guess.

I don't mind ABBA for a song or two, but a whole album starts to wear me down. It's like eating a whole store-bought birthday cake for dinner, all slathered in buttercream frosting and artificial dyes.

ABBA is probably the most consistent band I know of. 2

ABBA :( in their defense, the singles weren't totally unlistenable

I mean you already know what it is

Tja, ik ben gewoon niet zo zoetekauw als het om muziek gaat...

Tja, ABBA zal nooit in mijn persoonlijke toplijstjes komen. Maar er staan wel een paar krakers van hits op dit album. Toch klinkt dit veel gedateerder dan albums uit de 70s die we vorige week hadden, zoals de Boss en Elton. Meer dan 2 sterretjes kan ik er dan ook niet voor geven.

This album met my low expectations. 35/112

Oh Christ. I can't imagine I'll ever be in the mood for an entire album of Abba. The odd song here and there of irresistible pop glitter, sure. Even though Dancing Queen is in the top 5 most overplayed pieces of music ever created, it's still somehow enjoyable, once you get over the initial "oh god, this again". The other singles also very good, in an Abba way. Knowing Me... and Fernando, and the odd other Abba song that isn't here I genuinely like, so I'm not a hater. And hey, let's be honest here, some Madness songs sound like Money, Money, Money, and we like Madness don't we? Yes they do, go back and listen again. There's some shocking shite elsewhere on here though. Dum Dum Diddle can get tae fuck. That's Me is actually pretty good right up until the cringe chorus refrain Carrie-not-the-kind-of-girl-you-marry. Unggggh. Why Did It Have To Be Me reminds me of The Beach Boys after Mike Love decided to take one of the greatest bands ever and make them the worst. Tiger is fine I guess. Fernando isn't really on the album, which is a shame for its rating because that's one I like. Overall, 10 songs, 3 great ones, 5 average and 2 absolute toss. Earns it a 2/5

a couple good songs but too repetitive

i just can't do it. this music is reserved for weddings or 60th birthday parties down the local social club. i've looked at the track list and there's songs on there that everyone knows. they're very well written pop songs.

Just not a fan of Abba 😟

Not a fan of ABBA

Given how much I enjoy other ABBA albums, I had higher hopes. There’s a carnival effect here that I can’t explain and puts me off. Dum Dum Diddle is a solid example. Sure Fernando rises above but too much of this album made me want to hit next track. Sorry, Grandma. I know you love them but this isn’t the one I’ll listen to over and over.

Never been a big ABBA fan (or even a little ABBA fan), but I get it. Contextually, this would have been fun if I were a child of the 70s.

Gute zwei Sterne. Bis auf die Hits, die mir jetzt auch nicht sooo gut gefallen, nix besonderes.

ABBA halt…

Idk... Its abba... There is nothing special here and there really never was? I'm probably biased tho 3.6/10

Bleh, money money money was good but the rest was shite

The band appear to be in a helicopter of some sort on the front cover and I worry that the flared trousers might catch on something and cause an accident. ABBA have never done it for me aside from the odd track here and there and their final studio album of their original period, The Visitors (which I learned of during this project). It is the same story here. The sound is so over produced as to be overpowering, the album filler tracks are twee, the singles are corny. There is clearly songwriting talent here but I just can’t enjoy this Europoppy stuff.

ABBA has always been a singles band. I'm sorry, it's just the truth. While their other songs are fine, I've never considered any of their albums to be worthy of much appraisal (save for ABBA's Gold). Arrival is notable for ABBA's biggest hit Dancing Queen, which is backed up by Knowing Me, Knowing You, and Money, Money, Money. That's it! There's really not much reason at all to listen to the rest of the songs. They're not bad, just forgettable and not really worth your time.

Standard issue ABBA album: dated instrumentals, schmaltzy love-based lyrics, every song sounds the same-ish. The attempt at a Beach Boys track is interesting but still ends up an amorphous synthy blob like the rest of this band's tracks.

This is included ironically, right? Or just for time-capsule effect? Because this is about as banal as pop music can be. It ranks with sugar-free gum, shag carpet and curling irons as ‘70s cultural touchstones.

