Arrival (ABBA)
| Arrival | ||||
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| Studio album by ABBA | ||||
| Released | 11 October 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 4 August 1975 – 18 September 1976 | |||
| Genre | Pop, euro disco | |||
| Length | 33:16 | |||
| Label | Polar | |||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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French edition using the inner sleeve image
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| Singles from Arrival | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10 |
Arrival is the fourth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 11 October 1976 by Polar Records. Recording sessions began in August 1975 and continued until September 1976 at Metronome and Glen studios in Stockholm, Sweden. It became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date, producing three of their biggest hits: "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You". Upon its original 1976 release, "Fernando", released as a single earlier the same year, did not appear on Arrival, but it was included on the Australian and New Zealand versions. Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album was first released on Compact disc in 1984 and then re-issued in digitally remastered form a total of four times; first in 1997, then in 2001, 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set, and again in 2006 (as a special Deluxe Edition).
By the time ABBA began working on their fourth album in August 1975, they had achieved a modest level of success around the world. It was with Arrival however that they would achieve global superstardom to become the biggest name in the music business - a title they would hold for the rest of the decade. The first song to enter the studio was a track called "Boogaloo" on 4 August. Taking inspiration from the current disco sound (and in particular George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby") heavily present in the charts, the backing track was laid down. All four members remember hearing this for the first time and knew that they had something big on their hands, as member Agnetha Faltskog remarked: "We knew immediately it was going to be massive". With re-written lyrics, the song became known as "Dancing Queen", and would go on to be ABBA's biggest ever hit. Work on the song continued intermittently until December as the group's activities were increasing in the latter half of 1975 as they saw a sudden surge in popularity in the United Kingdom and Australia. During this time they also recorded a song for member Annifrid Lyngstad's solo album, "Fernando". Early in the new year, they decided to release it internationally as an ABBA song and with English lyrics the song became the group's next single in March 1976. "Fernando" became ABBA's biggest hit to date - hitting No.1 in many countries, including a 14-week stay at No.1 in Australia. Also around this time their Greatest Hits album was selling in huge amounts, becoming the biggest-selling album of the year in the UK. In the midst of all this promotion, the group finally found time to return to the studio in late March. The next song they began working on was "Knowing Me, Knowing You", which was to become yet another major hit all over the world. Member Benny Andersson has said that it is "one of our five best recordings".
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