"Greatest Hits" is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, initially released in Scandinavia on November 17, 1975, and later in other regions in 1976. The album was compiled in response to several unauthorized ABBA compilations being released in various territories, which were threatening to impact ABBA’s sales in their home markets. To counter this, ABBA's label, Polar Music, rush-released their own version of Greatest Hits in 1975, which included many of the band’s popular singles up until that time.
The tracklist for the album consists mainly of songs from ABBA's first three studio albums: Ring Ring, Waterloo, and ABBA. While some of these songs had been major chart-toppers, others were less commercially successful but still included in the compilation. Notable hits featured on Greatest Hits include "Waterloo," "SOS," "Mamma Mia," and "Fernando," the latter of which had been a recent UK hit at the time of the album’s release.
The album reached number one in Sweden and Norway but was less successful in other regions due to the presence of competing ABBA compilations. In the UK, Greatest Hits was released in April 1976, and included the new single "Fernando," which was added to the UK and Scandinavian versions of the album. It went on to become the best-selling album of 1976 in the UK and the second-best-selling album of the decade. In the US and Canada, the album was released in September 1976, though it didn’t peak in sales until 1977, following the success of ABBA's hit "Dancing Queen," which was not included on Greatest Hits but helped drive interest in the band's back catalogue.
Despite being released with a rival compilation already in circulation in some markets, Greatest Hits performed well, achieving platinum status in the US and quintuple platinum in Canada. It became an essential release for ABBA’s growing fanbase, especially in the UK, where it was the first of eight consecutive number-one albums for the group. The album spent eleven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart and sold over 2.6 million copies by 2016.
The album's artwork was released in two different versions: a painting by Hans Arnold for the Scandinavian version and a photograph by Bengt H. Malmqvist for the UK, North America, and other territories. The photograph features the band sitting on a park bench, with Benny and Frida sharing a kiss, Björn reading a newspaper, and Agnetha looking directly into the camera. This image was also used for the inner gatefold of the Scandinavian release and on various reissues.
Greatest Hits is widely considered one of ABBA's most successful and iconic albums, not only capturing the essence of their early career but also marking the band's transition into global pop superstardom.
