Arrival

Pure gold

Has the big hit. And definitely not just manufactured.

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

17/12/2025 1. when i kissed the teacher - like the sound, especially of the chorus, but what???? don't like the ending, backing vocals ruin it a bit. great bass 2. dancing queen - iconic. 70s synthesisers are either the spawn of the devil or the best thing you've ever heard, this leans towards devilspawn. love the violins and piano. also great. ☆3. my love, my life - immediately like this one more, love the backing vocals, more soft and dreamy, dreaminess fades at the chorus but still a great pop song. so far favourite song, will be listening to this one again. love the bells at the end. 4. dum dum diddle - is that a synthesiser or a harpiscord??? the bass on these songs is great! liked the song but already getting a bit sick of abba lol. 5. knowing me, knowing you - had a break after the last one. alan partridge song :) one of the better songs so far. i like the whispering in the second verse. 6. money, money, money - love how dramatic this one is. bass is really great in this album. love the tone change towards the end. 7. that's me - immediately not liking the intro. once the vocals started it got better, didn't like the piano at first but it grew on me throughout. 8. why did it have to be me? - i like the guitar and piano but not as fond of the male vocals, song was redeemed when the female vocals started. love the saxaphone(?). didn't think i'd like this when it started, but it definitely grew on me, love the instrumental sections. ☆9. tiger - hooked from the intro, the banging drums are great. guitar riff great as well. one of my favs from this album. 10. arrival - a lot folkier and less poppy than the other songs. didn't know abba did an instumental song. didn't like it as much as the other songs, but would listen again still. 11. fernando - not much to say about this one. the vocals are still fantastic, love the chorus. feel abba-ed out right now. 12. happy hawaii - love the wave sound at the start, reminds me of quadrophenia, i would probably like this more if i hadn't listened to an entire album of abba before. chorus is great. liked this album a lot more than i thought i would, but admittedly did get abba-ed out towards the end, even with a break in the middle. most of the songs are great sounding pop songs with alright lyrics, but i am partial to mor pop so i loved it. tiger was a great one and my love, my life is lining up to be a song i obsessively relisten to for a month straight. will definitely give happy hawaii another change when i am over my abba fatigue :)

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

Listened during work. Enjoyed the vocals and the beats. Overall a solid album.

Good start... Thumbs Up !👍

Super fun! Loved some of the album cuts. Always a good day when listening to abba

DANCING QUEEEEEEN! Some of these songs that I didn’t even know before slapped. Pop music rocks and will always rock and this is a great example of it doing just that. The Eurovision of it all def creeps through on some of these songs lol but it’s fun so oh well.

Favorite Songs: Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You Least Favorite Song: Arrival Listening to this as I’m packing my bags to go home after a grueling semester and I feel so happy and free.

when i kissed the teacher- a great opening track i actually really like this (8.2) dancing queen- a classic don’t think this song will ever not make me happy (8.2) my love my life- almost gives queen vibes, very pretty sonically (8.5) dum dum diddle- weakest so far but still like it (7.5) knowing me, knowing you- i like how they all sound different but still together like it’s not getting repetitive (7.3) money, money, money- okay another classic that everyone knows popular for a reason it’s very catchy (8.4) that’s me- not my favorite but still so catchy, can kinda see sabrina’s influence from this (7.2) why did it have to be me?- wow such a different sound but i like it… (8.3) tiger- this sounds so familiar sonically especially that one sound… very interesting (7.1) arrival- wow a magical intro, i am actually ascending (9.3) fernando- i knew of this song but it being in stranger things really showed me that i really love this song its sooo good (9.3) happy hawaii- cute song definitely one of the weakest (7.0)

Great pop music. Helped by the fact that I knew all of the singles. 3.5/10

Good singles but not much outside of the big hits.

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

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

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

Not for me

Insett Swedish Chef gif here.

I mean it’s ABBA, who doesn’t love ABBA? An album filled with catchy songs filled with those 70s disco influences most notably in Dancing Queen (of course) and Tiger. My only critique of the album is the genre shifts drastically in some parts of the album especially in the switch between disco-influenced ‘Tiger’ then immediately into the Swedish-folk sound of ‘Arrival’. The album can at parts seem confused on what sound it wants to particularly achieve overall, but who cares? It’s. ABBA. All in all a great album that’s guaranteed to get you off your feet and onto that dancefloor. Favourite Song: Money, Money, Money or Tiger- both absolute bangers. Rating: 4/5

Cool album, not my cup of tea personally but contains some classics like Dancing Queen, Money Money Money and Fernando.

Vintage ABBA. Rich harmonies and just great pop songs. When they hit, they really do hit.

First time listen. Dancing Queen has almost 2 Billion listens on Spotify, wow! Good Album, 4.

One good song

7/10 solid album overall

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

Such drama! I think this might be kind of the ur-text for late 20th-century popular music. It's really immaculate and very melody-driven, sort of like what I would imagine a Mormon version of Fleetwood Mac would sound like. Very dentist-waiting-room-core to me. Would have given 3.5 stars if I could. 4 seems a bit high though so we're going with 3.

Never really listened to ABBA other then their obvious big numbers, was interesting to hear their other stuff

1 song added to my favorites. Would listen again.

Grooves upon grooves. Masterful and legendary songwriters.

Great pop album

Five stars, excellent album. Bring out Meryl and Lily James

I came into this assuming it was a 3. After listening it was a 4. Sat on it about a month and kept coming back and listening and enjoying. I’ve gotta bump it to a 5. The GOATS of hooks. Influenced so much about modern pop. Look up the “give me a sign” episode of the Hit Parade podcast for a great breakdown of how abba led to max martin and the 90s/ 00s pop formula.

only heard the obviously popular tracks off of this album (Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, etc) so this is relatively new listening for me. i'm only rating the original tracklist When I Kissed the Teacher - 3/5 Dancing Queen - 5/5 My Love, My Life - 4/5 Dum Dum Diddle - 3/5 Knowing Me, Knowing You - 4/5 Money, Money, Money - 5/5 That's Me - 4/5 Why Did It Have to Be Me - 2/5 Tiger - 4/5 Arrival - 3/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this would usually be a 3.5 star album for me, but i enjoyed this enough to round up my score generously. it's decent 70s pop, and most of the tracks aged fairly well in my opinion

Classic tones that are melded together in a smooth 70’s soup. Immediately recognizable singles and really nice other tracks. The stand out aspect are the layered vocals and harmonies. 3.7/5.0

A classic.