Usually, music groups or bands or whatever ABBA is do not force existential questions such as: Why is this album a thing? What was the point of this album? Perhaps it is a Swedish thing in an American world for this reviewer. Short and sweet, this album is not bad. "Dancing Queen" is an abstract promotion of girl power and solid independence, not a bad thing. "When I Kissed The Teacher" touches on the trope of student/teacher romances and with geometry being the course of study. "Dum Dum Diddle" by far the worst song here. ABBA seems have to commissioned the circus or a carnival for their clown music vibe, to where if there was a music video and ABBA was on a carousel, there would be no surprise. The title track is an instrumental, synth-heavy (go figure), minimal vocal offering that honestly was a nice reprieve and break in the monotony that seems to settle on the last half of the album. Overall, the album is not bad but it is not really good either. The reasoning for why this should be heard before the end of one's life is debatable but in all fairness, ABBA is certainly an original performance and their cultural impact is undeniable. If anything, an understanding of the 70s, or just the history of music, would support a reason for giving ABBA a listen. However, this is not an album that earns a repeat listen.

It was tempting to give this a higher mark, since the hits were so long-lived, and let's face it, they weren't the worse thing on the radio in the 70s. But by listening to the supporting tracks, one gets more insight into the influences behind the song-writing and sing-along style - and it's not pretty.

I’m lactose intolerant so I can’t handle this much cheese. But I must admit they do have nice singing voices.

As an educator, I just don't know what to do with "When I Kissed the Teacher." They may have tried to get back on course with "Dancing Queen," but it was too late. "Arrival" was poisoned on arrival by the creepy opener. But wait, the "Dancing Queen" in question is only 17? Is she the one who kissed the teacher? Oh, also, I just don't like this music.

Too often I feel like this is the soundtrack to a carnival. Not a good thing.

Hard to rate. Never really clicked for me as a serious musical act. Dancing Queen is obviously amazing but there aren't enough good ones to make up for the horrible production

As much as I appreciate them, this says ABBA are a singles/compilation band. Arrival has little sonic cohesion outside ABBAness as-such, and the hit density is rather too low. They deserve at least one spot here.

A mix of several stupidly famous songs (very deservingly so) mixed with numerous WTF tracks. There has never been a better case for a Best Of album than Abba.

Good album, but disco pop just doesn't do it for me. Still, nice to hear some classics like "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando" (I listened to the 2006 CD w/ this and "Happy Hawaii")

Not my thing at all but clearly has monumental hits

not great

Sure, fun memories from when they were so prevalent, and this music brings me back to my youth with a smile. I also get the big nostalgia kick boosted by 'Mamma Mia,' although I've never seen it. Musically, other than the enjoyable time warp, it's just not really my thing. Great for what it is, but too fluffy for my liking.

It's Abba, lots of ballads and songs you would hear in musicals. You should know what you're getting into here. I find that for every song they came up with one catchy chorus line or piano riff and then wrote around that hook where they could repeat it as much as possible. It's so lacking in substance, but I think that's why Disco failed was this shallow repetition. Also the music videos are all the same, there were 4 or 5 in the playlist on Youtube, and each one was "Let's do a short quick-burst closeup on the face of the person singing" "Ok now let's have one of you face the camera, and the other stand in front but face to the left" "Ok now we're just doing a closeup of whoever is singing". Every. Single. Time.

No. Too poppy, to much the same every song. Just not for me.

Easy to see why so popular. Songs are well crafted but not my Thang.

I remember watching an old CD my mom brought home, it's "Mamma Mia!" (I can't believe it was released in 2008, I've always thought it was released somewhere in the '90s). It was some light film where everyone sings Abba songs. I don't remember much about that night. I can roughly recall how my mom loved the movie. She's probably an Abba fan. And me? I only remember liking two songs, "Honey Honey," and the iconic "Dancing Queen." I loved the energy and the casual positivity in "Dancing Queen." But I've never heard the original until now. And... I didn't like it much. Because of the mentioned memory, I expected this album to be some standard pop album, but its much more disco than I expected. "Dancing Queen" is still a good song. That and "Money Money Money" are the only good songs in the entire album. The bonus track "Fernando" is also worth mentioning, its incredible. The rest is some terrible disco pop stuff. The mentioned tracks saved this from 1 star. If this album is a hit-and-miss, then those tracks are bullseye.

