The whirlwind of their worldwide success simply had to slacken its pace for ABBA in 1977. Four smash albums, countless hit singles, international concerts, and endless promotional duties were taking their toll and, with the conclusion of European and Australian tours that spring, the idea was to focus on creating the next studio project, ABBA: The Album, during the latter half of the year in a more leisurely manner.

Of course, best-laid plans don’t always fall neatly into place. Timetables were being redrawn by the upcoming release of ABBA’s first movie (ABBA: The Movie, filmed across the tour) and then there was the inevitable expectation that material should be ready for the Christmas market. In fact, only in Scandinavia would ABBA: The Album be released in time for Santa, on December 12, 1977, with most other territories forced to wait until the new year.