ABBA-1981- The Visitors
"Standing calmly at the crossroads,
no desire to run, there's no hurry anymore, when all is said and
done."
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ABBA-THE VISITORS 1981 Available on CD worldwide
THE VISITORS is ABBA's most somber album.Look
at the cover, for the first timethere are four separate people,
No one is smiling on the cover ,Frida, Björn and Benny sit
there gazing off in slightly different directions.Frida looks
like Ingrid Bergman, Agnetha is wearing a green dress,-a darker
echo of her dress on ABBA's 1975 album.
Oh, and by the way, Björn has a grown a beard...
This album ,though successful, was the
start of ABBA's quick commercial decline that marred the end of
their career.
This was their first studio album since the WATERLOO album that
did not have at least two major worldwide Top ten hits.This album
was rushed into to release in November 1981 so that sales would
benefit from the Christmas markert, The amount of time between
the release of The Visitors and Super Trouper was
a only about a year , the shortest gap between ABBA studio albums
since 1975. Critics of this album say it was rushed to the markert
too quickly.
Great singles were what might expect from the ultimate pop group , but B&B no longer wanted to be limited to thinking in such terms. Bjorn and Benny were not as enthused as before about writing for ABBA,they wanted to try other things.
It, was becoming harder for
the group to work together after both of the couples in the group
broke up. Being ABBA was no longer as much fun.
THE VISITORS, despite it's mixed commercial success (and mixed reviews) was a culmination, a piece of work that wouldn't perhaps have seemed possible in the days of "Waterloo" It was work of art to be proud of regardless of it's reception commercially. Still, withTHE VISITORS there was not a conscious intent to make serious music on ABBA's part, it was simply that there songwriting had become more mature and their musical direction less commercial .
Recording an album like THE VISITORS
significantly enhanced
the ABBA ouvre. Yet, it's easier to appreciate THE VISITORS because
it's
an interesting progression from their earlier sillier, lyrically
simpler but more commercial records.
All the songs on THE VISITORS have clearly distinguishable lead vocalists. Four songs are sung by Frida, four by Agnetha, and one by Björn. This is one album where Frida significantly out points Agnetha .The Frida songs are all adventurous, sometimes weird tracks, The Agnetha & Björn tracks except for "Soldiers" are more conventional ,but all the lyrics are very intelligent. Like SUPER TROUPER this album is blessed with very strong lyrics and a refreshingly adult approach.
Many of The VISITORS songs were recorded digitally ,making this album one of the very first pop albums to include digital recordings.
THE SONGS -Note: Bjorn probably didn't play guitar on most of the tracks listed below-,but there is no way of knowing for sure.
Musician credits sourced from original CD/album liner notes or from THE COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS by Carl Magnus Palm.
1. The Visitors (Andersson-Ulvaeus) 5.49 Lead Vocals-Frida Recorded October 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad
,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Backing Vocals, Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Per Lindvall
The title track seems to about a person who is anxious about being visited by the secret police. The lyric itself doesn't explicitly state this and the "Cracking Up" chorus tends to obscure the meaning of the song a little,. Indeed ,the verse and the chorus are almost two different songs. Like many 80's ABBA songs, "The Visitors"has some sublime synthesizer work by Benny. The downside to Benny's synth dominating ABBA's 1980's records is that these later records are less dense, less collorabative, Björn often does not even play an instrument on most of ABBA's 1980's recordings.
2. Head Over Heels Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.45 Lead Vocals- Agnetha Recorded September 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
"Head Over Heels" was also
released as a single in a few places but shouldn't have been .
It broke ABBA's streak of 19 top ten singles in the UK. The song
tries to be fun but comes off as spiteful. Still typical of ABBA
records of the 80's it is both musically and lyrically a solid
record. There is an entertaining video for "Head Over Heels"
which has Frida portraying the headstrong woman described in the
song.
3. When All Is Said And Done Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.20 Lead Vocals- Frida Recorded March 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad-Agnetha
Faltskog,
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert, Percussion-Ake Sundqyist
In a few places "When All is Said and Done" was released as a single. It was ABBA's very last Top 40 hit in the USA. It has quite a vigorous backing track ,the song is lightened up a little by the etheral background vocals The song has an extremely evocative lyric. Though, somehow the line about still being young enough for sex comes off a little awkwardly. After all, even octogenarians have sex. T he song is supposedly obliquely about Benny and Frida's divorce...
