The Visitors

“The Visitors” by ABBA (1981)   This one stopped me in my tracks. I was predisposed to dismiss ABBA as mindless pop (which is not to say I haven’t listened to “ABBA Gold” countless times). But this album is much better than I expected.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of silliness in the arranging. It’s still ABBA. But this collection demonstrates a maturity in their musical sense that is more fitting for their undeniable vocal talents. Here we have pioneering digital recording with tasteful backing instrumentals, making good use of ‘instants of silence’ that have now become commonplace in recorded music. Full use of 32-track mixing.  And the vocal arrangements for which ABBA became famous (or infamous) now display a willingness to step outside the conventional. Moreover, the lyrics reflect depth, cultural sensitivity, and insight into horrifying geopolitical realities—from a Swedish [!] perspective. It gets better the more I listen.  For an example of ABBA’s insight into the international scene: “The album's title track [“The Visitors”], according to [ABBA songwriter] Ulvaeus, refers to the ‘secret meetings’ held against the approval of totalitarian governments in Soviet-dominated states.”  [Wikipedia, “ABBA”] Poland? East Germany? Czechoslovakia? Hungary? Puppets of the Soviet KGB were ”The Visitors”. And they were not amused by your ‘secret meetings’. So musically, is this how it felt in 1981 when the Stasi came around?  (Or the FBI after you used a credit card to make a 1/6/21 trip to D.C.?) And the fourth track, “Soldiers” gives evidence of a political awareness that is apt for 1981–a moment in time when the less powerful western European nations began to tell the bullying Soviet Union “Enough is enough”. With the 1989 destruction of the Berlin Wall, this crisis had a temporarily good outcome before it got screwed up again in the early 21st century, but it’s inspiring nostalgia nonetheless. “‘Cause if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.”  NATO was not then a paper tiger, even if it seems to be today. I wonder if Taiwan has a ‘pop’ group like ABBA . . . [Full disclosure: This reviewer is a veteran of the Cold War.] Less politically, the verses in “I Let the Music Speak” have melodic lines with difficult vocal intervals, skillfully executed by lead singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, with extraordinarily creative orchestral arrangement.  Theatrical, transcendent, sweeping.  “One of Us” is a well developed song of sadness, anticipating and executing the end of a failed relationship. The third listen brought a tear. Is the “us” the man and the woman, or the two persons within the woman?  You tell me.  “Two for the Price of One” is back to more gimmicky ABBA silliness, with a hilarious ending that can be taken in more ways than one, which adds to the humor.  And anyone who’s raised a child will be drawn in to “Slipping Through My Fingers”.  “Like an Angel Passing Through My Room” is simply beautiful—melancholic, evocative, poetic, symphonic, expansive. It is reportedly the inspiration for the cover art.  I’m going to stop writing now, and just listen.  5/5

There are two types of people in the world. Those who love ABBA, and those who pretend they don’t love ABBA. I thought I was in the latter category, but this album makes me think I’m in the former. This is the first album of theirs that I listened to fully, not just the hits. I have to say it’s fantastic. I would love to listen to this again at some point.

I think I managed 4 songs before the wave of pop nausea overcame me. Like aural Kendal Mint Cake.

