Reviews (page 4 of 9)
3.5*, rounding up, as they're just lovely singers. The music's competent, even if it doesn't have the hooks of some of their big hits.
This was ABBA's last album until recent times. "The Vistors" doesn't have a lot of hits. However, it does have some of ABBA's best work. Those songs surpass a few of ABBA's most famous tracks. I hope I can keep my great album streak up, 4 stars for "The Visitors".
Todas las canciones me parecieron muy disfrutables de principio a fin
This is very curious. It's a very different mood to the big tunes I know. I quite like some of it. "The Day Before You Came" has a nice mood to it, and I listened twice to "Cassandra" - very surprised to hear a song from ABBA with such a reference. It's surprisingly affecting. Three stars for an ABBA album - because while I enjoyed it all, only these two really stood out.
Oh no. Not bad, but not for me. 2/5
Well executed from a technical point of view, but lacking in soul. Reminds me of German Schlager.
This album is regarded by some as ABBA straying into Prog Rock. Prog is very much up my alley way so this album has always been of interest to me even if so far, I don’t own it. I wouldn’t say it was Prog for the mainstream but for ABBA it certainly strayed into a new and experimental phase with the result of this being a great album and well worth its place on the list. It was the last (until very recently) album coming at the end of their astronomical working career. It bookends what a tremendous talent they were and how varied their music really was when comparing this album to their first. There are two sorts of music lovers in this world -those who love ABBA and those who are liars. I belong to the former but whisper it! 5/5 9/11/25
My first foray into ABBA's music. I was sort of under the impression that this would be a disco album, which the song 'Dancing Queen' (to the only song I've heard by them) was. But this seems to fall into a more traditional '80s new-wave style, which works shockingly well for the group, especially given the group's very interesting and addictive group-vocal drive style. But even the synth work here remains consistently interesting all throughout; they are European after all. The backing music gives off this theatrical vibe, sort of like you're watching the most dramatic part or coda of an opera show, with my favorite moments being the sort of ominous piano part in 'I Let The Music Speak' or the dramatic string-esque hits of 'Head Over Heels', my favorite song here. But let me just talk about the songs here - 'cause Jesus, this sounds like a greatest hits record. Every song here is so good in its own way - say, for maybe the opener, which honestly scared me because it really didn't click with me at all. But so many of the subsequent songs here were so earwormy, so heavy-sounding, so powerful, so ambitious and grand, and so unique from one another. If anything, it's a bit too much at times; I'd say overproduced, almost? But not quite, just super layered, and the group vocals are always so dense and textured. I don't really care, though, as long as the songs are good, and they are. It makes me overlook the over-sentimental and over-dramatization here that I would usually despise - it's just something about this album. Such a sweet album from these Swedish legends, I really did not expect to enjoy the songs here as much as I did. Will be listening to this bundle of absolute joy in the foreseeable future.
I didn’t know a song on this album, which surprised me when I saw it first come up. Really enjoyed this. Well written, well played and well produced with seemingly no pretentiousness, which, as their last album together could have been present in abundance. A positive, after a patchy week.
Fun and not what I expected, but yet again a good but not 1001 albums great.
In a nutshell: the inferior double divorce album. It’s rough to compare The Visitors to Rumours, but it’s hard not to. The music composition and lyrics definitely reflect the mood of the band at the time. I can feel in-studio awkwardness and tension. Overall: 2/10
I reviewed ABBA’s Arrival a little over a year ago, and I thought it was fine. It had some solid pop songs on it, but nothing really blew me away. The reviews for this album mention that it’s a bit different than Arrival, and I’m not sure if that’s going to make it better or worse. I guess the only way to find out is to gimmie, gimmie, gimmie The Visitors. I enjoyed The Visitors quite a bit more than I did Arrival. This album, while a bit uneven, had some really incredible pop songs on it. The vocals were consistently fantastic throughout the album, and I really loved the synthesizer-heavy sound. The sound oscillated between lighter and darker tones, but the overall feeling was pretty consistent throughout the album. Right off the bat, I was hooked by “The Visitors.” The vocals were excellent, the synthesizers were fantastic, and that shift out of the introduction into the body of the song was amazing. I loved how the sound developed over the course of the song, and I’m amazed that this only peaked at number 63 in the U.S. What the hell were people doing in 1981? Do cocaine and stonewashed denim damage your eardrums? I was really worried that this album wouldn’t get any better than this lead off track, but those fears were laid to rest by “When All Is Said And Done.” This was an absolutely perfect pop song, and it gave me literal chills as the music washed over me. I loved the bright sounds, and the song just got better and better over the course of its runtime. When the bass and drums kicked in, it really started to cook. “Soldiers” had the best bass line on the whole album, and I really loved the dark synthesizer tones. “One of Us” had some fantastic vocals, and I loved the brighter sounding parts of the song. “Two For The Price Of One” felt a little out of place on this album, but it was a great song. I loved how the funny story unfolded, and the use of phone sounds worked really well. Overall, The Visitors was a really solid pop album. Some of the songs felt a bit like filler, and a few others felt out of place tonally, but the best parts of this album truly soared. This makes me want to check out more ABBA albums.
Abba is way more than dancing queen!
I'll stay awhile.
Well produced. Beautiful harmonies, creative instrumentation. This bops along. No stand out tracks particularly but very consistent. Definitely darker than other efforts given everybody for divorced just before. It just doesn't do for me that peak abba does
One of the most perfectly produced albums I’ve ever heard. Every instrument sounds pristine. The compositions are also great. Just wonderful pop music that doesn’t fall into simplicity like so much other pop music.
Как-будто чуть более серьезная и зрелая ABBA. Но слишком сладкая для меня.
This is not the "happy go lucky" Swedish music that I was expecting, but despite this album being mostly about heartbreak and I Let The Music speak sounding like it came straight from Transylvania, it's still nice.
Not their best, but interesting none the less
surprising album
Clearly great quality, just not my thing.
6/10
Another enjoyable listen from beginning to end. That one guy is right....there are two types of people, those who like ABBA and those who pretend not to.
Although no classics, this is still a fine demonstration of their appeal
Gibt besseres von ABBA
Very good
Some great basslines
Bittersweet divorce pop perfection
I owe you an apology ABBA, I wasn't familiar with your game
Pure pop perfection, loved this from the first time I heard it many moons ago, still love it now. Edit: I've come back 6 days later and changed this from a 4 to a 5, because I've listened to this album every day for the past week. Slipping Through My Fingers made me cry in the car yesterday.
I liked it. 3.5 stars
yessssssssss!!!! I LOVE ABBA!!!!
You either like ABBA or hate fun. 4/5
Its an ABBA record, of course its at least GOOD. This isnt my favorite of theirs but its great.
Pretty ok, but not as exciting as the abba I already know. standout track: slipping through my fingers
I liked this way more than I expected to! The only ABBA song I think I could name off the top of my head before this was "Dancing Queen" which I don't really care for, but this was good! "The Visitors" into "Head Over Heels" into "When All Is Said and Done" was a great run, and probably were my favorites on here!
Some surprisingly smutty tracks
Klassiseen ABBA-tyyliin albumiin mahtui pari hieman ärsyttävää biisiä ja pari jotka lauloi oikein tunteella mukana. Albumin kruunasi kuitenkin yksi kaikkien aikojen lempparibiiseistäni Slippin' Through my Fingers.
Lemppari abba albumi😘 Varmaan parhaimpia abba lauluja on tällä levyllä(head over heels, soldiers, i let the music speak ja slipping through my fingers) ja ei oo niitä kaikista ylisoitetuimpia biisejä joten jee. Loppua kohden pari biisiä vähän sellasia abba-ärsyttäviä mutta toisten biisien mahtavuus kumoaa sen.
ABBA was better in their earlier albums but this is still good. Slipping through my fingers and When all is said and Done are great tracks.
Not for me.
Based on how I felt the first 3 or so songs, this was going to be a 4 or 5. The tempo slowed way down and wasn't near as much fun after that. Still, not bad. Not 4 either
Who knew sad Abba was something I needed? You listen to all their hits, they sound so happy and shiny, you see them smiling while they lipsync on old shows. Then you listen to ¨The Visitors¨ and it's all good-love-gone-wrong. I know there were two couples in Abba and they both got divorced. This album sounds like their ¨Rumours,¨ except instead of bitter and angry it's maudlin and wistful. Maudlin and wistful is just what the doctor ordered on a grey, wet Tuesday the morning after an existential fight about your relationship. No notes. Best songs: ¨When All Is Said and Done,¨ ¨Should I Laugh or Cry¨
No nawet nawet. Taka muzyka do kotleta na weselu, ale całkiem niezła.
