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Post by Roxanne on Oct 27, 2014 11:56:42 GMT
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Post by 15/11/79 on Oct 27, 2014 17:28:34 GMT
A brilliant, underrated final album.
Still sounds very fresh today.
Stand-out tracks are:
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, Slipping Through My Fingers, I Let The Music Speak.
A lot of critics claim this album would be a masterpiece if 'Two for the price of one' wasn't included. When I first heard this track I thought the ending was similar to the end of Chiquitita - jolly Sally Army Band type.
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Post by maxisaxi on Oct 28, 2014 1:38:37 GMT
Totally agree just love Fridas vocal work on the title track, just amazing. Totally blew me away when I first heard it. Also love Soldiers, never used to really like I Let The Music Speak but over the years I have really grown to love and appreciate this particular track even more. You could sense the movement of Benny And Bjorn to the musicals format.
I do however feel it would of been interesting to have heard maybe a final Abba Studio After The release of Chess.
Maxisaxi
New Zealand
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Post by HOMETIME on Oct 28, 2014 11:38:33 GMT
This album is SUBLIME. I adore it. This darker, more thoughtful side of ABBA is just brilliant. If you include the bonus tracks, this CD contains my top three ABBA songs: 1 - The Visitors; 2 - The Day Before You Came; and 3 - "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room." I wasn't wild about the singles chosen, if I'm honest. "One Of Us" was a good choice, but I think that they played it so safe with "Head Over Heels" that even the public wasn't convinced. But who cares when you have a complete set as brilliant as this one? The bonus tracks on the deluxe edition are fantastic too and it allows me to make the running order of the album even more amazing by replacing "Head Over Heels" with "The Day Before You Came" and "Two For The Price Of One" with "Should I Laugh Or Cry?" (To be clear, I still like HOH and TFTPOO). The cover is their most beautiful and I wish that more photos from that session were published, especially some solo head shots. I expressed my thoughts about this album far more clearly in a blog post last year - it's here if you want to take a look: hometimemusic.blogspot.ie/2013/09/albums-i-love-series-2-visitors-by-abba.htmlTony Ireland |
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Post by dizzymoe33 on Oct 28, 2014 17:20:21 GMT
I first listened to this album I could tell that everything had changed within the band the fun was gone and everything became much more serious. I felt that the end of ABBA was coming. Despite that feeling this is a fantastic final album. Strong and well written songs, the only song that doesn't feel "complete" to me is 'Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'.
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Post by 15/11/79 on Oct 29, 2014 22:43:42 GMT
This album is SUBLIME. I adore it. This darker, more thoughtful side of ABBA is just brilliant. If you include the bonus tracks, this CD contains my top three ABBA songs: 1 - The Visitors; 2 - The Day Before You Came; and 3 - "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room." I wasn't wild about the singles chosen, if I'm honest. "One Of Us" was a good choice, but I think that they played it so safe with "Head Over Heels" that even the public wasn't convinced. But who cares when you have a complete set as brilliant as this one? The bonus tracks on the deluxe edition are fantastic too and it allows me to make the running order of the album even more amazing by replacing "Head Over Heels" with "The Day Before You Came" and "Two For The Price Of One" with "Should I Laugh Or Cry?" (To be clear, I still like HOH and TFTPOO). The cover is their most beautiful and I wish that more photos from that session were published, especially some solo head shots. I expressed my thoughts about this album far more clearly in a blog post last year - it's here if you want to take a look: hometimemusic.blogspot.ie/2013/09/albums-i-love-series-2-visitors-by-abba.htmlTony Ireland Tony - the review of The Visitors on your blog is one of the most interesting, thorough and articulate reviews of any ABBA album I have read in a long time. Well done. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 3, 2014 11:32:21 GMT
Thanks, Martin! Very kind of you to say.
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Post by Zeebee on Jan 12, 2015 21:35:35 GMT
When All Is Said And Done was a single here in the USA and in Canada. It is one of ABBA's 14 Top 40 hits in the USA. Mike |
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Post by HOMETIME on Jan 13, 2015 14:02:45 GMT
Thanks, Mike. Yes, I always thought that Atlantic chose the better singles where this album was concerned. I remember the US charts being broadcast every Sunday on a syndicated radio show hosted by Casey Kasem. He played "When All Is Said And Done" right throughout its US Top 40 tenure at the time and spoke glowingly of it.
