Reviews (page 4 of 15)
Rating: ** 5+ ** Notes: First ABBA Album I have completly listended to, didn't even know most of the songs, just the most famous ones.. but tbh there is not a single bad song on this album... would even considering buying it. So far the best listening expercience for me, it gives you just a good mood. Songs which stood out in no particular order (credits to Uncle Gue for the idea): "When I Kissed The Teacher" "Dancing Queen" "That's Me" "Fernando" ------------------------------------------------------------- Rating Scale: 1- very bad 2- bad 3- neutral 4-good 5-very good additonaly -/+ sign if necessary
Certainly one of the greatest Album of all time! With that Album Abba was established as one of the best pop groups in the 70s. Personal Top3 in no order: Dancing Queen Knowing Me, Knowing You Money, Money, Money
Superb album. Really well-crafted, with a consistent sound and themes throughout but each song generally has a moment or two of magic. I can't say I enjoy all the songs on the album; I don't care for "Dum Dum Diddle" or "That's Me", but the rest are pretty solid bangers. "My Love, My Life' is one of my favourite songs. I don't really understand how you can give this album a low score, other than if you are a bit mad in the brains and trying to conform to being cool.
Great album. Full of bangers
DANCING QUEEEEN OH YEAAAH
So many classic pop songs, that deserves 5 stars
I’m gonna pretend we live in the alternate reality where this album opens with that iconic “Dancing Queen” piano roll—not the bizarre teacher simping. ABBA are obviously better musicians than I will ever be. But what’s incredible (and incredibly frustrating) is that their songwriting in their non-native English is still better than I will ever do.
just fabulous, as expected. the back half was even better than i remember
I love that global reviews range from "utter garbage" to "it's the best thing that happened to music" :D 5 stars for being able to stand the test of time so perfectly.
This is witchcraft. I just can't sit still when this plays
It has been scientifically proven that it is impossible for me to listen "Money, Money, Money" or "Dancing Queen" only once during listening of this album.
Some of the best of abba, upbeat beats and thought provoking lyrics
Послушано.
Great!!
an obvious classic, a lot of their best songs. like the scottish influence since they spent a lot of time in glasgow. my love, my life is so beautiful
Iconic: from first track to last this just slapped. Felt like I was watching Mama Mia all over again. I don't think anyone can come to scrutinize ABBA that much unless they are a pure hater. This is white girl/musical enjoyer/disco/middle age mum core in its finest form, songs to just stick on a sing along to for the full length of the album.
I'm British.
it’s ABBA,it’s amazing.Even if the lyrics are a bit weird sometimes the vocals are amazing and the chorus’s are catchy.”Dancing queen” “knowing me knowing you” “Fernando””money money money money” are all amazing.
First album by ABBA on this list? one of the truely must listen albums which is weird considering I never had. Knew the big tunes of course but there's so much quality here. They get a bad rep as they pretty much defined pop and so much bad came after them, but what music.
100% loved it !
Love ABBA!!
Absolute banger
What a great album, so many memorable songs. Just a great album to get up and groove to.
Its Abba 👍
I get it now.
Liked the hits, the rest was Meh.
pretty nice
In 1974, ABBA were an off-the-shelf guilty pleasure injected into the veins of pop music. Across the intervening fifty years, all of the guilt has slowly been drawn out like poison from a cherry bakewell, until only pure pleasure remains. There shouldn’t be much debate any more: it’s useless to argue that Benny and Bjorn weren’t masters of their craft, or that Anni-Frid and Agnetha didn’t have harmonies made in heaven. No amount of Eurovision tributes, West End revivals, summer blockbusters, or VR experiences can dilute the power of a band like ABBA. And yet some niggling doubt remained, hovering in the back of my mind as I assessed “Arrival”. Was I really going to give the full five stars to an album including refrains like “dum dum diddle, to be your fiddle” and “Carrie-not-the-kind-of-girl-you’d-marry… that’s me”? Such corn, such schmaltz? Well, on listening to a full album of ABBA material like this, we face several empirical truths: 1. Only this band could make opening lines like “everybody screamed, when I kissed the teacher” so giddily endearing. 2. No amount of radio play can tarnish the thrill of “Dancing Queen”’s piano glissando, or “Money Money Money”’s hokey cabaret figure. 3. As much as the uptempo tracks shine, there’s a beautiful handcrafted elegance in “My Love, My Life” and the instrumental “Arrival”. Listen to them too roughly and they might just shatter in your ears. 4. Above all, these are absolutely perfect pop songs. I could go on, but the music can speak for itself. The cascading chorus of “Knowing Me Knowing You”, reaching a peak in “breaking up is never easy, I know”. The glam stomp of “Tiger”, evoking their early Eurovision winner “Waterloo”. And, yes, “Dum Dum Diddle” is great fun too. There’s no guilt any more: no irony, no shame. “Arrival” is simply a faultless album by a peerless band.
This album is vibes dancing queen and Fernando still hold up
Fun album
Crazy how many hits are on this album. As a lover of pop music, this album is irresistible.
Phenomenal pop album
Dancing Queen! Then it's mandatory to give a 5.
i mean…amazing.
Guess it's their best collection of songs
peak perfection
Tremendous
A perfect pop album.
Como pode o ABBA, apenas uma banda com quatro mariconas cintilantes, ter inventado a felicidade?
Abba does not suck. I grew up listening to Abba on road trips with the family, so they will always remind me of happy loving times. The music is catchy and bright. The voices are unique. And any band that has a song about kissing the teacher rules. Tiger is kind of annoying, but I want to change it to "Tyler" and use it as my creeping song.
