Visitors [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Product Description
24bit Digital Remaster with New Liner Notes, Complete Lyrics and Bonus Tracks: 'should I Laugh Or Cry', 'the Day Before You Came', 'cassandra' and 'under Attack'.

Visitors,Abba,Universal,Pop

Average customer rating:

My favorite Christmas music
An unsung genius
Amahl and the Night Visitors made our Christmas very precious!
Mother, Mother, Mother Come With Me...
A must have

Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
Gian Carlo Menotti , Thomas Schippers , Rosemary Kuhlmann Chet Allen , and Andrew McKinley, David Aiken Leon Lishner
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amahl and the Night Visitors: Vocal Score (Vocal Score Series)
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors
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The John Rutter Christmas Album

ASIN: B000003EPE
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Amahl! Amahl!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Oh, Mother, You Should Go Out And See!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Stop Bothering Me!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Poor Amahl!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Don't Cry, Mother Dear
Amahl And The Night Visitors: From Far Away We Come
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Amahl...Yes, Mother?
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Good Evening! Good Evening!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Come In, Come In!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Are You A Real King?
Amahl And The Night Visitors: This Is My Box
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Amahl, I Told You Not To Be A Nuisance!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Oh, These Beautiful Things
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Have You Seen A Child
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Shepherds! