Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Finest ABBA album, October 30, 1999
By A Customer
This, their last studio album was truly the best work ABBA ever did. It was a drastic change from their previous poppy selves, but a natural progression since the divorce of the group's last remaining couple before the making of this album. A formidable example of their progression from their first, relatively carefree Ring Ring album. Unfortunately the record didn't do as good as their previous - it was way ahead of it's time and too drastic a change for buyers (though the album did reach #1 in UK for a little while - the singles from this album didn't chart as well in the UK or internationally). Other records from that time period sound relatively primitive in comparison. If The Visitors were released yesterday it could easily and proudly stand up in the charts. No record from the 80s could compare to the combined progressiveness and poignancy of this one. The lyrics on the songs are hauntingly poignant and yet still keeping in the alluring arrangements ABBA was famous for. Agnetha and Frida's vocals were higlighted as never before by the effects and emotion in the music. The entire album a forgotten masterpiece - from the amazing cover to the distinctive music. Anyone who enjoys ABBA HAS to (and i mean that!) get this album. I first heard this album in 95 and it has never worn on me. (hint hint: the Imported version of this album w/ the bonus tracks makes this record sound twice as good as it already is!) I will even say it is an essential for every cd collection.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let the music speak, October 4, 2001
Not by any chance the typical Abba album, "The Visitors" shows the world a totally different reality than the one that was experienced through their previous recordings. If "Ring Ring" or "Arrival" featured innocent and candid lyrics, and "Voulez-Vous" or "Super Trouper" were deeply involved with the disco-revolution that the world was living, "The Visitors", stands out as the best Abba album because of its strength. This is a pop record, made by people who know how to make pop sound like pop. Probably a big part of the strength of the album had to do with the lives of the members of the band during the recording. With guitarist/composer Bjorn Ulvaeus and singer Agnetha Faltskog already divorced since 1979, the band had to suffer the divorce of the second marriage, between keyboardist/composer Benny Andersson and singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The result of these hard situations are the most sincere lyrics ever written by this band. From beginning to end, the album is astonishing. "The Visitors" is the first (and the best in my humble opinion) track, and features an amazing Frida lead vocal, and altered all-band vocals for the bridge and chorus. The theme of the album goes through all these marriage complications, and it's mostly Frida the one who gets to sing the most intense lyrics this time. "When All Is Said And Done" (re-recorded in Spanish as "No Hay A Quien Culpar", this version is available on the "Oro: Grandes Éxitos" compilation) is a strong "goodbye" song, ironically with Benny playing an amazing piano part. We see Frida on her best vocal way also with "I Let The Music Speak", a track that explores the not always well apreciated theatrical vein of the band. The beautiful, haunting closing track (and a good farewell track for the band) is "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", the one and only Abba track that does not feature a single vocal harmony, not even in the background. The song is sweet and tender, it sounds like Frida is sending her children to sleep. While Bjorn pays his personal tribute to The Beatles with the Pepper-ish "Two For The Price Of One", Agnetha gets the chance to sing on "Head Over Heels", a great poppy track; the haunting "One Of Us" (the only song from this album that made it to the "Gold" compilation"), in which she shows yet again her talents as a vocalist; "Soldiers", which is an ambient surrealistic track resemblent to the anthem "Eagle", released on 1978; and "Slipping Through My Fingers", the sweetest song of the bunch, talking about how hard is for parents to handle the growing of their children. This song was also re-recorded in Spanish as "Se Me Está Escapando" The B-side to the "One Of Us" single was "Should I Laugh Or Cry", another breaking-up song, strongly sung by Frida. The next Abba singles were "The Day Before You Came", probably the Abba song with the greatest lyrics ever and "Under Attack", ironically a much lighter love song. Those along with their respective B-sides "Cassandra" and the silly "You Owe Me One" can all be found in different issues of this album, and in different compilations. Those are for giving the costumer a complete view of the moment Abba was experiencing while recording "The Visitors". Their strongest record was surrounded by the sense of having grown up, the sensation of maturity and the need to do more innovative stuff in the fields of music. Benny and Bjorn took their chance and let the music speak for them. They were totally splitting up, but they let the world know about it. Surely they didn't think that was true, but it was anyway. It's sad that after a masterpiece like this a band like Abba broke up. It would have been great to know their achievements in the fields of the complex 80's music scene, but one must think that everything has a planned end, and there's nothing left to do when that happens. Don't expect this to be the regular Abba CD. It is much more innovative and "experimental", if you want... But it is an Abba record anyway. You recognize them not only because of the vocalists, but also because they're "letting the music speak" by them. And that's what they always did.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ABBA's Final Masterpiece!!, April 12, 1999
Ever since the release of their first album, all of ABBA's subsequent albums kept getting better and better. "Arrival", their brilliant fourth album, is a classic, as are the albums that followed it. With "Super Trouper", ABBA showed that they were willing to experiment with different styles within the realm of pop. It seemed hard to top it. "The Visitors", however, is even better. The lyrics are more serious and personal, the themes of the songs are not always cheerful, and the musical arrangements are simply brilliant. The styles are too diverse to call it simply "pop". There are only 9 songs on this album, and every time I listen to it I wish the music would not end. All the songs are excellent, but "The Visitors", "When All Is Said and Done", "One of Us", "I Let the Music Speak" (do they ever!!)"Like An Angel Passing Through My Room" and "Two For The Price of One" especially stand out. The latter track satirically chronicles the modern day search for a mate through personal ads and adds a sexy, daring twist, tounge firmly in cheek. The title track is about the terror and paranoia of Soviet refugees. This album suggests what ABBA could have done if they stayed together; but they quit while they were on top. They knew it was their last time, and so they saved the very best for last. If you are a genuine ABBA fan, you cannot be without this album. If you are a casual ABBA listener, Take A Chance on "The Visitors". You won't be disappointed!!!
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