4. Soldiers Andersson-Ulvaeus 4.38 Lead Vocals-Agnetha Recorded October 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog,Frida
Lyngstad
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Per Lindvall,
"Soldiers" is a topical political song of uncertain political leaning which is made even more interesting by new Drummer 's Per Lindvall's inventive off-beat drum part, and Lasse Wellander's interesting electric guitar work..
5. I Let The Music Speak Andersson-Ulvaeus 5.20 Lead Vocals-Frida Recorded September 1981
Lead Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Vocals--Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar, Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
BackingVocals, Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wallander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
Perscussion-Ake Sundqyist
Flute & Clarinet-Jan Kling
This song opened the original albums
second side. "I Let The Music Speak" is a little known
ABBA song but certainly seems to presage
Björn and Benny's post ABBA work. Once again, the lyric is
just as good as
the exquisite musical backing.
6. One Of Us Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.55 Lead Vocals-Agnetha Recorded October 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog,Frida
Lyngstad
Guitar, Mandolin & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar, Mandolin Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar,Mandolin -Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
"One of Us" was this albums' biggest hit single . Still, it was not quite up to ABBA's usual chart history, in most places it failed to hit #1. ABBA's commercial decline was beginning .The Visitors was the first ABBA album not to generate at least a # 2 hit in Great Britain (Aside from the RING RING album which had not been released in Britain.) Bjorn claims that it was number one in the last week of 1981, a week that no chart was issued.
Director's Lasse Hallestrom filmed a clip of "One of Us" which was his last video done for ABBA.
I don't care much for this song but there some who like it. The mandolin introduction performed by The Three Boys (Björn,Lasse and Rutger) is so good that it almost outshines the rest of song-which is nevertheless a solid if boring song. I dont care much for this song but there some who like it. YES , I repeat again- I dont care much for this song but there some who like it . Bjorn likes this song, Boris Putin likes this song, the Dalai Lama like this song, Paris Hilton likes this song....Bjorn's dog likes this song....
7. Two For The Price Of One Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.36 Lead Vocals-Bjorn Recorded March 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitar -Bjorn
Ulvaeus
Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog,Frida Lyngstad
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert,
Percussion-Ake Sundqyist
This was Bjorn's only lead vocal released during the 1980's, though the box set soon revealed a few more 198o's Bjorn lead vocals that had gone unreleased. It's a fun song -with as usual a good helping of Agnetha/Frida backing vocals to make the song palatable to the ears... The marching band sound at the end foreshadows similar moments on the Chess album. Lindsey Lohan likes this song....no, but she would if she heard it....
8. Slipping Through My Fingers Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.51 Lead Vocals-Agnetha Recorded March 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert Perscussion-Ake Sundqvist
"Slipping Through My Fingers"
is interesting because it is clearly written
about Björn's and Agnetha's personal experience with not
being able to spend
as much time with their children as they would like, it was a
lyric that many people
could relate to. Martha Stewart likes this song.....no not really
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room Andersson-Ulvaeus 3.25 Lead Vocals-Frida
Lead Vocals Frida Lyngstad
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
The album closes with "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'. This song inspired album designer , Rune Soderqvist to use a angel on the album cover (perhaps his best ABBA album cover).The song just has Benny playing and Frida singing on it and yet is so evocative. Frida's high notes towards the end really bespeak wistfully of a ending of something ,in way it was surprising that ABBA went on one more year but they did. This track was recently covered by Anne Sofie Van Otter with Benny playing piano on her version. Theodore Roosevelt likes this song....no he's dead...
Extra tracks:
10. Should I Laugh Or Cry Andersson-Ulvaeus Lead Vocals-Frida Recorded 1981
Lead & Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad-Agnetha
Faltskog,
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Lasse Wellander
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Ola Brunkert
The B-side "Should I Laugh Or
Cry " was recorded during THE VISITORS sessions but left
off the originl album 'cos B&B thought that it's chorus and
verse
were too different ,which may have been the case, but it's still
a great record, it's perhaps the best of ABBA's non-album b-sides,
The song is dominated by some simply overwhelming synthesizer
work by Benny, coupled with a powerful Frida vocal. "Should
I laugh" was a bonus track
on the remastered VISITORS CD .
