ABBAs 1976 album Arrival has been revealed the bands biggest selling studio album to date in the UK.
The Swedish bands best-selling albums in the UK were tallied for BBC Radio 2s Lets ABBA Party, which ranked their eight studio albums.
And 1976s Arrival came out on top, something that surprised Bjorn Ulvaeus.
The songwriter told BBC Radio 2: I have to say when I learned that Arrival was the best-selling ABBA album – apart from Abba Gold of course – I was quite surprised. I didnt think it would be that one.
But on the other hand it is the first complete album we did, I think, after winning Eurovision. We suddenly had complete artistic freedom. And on Arrival, as with the albums that came after, every single song was written for that particular album…
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The Arrival album is definitely one of the best. The sleeve is photographed in an airfield very close to Stockholm. I dont know if we ever took off in that helicopter or not!
Looking at the tracklist, its not hard to see why Arrival, which hit number one in the UK upon release, sold so much.
The album includes Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Money, Money, Money, and Fernando, as well as When I Kissed The Teacher, Why Did It Have To Be Me?, My Love, My Life, Dum Dum Diddle, Thats Me, Tiger and Arrival.
1980s Super Trouper came in second place followed by Abba: The Album (1977) in third.
Voulez Vous (1979) is in fourth place and The Visitors (1981) – their final album – is in fifth; 1975s ABBA came in sixth, with Waterloo (1974) in seventh place.
The bands first album, 1973s Ring Ring, came in last.
More: Abba
Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts Company, said: ABBA has enjoyed a phenomenal history on the UKs Official Charts. Their appeal has lasted well beyond the early 1980s with new generations continually discovering their timeless pop songs.
Arrival was a pivotal moment in their illustrious career hitting the number one spot on the Official Albums Chart and spending a massive 93 weeks on the chart.
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They are one of the most successful acts on the Official Charts of all-time.
However, if the groups compilation ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits was included in the countdown, the others wouldnt have a chance.
The compilation is the second biggest selling album of all time in the UK, behind Queens Greatest Hits, with sales of over 5.3 million copies.
Bjorn, Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad are set to release new music this year after a 36 year hiatus.
The new tunes were announced last year but, because we hadnt waited long enough already,
METRO
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