Wow I have been missing out with ABBA! What's up with these moody synths on the title track? Head Over Heels blew me away with its spooky, plucky synths! One of Us is a soaring, emotional masterpiece. I keep being struck by what sounds to my untrained ear like some truly inspired chord changes. What is happening! What a joy to discover this band and why did I never make an attempt to find them out before. I feel like when I watched the Ken Burns Country music documentary and heard a whole genre open up before me. As good as so many of these songs are, one stands a cut above the rest. The Day Before You Came. Sweet Jesus this is a lyrical masterpiece. Listening absentmindedly to this song the first time it is just a list of mundane everyday tasks and activities with some anecdotes atypical enough in pop songwriting to catch your attention: "I stopped along the way to buy some Chinese food to go." This Chinese food line piqued my interest, and looking up the lyrics my immediate impression was oh ok, this woman was living a boring existence before this man showed up in her life, transforming her days of watching Dallas and reading the morning paper into something unbelievably beautiful. Since the man plays such a small and mysterious role in the song, this would be an interesting enough concept on its own. But it's not the whole story, and there is more written between the lines. Why? Because if that's where it ended this would be a happy song. Instead, the vocals are tinged with sadness and there is a soft wailing over minor chords after every chorus. The narrator wouldn't be so fixated on what she used to do before the man showed up if he was still around. But he's left, and she is confronted with the lonely life she had before. For me, the saddest part of this is that she was once content with the things she used to do, but after this love, it all just seems like filler. Listening to the song with this interpretation, you hear a broken-hearted woman who is wracking her brain, retracing the steps of her life to how things ended up here, trying to piece together how she ever made it through the day at all. So much is left unsaid in this song but conveyed through Agnethaʻs gorgeous and evocative vocals. So much is left up to interpretation and speculation. It is a haunting, spellbinding song. I will cherish this song and this record. 4.6/5.

I like this less than Arrival, but I really love Abba so I'm having a great time.

Not abbad albbum

I'm so happy this is on the list! Anyone who thinks they know ABBA and haven't heard THE VISITORS have missed a major part of the ABBA story. This was their last album before their long hiatus. It was crafted as their group and their relationships were coming apart. Through it all every song sparkles with incredible craftsmanship, creativity and variety. The cover art shows the group dramatically shadowed entirely separate staring in different directions. It's a dramatic cover and a clear signal that this album will be a bit different... and maybe signaled their breakup to come. From the first notes breaking into pulsing synthesizers and Frida's dramatic delivery there is a clear change in tone over previous ABBA releases. I still get chills hearing it. "The Visitors" is a driving, paranoid opening with a great beat. ABBA can paint detailed, interesting images and tell such vivid stories in their songs, and “Head Over Heels” is one of many examples of this. "When All Is Said And Done" brings the breakups the group were navigating at the time to the surface. It's a great song that captures a level of maturity we should all strive for when our relationships end. "Soldiers" addresses the seriousness of war and is one of my favorite songs on the album. "Soldiers write the songs that soldiers sing the songs that you and I don't sing." This remains a bit too applicable to the 21st century filled with war that went on for decades while most of us paid little attention. "I Let The Music Speak" is a tribute that shows the appreciation of music itself, a subject ABBA visits often. This song clearly foreshadows later work Benny and Bjorn would do writing the musical Chess. "One Of Us" is a heartbreaking song of the ambivalence that accompanies breakups made even more impactful when considering the circumstances of the group performing it. Such a powerful expression of regret. Things get a little lighter with "Two for the Price of One" where ABBA shows off their cheekier side in the story of a lonely man who answers an ad and gets more than he bargained for. Another exceptionally crafted song that tells a fun, delightful story. "Slipping Through My Fingers" beautifully captures the feelings of a parent seeing their daughter grow up. Really amazing song. "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" is the last song on the original album and is a beautiful, meditative, wistful ending to the album. I love this song so much. The extra tracks released over the years have been a treat, some of them better than others. "Should I Laugh Or Cry", "Cassandra", "Under Attack", and "The Day Before You Came" are among my favorites of the new tracks. They've been some sustenance over the years... I also enjoyed the inclusion of "From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel" on the Deluxe Edition that gives a peek into the evolution of a song. For newcomers, though, the album has more impact with its original ending. I have loved Abba since buying the Super Trouper album back in 1981 and remained a huge fan even as most of the world moved on. Abba has created some of the greatest pop music ever so it is a great relief that they are represented on this list. There are still plenty of music snobs who ignorantly dismiss ABBA without ever considering the intricacy of their arrangements or the emotional depth in these songs. I'm glad to see much of that has faded away. For me personally this is a particularly special opportunity to opine on THE VISITORS as part of this project a week before the release of their next new studio album - 40 years later! I am thrilled to share my deep feelings for this album knowing that this isn't their last and that ABBA will continue to enrich us with new music.

