The ABBA Albums Ranked
MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN was released last week to great success and internet meme attention. Fans of the silly jukebox musical sequel are calling for an MMCU (Mamma Mia Cinematic Universe) and critics seem to be sticking with “this movie is so ridiculous but it’s energetic and fun.” That statement kind of describes ABBA itself, a band that fascinates me, especially as the ’70s act’s popularity skyrocketed with younger people due to the MAMMA MIA movies. And I like ABBA; Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anna-Frid churned out some great hits across their eight studio albums. Some time ago, I explored the Swedish group’s discography, listening to each of their albums in some depth. Now seems as good a time as any to rank each of their eight albums.
EDIT 11/12/2021: Added VOYAGE.
#9 — VOYAGE (2021)
Favorite track: “Just a Notion”
When I wrote that THE VISITORS was ABBA’s last album, it seemed like that would always be the case. But 40 years later, the quartet returned with a much rumored, much hyped, and much…disappointing final final album. VOYAGE, as demonstrated by its bland cover that could have been that awesome shot of the band in their Tron-ish suits, is mostly a malaise of pop ballads. To ABBA’s credit, however, VOYAGE often sounds like something the group could have produced in their heyday. The problem is that it sounds like the kind of “filler” that ABBA produced across their original eight albums, the kind of underwhelming stuff that usually took a back seat to the “Dancing Queens” and the “Mamma Mias” of their discography. ABBA was of course great at producing the slow songs as well, but their rendition of that style on VOYAGE just never lands for me. I was sufficiently impressed by their ability to sound like they used to, especially with the far-and-away best song on the album, the livelier “Just a Notion,” but it’s safe to say that VOYAGE was not the return I had hoped for.
#8 — THE VISITORS (1981)
Favorite track: “The Visitors”
THE VISITORS was ABBA’s last album, and its biggest departure from the sound that defined the group and made it famous. THE VISITORS is, by no means, some insane denial of pop sound and melodies, but it is a darker, synth-driven record that feels distinct from the band’s disco heyday. For whatever this is worth, THE VISITORS is exactly where you would expect ABBA to go in the early ’80s. There are some interesting things going on with this album, but none of them resonate like really anything else on any other ABBA album. “The Visitors” is a cool, almost New Wave-ish anthem that announced ABBA’s new direction…before they broke up in 1982.
#7 — ABBA: THE ALBUM (1977)
Favorite track: “One Man, One Woman”
Not to be confused with ABBA’s purely self-titled album, ABBA: THE ALBUM was released in conjunction with the band’s documentary ABBA: THE MOVIE. It also contained a few songs from their mini-musical THE GIRL WITH THE GOLDEN HAIR. This is, like, peak ABBA in terms of the band’s popularity. ABBA was a known quantity in 1977. ABBA: THE ALBUM, in some ways, represents that. Like THE VISITORS, there’s nothing on here that is a banger like the rest of the albums have, but it is way more familiar and light. It’s a fun, groovy listen, and “One Man, One Woman” is a great little affecting ballad.
#6 — WATERLOO (1974)
Favorite track: “Waterloo”
WATERLOO, ABBA’s second album, set the band on fire internationally after its title track caught on in Sweden and won the Eurovision Song Contest. And for good reason. The opening guitar riffs are rocking, and c’mon. The saxophone? Fuggettaboutit. “Oh, Waterloo!” Just so catchy. The rest of the album can’t live up to the highs of its first track, but it’s just so fun. I like the “tropical theme” of a few of the songs: “Sitting in the Palmtree,” “King Kong Song,” and “Hasta Mañana” use it to accentuate relaxation, urgency, and wistfulness, respectively. WATERLOO is the first album on this list to have more than just one or two recommended tracks, but its best songs still don’t hit the highs of the best other albums had to offer.