- Unbelievably catchy, feel good music - Dancing Queen is one of the greatest songs of all time - Big fan of Tiger
Not all perfect but it has Dancing Queen.
abba's music contains such energy. they are incredibly easy to listen to! arrival with its release in 1976 must have been an oddball. this was rock's heyday, and an album of such light pop and disco must have been unusual, even though it wasn't abba's first release. but there's a sense that abba is unashamedly having fun, and it leaves the listener with such joy--or at least it does with me! some lyrics here can be almost silly ("dum dum diddle"), but i can't bring myself to care much when there's "dancing queen" or "money, money, money," because listening to abba is all about having a good time. honestly, i couldn't stop listening to this album!
Hesitant to put this as a 5 because I'd say it's closer to 4.5 but it's undeniable the influence and scale of the songs on this album, not something I would listen to regularly but great nonetheless
Сладенько, приятно, хитово, влюбляющее. Просто великолепная работа. Алкоальбом: дискотека дома с домашним вином
Heerlijke muziek. Dit album heeft veel van de bekende hits, maar ook want ander leuk materiaal. In mijn ogen een album dat in deze lijst thuis hoort. *****
My childhood <3
- yay!! - money, money, money is criminally underrated
Swedish bias all you like. I dont care its a 5
Now this ABBA album I did love
I’m so glad I managed to give up the idea of only liking “cool” music and allowed myself to enjoy ABBA. Pretty much the perfect pop package. Production, visual, lyrics, vocal - I can’t think of another pop act that does everything ‘in house’ so well. Worth noting that this is the first time they used that genius palindrome ambigram logo. And here’s their best album, jammed with hits. Has to be 5 stars.
If you don't find yourself bopping along to this album, you need to check your pulse! So many classic dance hits here, it's unreal. And as an album, it's surprisingly cohesive - even operatic - and holds up really well even now. This is an excellent album.
ABBA are a singles band and there is one of their finest here: Knowing Me Knowing You, with all it's brooding shifting textures and power. Tiger and When I Kissed the Teacher are extraordinary in all respects except the lyrics but frankly who cares when the product, songwriting, melody, harmonies and dynamics are so extraordinarily, effortlessly good. The rest is uneven but never dull.
First time listening to the album. Great album! Will be adding it to my listening rotation.
i've listened to most of this album bc it's PACKED with the all time favorites of ABBA; the fact that so many of the staples are on this album is insane. so some notes just on the songs i've never listened to: (4) Dum Dum Diddle - catchy as hell of course; i wasn't convinced until the first chorus and post-chorus happened and that was it. very cute to me, a solid ditty. ditty ditty dum dum ditty. (7) That's Me - love it for the indistinguishability between the verse and chorus, it transitions v smoothly such that maybe there isn't a "chorus" per se at all, but there is a nice bridge. I really thought that the reference to Carrie meant that it was about insecurity but actually the lyrics are implying to me that this is a Carrie post-murder spree and disastrous prom. Carrie, not-the-kind-of-girl-you-marry, still, but in a different way. Again, ABBA hooks don't MISS. I like that this is right before "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" because now there's a story in my head: this is the man Carrie was singing to in this one; she cuts in to remind him...does he really want to hear more? (9) Tiger - I love a good fun beat with disturbing and threatening lyrics. See, this could be a bop about walking home alone at night as a woman and being alert for whatever predator might be hunting you. BUT if you keep the Carrie thread going suddenly it's not a man, it's Carrie. Who is she hunting? This also reminds me of a surrealist one act we did in college, the tiger of lust prowling. Good shit and again, FUCKING CATCHY. The extended second syllable for Tiger and the vibrato, mmm. I always thought there was something lecherous/decadent/excessive about certain uses of vibrato, it's in full form here. (10) Arrival - I have listened to this many times but I'm just making a note for the record that this is on my funeral playlist like 10 times in a row to allow for the opening procession and contemplation. (12) Happy Hawaii - Why is this here....is what I was asking myself when I was listening to it. Felt very out of nowhere and not cohesive with the rest of the album. Come to find out that actually it wasn't on Arrival originally just a bonus track on a re-release, and it was replaced in the OG tracklist by the WAY superior "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" phew. "Fernando" was ALSO not on the original release, so it ended on "Arrival". I actually like that better even though Fernando is iconic and the second listened to on Spotify below "Dancing Queen". Which was actually surprising to me! Thought it would have been "Money, Money, Money" for sure.
Fun from beginning to end
Is Happy Hawaii a repeat of Why does it have to be me? Feels like the album is a bit stretched. Aside from that it’s a 5. Anyone who grew up in the 70s cannot deny ABBA was a dominant force and influences all pop to this day. It holds its head above much of the genre produced since. Forgotten this was 1976. Cover art : 4:5 How cool is a glass helicopter
Dang, I like ABBA. They're just fun. And Fernando is such a great song.
THE ALBUM
It’s ABBA. You can’t go wrong with ABBA.
There are always some strangely cringy lyrics in ABBA’s records, and its something I’ll chock up to overt Scandinavian sensibilities and a dorky sense of humor. One of the strangest and most interesting things about ABBA is that they are such a completely over-the-top nerd band but manage to make the leap into absolute maestro status in production and song-writing that demands study from producers the world over in multi-cultural and cross-genre circles. For example I would bet the drums in Dancing Queen absolutely demanded the attentions of Dilla at some point: they absolutely bang eternally. The piano work in some of the album would give Elton John pause. Stevie Wonder was definitely considering their synthesizer innovations. Even when borrowing heavily from black American musical traditions like they do so obviously in songs like Why Did It Have To Be Me, it is somehow so comically lacking soul, but simultaneously having *something else* that is some combination of technical musical ability, catchy hooks, cohesive presentation, and great production: You could imagine the absolutely shit-eating grin when Bjourn describes it as “just a little boogie woogie” or something weird like that. I stand firm in my belief that ABBA is a complete anomaly that doesn’t make sense on paper, has more in common with brilliant outsider art than say Donny and Marie Osmond, even though they might both frequently occupy the same record collections. It makes for a complete head-trip of a band that consistently makes great records, and Arrival is one of their best. Must-hear even if to say “not for me”.