It's just more ABBA. Which is a great thing in of itself. There's really not much to complain about in this album as it's a fantastic pop album. It's got a nice, powerful bass and synth chords that'll make you swoon. In addition, classic ABBA chorus is there. Favorite track: The Visitors

One of the better ABBA albums, but it may be because I just like ABBA. I might be biased because I'm gay, but it's just one of those things. I love how the album comes together and her voice is something that I can never turn down. The orchestral touches to this album are also quite nice. Highlights: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8.

ABBA bringing me all the feels.

ABBA 4 lyfe

My favorite ABBA album thank youuuuu

Score: 85 Almost every song on this album is an upbeat turn about being invaded, the inevitability of war, being on the brink of a breakup, the guilt of not spending time with a daughter, feeling alone, domestic abuse, the regret of not helping someone more after they commit suicide.. And the one song with a dark and atmospheric tone is one about how life was a miserable routine before they met someone, which you think would be a happy song, but the lyrics never once mention life after meeting the person and it's implied their life got worse instead. The music on this album isn't the absolute greatest thing but a lot of it is catchy or memorable, but you wouldn't call them hit songs. The lyricism and storytelling is what makes this album for me as it's fantastic

ABBA write some of the best pop songs out there

I never give ABBA enough credit and dismissed them because they are so popular. But they are popular for a reason.

One stand out track. Poor album. Not worthy of the list.

ABBA is definitely not in my wheelhouse. Was kind of dreading this. Then I heard the synths at the beginning of the first song and started reading the wiki article that this was a change in direction for them. That gave me some hope that it might be more interesting... but no, it's still syrupy sweet pop music. I mean, it's not unlistenable and I can appreciate that it might be perfect pop music for some people. It's just really not for me. "I Let the Music Speak" was particularly difficult to get through. So slick and overproduced. At least it was only 37 minutes long. But this isn't offensive to me. ABBA are what they are and they have no pretensions about being a pure pop group. A 1 for me personally but bumping up to a 2 in recognition that this is really just not my type of music and it's probably not that bad.

It was pretty much over for ABBA by 1981, and this album doesn't do anything to dispute that fact. They seem to just be going through the motions at times. The magic of "Dancing Queen" is but a memory. "One Of Us" is the only real standout here, and it just underlines the fact that both couples, along with the band, were no more.

Opzich wel een goed album van ABBA, maar toch wel een hoog boomer gehalte

The Visitors I’ve been wanting to listen to some ABBA albums for a while, but I knew there were 2 on the list, so I was waiting for one to come up. I’m glad it did. The title track, what a post-disco pop banger - absolutely fantastic, not sure why I’ve never heard it before. Went to No 1 in Costa Rica, and who am I to argue with that. I’ve been a bit obsessed with this song today. I’m not always that keen on some of the Spanish elements of ABBA’s music, and Head over Heels, combined with some non-specific central euro sounds, has some of that Spanish feel, but it actually is great with that killer chorus, great track. When All is Said and Done is one of those ABBA songs I’m only vaguely familiar with, but again it’s a great track, I love the synth in particular. Soldiers is a great tune, fantastic harmonies. I Let the Music Speak veers too close to musical theatre to me. I know that is a big part of their music, but this is one of the occasions when its too much and is probably the only real misstep on the album. One Of Us, again some of that Spanish sound, but it’s an undeniably great bit of pop music. It’s a bit nuts how many great choruses they can write that use Anni-Frid and Agnetha’s voices so well. Two For the Price of One - basically the bit in the middle of a Venn diagram of Video Killed the Radio Star, Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, Escape (The Pina Colada Song) and an Oompa Loompa band. I didn’t think I needed that but I love it. I’ve never been that keen on the verses of Slipping Through My Fingers, but it is rescued by an absolutely superb chorus; those minor chords in the middle are great. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room is a nice oddity, perhaps not their strongest melody but I love the spare arrangement and sad sentiments. This was great, and got better with each listen. It may not have many of their top tier well known pop classics, but there is some absolutely fantastic music on here and cranking it up on my headphones it sounded fantastic, the warmth of the sound is remarkable considering how synth based it is, and there are some brilliant little music hooks and motifs in pretty much every song, speaking to their skill as melodicists and their sense of craftsmanship. Thematically it’s pretty interesting too, with the cold war allusions, as well as references to their interpersonal dynamics, and an overall slightly downcast feel. There’s always an underlying sadness to ABBA’s music, it's one of the things that makes them great, but on here it feels like a more mature reserved sadness, rather than the more immediate melancholy of say Knowing Me, Knowing You. It’s a 5 from me - I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t really want to stop 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 Playlist submission: The Visitors