Ni fu ni fa,perquè estic acostumat als grans exits de ABBA i son molt bons,un disc que esta bé i alguna de molt bona,no siguent el meu estil li posaria un 6.
Yeah.
Pretty inarguably one of the best bands of all time for a reason. All of this is incredible even if it's not what I'm going to reach for all the time. I'm glad to get a dive in their discography other than their greatest hits album, but of course the hits on this are just perfect. Great band, great album, easy 5.
schon nich das beste abba album. slipping through my fingers und head over heels habens auf die 5 sterne gezogen
Really fun, you will always have a good time with abba. 3.7 out of 5, given a four as it's closer to a four than a three. Enjoyed it a lot, just fun and catchy, perfectly accomplishes what it sets out to.
> the Beatles
just what you expect from ABBA fine pop songs althought a bit darker with the dynamics of the band changing with the spilt up of B and F.
Þetta var bara mjög meðalalbúm fannst mér. Ekkert sem stóð upp úr en lögin samt fín. Aðeins rólegri en ég hefði búist við frá þeim en ég þekkti nokkur þeirra, aðallega vegna söngleiksins.
I know the classics, I can sing along, but I've never heard this album and I'm surprised how good it is. Id have to be in the mood for it, but I would listen to this again.
Surprising how much I enjoyed it. Felt so inventive and fresh.
I never got ABBA and I still don’t
Not my vibe. I like some abba but this ain’t it. I’m torn between a 1 and 2, I don’t really wanna hear any of this again
„The Visitors“ markiert den Schlusspunkt in ABBAs Studiokarriere und entstand 1981 in den Polar Studios in Stockholm. Die vier Musiker:innen aus Schweden klangen hier so ernst und erwachsen wie nie zuvor – eine deutliche Abkehr vom früheren Glamour-Pop der Siebziger. Synthesizer und elektronische Texturen bestimmen das Klangbild, die Harmonien sind kühler, die Arrangements komplexer. Songs wie „The Visitors“, „When All Is Said and Done“ und „One of Us“ spiegeln die persönlichen Spannungen innerhalb der Band wider, zugleich aber auch die politische und gesellschaftliche Unsicherheit jener Zeit. Auffällig ist der neue, fast melancholische Tonfall, der sich durch das gesamte Album zieht. „The Visitors“ ist kein fröhlicher Abschied, sondern eine reife, nachdenkliche Platte, die zeigt, wie sehr ABBA sich musikalisch weiterentwickelt hatten – von Pop-Idolen zu reflektierten Künstler:innen.
Why haven't I listened to that much ABBA before this (other than Dancing Queen, obviously). They kind of do a little bit of everything that I love about music. Really great heavy but tight harmonies, different and interesting instrumentation, and slick bass lines. I didn't recognize what Wikipedia is calling the hit on the album "One of Us", but I did recognize "Slipping Through My Fingers". Everything else was new to me on this listen. The only thing that I genuinely dislike is fade out endings. Give me a firm ending to a song, dammit. Favorite Song(s): Head Over Heels, Two for the Price of One, Slipping Through My Fingers, Under Attack
Singles ok, rest is filler.
Not good . Really corny
There's a good mix of upbeat and mellow tracks here. I think I enjoyed the latter in this record. Favourite Track(s): Slipping Through My Fingers, Should I Laugh Or Cry Least Favourite Track(s): Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, The Day Before You Came
There are better Abba albums, but it’s nice to have an Abba album with a bunch of deep cuts i’ve never heard before.
7.5/10 i very well see why people complain about abba, and this a wholehearted product of it's time, but in a great way. it just has this happy feel that i can't in good faith say that i dislike. not to say that it's all good, as, while i love a good drum loop, i don't like how they're essentially the same in the first three tracks, especially when those tracks make up a third of the runtime. overall, none of the tracks stick out as extremely good or bad, just an extremely consistent and enjoyable listen. favourite - slipping through my fingers, 8.5/10 least favourite - none, extremely consistent
3,56 - Ein ABBA-Album ohne Hit, dafür aber mit einer schönen Gesamtstimmung und einem Hauch von Wehmut, dass es dann (vorerst) vorbei ist. Highlights: Head Over Heels, I Let the Music Speak
#723. I've heard more than one person describe Ghost as a "goth ABBA," and now that I've actually listened to an ABBA album, I can say that I don't disagree. Some of these songs have a quite weird juxtaposition of depressing lyrics and happy sounding poppy music. 3/5: decent
Honestly I was prepared to roll my eyes a bit at this but ABBA is so so good. Very pleasantly surprised
Abba absolutely deserve their place in music history, and therefore the list. But sorry, it's just not for me.
There’s never a bad time to listen to ABBA. So many bangers. Such good music.
che ridere in realtà ho ascoltato un altro album prima e poi l'altro.
ABBA's cool and all, but does anyone on earth think of them as an "album artist" and not a "singles artist"? The Visitors did not convince me, though it's pleasant enough to listen to.
Perfecto
Distinto a lo que estamos acostumbrados de abba pero con su esencia presente, The Visitors me parecio muy divertido de escuchar (como todo lo de estos suecos la verdad). No muy consistente pero con altos muy altos, asi que se gana mis 4 estrellitas. No tengo mucho mas que decir porque abba es tan iconico que es self explanatory. Favs: The Visitors, Head Over Heals, I Let the Music Speak, Slipping Through My Fingers, Cassandra
¿Te puedes creer que nunca había escuchado este album de Abba? Con lo que me gustan a mi los power rangers suecos. Como siempre, me suenan adelantados a su época y con un superpoder para hacer canciones catchy que no encuentro en ningún otro grupo que no sea Earth Wind and Fire. Le pongo un 4 porque seguramente en esta lista esté Voulez-Vous o Arrival y porque las lentas de esta gente nunca me gustan, suenan como una película infantil de animación 3D con bajo presupuesto del año 2008. Favs: The Visitors (menudo opener colega), Head Over Heels, Under Attack
No conocía esta faceta de ABBA. Osea sabía de sobra que tienen temazos a patadas pero desconocía su capacidad para estructurar y cohesionar un album que suene adelantado a su época de principio a fin. Canciones que cuentan historias a la vez que te sacan a la pista de baile. Verdaderamente un gusto escuchar ABBA siempre. Me parece que están infrautilizados en el cine eh, mucho Mamma Mia pero yo querría escucharles en más bandas sonoras. Se me han venido escenas a la cabeza escuchando algunos de los temas Favs: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, I Let the Music Speak, The Day Before You Came
ABBA me dejó sin palabras, llevo toda la vida pensando que son un grupo de singles y de repente me encuentro con un disco súper maduro y coherente. Tiene un comienzo muy fuerte con las primeras tres canciones, y aunque no mantenga el nivel sigue siendo una escucha muy interesante (sobre todo teniendo en cuenta todo lo anterior de ABBA, música menos "sombría" y más fácil de digerir). Por cierto, interesantísimo que hayan criticado a los soviéticos en The Visitors (específicamente haciendo referencia a reuniones para aprobar régimenes totalitarios en países aliados). Justo como a mi amigo michi-album-listens, muchísimos needle drops se me han venido a la cabeza. Utilicen más a ABBA en películas/series. Fun fact: este disco fue el primero de un artista tocho en salir en CD. Ya por eso me parece que es una escucha esencial. A la playlist: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, When All Is Said And Done, Slipping Through My Fingers, Under Attack.
Keine Ahnung, warum, aber ABBA scheppert einfach. Vielleicht weil es die Lieblingsband meiner Mum ist und früher viel Zuhause lief, vielleicht auch einfach, weil die Tracks in die Legs (🥸) gehen.
Classic, but probably too old for my taste..
This is not the ABBA that I’m familiar with. Weird, but I mean that in both good and bad ways. There were a couple songs near the beginning that I really dug, the album held me for at least 4 maybe 5 songs, then, there was a series of stripped down singer/songwriter ish songs that seemed to deviate from the then modern synth driven beat. It sort of fell apart, tried to redeem itself at the end but didn’t quite make it.
