The Visitors
Studio album by ABBA
Released	November 30, 1981
Recorded	March 1981- November 1981
Genre	Pop
Length	37:39
Label	Polar (original release) PolyGram (1992 - 1997) Universal Music (1998 - )
Producer	Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
ABBA chronology
Super Trouper (1980) The Visitors (1981) The Singles: The First Ten Years (1982)

The Visitors is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure See also Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 List of 'years in music'

With The Visitors, ABBA took several steps away from the "lighter" pop music they had recorded previously. The album is regarded as a complex and mature effort. ^[1] The opening track, "The Visitors", with its mysterious synthesizer sounds and the distinct lead vocal by Anni-Frid Lyngstad, announced a change in musical style. Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian

The Visitors album was one of the first records to be recorded and mixed digitally, and was the first in history to be issued in the new CD format in 1983. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio ^[2] The Visitors has been reissued in digitally remastered form three times - first in 1997, then in 2001 and again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set. For other uses see The Complete Studio Recordings The Complete Studio Recordings is a Box set of all the studio albums released A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is a compilation of various musical recordings Films Television programs or other collection

Contents 1 Recording and Release 2 The Album Cover 3 Track listing 3.1 CD re-issues, bonus tracks 4 Personnel 5 Production 6 Other Recordings of the Period 7 Charts 8 Notes

Recording and Release

Following the divorce of Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, recording began on what was to become ABBA's final studio album on 16th March 1981. Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian ^[3]

The members of ABBA and their personnel have memories of the recording sessions for this album being rather difficult. To begin with, their sound engineer Michael Tretow had to become accustomed to using the new 32 track digital recorder that had been purchased for Polar Music Studios. Bo Michael Tretow, born August 20 1944 in Norrköping, Sweden, Audio engineer most notably for Swedish pop group He said, 'Digital recording. . . cut out all the hiss, but it also meant that sounds were sharply cut off below a certain level. The sound simply became too clean, so I had to find ways of compensating for that. ' The first three tracks for the album had already been recorded using analogue tape and therefore Tretow had to transfer all subsequent tracks from digital to analogue and back again to avoid a difference in quality. ^[4]

Ulvaeus also mentioned in retrospect that the recording sessions were troubled. 'It could be frosty sometimes', he acknowledged in an interview. Lyngstad also commented that they were beginning to tire of working together. ^[5]

On its release, The Visitors reached the top of the charts in a number of territories but was not as successful as their previous albums. ^[6]

The Visitors was the only album where both promotional videos and songs were recorded in digital formats, unlike other previous albums like Super Trouper which use films.

The Album Cover

Rune Söderqvist designed the cover and photographed the group in a room containing Julius Kronberg's painting of Eros. Julius Kronberg, Swedish painter, 1850 - 1921 Julius Kronberg received education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm in the The room is the Atelje Studio in Skansen Park, Stockholm. The group are positioned apart and appear to be waiting solemnly in the shadows. . ^[7]. ^[8]

Track listing

All songs by Andersson and Ulvaeus.

Side A

1. "The Visitors" – 5:47
2. "Head Over Heels" – 3:48
3. "When All Is Said and Done" – 3:17
4. "Soldiers" – 4:41

Side B

5. "I Let The Music Speak" – 5:23
6. "One of Us" – 3:57
7. "Two For The Price Of One" – 3:38
8. "Slipping Through My Fingers" – 3:53
9. "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room" – 3:40

CD re-issues, bonus tracks

The Visitors was remastered and reissued in 1997 and 2001 with four bonus tracks:

10. "Should I Laugh Or Cry" – 4:29
11. "The Day Before You Came" – 5:53
12. "Cassandra" – 4:56 (on 2001 remaster only)
13. "Under Attack" – 3:48
14. "You Owe Me One" – 3:26 (on 1997 remaster only)

The Visitors was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set with several bonus tracks:

10. "Should I Laugh Or Cry" – 4:32
11. "No Hay A Quien Culpar" (Andersson, Ulvaeus, Buddy McCluskey, Mary McCluskey) – 3:14
12. "Se Me Está Escapando" (Andersson, Ulvaeus, B. " The Visitors " originally "Den första" (meaning "The First" was the final single release from Swedish pop group ABBA 's studio " Head over Heels " is the title of a 1981 song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as a single the following year " When All Is Said and Done " is the name of a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA. " One of Us " from 1981 was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's final studio album The Visitors, their eighth for "Two For The Price of One" is the name of a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in March 1981 for inclusion on their studio album The Visitors Slipping Through My Fingers is a song written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA from their 1981 album Like " The Day Before You Came " is a song recorded and released by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Cassandra " originally "El Paso" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on October 18, 1982 as the B-side Under Attack was the last single release by Swedish pop group ABBA. " You Owe Me One " is a song recorded in May 1982 by Swedish pop group ABBA. For other uses see The Complete Studio Recordings The Complete Studio Recordings is a Box set of all the studio albums released Slipping Through My Fingers is a song written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA from their 1981 album McCluskey, M. McCluskey) – 3:54
13. "The Day Before You Came" – 5:51
14. "Cassandra" – 4:54
15. "Under Attack" – 3:49
16. "You Owe Me One" – 3:26

Tracks 11–12 are from the Spanish and Latin American version of the album The Visitors. " The Day Before You Came " is a song recorded and released by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Cassandra " originally "El Paso" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on October 18, 1982 as the B-side Under Attack was the last single release by Swedish pop group ABBA. " You Owe Me One " is a song recorded in May 1982 by Swedish pop group ABBA. Tracks 13–16 are recorded and originally published in 1982.

