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About Arrival
In its original vinyl form, the first side of this 1976 album was a smorgasbord of everything this undervalued but subsequently deified Swedish pop quartet had to offer. "When I Kissed the Teacher" shows off the intricate vocal arrangements and massive productions they brought to bear on absolute fluff, lending it dignity and a certain magnificence. "Dancing Queen" transcends its period disco trappings with the same undercurrent of sadness behind the painted smiles that informs another disco classic, Chic's "Good Times." "My Love My Life" is the "mature" Abba, basically an MOR ballad that sidesteps excessive slushiness thanks to heartfelt vocals and a rational sensibility replacing the melodrama of the average MOR ballad. Then it's right back to bubblegum with "Dum Dum Diddle," a piece of pseudo-classical nonsense salvaged by a brilliant tune. And the side closes with possibly their greatest song, "Knowing Me, Knowing You," whose majestic vocal tapestry and colossal production renders a breakup the stuff of epochal tragedy. Bookended by the overly clever, gimmicky Euro-cabaret of "Money Money Money" (Abba's "Material Girl") and the prophetic but throwaway Celtic schlock of the title instrumental, the second side unfortunately can't come close to matching its predecessor. But Arrival's first five tracks are a rival for anything else in their glorious catalog. --Ken Barnes