Not for me

Not my jam.

Hmmm. Didn't like apart from singles. Too cloying.

Hmmm. Didn't like apart from singles. Too closing.

just not for me - Fernando my favorite song

Dancing Queen deserved a better album.

I love a good ABBA song. what I wasn't prepared for was that every song on this album that isn't already on a greatest hits album actually completely sucks. I truly hoped to discover ABBA songs I liked as much as their greatest hits and that sure didn't work out! edit: turns out Tiger was not on any greatest hits albums despite being a single that even I'm aware of. so there's one!

I don't think I could ever again just sit there and listen to straight ABBA. That is a truly psychotic thing to do.

It was ok, poppy music. Definitely Won’t be a favorite.

Vocalization is a bit monotone and repetitive. What I mean is, the lead singer sounds almost the same on every track. Dancing Queen is the star of the show and the rest are largely forgettable.

Well known songs are sickly sweet and overhyped. The unmarketed parts of the album are better

i think the production was great for its time but i'm just not a fan of disco at all. probably skews the data but what are ya gonna do.

Didn't hate it as much as I thought, but it was still bad. There's a blues song on this album? Dancing Queen is great.

Although three LPs and a greatest-hits compilation preceded it, Arrival is aptly titled, as this album announces the band's move beyond bubblegum. Arrival contains three huge hit singles, the dramatic "Money Money Money," the downcast "Knowing Me, Knowing You," and quite possibly the band's finest four minutes, the absolutely perfect pop classic "Dancing Queen," a combination of Spector-ian grandeur, McCartney-esque melody, and the indescribable vocals of Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Never been a fan of ABBA, can tell they had talent, wide ranging songs, clearly musical talent there, but just really not my bag. 2/5

If there was ever a singles band, it is ABBA. In terms of pure pop, Waterloo is one of the best singles ever--it's just nonstop hooks, high energy, and perfect execution from beginning to end. But ABBA is responsible for a lot of revolting music, too, so I didn't go into this review with high expectations. There is a fine line between exuberant and overbearing and ABBA consistently crosses it. Much of Arrival feels overstuffed, overproduced, and has a overly sweet, cloying quality. The combination of the perky choruses and the thumping bass on When I Kissed the Teacher makes my stomach ache. Same goes for the descending Liberace piano figures on Dancing Queen. To be fair, it's this very excess or to be kinder, ahem generosity of spirit, that ABBA fans find appealing. When ABBA slows down the tempo, as on My Love, My Life, their gooey sentimentality is brought into even harsher relief. This is a band that makes The Carpenters seem edgy. They've sanded down all the elements in their music, lacquered them and buffed them to a glossy shine, like a bubblegum pink cadillac. If you're getting the idea that ABBA rubs me the wrong way, you are 100% correct. But even on ABBA own terms, as a bubblegum hit making machine, Arrival falls short. There are only a couple of Pavlovian earworms here. 2/5

.

Dancing Queen vind ik altijd nog wel te pruimen; Heeft iets olijks maar de rest was echt niet te doen.

surprisingly, I listened the complete album

It's pop music. Singles are by far the best songs here. 5/10

Their hits are classics, but man I don’t actually like their music. It’s too peppy/disco for me.

Holy wall of sound. 70s style lots of instruments and lots of notes everywhere. Really liked the guitar sound every time it came in. Everything else not so much. Most songs annoying Fernando is the best track along with the final one

Man, this one was a struggle to get through.

some heat but all kind of sound the same

Hate

My first refuse to listen to . I have to leave a 1 though as it won't let me comment only .

#157/1001 🇸🇪 I have promised to listen in full to every album here with respect and leave my own pre concieved opinions behind. Sadly i can't find too much to love here. The first and last tracks are just dire, Dancing Queen has been played to death and is impossible to make an opinion on - you either love it or hate it. For me the only track that stood out was Tiger, which i've maybe heard once before. Best Tracks: Tiger.