Love ABBA, some of my fav songs on this album as well!!
Tuurlijk, het is appels met peren vergelijken... is Abba nou beter dan Bruce Springsteen of Miles Davis? Maar nu gaat het om de vraag: is dit een Klassiek Album? Hell yeah. Onwijze zuurstokmuziek, maar zo retegoed gemaakt. Dancing Queen wordt nu nog door jongetjes en meisjes van 17 jaar meegeblèrd. Dat zie ik Bob Dylan nog niet presteren.
Je pense que c'est impossible de ne pas aimer ABBA. Ceux qui disent le contraire aiment contrarier, justement. Je n'écoute pas souvent ce groupe, mais les mélodies sont irrésistibles. Je suis surprise par l'innovation que présentent leurs succès pourtant très pop. Ça m'a donné envie d'aller écouter les autres grands succès. Mention spéciale à la pièce "Tiger", que j'ai trouvé très accrocheuse (même si la finale était un peu stridente).
The all time hits are as good as always, but I’m surprised by how good the less famous songs are too
Can’t go wrong with abba as all the songs follow the same funk from the 70s TV at the band mastered with any lyrics behind it , clearly showing the talent and how much fun the music was to create
Fond memories of mother dearest
fun energetic and sometimes mournful pop. Well produced and rich disco sounds
Nearly perfect
Pop perfection. I love ballads and harmonies, and sometimes I want to dance. There was not a single song here I disliked, although some were apparent standouts. :)
Very good
A glorious cocktail of fun, hope and ill-gotten semen make this record a timeless scar down the forehead of a once pretty infant girl.
Eitt stórt partý! Vandræðalega gott stöff. Kann þetta smá utanað, enda var ég svaðalegur ABBA aðdáandi þegar þessi kom út þegar ég var 4ra ára. Hlustiði bara. Þetta er frábær plata.
Best ABBA album
The first track - about kissing the teacher - has aged like yoghurt. Was it even acceptable in the 70s? So many of the tracks on this album are good. Multi layered pop that's danceable, fun and hold up to repeated listening. The exception is the titular "arrival", which is just hot garbage, sounding like someone who's never been to Scotland imagining what it's like to see the sun rise over a loch.
It's basically an album of absolute bangers
Abba are GOATS
The 2nd ABBA album this week and I can't complain. I love their music and even when the songs aren't the best, they are still a joy to listen to.
When I kissed the teacher, Fernando, Knowing me, Knowing you.
This album came out the year I was born, which means it’s amazing, obviously.
Ohhh, Fernando... where art thou, Fernando...? I know I don't possess you, so go away, God bless you. You are still my love and my life, still my one and only, Fernando... Dumb dumb diddle, to be your fiddle. To be so near you and not just hear you... Fernando has stolen my heart and my taste because I'm in love with this album. I know it's crazy but please don't hate me ... for my love of Fernando (and Arrival).
Lots of classics here.
You simply can't go wrong with ABBA. It was a delight to listen to songs I'd never heard before alongside beloved classics. All were wonderful.
All Bery Bery Awesome!
Abba
Un moment de pur bonheur
Quintessential pop album. Great work ABBA keep it up
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: When I kissed the teacher, Dancing queen, Dum dum diddle, Knowing me,knowing you, Money,money,money, Tiger
So much pop gold.
sweet! Love Fernando
Loved it, classic songs to sing along.
Fuck you I love this. I do not understand how anyone can say they just don't like ABBA. I'm looking at you Freja.
Great album
Forever a Classic.
When I kissed the teacher, Fernando, Knowing me, Knwing you.
Leuk album met veel meezingers en toch wat afwisseling in de nummers
Yes! I love ABBA and this is definitely one of their best albums.
Overall, the album sounds like a Swedish utopia, and it does get a little dull at points, but hot Damn do some of the singles and the title track yank this thing up to a place of power.
I love it
Absolute banger, saved. Iconic song after icon song.
34. Os montes têm frio. Já é tempo de os cobrir de branco, com a pureza dos céus. Havia algo no ar da noite. O que raio é uma tamborina? MotA: Dancing Queen "Everybody screamed when I kissed the teacher"
classic, and great. dang why do I love this cheesy stuff ha
One of the most positive albums ever.
Loved it
Waouh!!!
Klassisk ABBA. Verdens beste album.
todos los hitazos
Great ABBA.
I don't care what anyone says, ABBA is great.
Track 1 - 3.5 Track 2 - 4.5 Track 3 - 3.5 Track 4 - 4 Track 5 - 4 Track 6 - 4 Track 7 - 3.5 Track 8 - 4 Track 9 - 3.5 Track 10 - 3 Track 11 - 4.5 Track 12 - 3.5
Very enjoyable music. ABBAs strong suit is the composition of the melodies and the harmonies of the two female voices. Favourites: Dum Dum Diddle, Knowing Me Knowing You, Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You.
nunca tinha parado pra ouvir um álbum inteiro deles e gostei. algumas músicas medianas, ok, mas outras tão boas quanto os hits. foi legal.