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

Bon, je mets mes préjugés de côté... Je respire un grand coup. Je pense très fort à mes vinyles de Current 93 pour me donner du courage, je caresse la pochette de "Pornography" de The Cure comme un chapelet, et je me lance. Aujourd'hui, on parle d'ABBA. Oui, ABBA. Si on m'avait dit, quand je bossais chez mon disquaire indé durant les années 90, qu'un jour je prendrais la plume (ou le clavier) pour disserter sur "Arrival", j'aurais probablement ri au nez du prophète avant de lui recommander un album de Godflesh pour lui nettoyer les oreilles. À l'époque, ABBA, c'était l'ennemi. C'était le symbole ultime de tout ce que je détestais dans la musique : le mainstream gluant, les paillettes, le sourire Colgate, et cette joie de vivre synthétique qui me donnait de l'urticaire. Et pourtant, nous y voilà car le projet des "1001 Albums" est impitoyable. Il se fout de mon ADN musical, il se fout que j'ai passé mes nuits d'adolescent à écouter Nick Cave hurler à la lune. Il me pose "Arrival" sur la platine, avec sa pochette improbable où le groupe pose dans un hélicoptère (sérieusement, un hélicoptère ? C'est quoi ce délire de superstars ?), et il me dit : "Écoute. Et sois honnête." Alors j'ai écouté.... Attentivement. Et bordel, c'est dur à admettre, mais il y a des putains de bons morceaux là-dedans. "Arrival", sorti en 1976, c'est l'album de la consécration absolue pour les Suédois. C'est le moment où ils passent du statut de "groupe de l'Eurovision qui a eu du bol" à celui de "monstres sacrés de la pop mondiale". Et même avec toute la mauvaise foi du monde, même avec mon passif de fan de post-rock dépressif, je ne peux pas nier l'évidence : la qualité d'écriture et de production est là. C'est une véritable machine de guerre, c'est de l'ingénierie suédoise appliquée à la mélodie. C'est aussi froid et efficace qu'une Volvo, mais avec des sièges en velours pailleté. Prenons le monstre : "Dancing Queen". Je devrais détester ça car c'est l'hymne des mariages, des bar-mitzvahs, des fins de soirée arrosées où Tatie Danielle enlève ses chaussures. Mais si on écoute vraiment, techniquement, c'est imparable. La construction est folle, il n'y a pas de gras. Chaque note, chaque harmonie vocale d'Agnetha et Anni-Frid est posée au millimètre près pour déclencher une réaction chimique de dopamine dans le cerveau. C'est presque effrayant de perfection, c'est la "Pop" avec un grand P, celle qui écrase tout sur son passage. En 1976, pendant que le punk commençait à grogner dans les caves de Londres (ce qui est quand même plus ma came), ABBA polissait ce diamant disco-pop pour faire danser la planète entière. Et puis il y a "Money, Money, Money", c'est du cabaret, c'est théâtral, c'est presque vulgaire dans son approche, mais ça marche. Benny Andersson et Björn Ulvaeus sont des compositeurs redoutables. Ils ont compris comment fonctionne l'oreille humaine et ils l'exploitent sans vergogne. Mais là où je me surprends à ne pas détester l'expérience, c'est sur un titre comme "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Là, on touche à quelque chose qui pourrait presque parler à mon cœur de corbeau gothique. Sous le vernis pop, c'est une chanson de rupture, de vide, de maison silencieuse. "Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes..." Bon, on n'est pas chez Joy Division, hein, faut pas déconner. On reste dans un univers où le désespoir est chanté en technicolor. Mais il y a une mélancolie sous-jacente chez ABBA, une sorte de tristesse nordique masquée par des leggings en satin, qui rend le tout moins "purge" que prévu. C'est ce qu'on appelle le "spleen disco", et c'est peut-être la seule chose qui sauve mon âme pendant cette écoute. Cependant, ne nous emballons pas car il y a aussi des trucs qui me rappellent pourquoi je préfère écouter John Zorn torturer un saxophone. "Dum Dum Diddle" ? Sérieusement ? Rien que le titre me donne envie de me jeter par la fenêtre. C'est là que le bât blesse car ABBA, c'est aussi le royaume du kitsch, de la facilité lyrique, et d'une production tellement lisse qu'on glisse dessus sans jamais rien accrocher. Tout est trop propre, trop net, il n'y a pas d'accident, pas de fêlure, pas de larsen qui traîne. C'est de la musique sous vide. Quand je travaillais à la radio dans les années 90, on se battait pour passer des trucs qui grattaient, qui dérangeaient, qui avaient de la texture. "Arrival", c'est l'anti-matière de tout ça. C'est un produit de consommation de masse, calibré pour plaire de Stockholm à San Francisco. Et ça m'énerve... Ça m'énerve parce que c'est bien fait, ça m'énerve parce que je me surprends à fredonner ces mélodies diaboliques trois heures après avoir éteint la chaîne. C'est là tout le paradoxe de ma note. Je mets un 3 sur 5. Pourquoi 3 ? D'abord, parce que c'est mieux que 2. Un 2, c'est pour les albums ratés, les trucs pénibles, les erreurs de parcours. "Arrival" n'est pas une erreur, c'est un chef-d'œuvre dans son genre, c'est un album qui a défini la pop pour les décennies à venir. Nier le talent de composition ici serait de la malhonnêteté intellectuelle, et même si je suis un snob musical, j'essaie d'être un snob honnête. Ensuite, 3 parce que je ne peux pas mettre 4 car mon ADN refuse. Mes cellules, nourries au post-punk et à l'indus depuis 1985, se révolteraient. Mettre une note excellente à ABBA, ce serait trahir l'adolescent que j'étais, celui qui regardait de haut ceux qui écoutaient le Top 50 et même si j'avoue l'avoir écouté par moment mais vous voyez ce que je veux dire. Ce serait trahir le disquaire que j'ai été, qui essayait de refourguer du Tortoise à des gens venus acheter la BO de Titanic. 3, c'est la note du compromis. C'est la note qui dit : "Ok, respect. Vous savez écrire des chansons, vous savez produire un disque, vous avez marqué l'histoire. Mais je ne vous inviterai pas à dîner." C'est aussi la note de la frustration. Frustré de voir à quel point c'est efficace alors que c'est tout ce que je ne suis pas censé aimer. C'est la pop chewing-gum qui ne perd jamais son goût, et c'est agaçant. Il y a une instrumentalisation de la joie chez ABBA qui me paraît suspecte. En réécoutant l'album pour cette chronique, j'ai essayé d'imaginer ce que ça donnerait si c'était repris par un groupe de noise ou de doom. Imaginez "Tiger" ralenti par 10, joué par Sunn O))). Ça aurait de la gueule, non ? Mais tel quel, dans sa version originale de 1976, c'est une capsule temporelle d'une époque où la musique pouvait être innocente, commerciale et massivement fédératrice sans être totalement cynique (enfin, un peu quand même, "Money, Money, Money", ils ne s'en cachent pas). Bref, "Arrival" est un album incontournable et il faut l'avoir écouté pour comprendre la mécanique de la pop music. C'est une leçon d'efficacité, mais une fois la leçon terminée, je suis bien content de ranger le disque, de remettre l'hélicoptère au garage, et de me nettoyer les oreilles avec un bon vieux "Unknown Pleasures". C'est ABBA, c'est bien foutu, c'est un 3 et ça n'aura jamais plus, parce qu'il ne faut pas déconner, j'ai une réputation à tenir. Note : 3/5 (Le plafond de verre de ma tolérance pop a été atteint).

