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All I'm saying is that I hope the unnamed protagonist in the engaging "When I Kissed The Teacher" is not named Lolita, as it's a song about a student with a crush on the teacher who stuns the class when she performs the title act, much to the surprise of the teacher.

It was clear that the group was making inroads into disco, which was sweeping the US during this time, and "Dancing Queen," which scarcely requires elaboration, whose disco-like synths, highlighted by the piano work from Benny.

"My Love, My Life" is probably the best ballad I've heard from Agnetha, a lovely song even if it's a breakup song. Which means, yes, there are string arrangements

I've never heard a song about someone's violin practicing paying off and wishing for the same kind of attention to that point that the girl wished she was the fiddle so she'd be noticeable. That about sums it up for "Dum Dum Diddle." The synths hear somewhat mimic the fiddle, but not that much.

Frida sings two songs here and they are back to back. The first is the mid-paced and downbeat "Knowing Me, Knowing You", another breakup song, only this time, it seems marital divorce and permanent: "Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes/here is where the story ends, this is goodbye." I wonder if this and "My Love, My Life" karmically backfired on them, as both couples divorced two albums later. And next...

An excerpt from the promo clip from "Money Money Money" was the first where I heard an ABBA song, and that was when I decided I had to have more of their stuff. The wishing and hoping of a hard-working down-on-her luck woman for a rich man, who'd probably never notice her. The catchy blend of guitars, keyboards, and harmony vocals is captured best here.

The quasi-feminist "That's Me," with its independent but sensitive protagonist features a synth that rapidly descends in register like a waterfall, also has another double rhyme in one line: "I'm Carrie not-the-kind-of-girl-you'd-marry."

The country-tinged "Why Did It Have To Be Me" is sung by Bjorn here, portraying a man who got burned by a woman who only wanted a quick affair, with Agnetha singing from the woman's POV. The sax here is buried beneath the usual instrumentation but can be picked up. However, the B-side of "Knowing Me, Knowing You," the wanting-to-have-a-great-fun-vacation of "Happy Hawaii," sung by Agnetha, was an earlier version of that song, as it has the same melody.

The guitars and drumming of "Tiger" is like that of "Mamma Mia," but this is a more hard-driving song, with a somewhat darker subject, the predatory dangers of the urban landscape, described as a jungle, nightmare, and prison, with the yellow eyes likened to the city's neon lights. The way they make the song tight and punchy with lines, "And if I meet you, what if I eat you, I am the tiger."

The title track is a wistful Celtic-like instrumental where Benny played any keyboards he could lay his hands on, per the liner notes, and Agnetha and Frida vocalizing like a choir towards the end. I can imagine a sunset listening to this.

When this CD was issued in the 1990's, "Fernando" was left off, so I had no idea it was part of this album. Fortunately, that fault has been rectified, and their other #1 UK single is thus included. Wavering between a mellow strings and flute ballad comparable to the love song or theme of some 70's movie and the usual engaging ABBA sound, this spent 14 weeks at the top in Australia.

Arrival demonstrates the band at their peak, with no sign of letup, yet from the faces on the album cover, I wonder if ABBAmania was taking its toll on the quartet.


My favorite Abba album   January 27, 2003
 11 out of 14 found this review helpful

I originally bought this on LP, replaced it with a CD, and then replaced that CD when a re-mastered version was released with Fernando added as a bonus track, as well as much-improved sound quality. I decided not to bother with this, the most recent version, a digipack featuring Fernando and an additional bonus track, Happy Hawaii. I have not heard that song, but it uses the tune of When I kissed the teacher and first appeared as the B-side of Knowing me knowing you. It seems that Benny and Bjorn tried two completely different sets of lyrics, but When I kissed the teacher is a great opening song that demonstrates the high standard of the album.

The most famous song here is Dancing queen, which provided Abba with their only number one hit in America. It was also number one in Britain and many other countries. Fernando and Knowing me knowing me were also British number ones, while Money money money peaked at number three in December 1976.

Fernando was never released on any original Abba album, although it was included in many Abba compilations. It was released as a single in the spring of 1976 and its wonderful images and brilliant melody ensured that it was a huge hit in many countries, though it did not provide Abba with their American breakthrough. I wonder what might have happened if it had been released in America after Dancing queen.

Among the less well known tracks, Bjorn sings some lines on Why did it have to be me, while Tiger was tipped by some critics as a possible single. My love my life is a lovely reflective song. Arrival, the title track, is essentially an instrumental with the ladies singing la la la - but it works superbly, with a nice Celtic flavor.

Abba was - and still is - my favorite pop group. This was my favorite album of theirs even without Fernando, which I always thought should have been part of the album anyway.


Arrival . . . As In . . .   March 31, 2005
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

ABBA, all four of them, were geniuses and you need to know that. This was their fourth offering, and not only did it contain the brilliant and perennial 'Dancing Queen' - - a joyous take on the dancefloor as nothing more or less than just that - - it also boasts the devastating empty-house ballad, 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' (as in, 'there's nothing we can do to save this relationship'). Sure, it has the archetypically sloggy 'My Love, My Life' but that particularly maudlin track is offset by the infectious Boots Randolph-inspired hilarity of 'Why Did It Have To Be Me' (a.k.a. 'Happy Hawaii') and the urban-drenched `Tiger'. Sure, Chrome could proclaim 'I Am The Jaw' with all the dark industrial menace they could muster in 1979, but ABBA beat them to it by two years, chirping 'And if I meet you, What if I eat you - - -I am the tiger!!' with voracious delight. As for the instrumental title track, it's a beautiful bit of Celtic-tinged progressive rock that sounds like something Mike Oldfield wished he could write, tee hee. And the extra track, 'Fernando', hey - - you've heard it and already know it's awesome. If ABBA doesn't astound and delight you, check your pulse . . . speaking personally, I hope you don't have one.


Donyt Spend Money on these 24-bit remasterings!   June 3, 2003
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

The 24-bit remastering of the ABBA CD's is a HUGE letdown. The older CD's (the one's that came out originally) have a much brighter sound, but plenty full. They remind me of the original album sound. But the new discs sound too muddy or dark and the high end (which includes things like acoustic guitars and cymbals) are rather flat or dead sounding. Like my fellow reviewer from San Diego said, "save your money". Keep your old discs. They simply sound better in a side by side comparison. The box set sound quality is better than these 24-bit remastered discs.


full steam ahead...   February 20, 2002
 3 out of 6 found this review helpful

the world didn't hear of their very first album "ring, ring" until 1993, 1974's "waterloo" gave the group their very first u.s. top 10, 1975's "abba" almost disappeared without a trace if not for the release of the single "s.o.s". "arrival" served notice that they indeed have arrived and it's full steam ahead for the next 6 years.

although this one's not without its share of clinkers: "dum dum diddle" (dumb dumb drivel is more like it!) and the title track "arrival" (too funereal for my escapist taste), it doesn't hurt at all to have their biggest selling single and their only U.S. number one: dancing queen.