ABBA returns with first album in 40 years

Fans of the Swedish band ABBA couldn't wait to get their hands on the band's first album released in 40 years, with many lined up at stores as clocks struck midnight.

In Berlin, for example, they stood in the pouring rain outside Dussmann, a major department store specialising in music and books, which had a special sale from 11.59pm local time onwards.

The new album was available on CD, vinyl and - in keeping with the 70s revival - also on music cassette.

Fans praised the album on social networks during the early hours of Friday.

Leading Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter also gave the record a good review.

"ABBA's Voyage will make the world dance and sing," was the verdict of DN music critic Martin Nystrom.

The album features the previously released songs I Still Have Faith In You, Don't Shut Me Down and Just A Notion, as well as seven more songs by Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad.

Voyage is the ninth studio album for the quartet from the far north of Europe and the first since The Visitors, which was released on November 30, 1981.

Since then, there have been numerous compilations of the pop group, but no complete album with fresh studio recordings - until now.

After a last TV appearance at the end of 1982, ABBA announced it was breaking up, a split that ultimately lasted for decades - after eight studio albums and world hits like Waterloo, Mamma Mia, SOS and Dancing Queen, among many others.

It was with Waterloo that ABBA hit the world stage after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with it in 1974.

All the band members are now in their 70s: Ulvaeus turned 76 this year, Lyngstad 75, Andersson 74 and Faltskog 71.