879 Abba - Arrival (1976)

 879 Abba - Arrival (1976)

Studio Album - Pop




About the Act:

Abba were a Swedish Pop group. They were formed in 1972 and ruled the world of pop until 1982. They reformed in 2016. They were two guys whose names begin with B and two girls whose names begin with A - these initials forming the name of the band. They came to huge prominence when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with "Waterloo". For some of their successful years they were two married couples. They all sang, but the focus was usually on the ladies. The guys were the writers and main musicians. They have been revered and reviled the world over, but especially in the UK and Australia. They are one of the most successful bands of all time.


About the Album:

This was the fourth album by the band, and was released at a point where they were starting to achieve global stardom, so it became a global hit.


My History with this Album:

I have loved Abba ever since they were a current thing, and this may have been one of the earliest albums I ever bought.


Review:

How on earth do I review an album I know so well? How can I come to it with fresh ears? Well I cannot. Sorry. It's possible that you have managed to avoid listening to it in your life, it's also possible you don't know any of the songs, but you would have to have been seriously isolated from Western Popular culture in order to achieve that.

Abba were masters of pop. They filled the void left behind by the Beatles by becoming global pop superstars, they took the Eurovision sound and refined it, pioneering quality pop. Catchy and memorable, every second of their songs has something to fix your attention on, and most of the songs are slightly more interesting in content than true bubble pop - the notable exception on this album is "Dum Dum Diddle". Otherwise, this album is at the peak of their talents. The composition is great, the production is immaculate (setting new standards) and the girls are versatile in their singing.

I'm full of praise. You have obviously picked that up. It is not a deep album, or a complex album, or even a particularly thoughtful album. This is not a fine wine, or single malt whisky, or even a freshly squeezed orange juice, it's Coke - fizzy, and a worldwide classic. It is pop at its best. It's still pop though.

The version I listened to for this review had "Fernando" tagged onto the end, and although I love the song, it ruins the ending to the album that "Arrival" gives.


9/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1V6a99EbTTIegOhWoPxYI9

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgaFNC_I_ZknbPQ-APT2QXW6a4YLAeb3i

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(ABBA_album)



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