The Vistors: The last studio album (The Visitors - ABBA)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Visitors - ABBA
Date:	20/05/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Contains four UK Abba singles

Disadvantages: A number of weaker tracks

"The Visitors" was originally released in 1981 & featured 9 tracks by Abba

01) The Visitors
From the moment this tracks starts you can tell it's completely different from anything on the previous album "Super Trouper" or indeed any other Abba album. It's not a happy song, dealing as it does with the situation facing political dissidents in the USSR & I don't think anyone would ever claim it to be a commercial song in any sense of the word.
It's a song that you'll either love or hate. I'm firmly in the former camp as I think it's brilliant ~ one of my favourite tracks on the album.

02) Head Over Heels
The rather theatrical tracks is another of Abba's "story" songs & was their first UK single to miss the Top Ten since 1975. Lyrically, it's not the best song on the album but Agnetha puts in a good lead vocal & I have a rather soft spot for it.

03) When All Is Said And Done
Whilst the UK got Head Over Heels as the second single from the album this track was released in some territories instead. It's a decent enough song (although my least favourite from the first four tracks) but the lyric:-"In our lives we have walked some strange & lonely treks, slighly worn & dignified but not too old for sex" is enough to raise a small smile on anyone's face.

04) Soldiers
Not surprisingly this song has a slight military feel to it. Again, it's not, lyrically, the strongest song on the album but it's rather pleasant to listen to.

05) I Let The Music Speak
It's apparent by this point that this is going to be a very different Abba album to any other that's gone before. This is a rather gentle song but unfortunately it fails to make very much of an impression on the listener.

06) One Of Us
The first single to be released from the album & Abba's last UK top ten hit. As always, Agnetha does a good job on lead vocal. This is definitely the most commercial sounding track on the album but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be your favourite.

07) Two For The Price Of One
Bjorn had his final stab at lead vocal with this track that deals with a man who answers an ad in a personal column. It's all a bit theatrical & the voice that's meant to sound "husky & quite exciting" doesn't but all in all I have a rather soft spot for it.

08) Slipping Through My Fingers
Like I Let The Music Speak this is a rather forgetable song. It deals with a woman watching her child go to school for the first time & therefore not having the contact with the child that had existed previously.

09) Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Definitely the oddest track on the album. There's a minimal backing track which consists mainly of the sound of a ticking clock. This is another of those songs you'll either love or hate. Not one of my favourites.


The 1997 remastered version of the album saw the addition of two Abba singles:- The Day Before You Came & Under Attack as well as Should I Laugh Or Cry & You Owe Me One. Later versions saw You Owe Me One being replaced by Cassandra.


10) Should I Laugh Or Cry
After Like An Angel Passing Through My Room this slightly more upbeat track comes as somewhat a relief. It's not top notch Abba by any means but it's an improvement over tracks 5, 8 & 9

11) The Day Before You Came
Not a particularly commercial choice for an Abba single, but lyrically speaking this is one of the best songs that Bjorn ever wrote. Join Agnetha as she tells us all about her day before her lover came.

13) Cassandra
This song has never really worked for me for some reason & I'm not quite sure why. An author once claimed it was better than Fernando. Frankly, I'd disagree strongly with that.

14) Under Attack.
Abba's final UK single (barring Thank You For The Music which was taken from 1978's The Album) features a lead vocal from Agnetha. Not Abba's strongest song but much better than much of the material on The Visitors.

After the high standard of Super Trouper this album comes as a bit of a letdown. It's hard to claim that any of the tracks are outstanding in their own right so perhaps this is an album for totally dedicated Abba fans only.

Summary: One for the dedicated Abba fan