While ABBA is fun, I think they’re better listening to a greatest hits album.
No, this is not ABBA as everybody knows them. So it is maybe not so bad that they were in the process of splitting when making this album.
The visitors is so long to not have a catchy part Head over heels is great, one of us is great, two for the price of one is goofily catchy But the ballads are plentiful and interchangeable 3 despite some bright spots
ABBA really isn't my thing. It's not off-putting, just boring to me. This sounds like every other ABBA song I've ever heard.
Some cool pop, probably on the lower side of 4 stars but still just about qualifies for that
The beginning songs sounded so different and so good!!! The rest of the album was good, but very ABBA - fantastic but expected.
love it
Muy electrónico. Sale de lo que conocía de Abba, pero me encanta. La canción de Pay one for two o algo así me encanta. Parece un disco más personal, como su cara más experimental
Wow, I didn’t realize I was going to like this as much as I did. Glad this is on the list, have no idea if I would ever have heard this otherwise. Not a mediocre song on this, just all synth bangers with pulsing bass and rich vocals.
6/10… 70s pop
A pretty good pop album with a different direction to their previous work for sure. Under Attack at the end was great and very catchy.
Not as poppy as i feared.
Album started with a good first song. You told me I was listening to St. Vincent. I would’ve said cool. This is great. After that, it rapidly declined into a very disappointing array of pop nonsense.
Went into this one ice cold, think I emerged with increased respect for Abba. First three songs are great + Slipping Through My Fingers. Very story driven...very cinematic/operatic...strong melodies.
Yes this is fucking great. Perhaps not as good as Arrival, but man, really good. Really strong songs Just to get it out of the way, I don't love I Let The Music Speak, its fine, but it sticks out compared to the rest of the album, a bit too much like a rejected song from Fiddler. But they follow it with the best song on the album, the absolutely superb One of Us. The backing vocals are incredible on the chorus Two For The Price of One, is another really good good song, with awesome backing vocals Maybe it is as good as Arrival?
i’m swedish and have never really listened to ABBA other than the hits, so i have been curious if there’s more to them than just a hits band. it’s a pleasant surprise to me that i absolutely love this album. it’s grown on me since i first listened to it half heartedly a few months ago. the production sounds nice and clear, even if it feels a bit dated sometimes i really don’t mind. i love the songs so much. i did try to listen to the deluxe versions as well but it sounds so much worse. more tinnier and weak sound. (Arrival will be a nightmare to try listen to on spotify as it’s awful on there. i desp need the ABBA gold remasters for the whole Arrival album) what i immediately got obsessed with is the insane vocal riffs in Head Over Heels. what an absolute banger of a song! amazing. the songs i knew before were One Of Us and Slipping Through My Fingers. the latter is probably my fave ABBA song. just amazing album all around. Cassandra is such a beautiful song as well. I Let the Music Speak is such a great example of their musical theatre writing. this was an early example of the path Benny and Björn would go down, writing musicals like Chess. the title track hits so hard in the chorus, it sounds a bit like Roxette, but without the heavy guitars. Soldiers another amazing song. i’m happy to give this a 5. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I haven't listened yet but I used to hate ABBA so much! Let's see if my tastes have changed. Didn't hate it but still didn't like much of their music and again, for me, it's the vocals. They sound like a choir or a chorus.
I hate ABBA but I hated this album a bit less than the rest. It seems they went full "serious band" here and the result is not that bad. Of course is still cheesy but at least is not embarrassing and there are actual songs. De cabeza a "Discos para conducir" to listen to it again in the future.
I've only heard the uber popular Abba songs but never listened to any other music of theirs let alone a whole album. Let me tell you, after listening to this album I can tell you I'm not an Abba fan.
This is a strange album. Its the dying act of a band geared to making hits. Yet nearly all of their interesting songs are on this record. Like an angel passing through my room is easily a career highlight. The day before you came is very listenable too. If their albums were all like this they wouldn't be held in such reverance. More is the pity.
The iconic ABBA sound, but not the iconic ABBA songs
a classic
Did I like this? No I did not. But did I appreciate it? Also no. Ah, but did I respect it for what it is? Still no, but a little less effusively. It is not what I thought Abba sounds like, so I will give them respect for that. I didn't like it, but I also didn't hate it, but I did think it went on too long. Do I ever want to hear it again? Not particularly.
1. vizitorz - 0 2. heelz - 1.5 3. done - 1.5 4. zoldierz - 1 5. Speak - 2 6. Us - 1.5 7. Price - 1.5 8. Fingers - 2 9. Angel - 1.5 10. Cry - 1.5 11. Day - 2 12. Cassandra - 1.5 13. Attack - 1
Not interested
I literally looked up which ABBA albums made the list just yesterday and the algorithm gave me The Visitors as today's listen. Huh. My dad had a major ABBA obsession for a few years, so I know all the hits like the back of my hand. However, I had never given one of their proper studio albums a listen, so I was pretty excited to see what this LP had in store! Fortunately, The Visitors is a very good album. Yes, it's a brilliant display of vocal/songwriting/mixing/production talent, but it also comes with a whirlwind of emotions, effectively serving as both a breakup album for the band and a response to the divorces each member went through during the months prior. Admittedly, nostalgia does play a role in how much I enjoyed the album as a whole, but these songs hold up much better than other songs I enjoyed during my adolescence. This is the closest I've come to giving an album on this list five stars. However, if I'm going to give something a perfect score, the deep cuts need to speak to me just as much (if not, more) than the hits and that's just not the case here. Not to say songs like "I Let the Music Speak" and "Two for the Price of One" are bad, but they don't shine nearly as bright as the album's more known tracks. I even ran through the album again after sleeping on it and the chasm somehow seemed wider the second time through. Probably worth noting that the Spotify version has four bonus tracks compared to the original LP, though none of them feel out of place to me. I'd even say that the album is probably better with them included! "Under Attack" legitimately might be a top five ABBA tune for me – what an absolute earworm. Highlights: The Visitors, Head over Heels, When All Is Said and Done, One of Us, Slipping Through My Fingers
For most of my life I had no use for ABBA whatsoever. Then my daughter appeared in her high school's production of Mamma Mia! and how ironic that a Swedish band would give me such an acute case of Stockholm Syndrome. Still not something I love, but it's not horrible. An album with more of the songs I recognize from the play would get 3 stars.
Sometimes you just need some ABBA for your day! And yesterday was a great day for that! It’s no surprise these guys ended up writing multiple musicals; these songs are so showtune coded.
Like Queen, I've never rated Abba as highly as everyone else in the world. But I've never listened to an album. To my surprise the first recommendation contains not a single Abba song I know. It started well and started interesting. Then it got a bit samey and boring. A low 3.
This started off fairly interesting, the first couple of tracks sounded like a cool indie band but each had a weird really over the top poppy twang bit at the end of a line, or a poppy turnaround or similar. It felt interestingly promising, but after that this felt like musical theatre, fairly empty sounding verses with complex story telling lyrics and then an over the top poppy chorus which didn't necessarily seem to fit with the rest of the track. Some of us I know, obviously, but I remembered the tune and lyrics which are alright. I didn't remember the faux reggae feel of the rhythm. Ick. Not for me I'm afraid. I'd like to hear the earlier abba al ums to see if they were more to my tastes in their heady full on pop days.
Incredibly catchy, but with a lot of interesting musicality and lyrics to back it up. Loved it.
It's a fun enough album with a bit more bite than I normally expect from ABBA. Favorite tracks: "Soldiers," "The Day Before You Came"
It's ABBA, you know what your going to get, and you get it. Good tunes played well. Good songs sung well, with great harmonies. I don't possess an ABBA album nor do I think I ever will. But theyve got to be worth a 3.
I didn’t expect to enjoy an ABBA album very much, but this was even worse than I imagined. Even my ABBA-tolerant wife was disappointed.
When I introduce my lovely wife to people, I quite often follow it with 'and she likes ABBA' much to her annoyance. She caught me playing this when she got in from work and I had similar guilty feelings like when ones Mum catches you doing something indecent (she never did!). Did i actually enjoyed the album? Yes, in places, it was excellent, great synths and vocals, but its ABBA.