one of my all time favorite bands and albums. Abba and Mamma Mia have been super formative for me. I love them and this album!

pretty good probably gonna clean to this music later

Fairly standard Abba, not bad but very pop candy...even if the first song is fairly problematic.

I’ve heard the main hits from the album but loved learning some new ones! My favorites that I don’t think I’ve heard before were “why did it have to be me” and “happy Hawaii.” Also forgot about Fernando and knowing me knowing you so that was fun to relisten! 10/10

LETS GOO

I love ABBA. To me they are one of the greatest pop groups of all time. Benny & Björn have a gift with melody/songwriting and Frida & Agnetha sing like angels. ABBA are top tier. Favorite songs: "That's Me", "Dancing Queen", "My Love, My Life", "Knowing Me, Knowing You"

Fantastic album. Listened to this album so much as a kid and it holds up 40+ years later.

не була фанаткою ABBA і нею не стала, але багато пісень мають прекрасне звучання і просто не можуть залишити байдужими, мені здається. а їхні хітові пісні майже неможливо слухати без підспівування. доволі feel good музика в них, додає трохи яскравих барв похмурому вечору. і так, я дивилась мюзикл Mamma Mia!, і він мені сподобався :)

Did they know? Did they know how insane this album was when they released it? I can't even Imagine what the studio must've been like when they recorded this

ABBA is the quintessential pop album. It's got hits, it's got deep cuts, it's got bangers and it's got slow jams. I'm I into ABBA? Not really, can I jam out to a few songs, absolutely.

Great Album - feel the folk roots!!!!!! Some tunes are classics but so over played - could not listent to Dancing Queen by choice- Remmember seeing it in Jenny's album stack in the 70's !!!!!!!

Look, im not typically an Abba fan. But theres no denying some of these bangers. This album has a particular charm whose spell I wasnt expecting or prepared to fall under. Dont get me wrong, there are some themes that probably shouldve been left in the 70s but still it carries that charisma and high production value. Top Tracks: When I Kissed the Teacher, Arrival, Fernando and Happy Hawaii

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

A bop!

Overall Rating - 3.79/5 (7.58/10). Not my taste in music at all, but I am trying to rate these albums objectively and not let my personal tastes into it as much as possible. Very well executed, even though I don't care for Disco/70's Europop.

Aside from the popular tracks "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money," and "Fernando" it was all pretty similar sounding to me.

Home to a number of huge hits, quintessential sound of the late 70s

Früher, also als die Platte neu war und ich jung war, fand ich die Platte gut. Leider sind wir in die Jahre gekommen und haben uns auseinander gelebt. Dancing Queen; Knowing me, knowing you und Money, Money, Money waren die Hits damals, ein kleines bisschen der Begeisterung von damals können sie noch entfachen.

Singles are better

All that cheese!

I liked this a lot. Some of the best songs ever written combined with a bit of pleasant enough filler. A very strong 4 to my ears.

I was only familiar with their mega hits before this. This was a fun listen! More varied than I'd had in mind going in

Basically a compliation of some of ABBA's best.

Every song felt great to listen to, really enjoyed it

I do not like ABBA. I know.

I've listened to a few ABBA albums though this one was the first time. God I love ABBA, it left me in such a good mood

Obviously has some good pop songs; not terribly surprising in any of the songs which I wasn't already familiar with.

Obvs some massive songs on here, hard not to enjoy. Very into the 70s sounds. Some interesting chord changes in ABBA songs, I wish I could identify more of what's going on; I really appreciated quite a lot of the harmonic progressions in the filler tracks. Over all, not really my thing though.

General thoughts: Angelical yet terrenal, inocent yet brave, this is a gorgeous album. "Arrival"'s production is incredibly good, and the setlist is nicely selected. The opener, "When I Kissed the teacher", is a fast-paced teenage love song which effectively demonstrates the ABBA effect. Its like you get sent back in time, younger, fiercer. And suddenly you're a schoolgirl fancing over her first crush, fantasizing its anything other than impossible. It makes you wanna dance, defy nature, fell in love and fall out of it. It always makes you smile, irregardless of the lyrics. The vocals are insane of course, the female power duo of Frida-Agnetha shines in every song. The sound is like an early disco, labeled as Europop. The essence for me revolves around the synths and pianos, decorated with strident acoustic guitars, electrics and sometimes orchestral elements. The album closes with "Arrival", a nice instrumental ending that feels like the OST for a morning sunrise. A Majestic showcase of ABBA's great talent. Outstanding song(s): When I Kissed the teacher. Money, Money, Money. That's me. Weakest song(s): "Why Did It Have To Be Me". Rock & Roll vibe. Feels like taking a step down. Also the only song not sung by the female duo. Cover: Weirdly sweddish. Midly infurated it's not centered Real rating: 4.35

Damn it. So corny but so good - infectious. Beyond the obvious hits, that synth run in Dum Dum Diddle is a blessing.

catchiest album ever i love it how could i not. goktug says it’s dreamy i think its so ripe for bopping

I think it says a lot about the quality of song writing and the emotion in the performances that I can hear these familiar hits and I’m still not sick of them. Sure, there are still some Eurovision-quality songs in here (“Wish is was Dum Dum Diddle, your darling fiddle”) and there are few filer songs I think, but overall a record I’d be happy to stick on again.

banger after banger. If you don't like ABBA, I don't trust your opinion on music, simple as that. Basslines are fantastic. Money, money, money is one of my favorite songs ever. 5/5

Such great songs on this album! Most of my ABBA music knowledge comes from ABBA Gold, so it was fun to hear some "new" songs from them. Seminal listening!

Abba= classic. I really enjoyed the Broadway musical they made with their music. Dancing Queen. Money, Money, Money. Fernando. Need I say more?

