The track "Fernando", which had been recently released as a single in March 1976, was included on the Australian and New Zealand versions of the album.

Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

[2] In 2024, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

[3][4] By the time ABBA began working on their fourth album in August 1975, they had achieved a modest level of success around the world.

Taking inspiration from the current disco sound (and in particular George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby"), the backing track was laid down.

[citation needed] During this time they also recorded a song (in Swedish), "Fernando", for member Anni-Frid Lyngstad's solo album, Frida ensam.

The album was first released on compact disc (CD) in 1984 and then re-issued in digitally remastered form a total of four times; first in 1997, then in 2001, 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set, and again in 2006 (as a special Deluxe Edition).

[5] The now-renowned "mirrored-B" copyrighted ABBA logo, an ambigram designed by Rune Söderqvist in 1976, was also premiered on this album cover.

special, made by producer Leonard Eek and reporter Per Falkman for SVT, in which the band perform twelve songs and where footage of Björn and Benny working in their Viggsö cottage is featured;[10] a performance of "Dancing Queen" from a West German Musikladen special titled "The Best of ABBA"; an April 1976 performance of "Fernando" on Top of the Pops; a feature of ABBA's promotional visit to London, titled "ABBA in London" from Young Nation (Novemember 1976); footage of the "Dancing Queen" recording session from Mr. Trendsetter, a 1975 Swedish documentary; a December news report from SVT's Rapport on ABBA's 1976 success; a cartoon version of "Happy Hawaii" by Fremantle Media; and two Arrival television commercials.

[14] In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic Ken Tucker panned Arrival as "Muzak mesmerizing in its modality" and wrote, "By reducing their already vapid lyrics to utter irrelevance, lead singers Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog are liberated to natter on in their shrill voices without regard to emotion or expression.

"[23] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a "C",[22] indicating "a record of clear professionalism or barely discernible inspiration, but not both.

"[24] In a review upon the album's 2001 reissue by Universal Records, AllMusic editor Bruce Eder found the material "brilliant" and complimented the reissue's "upgraded sound," as well as "those dramatic musical effects that this group played for maximum effect, which gave their music a raw power that their detractors usually overlooked; in the new edition, it's impossible to ignore.

"[25] In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), music journalist Arion Berger recommended its Universal reissue to consumers.