Favorites: The Visitors, One of Us, Slipping Through My Fingers While ABBA may be much more known for their singles as opposed to their albums, I think their albums are far from poor quality, this being one of their best. The whole album gives off a lovely bittersweet feeling that I absolutely adore, and that feeling hits even harder considering this was their last album (for the next 30 years). 8/10
4.1
Not their best work
It's always a bit weird to review ABBA because clearly it's meant to be commercially successful pop music but it also feels like it has some character to it. Good sound and harmonies.
This caught me off guard. ABBA has just existed like an unavoidable pop force, but I didn't know about this. This is interesting. I'd like to re visit this some day.
you know, i don't think i've ever listened to an ABBA album before. so this is exciting.
I'm not an ABBA guy, but I respect their game. Fun as hell disco bops. This album is them trying to get all serious like they're Fleetwood Mac. But they're not. Is this on the list as a curiosity?
4.5/5?
Ikke noget for mig
ABBA is a quintessential "singles" band- undoubtedly fantastic band but the album provides an overall good experience where a studio album cannot do them justice like a compilation can. Some of the stuff is really great- the odd time signatured "Soldiers" or hit single "One of Us," and nothing here is rough. It's just nothing more than pleasant as a record.
A pop masterclass. Familiar with many ABBA tunes but not with this album, it provides all the catchiness and inventiveness you come to expect but with some maturity and fresh ideas being tried out. These songs could very easily become some of my favourites of theirs.
this was a different sound than I thought. I thought ABBA was super energetic. I don't remember the disco sound in this one. It was ok.
Good, but didn't get it's hooks in. I'll need to relisten to give it a fair shake.
Solid Abba album. Like all Abba music deceptively simple. That should earn it 4 stars but this has on it one of the best songs of all time imho, Slipping Through My Fingers and that means the full 5 stars.
It’s good, but not their best work for me 3/5
Got the feeling ABBA were mailing this one in. Formulaic simple Muzak melodies. Lacked of the magic of other albums.
Only know the ABBA hits which are great! Having never listened to an album in full this was a pleasant surprise.
ABBA seems to be able to take a wholesome and edge-less sound and keep it engaging for me. I've never been a huge fan of pop in general, but this album is great. Seemingly simplistic on the surface, but has a lot of depth.
Absolutely incredible
A nice arc of an album; I'd never heard this before.
Was skeptical based on the limited mostly pop-driven ABBA songs I knew, this was much better than expected
i do not respect abba.
Dit is ook weer zoooo typisch voor deze snoblijst. Van alle albums van ABBA pakken ze uiteraard die éne zonder hit erop. Waarom? Deze is meer 'though-provoking' (lees: minder goed). De samenstellers van dit boek gaan er in feite vanuit dat wij als lezers al heeeeel veel muziek kennen, en dat al die goede muziek ons de neus uitkomt. Dáárom krijgen we in dit boek al die obscure shit op ons dak. Je zou met gemak een tweede boek kunnen samenstellen '1001 albums just must hear before you read 1001 albums you must hear before you die'. En dat zou veel meer luistergenot bevatten dan het snobboek dat we nu aan het doorakkeren zijn.
Weer een album om tegenaan te hikken. Ben al geen fan van die suikerzoete ABBA muziek. Is dit ook nog het album met dat verschrikkelijke One of Us... Maar eerlijk is eerlijk; dit album is een stuk minder zoet, juist iets volwassener. Alles is relatief natuurlijk. Het blijft onmiskenbaar ABBA. Maar ik kan dit album warempel nog wel makkelijk uitluisteren. Niet dat dat een kwalificatie mag zijn om in deze lijst te komen. Maar we weten inmiddels dat de samenstellers het maar wat leuk vinden om ons te laten horen wat de bekendste band voor of na hun hoogtepunt ook nog gemaakt hebben. Maak daar dan een andere lijst van. 1001 B-platen van A-artiesten bijvoorbeeld.
Ja, het is moderner dan de gedateerde discohits die we kennen. Maar een band die zichzelf opnieuw uitvindt, wordt niet ineens opnieuw relevant. Het blijven zoetsappige liedjes verder, al zullen de teksten en de thema's vast wel anders zijn nu ze hier een stuk ouder zijn geworden. Ik vind dus dat dit soort albums niet in deze lijst thuis horen. Als ze nu met een verandering van geluid, weer jaren mee waren gegaan, dan zou je nog een uitzondering kunnen maken. Maar niet als laatste kunstje, want dat is dit album. Het zit tussen de 2 en 3 in en deze keer rond ik het naar beneden af.
Surprisingly great
I love ABBA but I didn't know this album at all until they used One of Us and Slipping Through My Fingers in Mama Mia. The rest is okay but not my favorite.
Not sure why anyone else bothered to make pop music in the 80s when ABBA had the genre covered by 1981. I admire their effort to move on from dance tunes; I'm giving it a 4 because I don't love them all, but I am looking forward to One of Us coming up on my kitchen playlist.
3.5
I love ABBA, and have listened to their poppier hits many times, but never this. A more mature album with the same ABBA charm and harmonies. 4* A more fun breakup album than Adele's 21 from last week. Highlights: let the music speak, one of us
Not surprised to see ABBA on this list, but kind of surprised to see this ABBA on the list. I'm mostly familiar with their previous efforts and hadn't spent time with this album aside from the fantastic "One Of Us." I had no idea what I was expecting, but it was not that. This was largely conceptual? And kind of weird? Made me think of space for some reason, but I also really dug it. I don't know how I feel about 5 minute ABBA songs, but I could get behind a lot of this. "The Visitors" and "Soldiers" were probably my favorite tracks besides "One Of Us," but there wasn't anything that stuck out in a bad way. I'd give this a 3.5 if I could, but I have to round up for the originality and creativity. Plus it was fun, which is all I really want from ABBA.
I never knew ABBA had so much depth to their music. It was a roller coaster ride of rang of raw emotion and feeling.
znaš šta, dosta dobro. nisam očekivao
Not the biggest ABBA fan, but also not an ABBA hater. Decent listen, but it's nothing to write home about. "Slipping Through My Fingers" is an all time banger though.
ultra geil. d rhythme gönd mega ab, d lyrics sind hilarious oder gfühlvoll und d melodie sind catchy.
Okay, I am not going to listen to this fully. Some of their hits are wonderful (and I can sing the words to all these songs, well, because I am of a certain age and I listened to the radio in the smallish Oregon town from whence I came): Dancing Queen, Take A Chance..., Mamma Mia, SOS, Fernando, Waterloo.... But that next level? I hope I never hear those songs ever again. And this album is full of next level "ABBA hits," which aren't hits at all (at least in my opinion). I listened to a sampling of that album and I wasn't impressed. Swedish (European) pop is puerile and I don't care who I insult. This album, even in a short/truncated version, was banal. No way this album should be included in a best of/1001 albums to hear before you die. When I pass, I will not (repeat, NOT) regret ever hearing the full album of this shite! Please...this is an insult to about 5 Beatles albums that didn't make this list, several Rolling Stones albums not to mention some albums that will never make these lists by artists such as Mark Lanegan, Cat Power, Mount Eerie, Felt, Andrew Bird, Bad Brains, Engine Kid, Kyuss, Mimi/Richard Fariña, etc., etc.... Yikes, this was just horrid. -11 stars.
ABBA is always a blast! Starts off great with The Visitors, and never lets go. When All Is Said And Done was fun, I Let The Music Speak had a nice haunting quality to it, and Two For The Price Of One was interesting. One Of Us was the highlight, really a treat to hear. Best song: One Of Us
"The best things i can say about this record... are... they are not auto-tuned... they wrote the songs... and, luckily, there are no radio hits... but, that is all i can say that is good... to the American ear, this "band" sounds like the very worst of Eurovision or "The Spanish Station" drivel... one star... for being somewhat "original"
Abba's final album in their 70s/80s career had a more mature sound than on their earlier albums. Their sound is instantly recognisable but there are no well known hits from it which is interesting. It's a consistent and good album, very precisely produced. The fatigure and tiredness can be felt throughout and it's often quite dark. It's a shame we didn't get to know what music they would have made in the 80s. But by the point this album was released, they were divorced and didn't want to continue working together. Perhaps it needs more relistens, for know it's a solid 3 stars.