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

Abba fucking rocks and that's really all I have to say about that. This album is pretty heavy on the hits. Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, and Fernando really stand out here with the rest really just being filler. Definitely a record I'd kill to have on my wall.

Kiss the teacher is so cute

Omg Hits are good and there are quite a few of them

ABBA are just about unrivaled in their ability to make people want to dance and sing. Some songs are silly but between the basslines and catchy hooks they just commit to a premise and make it work. Half the songs on the album are instantly recognizable hits and the rest are pretty good too.

Oh, well, I knew I would like this, but I never thought I would really like that much this album. It's such an enjoyable and diverse album. Arrival is a great song, which discovered me Mike Oldfield's version is a cover. There are really funny songs, others that are also quite interesting... There's room for everything without losing the essence. I've liked a lot this album, truly.

bueno

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

ABBA in a lot of ways took up the mantle that the Beach Boys surrendered in the 60s - incredible pop songcraft, rich harmonies, and a certain naïveté that is both cheesy and endearing. This album announces ABBA’s “Arrival”, and of course includes their magnus opus “Dancing Queen.” But there’s fun light pop all over the place, and the entire record is an enchanting listen in the same vein as the Beach Boys “Today”. Great pop never gets old.

Really wish I was listening to this while driving through a snow storm. Pop music used to be so much more musically sophisticated but then also has lyrics about teenagers having inappropriate relationships with adults. Fav track: Happy Hawaii A fun record with some undeniable bangers. I don't connect with any of the more sentimental songs but love hearing the hits on the dancefloor.

It feels hard to engage with this record seriously the way it’s been over saturated in other media. But here we go. The production, harmonies, everything technically is bang on. Some great pop songs in here. Hard to deny the hits. The title track is pretty sick actually. Fernando is catchy no doubt. A fun listen, probably not something I’ll come back to.

ABBA holds an intriguing space in my heart. My folks had ABBA’s Greatest Hits on vinyl when I was a child and I was obsessed with this thing. I must have spun it 100 times or more between the ages of 7 and 12. I ever after had a soft spot, but as greatest hit compilations grew in quality and scope, those remained the albums I would pick up on cassette, then CD. So I have curated a huge love for those songs. But then comes their albums. The hits remain killer, but the rest remains filler. I want to love it all the same, but they are the definition of hit and miss. I think this is a sweet album, and the hits are almost the best of the best. Still. Padded with filler. But I can’t go lower than 4.

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

Absolute classic. Nothing to add.

Ok album, good but not my favorite kind of sound.

Well that was way better than anyone expected

Best Track - "Dancing Queen"

A-ha!!

I don’t really like ABBA

Boss!

BANGERS!

11/21/25. Fun, well produced pop record. Not something I’d go for typically, but these are a collection of good songs. Dancing Queen is obviously a classic!

Fun album that isn’t rly my type of music. I knew like 3 of the songs off of this and ABBA is a great band that can just make you happy. Nothing too special like 7.2/10 3.6/5

Не моя музыка, но за легендарные треки поставлю серединку.

to be rated

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

All gas no breaks

Cover 4 It's ABBA.

I always try not to "gatekeep" music. People who sneering insist that "you don't get it" if you don't like something or "well, because that track is at 102bpm it can't really be considered x genre". Music is for everyone, which means it's something different for everyone. I am however, DEEPLY suspicious of people who say "I'm not really into music." What? Nothing? Nothing that humankind has ever produced sonically appeals to you. I am also, quietly, slightly judgemental of people who get snooty about ABBA. My good god man - the costumes, the harmonies, the musicality. So what if it's bubble-gum pop - it is absolutely glorious and should be saluted as such. Side note - go and see ABBA Voyage. It is an absolute masterpiece

Probably the most commercial ABBA album, even though it's not in my top 3. My main argument for this album was that the weakest songs (Tiger, Why Did It Have to Be Me?) weren't as egregious as other albums, but I think Super Trouper may have this one beat even in that sense. Dancing Queen is probably the greatest ABBA song even with its popularity, but I don't think the other big hits here are S-tier. I tend to gravitate more towards That's Me. Not a bad inclusion, but I'm wondering if the editors just forgot which album had Dancing Queen on it and then looked for that one.

It’s ABBA! Corny as hell, catchy as hell, and bedazzled to death. Best song: Dancing Queen

I don't go crazy for this album, but it has so many classics, solid songwriting and even though it's not the most complex stuff, sometimes maybe bordering on corny, part of me likes the slight amount of corniness... so I'll give it 4 for now. Maybe I'll come back and change my mind...

Love ABBA

Perfect bubblegum pop music. Enjoyed this more than I expected to

ABBA does not disappoint.

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

If you don’t know ABBA, they are 70s Europoo. If you only know them from greatest hits this album is better than some pop bands from the eras greatest hits. The start of their imperial albums, with enough early album experimentation

Some of these songs have been fun earworms for 50 years. Others, well, there's a reason I didn't know them. Three stars for a mixed bag.

Großartig

100% classic

Not really a fan but the popularity of their hits can’t be denied. Some of their better known songs are included on this album, all of which are easy to sing along to

Holy shit do I love this album. I had no idea all the bangers on it, and discovered some ABBA hits I didn't know about. Absolutely amazing.

it’s kind of interesting actually how up until semi-recently, ABBA, and Dancing Queen especially, were held in this position where you were supposed to like them, but be embarrassed by it. like you had to preform being a good Highbrow music nerd, but if you couldn’t admit that you did like them deep down you had a stick up your ass. maybe living in a post-poptimist world has made me take some things for granted. as for the album: it’s good. Dancing Queen kinda carries it but those Swedish songwriters were acclaimed for a reason deserves to be one of the 1001? sure

It's almost hard to hear some of these songs in the context of an album, rather than being crammed into every DJ set from your school reunion to your neice's 18th birthday - which, if nothing else, illustrates this music's enduring appeal. The flat, dry drum sound which swept through almost every genre in the 70s has always, to me, felt slightly jarring, but that aside the production, execution and enthusiasm is pretty much unparalleled. While this is, ultimately, not music I would choose to listen to the quality is apparent, and that is across the whole run-time, not just the wealth of hit singles here. ABBA truly exist in their own little world, it kind of makes them hard to fault - they just do ABBA, and they do it really well.

There's nothing wrong with these guys per se. All the songs are catchy and their harmonies are good but I don't hear any soul in this at all. They're not really singing with feeling, they're just concentrating on the harmonies. But if I want to listen to really good harmonies, I will put on some Simon and Garfunkel. I give this three out of five.

6/10

Highlights "like a prayer" and "till death do us part"

Containing all those eternal pop anthems ("Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money", "Fernando") I expected an easy four stars album. But the rest of the songs aren't my favour. 3,5

Not for me

Damn those Swedes. They did it again!