I am a fan of ABBA, and I wasn't actually familiar with this album. I loved it...A LOT!

This would've been the perfect swan song had ABBA not made a comeback this year. Easily their best album

Una ópera pop en donde todo te suena, porque los has escuchado por todas partes sin darte ni cuenta. Qué sería de todos nosotros sin ABBA...

Definitely not what I expected, much sweeter and passionate tone than a lot of abba stuff because it feels more personal

Enjoyable - not their most popular but man, they do have talent. Voices like angels!

Pop de Abba. A veces parece un músical.

The Swedish Pop powerhouse ABBA already had a couple of really big songs including 'Dancing Queen', 'Mama Mia' and 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!' but with their album 'The Visitors' they not only got another big song in the form of 'Slipping Through My Fingers' but they also made their possible biggest artistic statement by going into a more progressive and art focused direction away from trying to stay as popular as possible. I personally like ABBA for a few songs but albums like this pretty much prove that the are good at making a couple of really good songs but pretty much fail to make a full artistic project. The album starts with the spacey and New Wave inspired title track 'The Visitors' which does show their aspirations of making a more Progressive Europop sound while still keeping it easily enjoyable. And I am sure that many people enjoy this song a lot but I think that it's pretty average. Not in terms of ideas but in terms of songwriting and performance. It sounds stale, boring and like they don't really know what they try to do. It often feels like it goes nowhere at all and changes sounds just for the sake of it. To be fair, some moments are really enjoyable but others simply aren't. Some parts of the mixing and the production also definitely needed more attention. With the length that isn't really used to its full potential and repeats itself way too often, the final result is a below average Pop song where you could easily find more interesting songs in the charts today. Luckily, 'Head Over Heels' is much more interesting. The vocal style is very theatrical nearly like a Cabaret and the chorus is incredibly catchy without feeling like it comes too fast or goes too early. It's a perfect mix of styles and ideas and the result is an incredible song. Simply phenomenal. This is what ABBA is about, not full on albums. The synths are used well, the songwriting and the structuring is great and if the bridge was done a little more interesting this would've been a perfect song. 'When All Is Said and Done' follows with something that at first sounds like an 80's version of a christmas charol but sadly this isn't really added to. And the song that actually emerges is much less of a cool idea. The song as a whole definitely isn't bad but it lacks the interesting moments or a catchy chorus. The song is pretty okay but nothing special at any point after the intro. I'm just happy that they didn't strech it much longer than the average 3+ minutes. The guitar on 'Soldiers' is definitely my favourite part of the song, sadly they don't appear a lot. The song has a somewhat okay chorus and the production definitely tries to, again, go a more Progressive Pop way. I do think that they executed it here much better than on the title track but it's still a little bit bland at a couple of points. Other moments like the vocals and lyrics after the actual chorus, have enough power to elevate it into a pretty okay song though. The albums second half starts with 'I Let the Music Speak' which returns to the theatrical vocal style and this time it pushes that even further by pretty much just being a more modern version of early to mid 20th century Contemporary Show Tunes with influences from something like movie Sountracks (like Disney) and even Theatre songs (like maybe a Bertold Brecht piece). While I do appreciate the ideas and the result, it isn't really all that interesting. It feels unfocused and like it doesn't really know where it wants to go or even where it is going right now. There are way too many ideas and influences packed together that don't really know how to harmonize together. The result feels odd and not good. 'One of Us' comes along with slight influences of Raggae together with the still very Europop sound. Pop from Europe mixed with influences from a Jamaican style of music. If done properly, this would sound great but sadly it doesn't. It feels not just odd but simply bad. The chorus is quite okay but the production ruins a lot of what might be good about this. This is pretty much what cultural appropriation is. Again, if it's done properly and with enough respect towards the original culture, something like this "might" work, this just doesn't. The slight Pop Rock influences on 'Two for the Price of One' are quite interesting and the switch of the lead vocals are not a bad idea to mix things up but I can't help but feel like this is nothing more than an Ad song. Not just from the title but the chorus feels like the catchy finale for an ad except the ad is played for three minutes and is finished off with a marching band. It's not totally bad but I don't like the idea or the execution much. The soft Adult Contemporary Pop song 'Slipping Through My Fingers' might be the albums most recognizable track. It has a beautiful and wonderful chorus that is easily my favourite one on the album but... the verses and the songwriting as a whole is not that great. Not bad, the song is still good but it's pretty boring and harms the overall enjoyment a lot. The result is okay, even good but not much more, sadly. The album closes with 'Like an Angel Passing Through My Room', a song that is much more relaxed, nearly Ambient and brings in strong similarities to a Lullaby. That does make it sonically a fitting closing track but I personally am not a fan of hearing them do a three minute Lullaby instead of just doing their average Pop song maybe a little more relaxed. The song is just boring, even a little bit corny and sounds straight up bad with the repeating clock rhythm pattern. favourites: Head Over Heels, Slipping Through My Fingers least favourites: Like an Angel Passing Through My Room, One of Us Rating: decent 5 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