Light weight bouncy pap pop! But sometimes it is very good light weight bouncy pap pop!
A good supply of ABBA-pop, sometimes fun and bouncy, always sweet to the ears. It gets dragged down by feeling like too much of the same by the end, but ABBA's still great
This is very adult music. Lots of Divorce Ballads on this one. It’s kind of tired, and a bit dark. Deffo for people with bedtimes in the single digits. The music is complex at times- like adulthood! “One of Us” is amazing. This one needs a few listens. Good stuff. THREE STARS
3’5
2 stars I’ve never listened to a full ABBA album before. I love their big hits, but this didn’t have enough of them. The first song, the title track, was great, but I lost interest after that except… Slipping Through My Fingers is a song I might have thought was cheesy before having a child. But now, this makes me cry.
I think the hipster assholes picking albums for this list don't understand ABBA. Knowing the music journalism industry, they're probably crotchety old white guys who hated disco and lit records on fire in the late 70s. Guys who stand in the corner at a wedding judging people for losing their mind to Dancing Queen. Guys who grimace when someone picks gimme gimme at karaoke and leave the room to grab a drink. But also guys who now have to begrudgingly accept ABBA as significant because people have kept their music alive for so long. But do these old bastards like the fun disco hits of ABBA? No... of course not. They think the most important ABBA album is the group's final record. An album where the disco stylings of their hits have been abandoned for a more serious glitzy baroque pop vibe. It's not quite 80s sounding, but it has hints of whats to come (i do kinda wish this came out 4 years later and was full on an 80s synth pop album, i think that would be way more interesting). It's more a 70s singer songwriter album with very expensive production and future-ish synths. This pick just reeks of hipster bullshit and an inability to give recognition to the group's iconic disco material. Do you like Dancing queen? Gimme gimme? Mamma mia? Money, money, money? Fernando? (i could go on)... well too fuckin' bad because none of their enduring hits are on this album. The closest thing to a hit on this album is One of Us. It's solid... but they have basically 10 other massive songs better than that one. Taking a quick peak through their discography, there are several albums full of hits. It's hard not to imagine one of those albums is better than this album. Now this album isn't necessarily bad... it's just not giving me what I want from an ABBA album. It's not catchy enough and it doesn't make me want to dance... so it has failed. It's a fine pop record. One of us is good. Under Attack is catchy. Soldiers was good... i think? I listened to this album twice and no hook is really sticking with me which is a bad sign for an ABBA record. *screams into the void*
i liked this album, will definitely listen to it again. i liked the difference in sound to their earlier stuff
ABBA doing what they do best, being fabulous! But this time, they’ve ditched the bubblegum pop for something a bit more grown-up. The production is slick, and you can still hear that classic ABBA magic.
Not my style
This is good but not as great as Arrival. ABBA is best when they kinda suck but you don’t care because they are just spitting out bops
Dark ABBA. I wish we had gotten more albums from their darker side. This is good stuff and they had a lot of room to explore their less happy emotions on this album, but with more time in their sadness, I wonder what they could have made. This album proves they are able to do depressing songs just as well, if not better, as their upbeat hits. The lyrics on here are stellar start to finish, from the political first side to the divorce inspired second side. Songwriting and production are also what we’ve come to expect from the band. Vocals are beautiful. Instrumentation is perfect. Not my favorite of their discography, but up there and clearly essential listening for any phan. Bravo. 4/5
Oh, nonono
This was a pretty good album! I enjoy Abba and I've never listened to this album before but I liked it!
Better than the other ABBA album on here seems influenced by Broadway musicals but lacks memorable moments.
I still love ABBA. I want to make that clear. But this is just an okay album in comparison to a lot of their bigger releases. There are some hits on here for sure but otherwise a lot of the songs feel self-indulgent. They’re softer and less danceable than a lot of the uber well known tracks. I think ABBA is a band that has more hidden gems than people realize, that being said, I also believe that the most popular songs are that popular for a reason. ABBA is a pop band after all. Some of the tracks were blatantly cheesy, with phone rings and ticking clocks and cloying lyrics. Some of the songs felt like they dragged on. Some of the lyrics felt like the worst parts of a time long gone. And yet I didn’t dislike my listening experience. I also didn’t feel anything more than general enjoyment. This album is the best example of trying too hard. And yet the visitors still gets a three solely because Head over Heels and Cassandra are criminally underrated and bring me immense joy. Plus I really do love ABBA, even at their worst.
Not my favorite- i lole ABBAs hits but this album was a little too sappy for me. A lot of ballads, not enough disco vibes. Overall- fine
I adore abba
My father-in-law really enjoys Abba. I've listened to a bunch of their albums, but they've always been albums that have one or two hits on them. I had never listened to The Visitors, and am now a bit upset that I had been missing out. A real gem of an album. Still a fun Abba sound, but a bit more mature than their earlier stuff.
Very Broadway sounding. Just OK
This would be a 3.5 from me. I understand this is their opus, but I still think it falls below many other albums at the time, unless the listener is specifically looking for the soft-pop brand of ABBA. I don't think this is nearly as strong as other 4's I've given here, but it does feel bad giving it a 3, because I do think it is better than "fine"/"good" as there are some very good songs ("The Visitor" is my favorite) and some pure emotions and sincere songwriting.
This album was an interesting listen and a slight departure from the ABBA I'm familiar with. I recognized 1 or 2 songs. Seemed they were trying to incorporate some 80s synth. It was good.
It feels like ABBA went a more somber route on this one and it just didn't really do it for me.
I kind of prefer poppy Abba. Maybe they would have gone in an interesting direction post this, but this isn't that memorable.
3/5
I can't stand this. It is cheesy. They are great musicians but the music is not for me.
There's some good songs on this but I just couldn't get into it. I think a second listen one day might change my mind
Well, I hate to admit it, but this album had some really cool synthpop elements that I genuinely enjoyed. Like them or not, ABBA was definitely forward thinking and innovative with this album, especially considering the time it came out. The production is top notch, glossy, upscale, and meticulously crafted. It still has some of those classic ABBA traits, the sleazy, poppy sing along moments that I could do without, but without those, it wouldn’t really be an ABBA album to begin with.
3/5
ABBA is awesome and they'll always be awesome. The production on their albums is fantastic and Frida's vocals are amazing. ABBA was all over the radio when I was a kid and I have fond memories of hearing the hits. There aren't any of the hits on this album but it doesn't matter to me. It's pop music and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. 5 stars from me.
Well, well, well. I fully expected to dislike this album based on their body of work, but darn it I liked it. Yes its polished pop, but not as schmaltzy as the stuff we've all heard. Sounds like they grew up a bit. Glad to have heard this one.
It's Abba trying to be more artful and less poppy, but to me it mostly ends up being quite drab and boring
After getting Arrival as #18 on my album journey, I was curious what a second ABBA record could offer on this list. It turns out the answer was weightier lyrics. The Visitors is often considered ABBA's "mature" record, as the lyrical content explores heavier subject matter than their previous work, likely a result of the band members' divorces and troubled recording sessions. The desire to be strong-willed in a tumultuous world in "Head Over Heels", the amicable parting of former lovers in "When All Is Said and Done", the emotional struggle in the aftermath of a crushing end to a relationship on "One of Us", the reminiscence of a past lover in "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room". These songs feel drawn from the lived-in experiences of the bandmates as they reconciled with themselves. Juxtaposing these personal relationship stories are songs that also delve into another ripe conflict at the time, the Cold War. The title track and "Soldiers" illustrate the paranoia that likely persisted when countries were in several militaristic efforts against each other over what was then a looming threat of communism. Having the military and relationship conflicts intertwined throughout this record seemed like a stroke of genius. Really, the only track that felt out of this place on this album was "Two for the Price of One". The song recounts a man who tries to get into a ménage à trois with two other women, except one of the women turns out to be the mother of the other. It's a rather baffling inclusion that doesn't fit the idea of this "mature" album. Otherwise, The Visitors is still an easy-listening pop record at the end of the day. If you've enjoyed that style of music in the past, including any prior hits of ABBA, then you'll likely enjoy this as well. I do appreciate the more adventurous songwriting on this record overall, though I can see why the band would break up after this one and take three decades to reunite. It's still worth checking out.