ABBA finds a way to piss me off

I didn't listen. There are some things you can't expect from a person..m

Abba never made good music.

hate it. I get the cultural significance and impact, and I'm sure it has a place in some collections, but not in mine.

Noooo

Shallow Pop and Europop built on glossy keyboards, light guitars, steady rhythms, and bright, polished vocals flows with smooth, radio-friendly ease. Listening feels like drifting through a perfectly arranged but shallow landscape where everything sounds pleasant yet rarely leaves a mark.

No me gusta Abba

Don't like it

No es mi estilo. No me gusta

Der er meget musik, jeg har fået bedre/mere afslappet forhold til med årene, og med det in mente prøvede jeg virkelig at gå til dette album med et åbent sind, men... ABBA på denne her liste her, er som en Pixi bog på en liste over de største litterære værker - det er næsten en hån. ABBA, når de er bedst, er sådan set catchy nok, men selv i de tilfælde er deres musik bare totalt intetsigende; der er ikke noget som helst interessant, ingen kant eller noget der stikker bare lidt ud - den musikalske ækvivalent til postevand. Til gengæld har de et eller grundlæggende irriterende over sig, der gør, at jeg faktisk næsten får det fysisk dårligt af at høre det. Dum Dum Diddle er måske noget af det mest forfærdelige musik jeg nogensinde har hørt - men utroligt nok er der skarp konkurrence fra flere andre tracks på dette album. Selv betraget inden for sin tid og genre, er der bare så meget mere kreativitet og kvalitet at hente andre steder, at musikhistorien kommer til at savne ABBA lige så meget som Jodle Birge.

I hate this band so much

a few bangers but as an overall album, no thanks

I just can't do it. Maybe it's just because I've been sucker-punched into watching Mamma Mia too many times, but this music makes me want to jump off a bridge. It's certainly not the worst album on this list, but god fucking damn it this music is not for me. Feels like snorting coke and watching Cocomelon. Fave tracks: - When I Kissed The Teacher - Dancing Queen - Why Did It Have To Be Me? - Tiger

Kitchey pop band from the 70’s. Music was overblown, and over done.

Tried but failed to like it.

Shocked at all the positive reviews on this, it’s objectively terrible. Wtf

Why?

Fernando is an excellent song. The rest of the album is not good at all.

If you remaster an album 5 times maybe it was just bad? Let's not kiss the teacher. Dancing queen and Fernando are the only stand outs for me. I think that more has to do with forced familiarity from 90s and 2000s radio. I could do without this and not be missing anything. It doesnt get me on my feet, I'm not feeling anything, mostly borring pop done well.

I think i listened but i don’t remember

mmm some of them are classics but i don't like the others

I never liked ABBA as a child, but I’m olde now and thought a band so popular for so long deserved an open mind. So with that open mind I looked forward to Arrival! Fcuk me, what a total waste of 41 minutes, absolute shite

ABBA is not for Bee. I think it’s just too happy-go-lucky or something.

Not my favorite style sound. Maybe too disco for my tastes.

Not for me

ABBA was bad then and worse now

Blegh! BLEGH I SAY!!!

Nah

Yabba dabba abba doo doo 💩

This is fucking terrible. I can’t believe this is a classic record at-all.

As time has gone on I've really mellowed on some stuff I absolutely despised as a kid and come to quite like some of it as my snobbery has lessened. But not ABBA. Not fucking ABBA.

Sweden should pay reparations to the world for ABBA

Not for me

Trash

The problem with Abba...is that their "signature sound" is having solid hits that are genuine earworms. So, 3 songs should be good in theory (more on that in a bit), however the rest are incredibly bland filler that don't deserve more than 1 star. The additional problem with the recognisable hits is over-saturation - I've heard Dancing Queen too many times for it to be enjoyable anymore, so it feels cloying. 2 stars feels generous, so maybe it's a 1.

Not my favorite.

Dum Dum Diddle? That's about right. I've said it before and I am going to say it again: there's only 1 kind of ABBA album, best ofs or Gold...otherwise you get crap upon crap, loads of crap...-5 stars, aka 1 star.