I approached this with some trepidation as I'm not the biggest ABBA fan. I recognised none of these tracks, even though ABBA Gold was my mother's housework soundtrack for a few years back in the 90s. Credit where credits due, I liked this. The production and mix itself is sublime, the opening title track is a fucking banger, and I enjoyed the theatricality of I Let the Music Speak as well.

Some great songs and amazing synth work, but “The Visitors” was a little too upbeat for the shit day I had.

What else can there be said about ABBA...

The ABBA album that didn't get hammered into the Australian psyche. Beautiful in parts it heralds Benny & Björn's shift to musicals. The album is hampered by some of sameness between some songs and feels flat in places

Tried listening to this objectively rather than just dismissing as int'l pop. First, the synths for 1981 are excellent! It's hard to put in context that synths didn't really penetrate pop music until the very late 70s and early 80s. Even then, they were mainly reserved for Prog Rock and Punk/New Wave. ABBA's earlier albums were more BeeGees disco, while this sounds more like Ultravox's Vienna. So, credit goes to ABBA for bringing 70s soft rock together with disco beats and polyphonic synths. Some experimentation with genres here and there. Harmonies are strong. Melodies and lyrics are often cheeky, but let's give them the benefit of singing in a second-language. Never heard "One of Us," which is the most played song on Spotify. I'll chalk that up to the continental listeners. Only song I recognized was "Cassandra," and that's fairly complex with almost a waltz beat. So this one doesn't have all the popular hits, but maybe that's why I liked it a bit more than I had expected.