Solid album. Not as fun and bubbly as their previous stiff. Maybe a more mature version of themselves.
First of all, as someone who does not generally enjoy pop music, I somewhat guiltily enjoyed Arrival for it's breezy, catchy pop magic. I already knew the title track of this album and absolutely love it, so had high hopes and was initially a bit underwhelmed by the lack of catchy hooks and obvious 𝘧𝘶𝘯. But on a second and third listen, I peeled back the layers on what turned out to be a mature yet frequently hilarious post-30s breakup album including songs about incestuous threesomes and being “Slightly worn, but dignified, and not too old for sex”? ABBA, as it turns out, have quite the knack for cynical humour and, writing about their respective breakups brought out a fresh authenticity to the songwriting. Maybe not as much fun as Dancing Queen or Mamma Mia but another great album with a legendary opener and well worth taking the time to get to know properly.
Não é algo muito Abba esse álbum, mas amei os sintetizadores, é o intermediário entre Pop dançante e alternativo melancólico. Achei que é álbum que não tem espírito do Abba, mas ao mesmo tempo tem ali certa essência.
You know all those great ABBA songs you like? This album has none of them. This is a wish.com version of ABBA. Hey ChatGPT make me an ABBA album but make it 65% less interesting so they don’t think we ripped them off.
My wife likes ABBA more than I do (definitely). At first listen, I felt the material sounded a bit... dated. I likened it (in my mind) to some of the 80s demos where the production had not kicked in. One that stuck out for me was the Paris Sessions by Yes, from 1979. They are... just not good. But the thing is, I listened to the album a second time. And you know what? There is a lot of charm and craft to this. I found myself liking the album more and more. Songs like "Like An Angel Passing through My Room" had a lot of sincerity to it. The recording for this must have been difficult, since both couples were splitting up. I think that lends to its authenticity, particularly in songs like "One Of Us" and "When All Is Said And Done". So I felt that this was pretty well-crafted. I remember liking "Arrival" but commented that it sounded dated. This sounds a little better, in part because of the digital recording. I would probably listen to this more often than "Arrival", so since I gave that a 3, I would give this a 3.5, which rounds up to a 4. Top tracks: "Cassandra," "Head Over Heels," "The Day Before You Came"
I must admit I didn't love this album at first; I didn't hate it either. I could tell it had a different, more mature sound than previous ABBA albums. But I started to dig it after letting it play over and over. It was less campy than some of their other stuff, and had some cool, sophisticated synth and catchy guitar licks. The songs I really started to enjoy were the title track (especially once it hit the big tempo change at the 2min mark), When All Is Said and Done (one of their divorce songs), One of Us (another divorce song), and Like an Angel Passing Through My Room (very minimalist). Soldiers was kind of disappointing - supposed to be political commentary but all the pomp and pop in the choruses gives it the wrong tone. Head Over Heels was sort of fun - I chuckled at the lyrics. Hey, Fleetwood Mac turned a whole bunch of inter-band hanky panky and fallout into one of the greatest albums of all time (Rumours) and I think ABBA did a pretty good job channeling their similar turmoil into a credible album. Still, some of my favorites were non-album tracks added to later bonus releases. So not quite 3.5 for me. But better than whatever album Dancing Queen was on.
Dark ABBA? I like it. Dramatic and varied (and much less poppy than their earlier material except perhaps for One of Us, although even that one is a sad song). The one misfire is Two for the Price of One - ugh to those lyrics. Favorite tracks: The Visitors (love the dark beginning), Head Over Heels (fun song with an interesting style), I Let the Music Speak (very dramatic - sounds like it's out of a musical. Guess it's unsurprising that Benny and Björn ended up writing musicals after this), Slipping Through My Fingers (schmaltzy, but since I have a daughter who is growing up too fast it makes me go <sniff>), Like an Angel Passing Through My Room (beautiful closing track).
I don't think there were any bad songs, but also no songs that hooked me in. Just ABBA doing ABBA things
I can’t believe there used to be a time where I didn’t like ABBA - they’re fucking great. A lot of great songs on here I had never heard before, including a rare lead vocal performance from one of the lads. The bass lines on every ABBA song goes hard and this album has delicious riffs in droves. Anyone who doesn’t enjoy these songs, stop being boring.
3.5
#115 - some bangers but overall standard.
There's none of the big ABBA hits on here, so The Visitors feels like an unusual addition to the list. It's perfectly pleasant pop, but nothing I'd go out of my way for.
Pretty good effort from Abba, all the flair and theatrical pop with an 80’s edge at times. On of the best opening songs on any recent album we’ve had, masterful elevation of tension and energy for a good 4 minutes. I’m a big fan of “I Let The Music Speak”, it reminds me of “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga, just so over-the-top dramatic that it goes beyond campy and just is its own thing (both really good songs too). Also worth mentioning is “Two For The Price Of One” for the full big circus band instrumental it’s got going on. Yeah it’s hard to see how you could hate Abba after an album like this. Even “Slipping Through My Fingers” which is pretty poppy for this project, is super well-written and thoughtfully performed. Let yourself have fun with this one (and all Abba albums). 4/5
Okay.
How can you not like ABBA??? It is so unapologetically 80s. So much fun and just makes me wanna get up and dance. The harmonies are perfect and you can just tell they are having a fun time. This is amazing. I did listen to the Deluxe version and I can tell why "From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel" is just a demo lol. Actual rating....4.5 Liked Songs: "The Visitors" , "Head Over Heals" , "When All Is Said And Done" , "I Let The Music Speak" , "One Of Us" , "Slipping Through My Fingers" , "Should I Laugh Or Cry" , "Cassandra" , "Under Attack" , "You Owe Me One"
liked songs: Soldiers, I Let The Music Speak Not a bad album, just doesn't have many hits on it. 3.25
Not an ABBA fan but this has in places really touches what it felt like in the eighties at the height of cold & nuclear war paranoia, I remember growing up thinking it was when not if WW3 would start and end the world
It sounds a bit isolated and cold which makes sense considering they were on the verge of breaking up. I admire they tried something different but the execution isn't there. The songs aren't catchy and the vibe is a bit off which leads to disappointing results. Not terrible but it misses the mark.
Another ABBA album. I guess I hate fun
My feelings towards music have changed quite a bit over the course of the project. I started out just kind of acknowledging that I like what I like, then I started thinking more critically and thinking about how others feel about the music, and now I'm back to kind of just liking what I like. I've become a lot more... unapologetic with my taste in music. With that said, ABBA goes kind of crazy. I know that they're not the biggest critical darlings or whatever, but they've got some bops and this album is pretty cool! I listened to Arrival all the way back in my first 10 days of the album project. I think this is the longest gap I've had thus far between two albums of the same artist. How neat! Anyways, I kind of had more of a mentality of "This is just some silly pop music that's got good elements to it, but isn't complex enough for a high score." Too bad, past me! I happen to really enjoy ABBA after all! The Visitors is a good album. It might even be better than Arrival. I'm definitely giving it a higher score, but I also might need to revisit Arrival to possibly give IT a higher score than it does now. We'll see! But yeah, I like The Visitors. The album is a bit more complex from a lyrical standpoint. There's themes of things like regret and the end of a relationship, which is fitting given what was happening with the band's members at the time. I like that! Though I am more open to just having fun with music, I do still feel that complexity and maturity are valuable and underused in pop music, so to hear that come from this album is great. The singing is solid. The instrumentation is pretty great. The style here is a bit different from Arrival, which is good. The title track sets the stage excellently. I don't think any of the songs on The Visitors are better than Arrival's best song, that being the gem of music that is "Dancing Queen," but the overall album may very well be better. Who would've thought that ABBA would go all in on making a strong album experience rather than being just a singles band? So yeah, ABBA is cool. Light 4/5.
ABBA is one of those groups that I always seem to thoroughly enjoy but never consistently listen to. Maybe I should change that. Solid album and their talent comes through in every song.