Goofy show tunes from the 70s. Here’s the Dum Dum Diddle musical’s storyline: Agnes (hot female lead that is the shy girl in class but best dancer on the high school pep squad) kisses her English Lit teacher Fernando while no one is looking, and they fall hopelessly in love. Weeks later, she is still dancing with joy at the Saturday night disco dance where he is a chaperone (Dancing Queen.) He wants to make out with her, but she feels it’s too risky at this public location so she tells him they need a cool off period breaks it off with him (My Love My Life.) He’s heartbroken and wants to win her back, so he quits his low paying job as a teacher to eliminate the conflict of dating a student and goes to work as a travel agent making much more Money, Money, Money - and Why Did It Have To Be ABBA?She is enthralled by his dedication and increased salary so decides she wants him back. As an attempt to impress him, she vamps up her look and goes on the prowl (Tiger.) But unfortunately, Fernando has been sent off to war. Oh no! Will he make it back alive? Will she wait for him? It’s now the end of the 70s and Sweden is pulling their troops out of Vietnam. The loving couple reunites on a moonlit beach in Happy Hawaii. L =(1.5*s) Musical storyline by Loretta. J = (1.1*s) The play was better than the album.

I assume I'm not the target demographic for this band/album, but even despite that it's hard not to consider this album cheesy and ridiculous. Obviously there was a time and place when people needed a light disco album with some hokey tunes, but it doesn't hold up. Dancing Queen has staying power for its legacy, but even then its a pretty lame song. The rest of the album was skippable filler with some pretty bad deep cuts like Dum Dum Diddle. This ABBA album is a perfect example of the criticism that bad disco gets and deserves. 1.37 stars

Subjectively I really don't love this album - it's just related to memories from being young. Probably won't really listen to it again. At least it informed me of what I don't love.

This is a novelty act, right? Nobody listens to this earnestly, right? So annoying.

Ne volim njih nikako. Slušanje ovog albuma mi je samo potvrdilo šta sam uvijek znala. Dječija muzika koja se pravi da je bila inovativna.

Boring, couldn’t even finish it.

I remember my mum having this. Nearly 50 years on from its release I'm going to say its poor. ABBA were a singles band. Most of this album is filler.

It's ABBA, so not really a fan. The hits are the hits, catchy disco tunes, and the rest had more of a folk feel but was not really too good. Big miss for me.

No conecto con Abba

My God, "When I Kissed the Teacher" would have made me turn this off immediately if not for this project. The only saving grace was "Money, Money, Money."

Obviously Dancing Queen is an instant classic but the other singles on this album do not come near to that song and are actually some of their weakest singles of the 70s. Im also not a fan of the album tracks. Overall an album i didn't enjoy. 1. DANCING QUEEN 2. KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU 3. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY 4. WHEN I KISSED THE TEACHER 5. TIGER 6. THAT’S ME 7. MY LOVE, MY LIFE 8. DUM DUM DIDDLE 9. ARRIVAL 10. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ME

Torturous

I do Not like ABBA and ‘When i kissed the teacher’ does nothing to dispel that opinion. It is very ABBA by numbers all jangly backing track and layered vocals singing counter to the main vocals. If hell has an audio form it might be this song. Dancing Queen at least puts you in mind of joyous nights out, but retains that horrible tweeness ABBA bring to all their songs. My love my life makes me long for the normal twee upbeat europop you associate with their singles. Even with this dirge of a track i dont think you are ever in danger of not knowing what the song is called. ABBA definitely like to hammer a song home. Dum dum diddle- christ please make it stop! Knowing me knowing you at least puts me on mind of Alan Partridge so adding him shouting aha! Adds something to it. Money money money’s is possibly ABBA’s most enjoyable 40 odd seconds, although in part my mind thinks it would be improved by Fagin from Oliver! Singing it. Oh and the annoying chorus. Why did have to be me? At least brings some musical variety but who would’ve picked ABBA doing Chas n Dave doing an upbeat pop song as the style to go with. Tiger and arrival provide no respite from the attack on my senses. Not sure whether instrumental ABBA is preferable to non instrumental ABBA Fernando is at least another song i associate with Alan Partridge. It also has possible the catchiest of their choruses.

They're a band you can't escape, doesn't mean I have to like them.