Don't think I've heard a whole ABBA album before, only heard the singles. The first track is very different from what I'm used to from them and I really like it. Almost like a Gary Numan feel to it at points. Second track kinda breaks the mood and is closer to what I'd expect. The slight Swedish accent is kinda endearing. Very clean and spacious sounding. As this is goes on, nothing is living up to the promise of the first track and it kinda goes downhill for me. "Two for the price of one" is a runner up though. Listening to the deluxe edition and I definitely like some of the b-side bonus tracks more than most of the album tracks, especially "I am the city" and "you owe me one" - way more fun and infectious.

Went with a private Spotify session. Turns out it was a good call because I found this album to be very bland without the upbeat hits I had come to know ABBA for. I can't imagine ever wanting to listen to this again, it didn't annoy me, so it's not getting 1 star, but came awfully close.

Such a spirit-infusing album. It's goofy and fun but also deeply honest and heartfelt. A real achievement, especially considering barely any of their hits are on this. Best Track: Slipping Through My Fingers Worst Track: The Day Before You Came

If Rumours is for children of divorce, then The Visitors is for the disowned queer children of the most god-fearing Boomer couple you know, who have been “happily” married for 30+ years, mainly because they sleep in separate beds and rarely talk to each other, a habit they picked up as soon as they realized that neither of them actually wanted to have kids somewhere around one of said kid’s 3rd birthday, which ironically only got worse after they kicked their gay daughter out of the house, probably because they still need to support their intensely straight son who lives in “his own apartment” in their basement. And while that description is only ~75% accurate to my personal experience, it’s accurate enough for me to find The Visitors flawless. And it’s still not my favorite ABBA record!!

this is dope, a fun listen that kept my head bopping.

I should not like this. Nearly cheesy. A bit showbiz musical. But damn it's good. First song is so cool. Aged like a fine wine. One Of Us is undeniable. Everything is so well crafted and performed. Brilliant. Nice cover art as well.

For me, when it comes to the UK charts and famous pop/rock singles, you can't get much better than Queen, Robbie Williams (yeah I said it, don't come for me) and ABBA. Quality AND quantity. There's a reason 'ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits' is the second best selling album in the UK (behind Queen Greatest Hits). So how would full album fare? Particularly one with no recognisable tunes or big hits on. It turns out I needn't have worried, it's very good. The two B's of the group, Benny and Björn know how to write a catchy pop song that's for sure. It's slightly darker and moodier in tone than you'd perhaps expect of ABBA at times, but still has its lighter moments too. I feel like they could have released any track from this album as a single in their heyday and it would've been successful. A joy to listen to, an easy 5 stars and I hope there's more ABBA to come.

Seated

Sonorous Melodic varied exquisite pop perfection.

peak music 10/10

Nobody does it like Abba. This is darker and ads more hurt, stepping away from the eurovision style.

A bunch of abba songs I don’t know and they slap

Well, this starts off unexpectedly. Space pop-rock in my ABBA?! Somehow my disco boots still suit the vibe of the opening track. Great start! I was genuinely expecting a lot of slop intertwined with the classics but this is a delight! _looks at release year...._ 1981, that explains it! As I progress through this generator journey, I am surprised at how much tight vocals and harmonisation matter to me in a pop context (the stabs of "For the Price of One" is a hook). This is a group who know who they are and who find wonder in intermingling. Reminds me of Fleetwood Mac around that era but with better self-editing. "I Let The Music Speak" is definitely a precursor to Benny and Björn's musicals. "Two For The Price Of Video Killed the Radio Star" I'm surprised how many influences they wear on their sleeves. 5 stars!

Fyrsta hlustun í lélegum hljóðgæðum var lítið meira en fín, en nú erum við á fjórðu hlustun. Titillagið er fáránlega töff, og Head over heels líka. One of us og Slipping through my fingers eru fallega ljúfsár og miðaldra. Restin þroskaðar lagasmíðar, svolítið söngleikjalegar og dramatískar. Æði.

Fucking 💙 ABBA!! Brilliant! 5

Not what I expected from ABBA. Every song is impeccable, and reading about the history it’s a surprisingly deep and emotional album. I somehow loved this album front to back.