First time listening to an ABBA album in full. This is a great album cover for a final record. Very stately, like Avalon or something. Some of these lyrics are a little ominous (title track, "Soldiers") or just wistful. "Slipping Through My Fingers" is by far the most popular song on here and it's... a ballad about how parenthood goes by fast, so make the most of every moment? Maybe this is their "maturity" record. I suppose they were over disco by this point. I mean it's not as annoyingly sugar-coated as some of their hits, and the production and the harmonies are hitting, but there's nothing immediately grabbing me hook-wise, and the more baroque dramatic moments do nothing for me. Safe to say I will never listen to this again. Feels like a record that I'd need to hear and appreciate a few earlier ABBA albums to get into this as a contrast. LOL "One of Us" has a melody that sounds a HELL of a lot like the "life is demanding without understanding" Ace of Base melody. That is probably the number one thing I will remember from this.
Surprised how much I enjoyed this album. I’ve heard ABBA songs randomly forever but never listened to a full album. It was a great album all the way through.
I've always dismissed ABBA as being overly "poppy" but I was impressed with the depth of this album. A couple legitimate hits here, but with some real interesting music behind it too.
About what I'd expect from an ABBA album. Really cool songs that inexplicably work really well despite a lot of the weirdness and more out-there elements. Good all around listen, very soothing and fun. Top tracks: Head Over Heels, One Of Us, Slipping Through My Fingers
Nope
This was bad, even for ABBA. Normally a fun catchy band, this was more "Lets try and get into the 80's" Meh.
Very ABBA but also very 1980’s, production tipped from sparking into over production 80’s synth heavy and drum machines, it ain’t Kraftwerk and it doesn’t sound like peak ABBA
Swedish Chef’s kiss.
visit veni vidi vici voyage
Hieman epätasainen, mutta arvostan kokeellisempaa otetta. Vähän arvon kolmosen ja nelosen välillä, mutta olkoon nyt 3
I love ABBA but really only when I know the songs. I knew at least 4 here so that was great.
⭐️One of Us
Bye Bye ABBA!? Who knew? Actually went out with a bit of a different sound. Didn’t quite do it for me.
Definitely not the ABBA I was expecting, but I like it! The second song, plus most of the others, are closer to what I expected. But still different from their usual over-the-top pop.
I'm actually not very familiar with most of the songs on here. But boy was I pleasantly surprised! This album slaps! It's a bit dated production-wise but otherwise a very strong group of pop songs that is still recognizable as Abba.
I don't recognize a single ergonomically precise song on this album, making it a weird 1001 choice for the world's most known band, but I'm into it. The opener had me hoping this was the ABBA Krautrock album I didn't know I needed. The stifled disco cabaret of "Head Over Heels" is delicious enough to belay the disappointment that it was not the Go-Go's tune - close your eyes and imagine that. I miss the full endorphin flood of what makes ABBA ABBA, and the soft rock leanings get a little cloying, but still.
It sounds like an album by a Eurovision band that’s been listening to DEVO, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk, Madonna, show tunes and dinner cabaret, which might well have been the case. I hear the seeds of K-Pop in a song like “The Day Before You Came.” Not my cup of tea but it has its moments. Also: Did the album cover inspire the Cardigans’ own art on “Long Gone Before Daylight” two decades later?
This LP answers the thought experiment "what if ABBA had some great songs that weren't on Abba Gold that you'd only heard 3 times in your entire life and never got sick of from overexposure"?
ABBA is one of those bands where I'm completely happy just owning their Greatest Hits release. They're talented songwriters, singers and producers. But I just don't need this much ABBA.
Seeing as I haven't actually listened to a single ABBA album in its entirety before today (I know, I know, shame on me as a swede), I thought it'd make more sense to listen in chronological order rather than jump straight into this album. As such, I listened to Ring Ring, Waterloo, S/T, and Arrival today, instead.
there some really good synth pop here
3.5/5
I really liked this. It was very good.
Can’t take ABBA too seriously…
This was good, but it didn’t have the typical bangers that I would expect from ABBA
Really interesting pop album. Not at all what I was expecting from ABBA, some really well crafted and thoughtful songs, it sounds nothing like their earlier hits and yet you can tell its the same band. Suffers from a lot of the same pitfalls of 80s pop in its lack of diverse sounds and what are now considered somewhat cheesy synth sounds, but even then theres a lot of depth and intrigue to some of the songs, some great production choices. Favourites - Head Over Heels, One of Us, Two For The Price Of One
Starts well, but apparently there’s a very fine limit to how much ABBA I can take before becoming irrationally annoyed. Thank God I’ve never been made to watch Mama Mia. The Visitors (8/10) Head Over Heels (7/10) When All Is Said and Done (8/10) Soldiers (7/10) I Let the Music Speak (6/10) One of Us (6/10) Two for the Price of One (5/10) Slipping Through My Fingers (6/10) Like an Angel Passing Through My Room (6/10) 6.6/10
I'm definitely a fan of ABBA, and this album was nice to listen to. I liked the first two songs, and of course the popular ones like "Slipping Through My Fingers" and such. Overall a good one to listen to, but as a whole album it could've been better. I think with ABBA I prefer to pick and choose songs from their albums, not listen all the way through.
Under attack ferda
A solid 3
Interesting, an Abba album without, to me at least, a recognizable single. Overall a great album, despite the lack of a familiar hit. Gotta hand it to this group, they never skimped on production quality or musical arrangements. It pays off here for me. Really listenable, catchy, with fantastic hooks throughout.
Great dance vibes
No es de mi gusto.
Tsja, duidelijk ABBA, maar zonder de grote hits. Prima muziek, niet denderend.
Never really listened to ABBA but this album is pretty good!
Epic pop music.
Un abba diferente, pero mantiene su calidad, es difícil calificar esta camaleónica transformacion
More interesting production than I anticipated
Fun album, all songs were new to me.
I've always been lukewarm about ABBA. I think it's because their vocal style is "choir" - multiple people singing the *same* melody (not enough harmony). Also because the vibe is kind of "bubble gum", even when the songs aren't happy. Overall the album is OK.
The inclusion of this album really drives home how the creator of this list really lost the thread. There is no reasonable argument for *needing* to hear this album.
While I can acknowledge these are more than competent musicians and skilled singers, the disco vibes ultimately leave me cold.
i thought it was kind of mid, i have listened before and kind of struggled to listen to it to be honest, however i love abba and i stand by that slipping through my fingers and cassandra are masterpieces
Pure catchy pop music. Nothing spectacular but no problem listening to it through a few times
Very pretty and syrupy - I got quite bored and was politely waiting for it to end. Very competent musically, arranged well, lyrics were good. Just didn't do it for me, I don't know if I'd like the same music more with less overproduction, but It wasn't for me. I'll give it a two, as three stars usually is "I get why it's here, it didn't tickle me, might come back to it", and this veers a little south of that into "actively avoid in future"
Nah
The one true ABBA maven I know stabs his finger at this as their best, the ABBA record for the ABBA cognoscenti. It’s such a lurker. Listening to it carefully today I was surprised by how catchy most of it is, as I’ve owned it for years - to be in with the ABBA cognoscenti - and thought it off-kilter, creepy. It is, but the choruses and disco melancholy and yearning remains. The sounds are all clean in the way that fake leather upholstery is easy to wipe after a swinger’s party, the aesthetic of randy people trying not to offend. The communal sing-a-long wholesomeness of ABBA surely felt comfortingly dated when they were current and with this material is pleasingly queasy: Divorce, The Musical. The intoxicating whiff of dodgy uncle that lingers around ABBA crests here. “Two For The Price Of One” would be seedy if it wasn’t deranged and earworm.
This might be their big serious breakup album, but it still sounded like clunky Europop musical theater to me.
I'm skipping this one because I really can't stand ABBA lol
I really like how much they matured on this album, with this one genuinely being one of their best. There are many elements that are much darker and really show off what else they are capable of outside of just bubblegum europop.