Oh hell no. Skipping today

I feel like this album was on here because Robert Dimery liked 'Dancing Queen'. There's nothing interesting to say about it

No!

Jesus. I must be the only person on the planet that his listened to a whole Abba album other than just the singles. And it's every bit as bad as I imagined it would be. My sense of duty to actually listen to all these albums is bordering on masochism at this point. It starts off bad, then there's Dancing Queen, which is also bad, but popular. Then there's Dum Dum Diddle. My god. This trash reminds me of when my parents dragged me to see the play Chess when visiting me one time--an Abba play. Knowing me knowing you is the only tolerable track, and just barely so. I dont even hate all disco--some disco is funky, decent, even dark. But this? Cotton candy garbage. Money tries to be dark, but just ends up vapid. Anyway, solid 1/5.

Jonaas Timmerhout luistert Abba. Kan zich niet ontdoen van het idee dat de muziek van Abba gemaakt is door ongelukkige mensen die alsof doen dat ze gelukkig zijn, voor mensen die ongelukkig zijn en alsof doen dat ze gelukkig zijn. Onder de nepdiamanten praal gaat een diepe melancholie schuil die zowel de artiest als de “luisteraar” niet durven voelen. Jonaas voelt zich leeg en ellendig, zich ei zo na existentieel geschort wetend door liedjes waarvan de tekst men net zo goed op het vorige nummer zouden thuishoren en vice versa. 2/10

Disco sucks

Just out at the airstrip with my Swedish pop group. I won a contest so they have to hang out with me and sit in my weird helicopter. That is at least what this cover looks like. No smiles, all business. I am really dreading this, I have to say. Well. Start your engines and set course for post-disco and may our journey be guided by the steady hand of reason. When I Kissed The Teacher - Right off the bat, the worst song title in human history. That accent is HEAVY. Yeah I mean I bet the teacher is petrified because he’s going to lose his job after being accosted by a Swedish high schooler. I can’t let you get close. Take a swing. Eh. Listen. Besides the boneheaded lyrical content, this is a nice song. Pretty nice soundscape and melody. Dancing Queen - Do we really include entire albums for singles? I don’t mean albums for people who are alone. We covered that with “The Verve” and Radiohead. Well this is one of the most popular songs, seemingly ever. “You turn em on… you’re only 17.” Perfect. Hey! It was the 70’s. I do not enjoy this song. Moving on. My Love, My Life - All the words I try to find, I cannot seem to find a way to possess the elusive adjectives to properly describe this song. Ah! Like a bolt from the blue, there it is. I present to you “Meh.” Dum Dum Diddle - Jesus. The new heavyweight champ for dumbass lyrics. Sounding like a Japanese arcade to start and then the repetitive droning pop wears out its welcome pretty quickly. Knowing Me, Knowing You - Ugh. I’m so bored. What can I say about this? Money, Money, Money - What a devastating uhh critique? I can’t tell if this is a critique of rich people because it sure sounds like “jeez I just want to marry a rich guy.” Cutting edge feminism here from the Swedish songsters here That’s Me - More of the same pop music. This is endless. Why Did It Have to Be Me? - That’s what I’ve been asking! Finally, a point of relation here. I really would’ve been fine never hearing a full ABBA album. This is the worst song by far. Jingle Bell Rock played through an eastern bloc radio during a work lottery announcement. Death on wheels. Tiger - Holy hell, will this ever end? There are like 4 songs left. Nay, exactly 4. I wanted this to actually be about a tiger. Perhaps stalking the streets of Stockholm. Arrival - We are entering the atmosphere of KlagNar 27. Scanning for Swedish Pop Groups. Oh good. Nothing there. Proceed to land. I swore this place would be swarming with fair haired crooners. Thank god we can continue with our research mission. Jones, collect some samples. Jones? Why is there a blond hair on your spacesuit. Oh god, what’s that sound. I knew it!! Ripped apart to the tune of dancing queen in the far reaches of the cosmos. Fernando - The worst song so far. Is this about some fireworks display? For you, for me, for liberty? What the fuck is this? Happy Hawaii - No, it’s happy Birthday. Is it? Isn’t it borthday? So many questions. Gee I’m really glad we included this Kids Bop Beach boys song after 40 minutes. What a fantastic romp through mediocrity. The theatrics and the lyrics drag this to my own personal musical hell. I can’t say this is the worst music ever released and I can barely even say it’s cynically made. The performances feel like they believe in this garbage wholeheartedly. I just hate it. I can’t do it. There are some songs that I could see enjoying g if they changed the lyrics and presentation but that’s pretty much changing the whole song, and I can’t award points based on that. Truly difficult to get through in every way. I shall never return. Well, except every time somebody deems it necessary to play these songs in public places. One day we’ll be able to coexist without a dimwitted soundtrack. That’s my vision for humanity. 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Herregud, det här är verkligen ganska fjantigt?