A classic...not soul crushing and manageable.

I just can't bring myself to like this

I am somewhat shocked that every single track has a Wikipedia article about it. I guess that shows both how lasting the impression from this album has lasted. I can understand new albums by Taylor Swift being populated by her fanbase as the album is released, but something from the 70s? Wild. The first track was a bit weird, but I'll give it the old "it was a different time" pass. I like that they split out the hits instead of Side A being all the bangers and Side B being boring. Worth listening to, and reasonably fun, but I probably won't listen to it straight through again.

I liked it, but there’s only so much of this you can listen to in succession. It’s a very good pop album for what pop is- but that doesn’t mean I have to love it. Respect it, average level of enjoyment.

I know the hits, this album has two of their biggest. The rest is good. I can hear a mix of obvious disco/dance tracks, but there are also elements of rock and other genres as well. I enjoyed it well enough but it wasn’t enough to convert me to an ABBA “fan” per se.

No one does it like ABBA

Spannend (ok, nur für mich). Ich habe als Jugendlicher 2 Platten geschenkt bekommen, die ich schnell wieder auf dem Flohmarkt verkauft habe, weil ich beide gehasst habe. Das waren Songs of Love & Hate von Leonhard Cohen und diese hier. Die Scheibe von Mr. Cohen habe ich hier erstmalig wieder gehört (#513 im Juni) und ich fand sie immer noch gruselig. Die ABBA-Platte dagegen würde ich heute behalten. Ohrwurmmelodien für die Ewigkeit. Funfact: in meiner Klasse (reine Jungsklasse) gab es 2 Lager: die einen fanden Anni-Frid hübscher, die anderen Agnetha. Ich gehörte zum ersten Lager. Heute würde ich das Lager wechseln :-D

Great listen. I love pop music a lot so even though it’s not a favorite, i really enjoyed myself.

Definitely some bangers on this album! Such an easy album to groove to. Having never listened to ABBA much outside of their more well known songs, I can say that I get it now. Knowing Me, Knowing You, Tiger, Money, Money, Money, and Fernando were especially noticeable. Just fun songs that tell an interesting story. I will say the decision to start the album with "When I Kissed the Teacher" was an interesting selection. Sort of a weird concept for a song. Well written, but not something that would go over especially well in modern times. Overall a really great album! I'll probably be coming back to this one and exploring more of ABBA's catalog.

The Swedes are all right

4.5

What a time. Had NO idea there was a scream in the background towards the end of Dancing Queen??? How have I never heard of this/been told it. Also are 'Why Did It hve To Be Me? and Happy Hawaii not like...the exact same song...HOW AND EVER. What a time. Dum Dum Diddle is the only dum note (get it) but it'd be hard to salvage a song with a name like that. It would really have to be out of sight excellent.

Fun, sweet, cute, but old

It annoys me when people say Abba were shit. They weren't. You can say you don't like them, they're not for you, that's fine, but these guys were incredibly good at what they do. The production on all their music is second to none. I would have given this album a 4 but for the abomination that is Dancing Queen. I really think it's one of their most inferior tracks and yet it's the one they're most known for, it's all wrong. I never need to hear that particular tune again.

The first 5/5. Nothing but net

4 stars just for dancing queen and money money money. Fernando was pretty great too.

Solid pop album. Abba was a terrific band and this album just so happens to contain the most perfectly constructed pop song of all time, "Dancing Queen." This record is chock full of hooks that can stick in my head all day. Lyrically, there is some weirdness here. "Dum Dum Diddle" contains one of the oddest rhymes, "you're only smilin' when you play your violin." (she's jealous of the time her man spends with his instrument - best not to dissect that). And I still have no idea what the song "Tiger" is trying to say. Apparently, the single "Fernando" was not originally included on all pressings of this album. That would be tragic as it's one of their best tunes. All in all, this is just a great "feel good" listen by a band that made a whole lot of people feel good.

enjoyed much more than i thought. so clean

Hard not to like this one. There's no substance at all to the lyrical content, but that's not why we're here. One could maybe argue that the performances lack some level of passion or authenticity, but this is impeccably constructed pop music. The arrangements and production are top notch, and it's hard to deny the catchy moments consistent throughout the whole album

ABBA was bad then and worse now

Full of hits. Fun. First song a weird listen given my job.

The hits are great on this but the rest is meh

Solid, balanced album

Some good tracks in here, but just an all right overall composition.

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

Blegh! BLEGH I SAY!!!

its fine. dancing queen is obv peak tho

This one is rough to rate. I would probably give it a 3.5 if I could, because I really like the songs I like, and I really dislike the ones I don't like.

Feel a bit biased because Iknow some songs, but it was quite fresh compared to the other albums.

I mean… gotta give it to em

Nah

Knowing Me Knowing you is an incredible breakup song thats almost lost because of the way it is presented. This will always be the standout track for despite it being in the middle of a lot of Abba hits. That out the way now, this album is jam packed with the hits and you cannot dispute the fact that it is a fantastic album. I also quite liked Arrival It is quite astounding what this band was able to achieve and their songwriting abilities are often overlooked because of how how popular they were/are. I dont want to own the album, but it is always going to be 4 stars and I would listen to it again. 4 stars

One Bop After Another

They are a hits band but they always slap.

Mama mia! it’s ABBA!! banger record!

Äntligen lite svensk blond disco. Jag är dansdrottningen. The first song about kissing a teacher is weird, but the album nearly bookends with two complete bangers.

This album was great. With headphones on I could hear the layers of instruments and vocals so clearly, and it helped me understand the vision of the band. Amazing selection of 70s pop rock, and as strong as ever on their fourth album. Out of 70s bands with four letter names, ABBA will always beat out KISS for talent, songwriting, and surprisingly, even Rocking! If ABBA had written 1998’s mismanaged anti-art album “Psycho Circus”, rock and roll might have never died. Next time you feel the urge to “rock n roll all night”… put on “Arrival” instead.

It is remarkable how good this album was. ABBA did such a strong job writing pop music that it is still featured on pop radio 50 years later.

The hits go so hard. The misses just drag the hype to a halt. Pop icons for a good reason though, and I doubt their success will fade for a very long time.