The recent remastered versions of THE VISITORS include 3 bonus tracks drawn from the six songs recorded in 1982 by ABBA .(See 1982-The Singles-The First Ten Years and other 1982 sessions).
11. The Day Before You Came (Andersson-Ulvaeus) first appeared on THE SINGLES Recorded August 1982
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Agnetha
Faltskog ,Backing Vocals-Frida Lyngstad
Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Synthesizers & drum machine -Benny Andersson
Snare Drum -Ake Sundqvist
This was the last studio track ABBA ever made. IT came 10 years and five months after ABBA's first recording -People Need Love". It was leadoff single for THE SINGLES collection. TDBYC was a five minute laundry list of a person's day that is either boring or profound depending on your prospective.The song features Benny on the synthesizer and Aggie on vocals. Listen closely to the breathtaking "Ahhhhs" at the end of the song The video produced for the TDBYC features Agnetha and has the most story of any ABBA video clip. This song was covered by the British act-Blancmange. ". Bjorn and Benny deserve some respect for taking chances with this their the last recording they made for ABBA...Andersson-Ulvaeus
Actually recorded in 1982 well after the release of THE VISITORS
12. Cassandra (Andersson-Ulvaeus)--Frida- first appeared as B side Recorded August 1982
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad
,Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Janne Scaffer
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
"Drums-Per Lindvall
Originally just a b-side. "Cassandra" features a intriguing lyric and a rich production. "Cassandra's "packing your bags" section is one of the best 5 seconds in the ABBA ouvre. (even if the swelled voices effect was originally used by the Beach Boys ) Some of the arrangement of the song is borrowed from the then unreleased 1980 ABBA recording-"Put On Your White Sombrero". To be honest, the song hasn't aged well for me...I loved this song at first-"the oh this is a cool b-side effect" But it's not a great song-just a good one.. "Cassandra first showed up on some of the ABBA "love song" LP collections of 1983,but didnt really make it onto a wide release on CD till MORE ABBA Gold was released. It can now be found on THE VISITORS remaster and on the box set.Andersson-Ulvaeus
Also recorded in 1982 and originally released only as a B-side
13. Under Attack Under Attack (Andersson-Ulvaeus)- first appeared on THE SINGLES Recorded August 1982
Lead & Backing Vocals-Agnetha Faltskog
Lead & Backing Vocals-,Frida Lyngstad
Guitar & Backing Vocals-Bjorn Ulvaeus
Keyboards-Benny Andersson
Lead Guitar-Janne Schaffer
Bass Guitar-Rutger Gunnarsson
Drums-Per Lindvall
ABBA's last original single and the second A-side, pulled from "THE SINGLES' "Under Attack" ,was actually a fairly good pop song -but the world was cooling on ABBA . The video for "Under Attack" is ominous, at the end the four members walk away grimly with their backs to the camera. Ominous, since this was the last ABBA video. "Under Attack" was ABBA's last original single. It is a surprisingly peppy number for a swan song. But it was one ABBA's least successful singles.
"Under Attack"can now be found on THE VISITORS remaster and on the box set.
Interestingly,ABBA brought back Lead Guitarist Janne Schaffer for this session,he had been there in 1972 when it all started...He had not been available for THE VISITORS sessions but appeared on every other ABBA album on at least some of the songs...
OTHER SONGS RECORDED
A few more songs were attempted' -"Giving A Little Bit More" showed up in a edited version on the Box set- The Song "I am a Seeker" was started but not recorded by ABBA but instead given to the makers of the ABRACADABRA musical...
Four other non-album rarities were recorded
from around Early 1981 between the end of Super Trouper sessions
and the beginning of THE VISITORS. Two of the songs were limited
release tribute tracks that were recorded for Abba manager Stig
Anderson's birthday. The Stig tribute featured a new song in Swedish
by B&B called Hovas Vittne (Hova's Son) and the other was
a instrumental version of a song written by Stig (in the 1950's
) called "Tividshambo". ABBA would later perform a live
vocal version of "Tividshambo" in 1986 for a Swedish
TV tribute to Stig. ( ABBA's -poressional appearence together
) Also recorded were two instrumentals-"Nationalsang' an
unfinished track-
which was the original version of the 1984 song "Anthem"
from CHESS. Secondly, a short FANFARE" was recorded for a
1981 World Ice Hockey Championships. The Fanfare was released
as part of Polar Music Annual Report package, "Nationalsang"
has never seen release. "Fanfare" is yet another an
example of perfectly good song-that B&B have chosen not to
release properly.
