The Visitors

Review Summary: One of my favourite albums, EVER!!!

Review:

When people think of ABBA they automatically think of the big hits; Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Mamma Mia etc. But if you look beyond these, you'll find that they were so much more than a hit factory.

They had incredible song writing talent, and this was consistant throughout, right up to this album. This is one of my favourite albums ever, it's just so east to listen to. There are no big numbers which over shadow the rest of the album, which, believe it or not, is a good thing. The tracks somehow manage to segue into one another while mainting their own identity. Standout tracks include; The Visitors, Head Over Heels, and One Of Us.

Of course, many will put this album down thinking it isn't their finest work, due to no stand out smash hits. But, please, buy this album. It is, in my opinion, ABBA's finest and best album, and one of the best albums of the decade.

Review Summary: The Visitors

Review:

Abba's final studio album tends to divide opinion, but for me it was a fine way for them to finish thier active recording career together.
'One Of Us' was Abba's last major international hit and is probably the best known track here. The follow up song in the UK was 'Head Over Heels' which shocked everyone by peaking outside the UK top 20.
Was it all over for Abba?. Well, in terms of major hit singles it certainly was (in the US 'When All Is Said And Done' flopped also), but this album gave us a few treats and an indication of where Benny and Bjorns musical interests were going (ie musical theatre).
The title track is a mighty song that I always thought could have been a massive hit in it's own right. 'Soldiers' is a lovely Agnetha song, and 'I Let The Music Speak' sung by Frida screams 'Musical!'.
'Two For The Price Of One' is a slightly naff song but 'Slipping Through My Fingers' inspired by the rapidly growing up daughter of Bjorn and Agnetha, and 'Like An Angel Passing Through My Room' more than make up for this.
A couple more single relases aside (and a rather successful Greatest Hits album, a stage musical and an iternationally successful hit movie) is was the end of the road for Abba and I for one am glad that they finished where they did .At the top.

Review Summary: Good if You Listen Carefully

Review:

And finally we come to the break-up album - the final studio offering from Abba as we knew them and another musical shift in direction. It's only when you listen to the various albums carefully that you notice a definite change to cope with the times and there is a feeling that a break-up after this album was inevitable with Bjorn and Benny looking towards new projects.

The opening track "The Visitors" is an almost frightening climatic offering. The group have said that at this point things were beginning to fall apart with little or no enjoyment from recording and playing together. This is possibly reflected in the lyrics for "When All Is Said and Done." Certainly from an artistic point there is considerable merit in this album. "I Let the Music Speak" hints at the direction Bjorn and Benny would be following in the future. It's a slightly bombastic song that you could imagine turning up on the West End stage.

This takes more listening to than probably any other Abba album and because of that it is strangely rewarding in its lack of immediacy.

Review Summary: Great album. Mamma Mia soundtrack isn't a patch on it!

Review:

The original and the best ABBA. Nobody can rerelease/rerecord these songs to make them better. Includes classics featured in Mamma Mia! the movie but the original is definitely the best in this case.

Review Summary: An undiscovered gem

Review:

I've just downloaded this and I can't believe I missed such a cracker when it was originally released. 'One of Us' is just the perfect pop song and 'The Day Before You Came' has to win the prize for the best lovesong written while the writers were breaking up with their partners. Perfect pop.