Fav: Dancing Queen Least Fav: Arrival ABBA are one of my favourite music groups period. Lots of nostalgic bangers from this album but unfortunately the popular ones are bigger than the rest for a reason (they’re a league above) which is a shame as I was hoping for a solid 5 but I’ll settle for a 4 instead. They could never make me hate you ABBA

"Oh man ABBA, what a great pick! Love some very innocent and catchy songs" Me when I heard the first track: "SHE DID WHAT?" Okay, jokes aside, this album is fantastic. Everything here sounds incredibly. The voices, the melodies, the production... everything is top notch. Just the performances along make this a great experience. It also is incredibly catchy and memorable. In addition, ABBA is a band that has being present in almost my entire life. My parents use to listen to them a lot when I was a kid, and I even participated in an interpretation of the musical 'Mamma Mia' when I was in highschool, so it brings me good memories. I was thinking of giving it 4 stars, but after reading my own review, I convinced myself to give it 5.

A real.classic with fab tunes, thx!

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

Decent but did not meet expectations. Barely made a 3. Girls agree but loved the hits.

1. Yet another artist I am much more familiar with, it’s always interesting to me that ABBA is actually Swedish since their vocals/lyrics have such clean English 2. I thought I’d know almost all the songs on this album, but I actually only seem to know about half 3. Looking at Spotify popularity/listens, Dancing Queen is actually the only Top 10 song (in fact #1 by a large margin) of theirs from this album, which also surprised me considering there are a couple other very popular ABBA songs on this album 4. Dancing Queen is still definitely my favorite song on this album and even of all their discography 5. Not as a negative to the album/ABBA, but the vibes and tones of the songs are very repetitive with barely any change-up it feels across all of the songs 6. Of the songs I don’t know on the album, I quite liked Tiger the most

Solid album, ABBA is catchy as hell. Few meh songs but above average

Brings back good memories and vibes. Album seems very pro-feminist which was cool.

Love the positive vibes

a solid album, but it can be a bit uneven at times. there are two, maybe three great songs on here (one all-timer) but the album cuts are what make this a little bit more of a rocky road. with ABBA, of course, you're getting their iconic vocals and arrangements, which are a joy to listen to. the songwriting here is what makes this album a little bit of a teeter-totter. going from 'when i kissed the teacher' to 'dancing queen' is some of the greatest whiplash i've gotten in this project. that being said, it is extremely listenable and quite the opposite of a slog, even though the songwriting could be more.

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

Ist halt abba abet ballert schon

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

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

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

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

Class. Banger after banger

Guilty pleasure

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

zabavno!

Amazing album filled with hits

Classic

oh to be 17 and the dancing queen once again

Love me some Abba! Up until now I've only known the hits so it was fun to listen to a full album. This was a super fun listen filled with simple, catchy songs. Even the songs that weren't the big hits were enjoyable, which is something I can't say about every artist. Easy 4/5.

I mean, it’s ABBA. You either like it or hate it. If you really don’t have a clue about them, people would say they are disco but this isn’t it. I don’t know, maybe I don’t have any clue what disco sounds like but this to me is pop at its finest. I mean, Dancing Queen? Pfffft, top 25 song in anyone’s lifetime. The lyrics are just on the right side of not being cheesy. The vocals are strong and harmonized well. You want to tap your foot along to even a least challenging track like “Money, Money, Money” which I thought they were singing Monday, Monday, Monday. Go figure. Maybe this is still what disco is supposed to be, frig I don’t know. Choice cut: Dancing Queen

Yabba dabba abba doo doo 💩

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

After listening to Arrival by ABBA I can say with confidence I prefer other types. Yes, I did tap my toe at "Dancing Queen", and yes, "Knowing you, Knowing me" got stuck in my head. But they just don't do it for me. It seems from the reviews that many either love ABBA or hate them. I am neither.

I am far from an ABBA fan and personally a lot of the album I found a grind of sickly sweet fluff. It’s highly crafted pop but some songs were weird (When I Kissed The Teacher), or bizarre Scandi-Scotch instrumental fusion (Arrival) and that added a new layer to the monotony. What has to be acknowledged is how catchy their core hit songs are, and there are three on this album. They’re not to my taste but they are deserving of an entry on 1001 for their longevity and popularity, even if I don’t necessarily get it. A 2 for my money money money but giving it a 3 on account of its wider significance. I just wish it weren’t that way.

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

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

Much of my same thoughts apply to this album as to "The Visitors", although "Dum Dum Diddle" almost got the whole thing downgraded to two stars. The only tracks I really enjoyed were "Money Money Money" and "Knowing me Knowing You".

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

I think it must be likely that ABBA must be every music lovers guilty pleasure. I know that they are mine. Few groups must have the power to unite gangster rappers with classical aficionados or punks with Prog Rockers like ABBA do. Some might refute this but can’t deny they have whistled just a few bars of Dancing Queen or at least joined in the fun dancing to Mamma Mia at a wedding. I love this album for what it is. Straight forward pop music with enduring melodies with the power to make you feel happy. Who can ask for more? 5/5 21/10/25

!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪SVERIGEEEE🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁KOM IGEN ABBA!!🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁SPELA NÅGRA RIKTIGA DÄNGOR!!🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Who does ABBA!

I’m indifferent to ABBA, but I’ve heard the majority of the songs on this album enough for a thousand and one lifetimes.

Shaky opening kissing a teacher, but you know what, maybe there was something in the air that night. Hell yeah! Love ABBA!

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

Ahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The singles carry through the album and the other songs are lower standard. I would have preferred the album tracks to explore different sounds a bit more and better experimental.

Dum dum Diddle to be your fiddle …

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

On an album with such certified hits as Dancing Queen and Money Money Money, it surprised me that my top moment was Dum Dum Diddle into Knowing Me Knowing You. The singles are, of course, absolutely stellar. The multilayered musicianship and songwriting on Dancing Queen in particular are era defining. Of the album tracks, most of them do enough to keep the propulsive energy in play. As a non-obsessive, it’s a joy to hear a familiar group deliver some melodies that I’m unfamiliar with. In fact the only weak spots for me is the comparatively durge-like Why Did It Have to Be Me? which has a melody uningonorably similar to the middling closer Happy Hawaii. Without these tracks it would be a hands down classic.

enjoyed the ones I did enjoy enough to make it the lowest of 3s

I was puzzled by ABBA growing up - I saw commercials for their greatest hits albums on cable tv all the time but never heard their music on the radio or MTV and never heard anyone talk about them. I was kind of surprised they actually had albums and not just greatest hits compilations. This was great. But I can see why they have 9 albums and 13 greatest hits compilations.

Incredible. So catchy

Abba is one of my least favorite popular artists to hear. I usually don't like it when it's played at public gatherings or whatnot. This will be an interesting listen I'm almost angry how catchy this is

This is all over the place as far as my enjoyment levels are concerned. The omnipresent hits do a lot of the heavy lifting, particularly "Knowing Me, Knowing You" which is genuinely a top quality tune, though the other major events have overplayed themselves into such territories that I'd quite happily never have to hear them again. The deeper cuts are very much a mixed bag, the more up-tempo tracks faring better than the wet balladeering type ones, though none pop out at me as missed opportunities for further stardom.