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Post by dizzymoe33 on Jan 14, 2015 20:01:04 GMT
Thanks, Mike. Yes, I always thought that Atlantic chose the better singles where this album was concerned. I remember the US charts being broadcast every Sunday on a syndicated radio show hosted by Casey Kasem. He played "When All Is Said And Done" right throughout its US Top 40 tenure at the time and spoke glowingly of it. My family and I listened to Casey Kasem every Sunday! He always played ABBA songs. Great memories! |
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Post by Zeebee on Jan 14, 2015 22:37:08 GMT
When All Is Said And Done was a single here in the USA and in Canada. It is one of ABBA's 14 Top 40 hits in the USA. Mike Why has the quote disappeared from my post? |
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Post by Ausfan on Jan 26, 2015 0:20:15 GMT
When All Is Said And Done was a single here in the USA and in Canada. It is one of ABBA's 14 Top 40 hits in the USA. Mike Why has the quote disappeared from my post? Not sure what quote you are referring to Mike so a little hard to say what may have happened to it. Did you back space perhaps ? |
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Post by Zeebee on Jan 26, 2015 21:38:34 GMT
I quoted Martin's comments about the singles from The Visitors album. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2015 10:30:13 GMT
What an album - and it features very possibly my absolute favourite opening one-two salvo of songs from any album by anyone, ever. Title track followed by HoH = pop masterclass.
For me, this album is ABBA's timeless monument - an incarnation of pure brilliance.
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Post by 15/11/79 on Jul 14, 2015 18:48:44 GMT
Looking for help here: what territory released The Visitors LP in a gatefold sleeve version back in 1981?
Did RCA Australia have the standard or G/F edition?
Many thanks,
Martin.
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Post by HOMETIME on Oct 23, 2016 11:43:52 GMT
The Guardian has a regular feature that includes readers recommending songs on a given theme. It can be an interesting way to hear songs you might otherwise not know. This week, they've invited readers to recommend songs about fear. I have nominated The Visitors.
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Post by WATERLOO on Oct 23, 2016 20:11:41 GMT
It's such a masterpiece. I could say so many positive things about it but I'm too tired. So I say one thing that always bugged my. ILTMS deserved a real orchestra playing rather than all these synths.
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Post by wombat on Oct 24, 2016 13:58:49 GMT
Its a very good album, the recording and mix are right at the top of everything they did. The intro to One of Us is one of my very favorite things they ever recorded.
Still, there are some tracks I skip, and the overall mood of the album is such a downer... I much prefer Arrival, back when they seemed a lot happier and the music was more playful.
Similar to a discussion I had with other classical music fans, they all loved the Mighty Ludwig Von and I liked Mozart.
Actually my favorite track on The Visitors is the often-hated Two For the Price of One. So there it is.
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Post by josef on Oct 25, 2016 15:01:48 GMT
I adore The Visitors (album and title track) and I've even come 'round to Two For The Price Of One! But then I'm like that, I keep an open mind and can grow to like songs over time. I was never a fan of When All Is Said And Done but now it's one of my favourites.
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Oct 25, 2016 16:29:55 GMT
It's a shame that when all is said and done wasn't released fully.
Is it me or is Like an angel passing through my room musically and lyrically haunting?
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Post by wombat on Oct 27, 2016 12:55:00 GMT
It's a shame that when all is said and done wasn't released fully. Is it me or is Like an angel passing through my room musically and lyrically haunting? Just my opinion, but to me, its dull and the click track is annoying. I'd put it right up there with one of the worst things they ever recorded. however I'm sure I'm in the vast minority with that opinion, a lot of people love the song. |
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Post by Zeebee on Oct 27, 2016 20:53:50 GMT
It's a shame that when all is said and done wasn't released fully. Surely you don't mean that there is a part of the song that was left out of the released version. If there were, we would've heard about it by now. If you mean that it wasn't released as a single, it was released as a single in the USA and Canada. |
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Oct 27, 2016 21:00:15 GMT
The missing verse wasn't released on the album
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Post by WATERLOO on Oct 28, 2016 8:59:23 GMT
It's a shame that when all is said and done wasn't released fully. Surely you don't mean that there is a part of the song that was left out of the released version. If there were, we would've heard about it by now. If you mean that it wasn't released as a single, it was released as a single in the USA and Canada. We heard it by now. In horrible quality: It does not only feature a fourth verse (repetition of the first) but a full different vocal-take by Frida. |
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Sept 4, 2017 11:48:43 GMT
Does the Australian pressing have the gatefold?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2018 6:47:39 GMT
A Swedish review of The Visitors from November 1981.  |
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Post by gazman on Jan 17, 2019 18:38:09 GMT
I've often thought that 'The Piper', with its rather sombre undercurrent, could just as easily have fitted on 'The Visitors' as it did on 'Super Trouper'.