Estamos en 1981, hay discos realmente buenos como Juju, Dare, el de OMD, Tatto you... Abba publican un álbum de pop maduro, eso que suele ser un disco que ha perdido la magia de anteriores logros se confirma plenamente. No es su mejor disco, tiene buenos momentos, porque son unos compositores excepcionales, y una magnífica producción pero no hay rastro de lo que hizo grandes a ABBA: los hits instantáneos. Tal vez One of us o Head over heels (nada que ver con la de Tears for fears) pero ni eso. Ahora bien, es un excelente disco de pop maduro. Muy influyente en la música posterior desde coetáneos como Euryhtmics o Erasure, hasta Pulp o The Killers sin ir más lejos. Discos de 1981: SIUOXSIE AND THE BANSHEES- Juju, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - Heaven up here, THE SOUND - From the lions mouth, MINK DEVILLE - Coup de grace, THE CRAMPS - Psychedelic jungle, JOY DIVISION - Still, THE CURE - Faith, THE ROLLING STONES - Tattoo you, THE HUMAN LEAGUE- Dare, ORCHESTRAL MANIOEUVRES IN THE DARK-Architecture & Morality, ENO & BYRNE-My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía- Friday Night in San Francisco, PRINCE- Controversy, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts- I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Franco Battiato- La voce del padrone... incluso: Face Value de Phil Collins o ABACAB de Genesis. Debuts de Stary Cats, Fleshtones, Barracudas, The Church, The Gun Club, Soft Cell, New Order, Duran Duran, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Tom Tom Club...
The end? At least for 20 years. Not quite the hits that they’re known for but still some fun tunes.
I can't give less than 5 to ABBA. it's a rule that I just made up. But I love them
I love ABBA's music, and not just for the hits (of which there are many). They have this magical quality, this carefree likability, that hasn't been replicated with any other artist. And their later material (from ABBA: The Album onward) starts drenching their material in synths – but rather than this being detrimental, as seen with artists like Queen, it shifts their music to being more like early-80s Bowie or perhaps Kate Bush. Very common in The Visitors is the three-way combo of synth, acoustic guitar, and strings (violins), or at least two of the three harmonising with one another. Coupled with the singing, which is already pretty distinctive, ABBA's sound here is really memorable and you can't help but be intrigued, on the edge of your seat, waiting to hear what quirky tunes they deliver you. And man, for the most part, they deliver. There are a few songs here that are harder to latch onto due to a lack of hook, such as Like An Angel Passing Through My Room and I Let The Music Speak. You really start to feel the album's length during these songs. But then there are plenty of great tracks, usually with more driving rhythm sections and a chorus with an instantly singable melody. Slipping Through My Fingers, though a slower, semi-balladesque tune, is powerful and has a vocal/guitar melody that kicks butt. The title and opening track, The Visitors, is an excellent intro to this side of the band. It starts off slow and kind of cosmic, then transitions into a catchy disco number at around the 2 minute mark. One Of Us has such a ridiculously good melody (which the entire track is built around) that it could easily be a top 10 ABBA track, if not top 5. 4/5 Key tracks: The Visitors, One Of Us, Slipping Through My Fingers
"This has a more robust feel and tone than ""Arrival"". I read that this is a more mature album that previous ones and I would agree. It still sounds like them though "
It's definitely dated by now, but still very catchy, and their harmonies remain great no matter when you're listening
Barf
Een ABBA album staat op deze lijst? Terecht wel denk ik, ik bedoel er is weinig muziek zo tijdloos als ABBA! Vraag dit maar aan elke wedding dj/ karaoke playlist. Of elk aftelmoment wat standaard eindigt met Happy New Year, of Bohemian Rapsody als iemand weer zo nodig de Top 2000 moet luisteren... Wat ik bedoel; ABBA is wereldberoemd, dus dit kan haast niet anders dan een middagje meezingen worden! Toch? Nou, blijkbaar zijn er nog best wel wat ABBA nummers die ik nog nooit hebt gehoord! Het begint best wel heel erg nice! Iets meer up tempo ofzo? Ook als ik het zo lees een meer 'volwassen' ABBA album? Dat klinkt heel interessant! Zo zonde dan ook om daarna toch best wel weer te vallen in het mierzoete standaard ABBA repertoire dat we kennen... Wel goud dat er een soort ABBA protest song bestaat over de koud oorlog. Toch best politiek geëngageerd, die Zweden! Al gaat dat nummer stiekem toch vooral weer over liefde en hoe lastig dat wel niet is. Ach, album is geinig, toch best wel typisch ABBA, maar dat is toch best wel prima. FAVO: The Visitors, Two for the price of one, Under Attack
the harmonies oh the harmonies
Almost sounds more like a carpenter's record than the classic disco style tracks the group was known for. Doesn't have anything as immediate as they're greatest hits but there are some good sounding tunes otherwise.
There's some solid tracks on this, but also a lot of weak material
Contains one of my all time favourite songs 'when all is said and done'
Not ABBA's best, but what can I say? I fucking love ABBA. Even a so-so album of theirs is great
It's Abba, it's four stars, good stuff.
I felt every minute of that hour. 2.5
This set me on a journey exploring their music. Only knowing the hits and Gold coming into this, I was surprised by the tone (which upon further examination shouldn’t have been the case, their very first big hit was based on Napoleon’s defeat - darkness was always there). Knowing now of some of their folkier origins and the almost Carpenters nature of their first album (at least the first half - you kind of see ABBA born on Ring Ring), the sophistication here is also unsurprising. A beautiful send off for the band. Possibly their most accomplished album and honestly far more deserving of a place on this list than The Arrival (the other hit laden album represented)
Good
Not great not bad
I haven't experienced anything that goes downhill this fast since I put a bowling ball on a helter skelter. The first track is great, the rest just sucks more and more.
WHAT an album. Yes, yes, we all know sugary-pop ABBA with the ridiculous stage costumes and overly cheerful demeanour. But those long winter days with no sun and too much post-divorce schnapps will do something to your mind. The opening 40/45 seconds of "The Vistors" is just stunning. All synth and then Frida's haunting vocal kicks in. Goosebumps territory people.
Boring.
How is this so good??
Fryktelig
I’m used to the very Mamma Miad version of ABBA so the first couple songs I had been pleasantly surprised. I actually really enjoyed this album!!! She has beautiful voice and they are good.
So...it sounds like ABBA listened to Gary Numan for 3 months and then released this. ...although then they couldn't help themselves - by the 2nd song they're in full ABBA mode. YMMV - for me it's light nostalgia just hearing their harmonies and it's a fine enough listen - not entirely sure why it's essential though. A very light 3 here and moving on. 5/10 3 stars
I don’t say this because of the musical that’s been constructed around their songs, but this album sounds like the soundtrack album from the musical. It sounds like Andrew. Lloyd Webber. I neither hate nor love it, it’s just Music for another purpose. It sounds like Benny Sitting in his piano smashing out tunes on the plus side. I have a new appreciation for how good the singers in ABBA were.
When I looked at the track list for this album and saw no recognisable titles, I was surprised it was considered to be an essential ABBA album. It turns out I was wrong, because I know One Of Us, but I was right about not knowing anything else. It is still a very fun, and very catchy album. It made me question how it was decided which ones were released as singles because there are no bad tracks here. As a side note, you could definitely add distorted guitars to almost any track here and it would be a Ghost song.
Disappointing. I like ABBA but not this album. The songs are listless and lack any groove or energy.
Now we're talking. Right off the bat i love the build up. The sound is pretty consistently solid throughout.
Very solid. Title track is outstanding. Everything is tight. 4.1
wow did not expect this side of Abba, so good
WOW I LOVE THIS!!
They heavily influenced 80s synth pop and for that they deserve a rating. Some of the tunes were ok.
Not ABBA’s best but still awesome. Great music for running or dancing around in private.
Abba is a one hit wonder as far as I am concerned
I survived listening to the entire album. No idea how ABBA was so successful. Seems rather generic and bland.
Fine, not their best work
Abba. What can I say. All good. Good vocals, good harmonies and overall, great album.
This didn’t make as big an impression as I expected - not as memorable as others but it’s still ABBA and Mr Stoat would be Disappointed if I gave it any less than 4!
Not the best slbum. One or two good songs.
wtf ABBA haha? Hvorfor så fed? Farligt tæt på en 5'er. Udover alle skilsmisserne skulle man næsten tro, at vores svenske kammerater oplevede lidt kold krigsangst i 80'erne
Føler lidt at Venn-diagrammet for progressive rock og disco var en cirkel i 1981. Hvis det her overhovedet er disco? Det er i hvert fald fed, nærmest wall-to-wall bangere
Better than what I feared. Well produced.
Brilliant end to their career
ABBA, but for grown ups. Honestly, it's not bad at all - they all have an innate sense of how to sing and perform together that's pretty unteachable, but it doesn't quite have the fun factor of all the horrible nonsense they did in the 70s.