When I Kissed the Teacher into Dancing Queen might just be one of the most 5/5 starts to a pop album. After that the songs are either great or good, with arrival being a nice closer. 4/5
I mean, dancing queen alone could shoulder an atrocious album and still get a four. Add Fernando, and a few other happy happy upbeat on brand ABBA bops like dum dum diddle and when I kissed the teacher, and it’s just a fun listen. I’m not an abba fan, but I’m not not an abba fan. Know what I mean? Everybody’s kind of an abba fan. And if they say no? Play dancing queen and tell them to stay still.
Fantastic!
Really fun pop record that also has a ton of heart to it. Definitely a reason this one is considered a classic. "Fernando" is a huge standout track.
They certainly know how to crank out a hit tune.
I think ABBAs singles are pop icons, and they made the band legends for a reason. Their most popular songs are damn fine songs that I will never get tired of, and will always sing along with. Their non-singles aren’t as great.
Banger after banger. ABBA had the juice and it holds up.
8/10
I'm conflicted. This is an album which has more than a fair share of mega hits- wonderful tracks which vary everywhere between bouncy energy, to reflective sadness. Though, outside of the legendary tracks, I feel like the album is falling a little flat. It's possible that _Dancing Queen_ bringing up the sadness of missing out has left me feeling a bit down, souring the later tracks. However, the very next part is the album is a procession of break up songs, which really do ruin the mood for a while. The second half certainly restores the fun vibes though.
Bloody good tunes
Very much like this album. Obviously some of the most iconic songs from ABBA are all on this album. Such a feel good, love life album.
I liked the voices and the instruments. It’s weird to kiss ur teacher. Felt complex and poppy. Futuristic for the 70s. Very fun indeed. Tom holland walked into the club.
The singles are very catchy, and of course it is very much music of its time. ABBA were absolutely massive in Australia when I was a teen, and I know most of the album pretty well. Still haven’t forgiven them for Fernando keeping JPY off the top of the Countdown charts…
was gonna give it a 3 but the title track into fernando bumps it up one
Genuine timeless classic!
Some really nice classics
ABBA gets a bad wrap in some high-brow music circle. They're treated as this demonic entity whose only accomplishment is to have paved the way for punk, as a protest against pop and commercial music. But listen, nobody is saying ABBA is Beethoven or something. It's just insanely fun to listen to. And sometimes, that's enough.
The greatest pop band of all time.
Catchy fun music. Fun stuff. What more needs to be said?
Nice harmonies and all that jazz. Some good bops.
Enjoyable and mostly fun. I'd listen again but probably skip some tracks.
Many classics here, including a couple I haven't even heard before.
Listened to it while cooking. Great songs ofc but some are less hits than others.
Simple yet elegant.
Abba may be a bit like might Marmite, or as Abraham Lincoln once described it in a book review "People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like." Well, I like this sort of thing and I do like it. I grew up listening to the Abba Gold compilations so hearing an actual album was a a treat. It was essentially more of what I already enjoyed though I do think they mispronounce the 50th state. Their English has always been far better than my Swedish so I'll let it ride.
Sometimes when I listen to ABBA, I’m incredibly impressed by the production, songwriting, and their amazing ability to create such joyful, catchy songs. Is it an outstanding work of art? Maybe not, maybe it is, or maybe it is within its own field. But ABBA is definitely a phenomenon. 7/10
When I was a kid in the 70/80 ABBA was everywhere. On the radio, TV, played at every party, school fare, town fare, supermarket and we all had a massive crush on Agnetha. It was overkill. I like and can identify with Jeff Tweedy’s reflection about Dancing Queen: “Melodies as pure and evocative as the one in 'Dancing Queen' don’t come along every day. I’m sad for every single moment I missed loving this song.” yx during the 1970s:“Hating certain music gave us a way of defining ourselves. Our identities were indistinct, and drawing a line in the sand between what we liked and what we hated made our young hearts feel whole.” Jeff writes in this essay how he once hated Dancing Queen, but that he now loves it, having been struck by “how exuberantly sad it was” while staring at a speaker in stunned surprise at a grocery store. Jeff now believes he only hated Dancing Queen because as a teenager in the 1970’s, “hating certain music gave us a way of defining ourselves,” a practice he now finds embarrassing. Arrival is glorious Pop Music.
Great album. With the exception of a couple songs, I can listen to most of this album without skipping.
Je pensais pas aimer car pas fan des classiques d'ABBA et en fait les dernières musiques étaient vraiment bien je suis dépité
They’re real good at pop songs.
This album is very disco and very European. Those are the only two descriptors you need for an album like this. But this album is so much fucking fun. If you could take the feeling of this album and distill it down into a substance, it would be the most powerful and sought-after drug ever. If you hate this album, you hate fun. There isn't anything else to say besides that.
YAY ABBA is always a blast
Very good throughout. Big hits of course, but the rest delivers
Remarkably consistent, even the deeper cuts
ABBA have so many bangers but they are fairly evenly distributed amongst their albums so it’s hard to compare. That being said i believe if Voulez-vous is a 5 that puts Arrival at a high 4. Fav tracks:”Dancing queen” and “Why did it have to be me”
9/10
Childhood songs, so can't put below 4
4/5
Absolute classics and silly trash, all of them insanely catchy. That’s the ABBA guarantee!
Fantastic niche album
This is an album where my younger self would be confused as to why I was listening to it; "Abba? That's so lame." Well guess what, this album was a lot of fun! Catchy tunes, surprisingly good melodies, and the main vocalist has a pretty nice voice. This is disco-pop done right. It's not perfect, there were one or two meh songs, but the album was a solid listen overall. 4/5
feels like summer 😝😝 mamma mia at its finest. childhood reminder and in general just good spirited stuff ;p dont think ive ever listened to the whole album by myself so something new something old ig
Listening to ABBA feels like a guilty pleasure, but what’s not too like?
