Product Description

From he muted sleeve of Abba's eighth and last album, with its pained front photo of the four bandmembers studiously avoiding one another's gaze in a darkened room, it's clear that 1981's THE VISITORS is a sombre record. The disturbingly confessional minor-key masterpieces within, such as "When AllIs Said and Done" and "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", as well as the bizarre, paranoid title track, contributeto the feeling of darkness and alienation. Recorded as the band was imploding amidst romantic break-ups, THE VISITORS has the beauty and melancholy of earlier ABBA albums, but only on the transcendently mournful single "One of Us" does theband reach the ecstatic heights of previous singles. Regardless, THE VISITORS stands as one of the band's strongest andmost consistent albums.

Track Listing

1. The Visitors
2. Head Over Heels
3. When All Is Said And Done
4. Soldiers
5. I Let The Music Speak
6. One Of Us
7. Two For The Price Of One
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
10. Should I Laugh Or Cry
11. The Day Before You Came
12. Cassandra
13. Under Attack

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66 in Music
• Released on: 2002-01-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 57 minutes

Customer Reviews

Pay a visit to ABBA's "The Visitors".
In my opinion this is one of the finest albums that the band did. This seems to be an album that like me, only true ABBA fans will appreciate. This wasn't a massive commercial success like some of the other albums but it really should have been. It seems that because the hits weren't as "happy-clappy" as the others such as "Dancing Queen" they were overlooked.

Included on here is "When All is Said and Done" which is a remarkable song. Agnetha had "The Winner Takes it All" as her "break-up" song and this is Frida's. It is amazing. Also worth mentioning is the heartbreaking song Slipping through my fingers.

Others that should have been big hits are my favourites "Under Attack" and "The Day Before you Came" - probably the spookiest song that ABBA did.

If you have never heard these or are an ABBA fan who hasn't got this album you really are missing out.

lets re-evalute this album!
on its initial release the album was a stark contrast from what had come before! the lead of single "one us us" was abba at their best, doing what they did best..heartbreak...not the "winner takes it all" but very close! it only reached no.3 in the uk a flop by abbas standards! but this was the age of new romantics!

the album when released reached no.1 but it didnt hold the same chart run of previous albums...times had changes and when the 2nd single "head over heals" peaked at no.26 it was "time out" for abba

yes the album is a lot darker and sadder..very experimental..ahead of its time!

"the visitors" which opens the album is dark, haunting..but 25 years on it sounds so fresh! what it is about still remains a bit of mystery..russia...a lover returning...frida deliverys a perfect vocal and the chorus is big...its not a song you will love but one you will find yourself listening to again and again! 9/10

"head over heels" flopped as a single..a woman dragging her husband around to parties..it shows what was to come in the field of musicals...it tells a story..it has some amazing vocal harmonies 8/10

"all is said and done" is a abba classic! frida delivers a song about her and bennys split...lyrically perfect..vocally perfect! it has a fire to it that agnetha could not deliver its very frida! was released a single in some countrys i wonder how it would have done in the uk 10/10

"soldiers" is a big agnetha number...not sure what its about but i love to play it when its raining or thunder and lightning! its haunting..like the approaching dark clouds...was my favourtite on the albums release and still has a special place in my heart 9/10

"i let the music speak" is a musical masterpiece! more stage musical than pop song..but vocals and music as amazing! 10/10

"one of us" is prehaps the only classic abba sound on the cd..its faultless 10/10

"two for the price of one" again is a story song..more musical than pop song..it is a song of meeting through an ad and if get the girl you get the mother as well...its not the best abba moment lyrically...but the girls deliver some amazing harmonies 7/10

"slipping through my fingers" is a agnetha epic..how bjorn can write such heartrending lyrics and get his ex-wife to sing them is amazing! its good and has its place 8/10

"like an angel passing through my room" is frida on her own with very little backing! a haunting track! beautiful 8/10

"should i laugh or cry" the b-side of "one of us" can hold its own..frida delivers an amazing vocal..harmonies are great..great chorus...a favourite abba song of mine! sound have made the album..could have been a single! 10/10

"the day before you came" flopped at no.32 on release..the lead single from the upcoming "first 10 years" its a musical masterpeice..again the story runs through....agnetha delivers it perfectly..frida gives a rare opera interude! its an amazing track..it deserves all the credit it gets as an abba classic! 10/10

"cassandra" again is more musical than pop song...still its beautiful..it has its own amazing quality 9/10

"under attack" the last single isnt one of my favourites..but again i end up playing it...the sound is amazing 8/10

besucher
i think, the opener really sets the thing for the 80's. after walker brother's electrician, this is unexpected dark high class pop from a group that was written off by everybody. and it became very interesting stuff. especially for underground people. a very weird proof, get it, exectionnally.