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Dancing Queen - the single

ABBA in Poland - October 1976

Arrival - the album

ABBA in USA

Money Money Money - the single

ABBA-Dabba-Do - SVT special

ABBA in London

Holland & France

Knowing Me Knowing You - the single

Dancing Queen/That's - the single

"Dancing Queen" (with "That's Me" on B-side) was released in Europe on August 16th, 1976. The single entered the British chart on August 21st at #23. One week later "Dancing Queen" reached #16 and finally on September 4th the single came to the number 1 where it stayed for 6 weeks until October 16th. Totally "Dancing Queen" spent 15 weeks on the UK chart.

In West Germany the single appeared on the chart on August 16th and on September 20th it reached #1 for one week. "Dancing Queen" became number 1 in almost all European countries, USA and Australia and it was ABBA's biggest commercial hit ever. The single did not topped the chart in France where it #5 (release August 13th).

The Gröna Lund session

These pictures were taken someday in the summer 1976 in the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm.

The new logo and the hat session

The wonderful "black & hats" session was used on the single cover. This cover featured a very special detail - the reversed "B" in the name ABBA. The new logo would be used from now until the end of the group's existence. It was never decided which A and which B represent Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Björn. The photo session was taken at the beginning of 1976 and it still is considered as one of the group's most classical photo sessions. There are several alternative shots available nowadays both with the ABBA members wearing white hats and without. Some rare shots appeared in 1976 in Danish press.

Golden Double Album in France

The compilation double LP entitled "Golden double album" saw its release in France on August 26th, 1976. The album contained 24 tracks some of them relatively unknown for French fans from the "Ring Ring" album which still remained unreleased outside Scandinavia.

"Bravo" in Stockholm

The Bravo team from West Germany was in Stockholm in September for new photo sessions. Hundreds photos in different outfits were taken.

The blue one

In the recording studio

In September Björn and Benny were putting last touch on the forthcoming new album "Arrival". Together with Mikael B. Tretow they were in Metronome Studio in Stockholm where several pictures were taken. They even let the Bravo photographer take pictures in front of microphones but as all material had been already recorded so it seems to be a fake recording session. Some photos were taken at the Polar Music office another day.

Strolling in Stockholm

In September a special feature about ABBA was being prepared for the 45th issue of the Swedish weekly "Allers". Exclusive photos showing ABBA strolling  somewhere in Stockholm were taken. It can be noticed that Frida had the same little purse that she even had in Poland when they promoted "Arrival" at the beginning of October. The article with the photos came out in "Allers" on November 7th, 1976.

The Very Best of ABBA

The compilation album "The Very Best of ABBA" was released in West Germany in September 1976. The cover pictures were taken from the TV special "The best of ABBA" which was shown in the same month as the album was promoted. A short interview was printed inside the fold out cover of the album. "The Very Best of ABBA" was released as 2LP & music cassette.

Keep Australia beautiful - the photo session &...

...Keep Britain tidy - the photo session

ABBA were avid supporters of the "Keep Britain Tidy" campaign and the photo session with tee-shirts and cleaning utensils was taken outside the Polar Music office in Baldersgatan in Stockholm.

ABBA in Poland, October 1976

At the beginning of October it was time for a new adventure for ABBA - a visit behind iron curtain in Poland. They went to Warsaw one week before the release of the new album "Arrival". The Polish audience in the TV studio in Warsaw was probably the first audience in the world which could hear almost all of the songs included on the forthcoming album "Arrival".

go.to/ABBA in Poland if you want to know more

ABBA walking in the old town in Warsaw October 8, 1976

"Arrival" was released on October 11, 1976 in Scandinavia, on Oct 12 in France and Benelux and on Nov 27 in Great Britain. It contained 10 tracks including instrumental "Arrival".  "Arrival" topped the British chart on January 15, 1977 for 1 week and became again number 1 on April 16, 1977, this time for 9 weeks. Totally the album was on the British chart for absolutely unbelievable 92 weeks!

Agnetha had lead vocals on "When I Kissed The Teacher" and "My Love My Life". Frida sung two single hits "Money Money Money" and "Knowing Me Knowing You". Björn had one lead vocal on "Why Did It Have To Be Me" which would become one of the highlights performed live by Björn and Frida on the upcoming tour in 1977. "Arrival" was undoubtedly one of the best albums ABBA ever did - commercially maybe the best one! The picture sessions were taken on the Barkarby airfield outside Stockholm (go.to/ABBA related places) if you want to know more).

Same same but different - the Arrival Gallery

The front cover of the album was the same on all the releases all over the world (except France). But... the rest of the album layout had some differences from country to country. The Swedish "Polar" release (see above) can be probably considered as the "basic" one. The front cover features the classical shot with the band members sitting in the helicopter. The inner sleeve has one more classical photo of ABBA taken at the Barkarby airfield outside Stockholm featuring the group in front of the helicopter. Alternative shots from this photo session are extremely hard to find. 

Here is the gallery with those parts of sleeves that were different in various countries.

Denmark

USA

West Germany

Israel

East Germany

UK

Bulgaria

The "Arrival" photo sessions

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

More Arrival sessions

The "pin" & the snowy window sessions

This photo sessions were taken in the summer 1976. A shot from the "snowy window" would be used on the cover of the forthcoming single "Knowing Me Knowing You".

The snowy windows

The "kimono" sessions

ABBA performed in their kimonos during the promotion of "Arrival" in 1976 and even in Japan 1978. Lots of photo sessions had been taken in these outfits and they are maybe the most well-known from this period.

With the Swedish horse (Dalahäst)

More kimono sessions.

The teddy-bear sessions

More sessions in kimono outfits featuring big teddy-bears.

ABBA IN USA, October 10-24 

ABBA in Los Angeles, October 10-14, 1976

On October 10, ABBA went to North America where "Fernando" was already a big hit. They performed in 8 TV shows in USA and Canada.  In the "Dinah Shore Show Frida and Benny were offered the chance to get married in front of TV cameras - an offer in the typical American style which was though refused by the couple. During the trip through America ABBA received a ... British prize of the newspaper "Sun" as the best entertainer in UK.

TV

Wonderama

Midnight Special

The Jack Wolfman Show & more

The "yellow" session

One more well-known photo session taken in 1976

Money Money Money - the single

The second single from "Arrival" "Money Money Money"/"Crazy World" was released by Polar on November 1. The B-side contained the song "Crazy World" which was a non-LP track. "Crazy World" had been recorded in 1975. The lead vocal was sung by Björn. The single cover featured four pictures of the four members taken during their 1975 tour. The single entered the UK single chart on November 20, 76 and stayed there for 12 weeks reaching #3. The single was much more successful in West Germany where it reached no 1 on December 20, 76 where it stayed for 5 weeks (totally on the German chart 22 weeks). "Money Money Money" became no 1 even in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France and Holland. In USA the single was released almost one year later - in October 77. It stayed on the chart for 12 weeks reaching though only #56.