Oh, I am predisposed to loving ABBA. Especially since my students recently put on Mama Mia as the school musical. I love the beats and nostalgia. However, I have never heard "When I kissed the Teacher" and that song has not aged well at ALL, hahahah. Not just because I'm an educator. Oof. Odd song to start the album off with. Dancing Queen, Fernando, and Money Money Money continue to be
I can appreciate how much abba means to people, and a lot of the songs that didn’t chart were also surprisingly good.
I love Abba and Money Money is my favourite song on here.
Front loaded and carried by the hits, but come on. Impossible to deny.
fun! zippy!
Buenardooo qué viva Abba
Pretty much a zero skips album. Dancing queen and Fernando are absolute bangers.
Great, a classic.
This is a pretty good album with 3 or 4 stand out songs. However I could never understand their global appeal. I mean they are very talented but not outstanding.
Este debe ser uno de los títulos más acertados para un álbum en la historia de la música pop. No es que ABBA no fuera famoso antes, pero el estatus indiscutido de líderes mundiales del pop les llegó con este disco. Nunca fui muy fan de ellos, supongo que sencillamente por no encontrar el camino adecuado para acercarme a ellos. Escuchando Arrival, lo que se aprecia es una banda que ya había asimilado el uso del muro de sonido y ahora podían hacerlo y deshacerlo a su antojo, con momentos de guitarra más pronunciados como los de Knowing Me, Knowing You y Why Die It Have To Be Me? con un inconfundible tono norteamericano, orquestaciones más densas pero todavía divertidas como en Money, Money, Money, sintetizadores inquietantes como los de That’s Me, y el punto pop más afilado que nunca. Para la muestra, la mística que desprende Fernando, y esa maravilla inmortal que es Dancing Queen, el mejor ejemplo de que en ese momento el cuarteto estaba viviendo su primavera musical.
Epic pop
This is all incredibly catchy. Tiger is a very cool song. I liked this more than I thought I would, and more than I liked the other ABBA album I've listened to from this list.
Good album. I dont really listen to this album much because some of the songs tend to feel a little overplayed, but ABBA is great.
Not as good as I was hoping but not bad
For years, especially as a young man, I hated ABBA. That 70s sound, with it's shrill upbeatness and always played by the quintessential white person with no personality; songs played to obligate people to the dance floor rather than to be enjoyed by any measure, purely because of their shotgun ubiquity no thanks to the radio. Your mum likes ABBA, which means it's gotta be awful. 20 years on from being that young man, I can confidently say that I don't think like this any more. ABBA, for all their problems, are just kinda fun. The upbeat nature is infectious, sometimes in the best possible way. I suppose as you get older, you don't mind a bit of cheese every now and then if it just brings everyone together. ABBA has, at the very least, accomplished this feat time and again with it's music, such as the ever popular "Dancing Queen", with it's simple bassline, female dual vocals and high pitched strings and keys. Dancing Queen out of the way, the other tracks I genuinely enjoyed on this album: "My Love, My Life", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money" (on the fence slightly, as it has been overplayed. However, the xylophones and guitar riff around the chorus is really interesting), "Tiger", "Arrival" (Oh wow! An instrumental! It was pretty emotional) and "Fernando" (the vocals on this one make it my favourite, the chorus just makes my chest swell with great snare and bass supporting the duet). This is a great example of a band that instruments that exist purely as support for the vocals, of which are always incredible. Fältskog and Lyngstad always sound like angels.
Good stuff from ABBA as usual 4/5
Scandinavians crushing it again
Great album 4/5
280922 11:31 3.5
4,7/5
I was never into ABBA back in the 70s, but understand this was a great album in the UK, and I can still sing along to a lot of this album as it was played so much on the radio back then
Siin on nii mitu laulu, mis on lihtsalt aastatega pähe kulunud (ja mõni, millega olen ise ka esinenud). Väga tugev plaat ABBA-lt, isegi kui kõik lood pole meeldejäävad ning "When I Kissed The Teacher" esitus on pigem nõrk siin (eelistan muusikali varianti isegi). Eurooplased vast kõik teavad vähemalt mõnda lugu siit. Tubli 3.9/5
Not my type of music really, but some classics in there. Really did enjoy overall.
What can I say, it's ABBA I enjoy the songs where the guys sing too and wish they were among the more popular songs of ABBA too
The abba ones are kind of funny for me because I still would rather just listen to the ones I know
Noticeable difference in quality of their hits versus album filters, their album fillers are still great though
#61 There are a lot of really good pop songs here, and aside from Dancing Queen, this was all new to me. It's hard not to enjoy the catchy hooks, vocal harmonies, and upbeat energy that fill the album. A few tracks are weaker than the rest, and it isn't very cohesive as an album, but that's how it often goes with pop music. Highlights are Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You, That's Me, and Fernando.
When I Kissed the Teacher is off. But otherwise if you can't enjoy ABBA, then you are allergic to fun. Fave track: Dancing Queen
Classic ABBA album stacked with hits. 4/5
Gotta be a 4 star - these might be wedding songs but they are still great songs today
Never would have thought to listen to an ABBA album, but here we are. Honestly, I think ABBA is just enjoyable pop/disco music. You don’t necessarily have to know all the songs or dissect the meanings or that kind of stuff to just be able to enjoy what you’re listening to. I actually went to see Mamma Mia a couple weeks back, so that probably helps. Songs like Dancing Queen or When I Kissed The Teacher, two of my standouts(never thought I’d say a song with the title When I Kissed The Teacher would be a standout, but stranger things have happened) could seem cheesy to people who don’t like disco, but I thought that they were pretty fun. The instrumentation on the album is fun and upbeat, especially the piano on Money, Money, Money, another standout track. ABBA’s vocal performances are also great, they can really make songs like Knowing You, Knowing Me, my final standout, shine, with its lyrics about heartbreak set to an upbeat tempo. Overall, I think that this album is a good listen, nothing life changing, but if you want some upbeat, catchy disco music that doesn’t suck, check this one out.