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

LOVE!! i love abba this was lovely to listen to and i neeeeeed to listen to more abba such good vibes

quality & also packed with hits love abba - 9.1/10

Pure pop. Thanks for the memories.

A very strong showing from ABBA. Possibly their best album – mostly in virtue of having both Knowing Me Knowing You and Fernando, separated by some very strong non-single tracks. A big element is nostalgia: those two singles I just mentioned take me back to my childhood, singing in the car with my parents. And they also benefit from not being horrendously, massively overplayed. But more than anything, ABBA just feels... powerful here. Confident. Poppy. Experimental – at least, compared to their other work. They haven't quite undergone the disco transformation (that would be in their next record), so their sound is still pretty timeless. I love the textures they create with their voices and the jangly, quick-witted piano lines. Plus, the melodies/hooks are fantastic here. This is one of the rare albums where I would say the singles (specifically Dancing Queen and Money Money Money) legitimately suffer from being overplayed. My Love My Life, That's Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me?, and Tiger are really solid tracks that outperform those two any day of the week. Tiger in particular has some excellent vocal layering and chord progressions, and My Love My Life is one of the group's prettiest ballads – again with some stunning harmonies. The title track is an exciting, grandiose way to end the album, and a darn good instrumental in its own right. Why Did It Have To Be Me? is one of the classic (partial) male-vocal ABBA tracks, and its catchy melody puts it on par with the similarly strong Does Your Mother Know, released two albums later. Happy Hawaii, while possibly the weakest of the non-singles, is a fun callback to Why Did It Have To Be Me's melody. Many consider this the band's greatest record, and I can see why. Everything is joyous, uplifting, and darn good. 5/5 Key tracks: Knowing Me Knowing You, Why Did It Have To Be Me?, Tiger, Fernando

Sisältää muutaman ABBAn isoista hiteistä. Money Money Money ei ees oo niin hyvä kappale. Fernando oli kanssa tuttu ja hyvä. Muut kappaleet ei sillein super ihmeellisiä. Parhaat: Dancing Queen, Fernando, That's Me

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

-i had an ABBA phase at the end of high school but never made it to this album. with the glaring exception of Dancing Queen it doesn’t have too much of my favorite material from them but it’s decent. prob a good start for someone who isn’t into them -Favorites: When I Kissed The Teacher, Dancing Queen, Money, Money, Money

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

Good album so far. One generational banger in Dancing Queen and some solid jams throughout like Money, Money, Money & Fernando. This looks to be about 5 albums in for ABBA.. is it their best?!? Welp, closing out with Fernando and Happy Hawaii probably make it their best. I would have to do a lot more listening to know. Good bass guitar keeps things interesting.

; )))

Perfect vibes but we knew this

Wonderful piece of music. Five stars.

It’s classic.

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.

You can't deny the toe-tap. I can be hating a piece of music, staring blankly ahead, zoning out. But if a song comes on and I start a-tappin', I can't in good conscience write it off completely. Well that happened by the time I reached the fourth song, Dum Dum Diddle. And the rest of the album is pretty good too. Just need to get around the cloying creepiness of When I Kissed the Teacher, the omnipresent dentist drill of Dancing Queen, and the Catholic Mass-sounding My Love, My Life. The rest of the songs are pretty catchy but I can't see wanting to throw this on again.

Classic!

Solid album. Some classics on here and some weird ones (looking at you "Tiger")

Perfecto, como Abba

Sweden should pay reparations to the world for ABBA

4.7

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

Many of the these songs are so ubiquitous it's hard to be objective, the album tracks are a mixed bag. Glad I heard!

Вершины тут слишком высоки, чтоб поставить ниже четвёрки. Столько европоп-гимнов, громких, помпезных, барочных, но при этом согревающей томящейся в них грустью. Вау.

abb

Toppen album! Perfekt 9/10 album, så många hits men inte ett helt fantastiskt album. Tyvärr avrundar jag neråt

Lotta bops, couldn’t help but nod along with pure pop goodness. The subject matter Fernando, Hawaii, seem a notch off kilter and put through a Swedish filter. So good

Well, only a 5 will do here.

Total Bop

it’s ABBA! classic. are ABBA even capable of making anything less than a 5 star album? i think not.

Great obviously

Really cute and peppy. Very campy but I may feel this way because its moden day... but it may have been considered camp in the 70s too lol. Love their harmonies too.

Cheesy European disco trash but I somehow loved every minute.

I mean it's abba. THE Abba. That said, it's wild how little the album actually comes together. I don't know if the banger single after single is a product of time, or intentionality, but it's fascinating to see.

Not for me

Trash

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

I had Dancing Queen on my Hitclips (TM) back in like… shieeed, 2003? I thought that 30 second sound bit was the coolest thing ever. I think I also had a 30 second Avril Lavigne clip? Sooo yeah, I guess you could call me kind of a music nerd. Anyway, it is iconic. I hear a lot of music fanatics hate on this, but I can’t help and wonder if that’s bc it’s very pop and woman lead? I’m just saying… anyway, I like that they switched wives/husbands. I bet it was all so amazing and then all so dramatic to be in ABBA.

There was a priest at my school who was such a fan of ABBA that whenever he did assemblies he’d have Fernando playing on the panpipes as we walked in. He was a great teacher and it made me happy to think of him again.

some banger & some filler but its ABBA so its al good.

3.5/5

A polished pop album with undeniable charm, Arrival showcases ABBA at their commercial peak. The hits are instantly recognisable and still sparkle with melodic brilliance. However, the album occasionally drifts into easy listening territory, with tracks like My Love, My Life and That's Me feeling a bit too smooth and safe. Then there's Dum Dum Diddle, which, while catchy, borders on the absurd with its lyrics and tone. Overall, it's a well-crafted record with standout moments, but not without its quirks.

W końcu

Cheesier than my underpants.

the kings and queens of Europop, I mostly just listen to the hits if I’m craving abba. This is as a good release all around, even if the teacher stuff is a little dated.

Cures dépression from going to office. Dancing queen, Fernando, Money money,money knowing me knowing you are bangers

Amazing vibes

So ABBA was always more of a singles band than an album band to me, so despite knowing like a million of their songs I never actually listened to an album in full. I kinda assumed it was the Queen case of albums having 1-2 massive hits on them and the rest of the songs kinda just being there to fill the time. But this album is actually quite well rounded and consistent. Firstly tho, why does it start with a song about kissing the teacher? And secondly, why is the song such a banger? The singles are awesome of course and the deeper cuts are also kinda bops. Even the slower ballad My Love, My Life is quite solid. The outro (the title track, dont get fooled by the streaming version having 2 extra songs) has this real sense of being an album closer and is very cool and unusual for the band. Very nice surprise.