Brilliant pop, opening track set a high bar that was consistently met afterwards.

Slipping Through My Fingers makes me sad. Hadn't heard the majority of this album before, but even though these aren't their biggest or most famous hits I loved pretty much every song. I love ABBA. 5, saved to library

sure there are some songs I don't love (namely Two For The Price Of One which is terrible) but on the whole this is just very fun, very well made and actually fairly interesting pop music. Arrival is more fun, but this is the better album

ABBA is just wondrous. Good for the soul.

This one stopped me in my tracks. I was predisposed to dismiss ABBA as mindless pop (which is not to say I haven’t listened to “ABBA Gold” countless times). But this album is much better than I expected.

So good! The production is 2nd to none.

I saw the album and thought it was a shame that we didn’t get one with any hits on it. What an idiot I was. I listened, loved it and then listened again. This was such a great album.

truly an excellent, underrated album. didn't fully love a couple of the slower songs, but the singing and the synth sounds always worked well together. high energy with deep lyrics, maybe a little too pop heavy for some but definitely a hidden gem

This was an amazing discovery!

Deras bästa album. Låten The Visitors är fantastisk.

Hirbmat buorre.

Abba slaps

They sure can pump out the hits

5/5 great songwriting and a good change from the big fluffy pop hits. the songs develop and take interesting turns. the vocals are darkly emotive.

This album is a masterpiece. Right up my alley. It’s like a genre that I’ve never heard, but always knew I wanted to hear. ABBA stands for Always Been a Banger Artist. The first song “The Visitors” was a good choice for the title of the album because it is the best. However, every subsequent song was unique and unexpectedly good. I’m going to listening to this album again and again. 9/10

Awesome

This is, hands down, ABBA's best album. It was also meant to be their last - that is until their 2021 reunion. Musically, this is pure pop, but of the good kind. There are plenty of remarkable hooks that will stay with you for the forseeable future. But ABBA are not only masters of writing songs; on here they have also matured as producers and arrangers. All the instruments are played very tastefully - just listen to the bass on One of Us. The title track is pure late 70s, early 80s synth goodness. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room is sublime. The production of this album is also top notch and innovative for its time. With this album ABBA managed to go out with a bang - before being reborn 40 yeas later, also in top form. 5/5

Pretty much perfect grown-up pop.

You know, even an album of lesser known Abba is pretty damn good. I wasn't sure about the Bjorn vocals on "Two for the Price of One", but when it hit the chorus it really worked. Judging by play count, this is the least popular track on the album, but I loved it. The bassline in "Should I Laugh or Cry" is amazing. The only song that lost my interest a bit was "An Angel..."

When ABBA does their swan song, the swans do sing. Great stuff.

I unashamedly love Abba. The greatest pop songs ever recorded. This album is less poppy though (better produced and musically deeper) with more adult themes. I would have marked it down slightly but it has my favourite Abba song (The day before you came) so it has to be 5/5

naïve moi qui pensais qu'ils avaient peak sur gimme gimme

The first 4 songs blew me away. I love how the chorus hits in head over heels. Cool drum groove in soldiers. “I let the music speak” is so theatrical. I feel like it’s whole story in 4 minutes. The phone call sounds in 2 for price if one is great. So smart and well done. I feel like it’s one of those perfect albums where every note in every part is exactly where it needs to be and you could listen and notice something new to appreciate everytime. It has a lot of what I love from the Beatles best recordings but in a totally different direction/ context. I don’t know what to call their style “post prog synth pop”, but they do it so well. Great sounding record it has the best of the 80’s punchyness and crispness but with the 70’s warmth. The rhythm section is so great- every time a groove comes in it feels so good. Such a unique sound with their songwriting and harmonies . Love all the instrument and synth sounds . Also really nice to listen to following “Scum” by Napalm Death.