Тут вроде принято либо хейтить, либо восторгаться. Хороший альбом, прослушал его с удовольствием, некоторые песни прослушал впервые.
La verdadera realeza sueca.
Lekker luister
Abba on hyvää, musana ja sillinä. Toimii vieläkin.
Knowing Me, Knowing You could potentially be my favourite ABBA song although it does break my heart a little listening to it. There are some fab tracks on this one and also some ones that don't really work for me. Favourites: Dancing Queen Knowing Me, Knowing You Why Did It Have To Be Me Fernando
"Everybody Screamed when I kissed the teacher" - it's hard to imagine a more perfect way to open an album. Follow that up with a song about a 17 year old and you got yourself a classic! 5 stars for that one piano riff at the end of the Dancing Queen chorus. And minus 1 star for Happy Hawaii and generally reckless levels of swedishness.
I honestly loved this. Songs were catchy as hell
un muy buen disco , conceptual y vanguardista para la época. No es de mi preferencia sonora, pero claramente es un discaso
This contains their best material
Fun! Has to get at least 3 stars just for Dancing Queen :) Some good dance-y songs; some questionable lyrics...but still very easy to listen to!
So this is an interesting dive into the true ABBA beyond what I've superficially thought of them as a disco band...they're just as theatrical in their aesthetic as Supertramp (again, a superficial understanding). the title track is an organ and chorus instrumental - I found it hard to dance to. I'd rate it 3 stars but it gets a 4th b/c of Dancing Queen.
No matter how old you are, this is your mum's favourite album. ;-)
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it this much. Catchy songs, and surprisingly timeless production. Toi sweet at times, but the best tracks are hard to resist. A real pop classic.
Spectacular! Not their best effort but one of the most consistent early albums.
Despite not being my genre, I have to admit that the melodies one this one are eternal.
Trop bien, très groovy, ça vieillit pas même si on a ce petit truc vintage qui rend le truc un peu mélancolique. Génial
Paar banger natuurlijk, maar de rest is eigenlijk niet heel bijzonder en best een hoog casio-gehalte
Excellent for a Friday drive
I mean.. What is there to say? In 10.000 years, future civilizations will analyse the human cultural eras and find out that ABBA was a thing. They will listen to it and then.. they will groove to it! Not my kind of music, but basically timeless and the fun factor is impossible to ignore.
Dum Dum Diddle
LOVE ABBA!
kommt gut beim arbeiten unter high voltage smile. Knowing me, Knowing You ziemlicher banger. 3.61 Sterne
Love love love Abba. You can not go wrong with their music
I can’t give it anything less than a 4, it makes my mom too happy.
A very pleasant album that hits a lot of the classic disco notes; prime ABBA.
Good album and one I bought back in the day.
Are these songs tacky; tacky but great; or just great? Maybe a mixture of all those but with a leaning to the latter.
A great album that marks the transition to the extremely eventful 1980s, with wonderful songs
I unironically like disco. This album has a couple tracks fall flat like 'Happy Hawaii' and 'Why did it have to be me'. But it also has some real hitters like 'Money Money Money' and a new personal fave for me 'Tiger'.
This and Voulez-Vouz are just two incredible albums that most artists would only dream of creating.
It’s a fun tiime for sure. Not my thing at all, but can’t hate on any of these when they come up in a club or at a party.
listened
01) When I Kissed The Teacher - 8,5 02) Dancing Queen - 10,0 03) My Love, My Life - 8,5 04) Dum Dum Diddle - 8,5 05) Knowing Me, Knowing You - 10,0 06) Money, Money, Money - 10,0 07) That's Me - 8,5 08) Why Did It Have to Be Me? - 8,5 09) Tiger - 8,5 10) Arrival - 8,0 TOTAL: 8,90 (89/100)
★: estrelas ✦: não gostei tanto ✧: mediana ❀: incrível ✿: favoritadas arrival — abba when i kissed the teacher: ★★★,5 ✧ divertida e questionável dancing queen: ★★★★★✿ melhor do álbum sem a sombra de dúvidas !! my love, my life: ★★★★,5 ✿ linda, refrão chiclete dum dum diddle: ★★★✧ os acordes me deram nervoso knowing me, knowing you: ★★★★★✿ adorei, parece que as vozes mudaram money³: ★★★★✿ sem comentários KKKKKKK thats me: ★★★★★✿ REBOLÁVEL why did it have to be me?: ★★★★★✿ os homens cantando, uma gracinha tiger: ★★★★✿ perfeita e engraçadinha arrival: ★★★★★❀ transição perfeita fernando: ★★★★★✿ música de velho contando história vibes happy hawaii: ★★★★★✿ perfeição mesmo, epítome das harmonias do álbum conclusão geral: álbum 9/10, me deu aquela vontade de escutar de novo e tem poucos skips (nenhum, no caso. ou talvez só dum dum diddle) mas as harmonias e instrumentais são perfeitos.
ABBA is cool.
I’m apparently a sucker for a good pop album
singles band. however (comma) decent album cuts. i thought i'd hate the blues track but they make it work. 3.7-4.2.