oh boy

Saai

While I’m a fan of the Swedish Supergroup ABBA’s popular works, I’ve never listened to a whole album. Although my mom got this on 8 track for Christmas way back when, I don’t really remember listening to it. There’s a significant drop off in quality from the hits to the album tracks. Honestly it’s just filler dreck. Knowing Me, Knowing You is doing all the heavy lifting here. I tried Mom.

I actually had a vague awareness of Abba, And figured I might like them. I was very wrong.

What a hateful and irredeemable album.

Het doet wat pop hoort te doen, denk ik. Als het iets meer naar disco leunt dan kan ik er wel inkomen, maar gros van de nummers voelen als een 'Kinderen voor Kinderen'-fever dream, of als Sieneke, en ik word er ronduit zenuwachtig van. 4,5/10 Highlights: Dancing Queen Knowing Me, Knowing You

Disco more like dicksblow.

the only redeeming factor was knowing me knowing you made me think of alan partridge

Lyrics are so stupid and everything else is so schmultzy. It feels like the music is too full of itself despite the fact that it sucks. I have personal bias against this but I also just can't stand listening to such hot garbage. SHE'S NOT EVEN PRONOUNCING HAWAII RIGHT!

point9.

Not my style

😳

Sé que es un clásico, pero lo siento, no es mi estilo

I can't face listening to this.

I didn't like it when it came out. I don't like it now.

I absolutely hate this. 2.7/10

Dancing Queen est excellente. Le reste sonne comme Alain Morrisod et le Sweet People. Je crois pas que ce soit nécessaire de l’écouter, même une fois.

I challenged myself to sit through this whole thing, and while it's doing what ABBA set out to do much of it annoys me. "Money, Money, Money" is the only song I kinda liked, though it's tough to take it seriously given the band delivering it. They're competent musicians, it's just that none of this is my taste at all. I had to chase it with Black Flag's Damaged and the first 3 Stooges albums to scrape it back off my soul. Y'all can have them.

Terrible. Just shows that if this is the best of seventies pop how bad the rest was. Now I understand why all my middle class boring contemporaries on the Lower North Shore loved ABBA. Banal and corny.

I dont like dont recomend it give it 1 out 5 dont really have much to say i dont understand the lyircs. not my type of music would not listen to it. I also dont like old music so thats another reason why i dont like it .

Help

No, can't do it sorry. 1 Star

Get in the bin of history. I would pay good money to have an experience like that in the film Yesterday but instead of the Beatles it's Abba that no one in the world has any knowledge of. I'd just keep quiet and carry on as normal.

Listen, Sweden has given the world some truly wonderful things, IKEA, zippers, Bluetooth technology, and the king of automobiles the Volvo 240. Without the Swedes we never would have had Alfred Nobel! Unfortunately, I don’t believe anything they ever do will make up for unleashing ABBA upon this world. This album in particular is an uncomfortable mess of toxic positivity and far too many major chords. The melodies are grating and repetitive, the lyrics often vapid and meaningless. Fernando is the only song that doesn’t entirely suck. I genuinely needed a palate cleanser after this one, and it’s a good thing Graceland exists. I’d give this album 0 starts if I could.