Wow. What a journey. Never listened to ABBA much before but this is a definite masterpiece. The songwriting, harmony, layering, everything is just perfect. What a ride

I really love ABBA. This started off alright and just got better and better. Slipping Through my Fingers and Like An Angel Passing Through My Room were the best. I love that they have a sound that’s so uniquely their own. Would def listen again

Вы не слушали ABBA такими. Но такими вы будете рады услышать их ещё раз. Не с первого раза меня пробрало, скажу честно. Но в какой-то момент наконец-то ты можешь сконцентрироваться на текстах и таки понять, о чём они и в какой момент были написаны. А, точно: это более текстоцентричный альбом, чем все остальные.

This album just hits different

I see abba i click 5 stars

Contains my favourite Abba song

I LOVE ABBA

If you don't fuck with Abba then I don't fuck with you

ABBA rocks. Both infinitely nostalgic and infinitely fresh. Their production is always unparalleled and their band cohesion is top notch, a great album on all fronts

i can’t believe i’ve never listened to a full abba album before. this is just excellent, i’m going to listen to more now

I love ABBA! Mamma mia is a classic fun movie I love to watch when I’m down. There music is so lighthearted and fun- even when dealing with more serious topics like breakups.

Love love love! I mean, I thought Abba Gold was where it was at, but this little gem was hiding! (FYI, I have not, nor am I inclined to watch Mama Mia, so there).

My partner has listened to all of ABBA's discography and didn't seem to think too much of this album compared to their other albums, so my expectations weren't super high. I expected to give it a 3 or a 4, but I really enjoyed almost every song on this album. Other than the first song, I liked everything. Some of the themes are interesting and I appreciate the tonal shifts on the album. I assume I'm going to give their other album on here a 5 as well, but I guess we'll see. My favourite songs were Head Over Heels, The Day Before You Came, and Under Attack.

This is wonderful. From the incredible title track to One of Us to best song The Day Before You Came, this is a brilliant singles band making a brilliant album. And the holograms are great too.

Mhmm.

Two ABBA albums almost one after the other? Love it! There's a lot of songs I've never heard on this album, so let's see. Didn't particularly like the titled song. Loads of really good songs, but some serious misses as well imo (You Owe Me One). Saved tracks: Head Over Heels, Soldiers, One Of Us, Two For The Price Of One, Should I Laugh Or Should I Cry, Under Attack, The Day Before You Came

If Disco died in 1979, this feels like the elegy for the day Disco died. I honestly am baffled by how much I liked it too.

Banger after banger. Very well aged. Had so many musical components

Fantastic album, will definitely be diving back in frequently. Incredible musicality, melodies, and lyrics

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: The visitors, Soldiers, I let the music speak, One of us, Two for the price of one, The day before you came, Cassandra

Fun songs, lots of variety

I literally grew up on Mama Mia. I have loved ABBA since I was a tiny child. There are very few songs that make me shiver and Head Over Heels has now been added to that list.

Class

always a favorite

Going into this I thought this would be some shitty juvenile stereotypical synth pop, I've already heard all the praise for ABBA, but this is actually quite mature. Though this spotify link sends you to a quieter version of the song, so idk which version to listen, I went with the quieter version. I HATE IT SO MUCH IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE VERSIONS. Ok actually this is really good, idk if I should give it a 5/5 or a 4/5, maybe I'll be generous. Fuck it I'm generous. 5/5, it's a very mature and sad album. It shows the band breaking up and is a fitting end. Sike, most fans said in 2021. Yeah, 5/5.

Man, I was not familiar with ABBA's post-disco sound. This was fun!

Was sceptical about late model ABBA but this was an easy five stars. Would love to see a theatrical adaptation of this, seems very well suited to the stage. Moody and eccentric with some interesting song concepts

When All Is Said And Done, Cassandra, . The Day Before You Came

I love this album. For four decades it was ABBA's swan song and it is fantastic. Such great tunes. When All Is Said And Done is my favourite ABBA song.