First song got me tapping my feet. I liked that the song did not sound the same the whole time but towards the end things switched up and I loved it. Dancing queen is obviously iconic. A common theme with the songs is how theyre super uplifting. And the women’s vocals woooow. In track three thats all I could pay attention to. I was completely enchanted by their voices. Oh and now track four Dum Dum Diddle SO FUN!! Bopping my head to Knowing Me, Knowing You. The guitarr AHHHH. Makes me wanna run through the streets. Money, Money, Money also iconic. And relatable. I liked the outro too! What an enjoyable listening experience.

Meh...

Didn't want to listen to this, but it was a lot of fun. Dancing Queen, Fernando, classic songs. I usually don't like disco or whatever this is supposed to be but it's just hard not to like it, or at least respect it. Great singing, great production. Yeah, it's cheesy but so what? Not sure if I'd come back and listen to it again, but I'm glad to know that they made good songs past the two or three that everyone knows.

Childhood trauma means I can't give this more than a 3

I think we could solve a lot of the worlds problems if we just listened to more abba

Good Vibes from the past

ABBA is all about pure joy and this is one of the most joyful albums

Me he guardado Dancing Queen y Fernando. AꓭBA siempre es alegría. Visionarios en monetizar, ojito al ® al lado del nombre del grupo en el año 1976.

Stunned by how the track Arrival ties everything together.

Ugh

ABBA's reputation is built on superb vocals, unforgettable melodies, and expert production. Their greatest hits, compiled on "Gold," are undeniably fantastic. But after listening to the studio album "Arrival" for the first time, I was curious: is there more to ABBA than their chart-toppers? The non-singles on "Arrival" were a mixed bag. "When I Kissed The Teacher," despite its questionable lyrics, is a solid pop song. "My Love, My Life" is a beautifully performed ballad. I wanted to dislike "Dum Dum Diddle" for its silly nonsense, but its annoyingly catchy chorus got stuck in my head all day—it's surprisingly charming. "That's Me" is another good pop song elevated by the incredible harmonies of Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" is a straight-up rock 'n' roll number that's incredibly catchy and sneaks up on you. It's Ok. The best non-single track, however, is "Tiger." The album's final track, the instrumental "Arrival," was a pleasant surprise with its Celtic feel. Unsurprisingly, the singles "Dancing Queen," "Money, Money, Money," and especially "Knowing Me, Knowing You" are the highlights. The album's standout track is undoubtedly "Knowing Me, Knowing You." It's a truly majestic pop song—a "sad banger" that masterfully blends a brilliant melody and production with a heartbreakingly honest portrayal of a breakup. It marked a crucial evolution in their song-writing. I remember buying the 7-inch single back in 1977 from Woolworths in Stoke Newington (London), along with The Stranglers' "Peaches/Go Buddy Go." "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was still coming down from its number-one spot on the charts at the time." "Arrival" was a good listen. Four stars. Side one 1 "When I Kissed the Teacher" (3/5) 2 "Dancing Queen" (5/5) 3 "My Love, My Life" (4/5) 4 "Dum Dum Diddle" (4/5) 5 "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (5/5) Side two 1 "Money, Money, Money" (5/5) 2 "That's Me" (3/5) 3 "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" (3/5) 4 "Tiger" (4/5) 5 "Arrival" (instrumental) (3/5) Total - 39 Average - 3.9 116/1001 61/116 albums reviewed were new to me.

This was so good my first time listening to a ABBA album

Great memories - Famcing Queen, Money Money Money, knowing Me Knowing You, Fernando !!!! Wow I never heard the album but the album tracks did not disappoint! Well crafted danceable pop from the mid-70s! 4 stars

hap0py music! only feel like it's five stars if im in a party mood. otherwise, good! iconic! fernando >>

It’s not the worst

The Mets will never be the Dancing Queen. They didn't make the playoffs despite all that Money Money Money spent. Knowing Me, Knowing You of course I should've expected this but Why Did It Have To Be Me. 3.43

a classic record...

Very strong singles, but the other tracks are skippable.

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

Heard of ABBA, know snippets of their most famous songs. So many songs were familiar. They are iconic and fun, high energy, enjoyable, but also not something I'd particularly seek out, I think.

93/1001 ABBA - Arrival Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ I think you'd have to have been living under a rock all your life if you hadn't heard all of the singles from this album. Look, it's a perfectly crafted pop album, that hides some dark themes in a sugar coated pop tune style. Does it interest me? No. I appreciate its influence and the craft, but not one I'll be revisiting.

i'm not a fan of abba sorry

10/10, no notes.

First ABBA album i’ve listened to in full. nice feel good 70s pop, just not something i feel compelled to visit in full. dancing queen is the clear highlight.

4.1

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.

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

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

There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando. Low 4.

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

talvez uma das maiores VIBES da história da música pop po, a quantidade de pedrada nesse aqui é loucura (peguei a versão alternativa pra escutar mais brabas ainda) quem não gosta de abba bom sujeito não é tá

não gosta de abba = má pessoa, pode vir sair na mão comigo. dito isso, elvis costello e rolling stones tem um milhão de albuns, mas abba só dois? vai tomar no cu eu gosto DEMAIS de when i kissed the teacher. como pode uma música dessas ser feliz desse jeito. esse album tem VÁRIAS pedradas, mas ainda não eh meu preferido deles não, sou um rapaz mais voulez-vou. mas ainda assim eh lindo demais, amo muito abba foda-se

Everyone loves Dancing Queen (except me). Otherwise the big singles here are great, the rest of it mediocre to bloody awful.

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

Always a delightful afternoon with ABBA

Three stars for the unwanted but powerful ear worms.

7/10 Favorite: Dancing Queen

I really want to like Abba but the vocals ruin it for me.

It’s hard to argue with some of the hooks, and there’s some nice bass work on display, but the lyrics are almost uniformly awful and I’m just not sure there’s enough substance there to sustain even a fairly short album. There’s probably a reason ABBA’s biggest seller is their greatest hits.

Some good pop songs that have been somewhat ruined by overplaying and ubiquity.

Wanted to dislike this more than I did. Genuinely catchy songs, and there is an obvious talent for writing earworms, although some of the album tracks are a bit lacking. I do find that it is a bit relentlessly saccharine and upbeat though and there’s only so much that I can take.

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