#5 — VOULEZ-VOUS (1979)
Favorite track: “Voulez-Vous”
This is peak disco ABBA. Even though I often consider much of ABBA’s discography to be disco-esque, VOULEZ-VOUS is considered a full embrace of the genre, which was as 1979 as you can get. Even still, it’s kind of a rocking album; the opening of the title track kind of gets at that. But yeah, it’s pretty fucking disco. And I love it. The “ahas” on “Voulez-Vous” are hilarious and fun, and the horns on the song are great little staccato signs of the titular phrase. The beat just doesn’t stop and it feels like things keep ratcheting up, to the point where you kind of want it to stop? And then it comes back down into awesome territory. The rest of the album is pretty good too, with hits like “I Have a Dream” and “Chiquitita” feeling a little underwhelming, but the sheer energy of the more upbeat songs on the album keep it afloat.
#4 — ABBA (1975)
Favorite track: “Mamma Mia”
C’mon man. “Mamma Mia.” The movies have a great namesake, even if it isn’t the best ABBA song. But those opening notes and guitar whine? ABBA is so good at openings. The dropping of the beat for the chorus is epic and the wandering guitar through the song gives it some great depth. It all swells to a great pop anthem. I just can’t get over the guitar when it gets time to sing by itself. Oh, and yeah, the rest of ABBA’s self-titled record (notice this is different than ABBA: THE ALBUM) keeps things alive too. “Tropical Loveland” has some great, as you might imagine, tropical influences and “Man in the Middle” has some great vocals from one of the guys. Sorry, I’m not that much of an ABBA expert. “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” and “Rock Me” are kind of manic yet pleasant surprises in the middle of a record that’s already pretty solid throughout.
#3 — SUPER TROUPER (1980)
Favorite track: “Me and I”
SUPER TROUPER is less dancey than its disco-influenced predecessor VOULEZ-VOUS, but it’s still got some great beats on it. “Me and I” is one song that contains those beats in spades, and there is even some funny synthesized voice. The thing about SUPER TROUPER is that it’s got a series of just really competent pop songs in a row; it doesn’t have one that sticks out as an ABBA best, but there’s so many good ones in a row it’s hard to deny the album’s power. Just great pop music execution.
#2 — ARRIVAL (1976)
Favorite track: “Dancing Queen”
Sorry, I don’t care if it’s too obvious or whatever, “Dancing Queen” is the best ABBA song of all time. It’s just so fucking amazing. Every aspect of the song is engineered to get my body movin’, ya know? It’s impossible to not get caught up in the swell of the chorus, and the verse slips into said chorus so smoothly. This is the definition of a groovy song. The violin. The staccato piano. The “feel the beat of the tambourine, oooh yeah.” The “you can jive.” It all speaks to me. The rest of ARRIVAL pales in comparison to this gem, but it does stand up by comparison to much of the rest of ABBA’s discography. It’s a sweet, consistent pop record that’s worth listening to over and over again.
#1 — RING RING (1973)
Favorite track: “Nina, Pretty Ballerina”
I have no idea if my top pick is a controversial one because I’m not necessarily dialed into ABBA discussion. But I will say this: usually, a musical artist’s earlier work is their most revered. There are many notable exceptions, and I would say ABBA is one of them. RING RING is not really what ABBA would come to be known for, and it certainly doesn’t feature any of their most well-known songs. But every single song on this record, which features the most extensive use of male vocals from Benny and Bjorn, is catchy as hell. Like, without fail. It still has the trademark ABBA bounciness and a defined, polished pop sound; this isn’t like the Beastie Boys starting out as a punk band or Sugar Ray as a…nu metal/ska band or whatever they were. But RING RING has more of a ’60s sound and a more distinct traditional Swedish influence, at least from what I gather as an ignorant American 45 years later. It’s a surprisingly thorough and entertaining work from a band much more well known for its later work. “Nina, Pretty Ballerina,” and “Me and Bobby and Bobby’s Brother” are impossible to not bop around to. Believe me, I’ve cleaned the house to them, I know.