Un fantástico álbum! Muchas canciones que no conocía, pero el disco es suficientemente divertido para disfrutarlo todo.
bloody decent and full of hits, first song was good too. will relisten
Nunca tinha ouvido um álbum de ABBA. Valeu a pena. 3.5 seria a avaliação mais correcta.
Ouvir abba de headphones é a primeira vez, bons clássicos
Divertido, boa musica pop, bons bangers
So beautifully, wonderfully corny. Even the song that's a pastiche of 50s rock and roll has that europop cheese all over it. There are a couple of duds on here but overall it's a good time.
Some classic ABBA songs on this one. A great album all-around. Favorite Track: Money, Money, Money
I found this to be a really enjoyable (cheesy fun!) album throughout. Surprised me how almost every song put a smile on my face.
So much fun. Putting aside how many times I’ve heard Dancing Queen, it really is a phenomenal, well-made pop album. I don’t often comment on influence, but I know for a fact this had a huge impact on pop music. 4
It’s a good album, but Visitors is better. Here I love “Fernando”, which was my mom’s favorite ABBA song. And “Dum Dum Diddle” wasn’t bad as well.
Everything is so catchy and so expertly produced. It's pop that bridges disco and adds depth with melodies.
so so so fire only 4 cuz its overplayed and some songs can irritate me
pretty peak
8/10 - Bangers. I didn't know ABBA made BANGERS. Thanks 1001. Still prefer The Visitors. But damn do they make catchy music Fav Tracks: That's Me, Tiger, Dancing Queen 👸 Heard before? ---–- ✅ Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? --–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? -- ❌ Album Cover -------I dont like it
Really good ABBA album. Great songs!
Good ole iconic ABBA. Sure you know the hits, but when you listen you just sense that they absolutely know how to put a good pop song together. All of the pop songs today are formulaic and trying to be like the others, ABBA is this wholly original entity with great and timeless music. Pretty good album and easy listening at any time
good
God I love ABBA. Not for Casey, but definitely for me.
Second ABBA album I’ve had and better than the first (the visitors). Having known ABBA all my life but only via the singles, listening to the studio albums has been fun. They show the development as a band, and how even album tracks feature the attention to detail and exquisite production as the hits. I enjoyed this a lot. I do genuinely struggle to understand how anyone who likes music could not enjoy this stuff.
This album was actually so much fun to listen to. It was energetic, but also touching and sensitive at certain times points too. My favorite singer were Dancing Queen of course, Fernando, and Tiger.
I fuck with ABBA so heavy
ABBA is the definition of happy music! Good album with great classics!
Tiger is such a cool song Great pop songs. Reminds me of ELO a little bit from that same time period
Klasyka, która rozbrzmiewa do dziś.
Actually solid. I think a 4 is fair. It is fun and does some interesting things. I felt myself slipping on some songs but I don't really have anything I dislike. It could have been cut a song or two.
Discazo, gran banda. Después de varios dás flojos, apareció un discazo. Un pop muy bueno. Arranca bien, pero ya en la 2da canción se va al carajo con "Dancing Queen", hitazo. Después mantiene, hay un par de temas muy buenos, otros buenos y otros normalitos. Pero la verdad muy buen disco. 8,5/10
This little twink loves ABBA. I don't know any band that sounds similar to them. Such a fun album with a nice flow.
Day882 - me just bee-boppin down the road listening to abba
I often claim "I only like a select few ABBA songs" but that could well be beacuse I've only heard the singles. This whole album is really fun and worthwhile. RYM: N Saved a song: N
aun sigo pensando el hecho de que son descendientes de nazis
I don’t like fun music. This is pretty much as fun as it gets. It’s not bad, I’m trying.
Tons of great classic Abba songs from their happy days
The alblum has some of thier greatest songs and is "well supported" by the rest. I very much appreciated and enjoyed it. A good listen but I can see how it might get old if listened to too often
You always feel good when you listen to ABBA. I don’t know why, but you do
ABBA is probably the most overrated and underrated band at the same time. Overrated because the only seventies band that plays in the clubs. Underrated because that makes people think they have only danceable dj music. There is much more depth to ABBA and Arrival shows that, though I find that Arrival had a few more dull moments than their best: Voulez-Vous
This album is really great despite not being something I really love.
Does it hsve many of the classics? Yes. Are the deep cuts good in their own right? Yes. Do I feel the inclinatikn to give it a perfect rating... not quite. Sequencing is an issue and I can't quite shake that it feels more like a compilation than an LP.
Awesome album from the GOATs of disco. Love the vocals and vibe of the group and this album has plenty of cheery songs that fit them.
Classic
I take back previous criticism as a this was great pop music. Dum Di Dum was a new friend banger.
There are some BIG tunes in here, and the tracks I didn’t already know were also good. Lots of foot tapping going on! It's not just campy, poppy fun either - these are genuinely great songs, well written with great hooks and rhythms. I had a thoroughly good time with this!