In Addtion , Two Spanish recordings were made of Visitors tracks -Se Me Esta Escapando( Slipping through My Fingers) No Hay a Quien Culpar (When All is Said and done)1981, 1981.These were the last two of ABBA Spanish language recordings
| OTHER VIEWS : EXCERPTS FROM PUBLISHED REVIEWS OF "THE VISITORS" |
| "Each successive ABBA album has been a little more gloomy than the last...recent singles have been ballads of remorse and regret". There is no levity at all on "THE VISITORS except for the dark humour of "Two for the Price of One".....Whatever the source of their woe, ABBA Have again produced a album that for sophisticated pop entertaiment far surpasses what most most American and British groups can manage these days" Joel Vance in Stereo Review |
ABBA-THE VISITORS 2001 CD and limited edition Digipak
This edition Features new liner notes by Carl Magnus Palm and four bonus tracks .Lars Larsson's photo on the cover is slightly different than the original cover. Apparently, Universal had trouble finding the exact original negative. This is the longest and most generous of the ABBA studio remasters -the four bonus tracks adding nearly 20 minutes of music to the Disc. Artistically, speaking the 1982 bonus tracks are a little out of place-since they were recorded after THE VISITORS was released. But musically they are quite good...
On this version. "Cassandra" replaces ""You Owe Me One' as a bonus track. "Cassandra " had been inexplicably left off the 1997 remastering of this album . It's not particularly clear, why we can't have both tracks. Hey and throw in" I am the City" and "Just Like That "as well. Hell why not just make a separate CD for the six 1982 tracks.
The photo on the cover is slightly different than the original cover.
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;
Extra tracks: 10. Should I Laugh Or Cry; 11. The Day Before You Came; 12. Cassandra (new bonus track) 13. Under Attack
ABBA-ABBA's The Visitors -British DVD March 2007
A video review of ABBA's last studio album.
Interviews with Andrew Brown, Raphael Ravenscroft , Chris
Salewicz Jeff Rose and Louis Rogers .
Performances featured include: The Visitors, Head Over Heals,
When All Is Said and Done, Soldiers, I Let the Music Speak, One
of Us, Two For the Price Of One, Slipping Through My Fingers,
Like an Angel Passing Through My Room and more!
| THE VISITORS details | * Side 1- | * -Side 2- |
* -other tracks- |
|
* Swedish release November 1981 #1 * UK release December 1981 #1 *US release December 1981# 19 * Recorded at Polar Studios,Stockholm *Recorded March 1981-Nov. 81 * Produced & Written by Andersson-Ulvaeus |
* The Visitors- Lead vocal-Frida * Head Over Heels- Lead Vocal Agnetha * When All Is Said and Done-Lead Vocal Frida * Soldiers -Lead Vocal Agnetha |
* I Let The Music Speaks Lead Vocal -Frida * One of Us- Lead Vocal Agnetha * Two For The price of One-Lead Vocal-Björn * Slipping Through My Fingers -Lead Vocal-Agnetha * Like An Angel Passing Through My Room- Lead Vocal-Frida |
* - the two other released tracks recorded- * Should I Laugh Or Cry -Lead Vocal-Frida(b-side&Available on reissues) * -Giving A little Bit More -Lead vocal Björn (released on box set) CD reissues with bonus tracks include "Day Before You Came", "Under Attack"and either "You Owe Me One" or "Cassandra" allof which were recorded in 1982 after The Visitors was released. |
| SINGLES drawn from THE VISITORS-One
Of Us/Should
I Laugh Or Cry Head Over Heels/The Visitors |
* 1982-THE ABBA's next album-1982-THE SINGLES -THE FIRST TEN YEARS
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| MONTIEF'S HANDY GUIDE TO ABBA THE ALBUMS!!! |
| ABBA THE ALBUMS -SITE INDEX -REVIEWS OF ALBUMS SORTED BY ARTIST |
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ABBA THE ALBUMS - GROUP & SOLO ALBUM REVIEWS LISTED IN ODER OF YEAR OF RELEASE Chart revised July 2006 by Montief or whatever..... |
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copyright John Bernhardt, 2004....
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