I'm here to find new albums, not the ABBA album. Maybe I'm just narrow minded

did not puke

I knew I wouldn't like the pop sound of Abba. But I gave it a listen and, initially, I started to think, its not so bad. But the more I listened the more the nausea built up in my gut, to the point where it started to make me angry. Unless you are a juvenile, I see no redeeming qualities in this album. What qualifies this for the list? How many good and impactful albums with music for adults were passed over for this trash. You see, I'm getting angry just writting this. Sure you can listen to 1 or 2 catchy songs in a mix of others. But as an album, this is terrible. It sounds like a soundtrack for a Telletubbies movie or whatever toddlers are watching these days. Its only because the bar is so low for a 1 star that I give it 1.4

Proof positive that whites should NEVER be allowed to make "dance music". ZERO soul here. This is the music equivalent of unseasoned boiled pasta on a cold plate. Thank GOD someone introduced me to Nile Rodgers a few years ago. I had grown up thinking disco was just Abba and The Bee Gees. No wonder I hated it.

I am not proud of the fact that I hate ABBA. It's not some medal I wear with pride or an opinion I've purposefully selected in order to appear Edgy and Different and Cool. I would love to love ABBA - I feel like I'm missing out! This is all to say that I went into this album with an open mind. In fact, I actively wanted to enjoy it! And I actively did not. I say this was active regret and disappointment: I hated it so much. I do understand, of course, how people can enjoy this album. Or at least I'm very keen to try and understand how people can enjoy this album. I'm not going to be quite so arrogant as to say that it's objectively bad and everyone who disagrees is wrong. So I'll try and present this review in a way that clearly shows that this is just my personal, subjective opinion. [I personally think that] this album sounds like a spoof of itself. [I personally find myself asking:] how can anyone hear songs like Dum Dum Diddle or hear those blood-curdling whispers on Knowing Me, Knowing You and NOT think that it was created by a sketch comedy group with a very basic knowledge of music theory and a deep-rooted vendetta against Eurovision fans? It sound like a joke [to me personally]. Everyone talks about how happy and upbeat ABBA's music is but I cannot decipher any emotion whatsoever in any of it. It sounds [to me] like music made by a Martian trying to disguise themselves as a popstar - like Ziggy Stardust on a cocktail of sertraline, melatonin and Calpol. Every song sounds like it's going to end with the sound of the vocals slowing down and getting deeper in pitch as the band slowly power down and enter hibernation mode... in my opinion.

This album contains every cliche that exists. Is there anything real happening here? Or was this all produced to be clean, fake, and appealing? This shit is more artificial than Sunny D. This is the soundtrack of every sheltered white girl from the suburbs, and I hate it a little.

I wanted to like this album, going into it. I know some ABBA songs are adjacent to other easy-listening/soft-rock that I now enjoy from the 70's and 80's. However, while the first couple songs on this album weren't that bad, I felt it got worse and worse as it went on, and I couldn't wait for it to end. It was too much disco and hokey adult pop for me, unfortunately.

Kill me now, I can’t believe so many people bought this crap

Abba keeps annoying me on a special level only surpassed by how annoyed I get about this group being popular.

Never liked Abba. Genuinely never. Their best work is a single throwaway piano section at the end of Chiquitita; everything else is just annoying to listen to. One of the few albums/genres/bands that, despite not being as harsh to the ears as some other albums, still makes me way more annoyed when I am forced to listen to it, be it that they are on the speakers in a grocery store or elsewhere. Maybe it's just the last remaining piece of my childhood that I refuse to let go off, my rebellious youth of disliking the music my parents listened to. Either way, I do support them disbanding and refusing to reunite the group.

Can’t handle ABBA. They make me angry. But others like it, so I might give it a 2… no I can’t bring myself to do it. 1 it is then.

Would never buy an Abba album even if Bono covered them with U2. I know Dancing Queen, it’s the disco era. Another new sound for the times. Knowing Me Knowing you rings a bell. Fernando was another song on the radio. All in all this duel vocal approach by these two powerful woman is the strength of the approach, unfortunately I could never buy this or add any of it to a playlist.

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.

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

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

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...

I can't stand this group.

terrible

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 .......

Overrated

Fuck ABBA

Horrendous

Terrible

KFC I hate ABBA

Making disco safe for straight, white people.

AH HAAAA. Apart from the Alan Partridge and wedding disco novelty value this album didn't do it for me.

Annoyed me