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Post by akmky on Jan 18, 2019 9:59:37 GMT
When I am listenning to "Slipping through my fingers" I always hear at the same time "Hijo de la Luna" (specially the chorus) by Mecano
Could have been inspired by it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2019 9:38:03 GMT
'The Visitors' had very big UK 'Advance Orders' - by the Stores. They were 700,000. However, they were a
a big drop from the 1,000,000 UK 'Advance Orders' that 'Super Trouper' had a Year earlier. The main reason,
for the decline, in UK interest in ABBA, at that time, was the fact that ABBA took over a Year to follow up
their last brand New Single - 'Super Trouper'. The release of 'One Of Us' was 13 Months later. As other
Groups had found, you cannot be a huge Hit Singles Act and then make your Fans wait for over a Year
between New Singles. You lose Fans that way. ABBA certainly did. (Just as in the 1970's, 'Big Groups'
such as Slade, T. Rex, Sweet and the Bay City Rollers, spent ages trying to be big in the USA, and did
not pay as much attention to their UK Fans. It cost all 4 Groups a lot of UK popularity...).
ABBA's UK Album 'Advance Orders' were:
'Arrival' -- 300,000
'The Album' -- 500,000
'Voulez-Vous' -- 400,000
'Greatest Hits Vol. 2 -- 600,000
'Super Trouper' -- 1,000,000
'The Visitors' -- 700,000
'The Singles - The First Ten Years' -- 250,000
When 'Arrival' got 300,000 UK 'Advance Orders', parts of the Media made out that it was the biggest ever
Total for a UK Album. This was wrong. The Beatles 1965 Album - 'Beatles For Sale' - had 750,000 UK Orders.
ABBA didn't beat that, until 'Super Trouper' became the 1st UK Album to reach a Million Orders...
Further revealing ABBA's decline, in UK popularity, in late 1981, was the fact that 'The Visitors' was only No.1
for 3 Weeks in the 'Official' Chart of that time - BMRB. In the 'New Musical Express' Chart it could only get to
No.1 for 1 Week. In the 'Melody Maker' Chart it failed to reach No.1 at all - Peaking at No.2. This is after the
'Super Trouper' Album had been a 9 Week 'Official', (BMRB), No.1 and No.1 for about 7 Weeks in those other
2 Charts.
'The Visitors' only managed to be the UK's 17th 'Official', (BMRB), Best Selling Album of 1981. Which was very
good in the sense that it only had about 2 Weeks Sales to get there. However, it was only about the 55th Best
Seller for 1982, when it had the vast bulk of its UK Chart Run. 'Super Trouper' had been the UK's Best Seller
for 1980. As had 'Greatest Hits' in 1976, (9th in 1977), and 'Arrival' in 1977. 'The Album' had been 3rd for
1978. 'Voulez-Vous' was 5th for 1979. 'Greatest Hits Vol. 2' was 8th for 1979 and 17th for 1980. So - obviously,
- UK Sales for 'The Visitors' were a big decline, for it to not manage a Top 10 Year End place, for either 1981, or
1982. Further showing ABBA's UK decline, was the fact that 'The Singles' was only the 25th Best Seller for 1982,
despite reaching No.1 for a Week and spending several Weeks at No.2.
So, 'The Visitors' did show a marked fall in ABBA's UK popularity. However, it did sell well over 4 Million Globally.
That too was a big fall on 'Super Trouper's Global Sales. That sold over 8 Million Worldwide. But, with the much
lower, (over-all), Global Album Sales, these days, the 4,500,000 to 4,800,000 World Sales of 'The Visitors', would
be a very impressive Sale, these days...
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Post by Alan on Oct 10, 2020 15:01:26 GMT
It’s National Album Day today, apparently, and BBC Radio 2 are marking this by playing album tracks from 1980s albums all day. Graham Norton had a feature on his show this morning where he invited guests to describe an album track before it was played (the segment was called “Tune with a Tale”).
Hazell Dean chose The Visitors, and explained what the title track was about (KGB coming to take away a dissident and put them into a mental health institution on the grounds that they were believed to be insane, hence the “crackin’ up” hook). Hazell described all this in a really good way, and Graham himself didn’t know all this (even though he claimed to be very familiar with the song). He was going to listen closely to the lyrics but quite quickly succumbed to the fact that it was an ABBA song and therefore didn’t.
Although I knew the story, it was interesting hearing someone describe it, and I actually did give full attention to the words when it was then played. Opening up ABBA’s darkest album, the track is especially bleak.
Just a pity it’s followed on the album by Head Over Heels, the only track that really tries to be happier (but fails on account that it still sounds quite cold).
Anyone in the UK that cares to check out Hazell’s introduction can find it in the Graham Norton show (on BBC Sounds app or whatever) at 2:23.
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