1. When I kissed the Teacher- 8/10 Gorgeous bright vibrant song. 2. Dancing Queen- 10/10. Straight up is one of the best songs ever. perfect song. 3. My love, My life- Slow Ballad like intro into the song. Again a really pretty beautiful song. Makes the whole body just sway side to side. When the vocals come back higher after the plateau in the the middle very nice. 9/10 4. Dum Dum Diddle- fun upbeat song. Vocals as always are great. Want a bit more with it. 5/10 5.Knowing Me, Knowing You- yeah this is really good. So good. End is kinda slow 8/10 6. Money, Money, Money- Funky little start. fine song. last minute of the song is the best part. 5.5/10 7. Thats Me- Good mix of the funky instrumentals and the gorgeous ballad vocals. Really Enjoy this one. Feel like I'm floating away in a tunnel at Mach speed.- 8/10 8. Why Did It Have To Be Me- Good Song. Solid song 6/10 9. Tiger- Upbeat feel good confidence bopper- 7/10 10. Arrival- Intermission. instrumental song. Cool synths and horns. NA/10 11. Fernando- Gorgeous Ballad songs have my heart as always- 10/10 12. Happy Hawaii- Up beat. Tropical anthem. fine song 6/10 Overall- 8.5/10 . Great Pop Record. At its best leaning into the ballads (Dancing Queen , Fernando , thats me). The synth type instrumentals i enjoy as well. Great
Hmm Abba. A 4 feels very generous, but ultimately I love the music. I've probably given technically better albums a lower score, but by my metrics, where a 4 is an album I would rush back to, this has to be one.
The singles were classic, so big it overpowers the rest of the album because I can’t hear them in context as they’ve been a part of my entire life. The album was okay as a whole, but those singles took them to a place of noteworthy few other acts ever reached.
Tellement fun et whimsy !!
Sweden has really come out with some interesting groups. This is quintessential Disco Pop with a very lush and vibrant sound. Focus goes to the two lead singers which have become centered around a whole era of music and dance. The music itself is very tightly put together and is the real achievement of the band I think, the change of instruments, the jaunty bouncing pace of many songs worms its way into you. There's some variety on this album but you're going to get what ABBA is most know for "Dancing Queen" and if you don't like that then its gonna fall flat.
286 I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to an ABBA studio album, but ABBA Gold was quite often on in the house whilst growing up. Some huge disco songs here. Highlights Knowing me knowing you Money money money Why did it have to be me
did no one tell these bitches how to pronounce Hawaii
8/10… 70s pop / disco / *1976
Oh yeah!
you fuckers deleted my review :(
Great dance!
Dum dum diddle most songs are in the middle but the hits you can hum and ABBA is fun
Who doesn't love some ABBA. I came in expecting fun nice 80s grand pop. I was rocketed out with some insane, symphonic, conceptual art. The singles were amazing as expected, the deep cuts were honestly better and had an unexplored magic in each one. Very high 4, definitely returning.
Cheerful and fun, everything we want from ABBA
Álbum pop, clásico, reconocible, aunque con arreglos variados. Música alegre, letras melancólicas.
4/5
Comme avec Michael, presque étonnée d'avoir découvert des titres d'un groupe dont j'étais fan étant enfant. Contient deux de mes titres favoris, et pour ça c'est 4 étoiles.
ABBA is great!
classical, dance suitable
I want to hate but it’s not easy
I'm a sucker for ABBA. In my friend's basement "billiards room", there was a pool table and a CD player. The first time we played, ABBA Greatest Hits was in there, and we just never changed the CD. So that was all we ever listened to while playing pool. Obviously this wasn't the greatest hits album, but it had some of the classic bangers. The filler wasn't to bad though I wouldn't open with a song called When I Kissed the Teacher, no matter how innocent it might intend to be.
First things first - Dancing Queen is the number one greatest pop song of all time. Right? I mean if not it then what? It's simply a perfect piece of entertainment that floods your pleasure centres. The album surrounding it is fine too, depending on your tolerance for utterly cheesey yet undeniable well constructed euro-pop and disco adjacent bops. The other songs can be pretty silly (Looking at you Dum Dum Diddle), but are hard to really hate, unless you're super cynical. In which case, hate away. As for me, I was stressed out after a long day and this absolutely brightned my commute, so thank you ABBA, you goofy Sweedish pop auters.
LOVE IT
That was fun… I kinda turned into a theater kid for a bit and had a good time! 4.3
ABBA is great! Couple of hits here, and the rest was pretty enjoyable too. Not something I put on often, but still fun. 7/10 Quite Likeable
great melodies
Well here's a group and album everyone in my close and extended family probably knows about including my famously "allergic to western music" grandma - which can't be said for 99% of other artists on this list save for maybe The Beatles and the other disco pop staple in Boney M. (which now that I look them up aren't even on this list? Daddy Cool, Rasputin, Rivers of Babylon, hello?!). I think the popularity of ABBA is lost for anyone that's not European; they've been inescapable for going on more than 50 years and I'd bet if we were just looking at Europe they'd give MJ a run for his money in a popularity contest. Literally anyone younger than that still can't remember a time they didn't know about Dancing Queen. Anyone that performs at Eurovision still gets compared to Waterloo. This is all to say that this likely isn't an objective rating, I have memories tied to this group and anyone I know also does. Sure it's a bit of its time as all disco is, but the instrumentation is still great at what it's trying to do and the lyricism and singing still more than holds up. If I were listening to this for the first time it'd likely score a bit lower, but I can't bring myself to do that when I'm still, even after listening to it probably thousands of times, belting out YOU ARE A DANCING QUEEEEEEN! any chance I get.
Very chill and laid back album with massive hits such as dancing queen and money money money. Definitely enjoyed it not only for the hits but also the vocalist that did an incredible job.
Bueno!
So many hitters I can't fault it really
stark, hat ma schon gfallen. 4/5
Tracks like Money, Money, Money feel like proto-Oingo Boingo. Pop sensibilities with a delightful impishness to it. Some of this album drags, because it's scandanavian people trying to make 50s style American rock and roll. Overall, pretty solid album. 3.5/5
3.7/5
Really solid, though it feels like they didn't really have an ending for it.
I enjoyed this. But I think that might be down to the fact that my girlfriend loves Mamma Mia; she regularly makes us watch the film, and we have even seen it in the West End this year.