Review Summary: Shaping the future of Europop, "Arrival" is a glorious oscillation between commercialism and refinement.
Was the music of ABBA a cheap joke or a truly outstanding body of work? This question has diverse answers. Some listeners won't consider ABBA a great band because their music has alarming commerciality and a sense of facility that relates it to bubblegum pop. I strongly tend to be against this opinion, sustaining that ABBA is not only a definitory band but one of the seventies groups that branded their new style and conception, offering a magnificent fusion between classical music motifs and pop cliches. Although their sound can be overly commercial and a little bit old-fashioned, it has a kind of romanticism that makes it resist the times and obtain a beautiful patina.
ABBA created a pop canon and worked hard to continuously evolve it through their discography which constitutes one of the most respected suites in the entire rock decor. From their catalog, "Visitors" is the most critically acclaimed record, due to the well-developed sound, obtaining an overwhelming reception and being lauded as a dark masterpiece of 80s pop. Although "Visitors" remains maybe their most exquisite album, I give further credit to "Arrival," a true arrival on the world scene and their commercial (and artistic) peak. "Arrival" is the first masterpiece of Europop, an album that continues to have resonance in today's musical landscape, showcasing every reason why we continue to listen to the group's music.
The record may be perceived both as a sort of “greatest hits” collection and as a masterful exercise in pop splendor, proving the quintessential fact that ABBA was more than a single band. The album fits with these two ways of thinking, having a multivalence that differs from the previous efforts.
The introduction is represented by one of ABBA’s hidden gems. "When I Kissed The Teacher" blends bubblegum, classic rock, and even surf accents in a tour de force between ardent teenage emotions. The beat, the melody, and the vocal harmonies are punctuated by the nuanced difference between the feminine voices. The music obtains from this distinction a further refinement. Without being included in one of ABBA’s "best of" collections, the song is a charming introduction to the album's upbeat atmosphere and bittersweet themes.
From the first chords of "Dancing Queen," the music becomes majestic. Even for those who haven't previously heard the song, the combination of classical music themes, easy-going pop, and disco sounds nostalgic. Furthermore, the song is living proof of pop music’s ability to inspire pure emotions in a broad category of listeners. So, the chord succession and the vaporous fusion between keyboards and classic piano from "Dancing Queen" are today synonymous with the image of the shiny dance rink. Still old-fashioned and always modern, the song is the crown jewel of European pop, a truly outstanding and powerful hymn to youthful exuberance.
"My Love, My Life" is deeply inspired by baroque pop, accentuating classical music’s suavity. As in the previous moment, the vocal distinction creates a classy atmosphere, proving the complexity of ABBA’s sound, with the songs gaining admiration both in discos and audiophile circles. Lyrically, the sentiment of loss touches the song in an ardent poetry of regret and denial.
Thanks to the homogenous arrangements, "Dum Dum Diddle" evades the attitude of a silly moment, becoming a catchy detachment from the emotion of "My Love, My Life." The keyboard gives an accent to a rhythmic pop song, creating a correlation with Mike Oldfield and Rick Wakeman’s instrumental style.
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" touched the universal conscience. The charming and intimate approach to the topics of isolation and divorce broadened the stylistic themes and enriched them with a further dimension. It quickly became a pop standard and gain admiration from a wide palette of listeners and musicians. So, Pete Townshend and John Lennon valued the song's ability to evoke uncomfortable emotions.
Another key moment, "Money, Money, Money" focuses on the eternal struggle between social classes and the universal motif of the aspiration for richness. Its fierce interpretation awakes an emotion lost until then from the commercial music and connects it with the passion encountered in Italian opera.
"That’s Me" marks a moment of respite from the intensity affirmed in the previous songs. It represents a shift from classical-inspired pop to a country-infused atmosphere. The song will be continued by a moment marked by a rock’n’roll beat and interpreted by Bjorn Ulvaeus, "Why Did It Have To Be Me” which converts the danceable cheap rhythm into the foundation of a passionate classic rock moment.
"Tiger" traces its sap from the glam rock interpreted by Sweet and Slade. It’s maybe the harshest moment, like a culmination of the rock suite begun with „That’s Me”.
"Arrival" closes the album on a distinctive note. With a solemn expression, the song creates an ethereal atmosphere and a strange dynamism born from a calm tempo. Mike Oldfield later adapted it, the moment finding resonance in the progressive-rock décor due to its versatile sound.
In the end, "Arrival" feels not only like a solid album but like a brilliant work. This perception is motivated by the band’s aptitude to maintain the listener alert through the record’s entire flow. Any other European pop act would have succumbed to uninspired passages and filler songs, but in the record’s structure, every moment finds a sort of resonance and a distinctive print, the entire creation sounding homogenous and grandiose. Because of this musical fulfillment, „Arrival” stays strong after decades and inspires the nostalgia that was always a component of ABBA's music. This resistance is possible because the nostalgia isn’t expressed just by the melodic lines and sentimental lyrics: the entire atmosphere drags you into a high society salon where Strauss waltzes were played by a majestic string ensemble.