Personnel

ABBA

• Benny Andersson – synthesizer, keyboards, vocals
• Agnetha Fältskog – vocals
• Anni-Frid Lyngstad – vocals
• Björn Ulvaeus – acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals

Additional personnel'

• Ola Brunkert – drums
• Rutger Gunnarsson – bass, percussion
• Janne Kling – wind
• Per Lindvall – drums
• Åke Sundqvist – percussion
• Three Boys – bass, mandolin, keyboards
• Lasse Wellander – acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Production

• Producers: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
• Arrangers: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
• Engineer: Michael B. Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Agnetha Åse Fältskog (aŋneta osɛ fɛltskug (born Agneta Åse Fältskog) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter and Record Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, bjœɳ ɵlˈveɵs (born April 25 1945 is a Swedish Musician, Composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of Guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter louder sound The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Ola Brunkert ( September 15, 1946 - March 16, 2008) was one of the main session drummers for ABBA. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder Tretow
• Design: Rune Söderqvist

Other Recordings of the Period

During the recording of The Visitors, ABBA were also involved in making additional recordings. In March, the group once again dug up a melody that had been tried out in the studios on several occasions during previous years but never used. Eventually, it became the song Anthem in the musical "Chess" but on this occasion was called Nationalsang. Chess is a musical with Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA In April the group spent two days recording tracks for the Dick Cavett TV special. In May, the group tried out (and subsequently abandoned) two more songs for the album - I Am A Musician (which later became "I Am The Seeker" from the musical Abbacadabra, and also "Givin' a Little Bit More'" (which eventually saw the light of the day on the box set "Thank You For The Music"). Abbacadabra is the name of a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA originally produced for French television in 1983 by Thank You For The Music is the title of a box set by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1994 ^[9]

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Australia Album Chart	22
1981	Austria Album Chart	3
1981	Belgium Album Chart	1
1981	Dutch Album Chart	1 (6)
1981	Finland Album Chart	3
1981	France Album Chart	12
1981	Italy Album Chart	35
1981	Japan Album Chart	12
1981	Mexico Album Chart	38
1981	New Zealand Album Chart	19
1981	Norway Album Chart	1 (5)
1981	South Africa Album Chart	3
1981	Spain Album Chart	6
1981	Sweden Album Chart	1 (9)
1981	Switzerland Album Chart	1
1981	UK Album Chart	1 (3)
1982	U. S. Billboard 200	29
1981	West Germany Album Chart	1 (5)
1981	Zimbabwe Album Chart	1 (1)

Singles - Australia Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"One Of Us"	Australia Singles Chart	48
1981	"When All Is Said And Done"	Australia Singles Chart	81

Singles - Mexico Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"When All Is Said And Done"	Mexico Singles Chart	29
1981	"Head Over Heels"	Mexico Singles Chart	45

Singles - New Zealand Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"One Of Us"	New Zealand Singles Chart	43

Singles - Norway Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"One Of Us"	Norway's Singles Chart	6
1981	"The day before you came"	Norway's Singles Chart	5

Singles - Sweden Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"One Of Us"	Sweden Singles Chart	2

Singles - UK Singles Chart

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"One Of Us"	UK Singles Chart	3
1982	"Head Over Heels"	UK Singles Chart	25

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	"When All Is Said and Done"	Adult Contemporary	10
1982	"When All Is Said And Done"	The Billboard Hot 100	27
1982	"The Visitors/When All Is Said And Done"	Club Play Singles	8
1982	"The Visitors"	The Billboard Hot 100	63
1983	"One Of Us"	Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles	107
1983	"One Of Us"	Adult Contemporary	33

Preceded by Greatest Hits by Queen

UK Albums Chart number one album December 20, 1981 - January 29, 1982

Succeeded by Love Songs by Barbra Striesand

Notes

1. ^ allmusic ((( The Visitors > Overview )))
2. ^ 20070813_25th_anniversary_CD
3. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "ABBA The Complete Recording sessions", page 106. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Greatest Hits is a 1981 Queen compilation The record released on November 2, 1981, is the UK's all-time best-selling album Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Memories is an Album released by Barbra Streisand in 1980 It is primarily a compilation of previously released material but includes three newly Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress Century 22 Ltd, 1994
4. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "ABBA The Complete Recording sessions", page 109. Century 22 Ltd, 1994
5. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "Bright Lights, Dark shadows", page 444. Omnibus Press, 2001
6. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "Bright Lights, Dark shadows", page 446. Omnibus Press, 2001
7. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "Bright Lights, Dark shadows", page 445. Omnibus Press, 2001
8. ^ 1981 ABBA-THE VISITORS
9. ^ Magnus Palm, C: "ABBA The Complete Recording sessions", pages 106-109. Century 22 Ltd, 1994

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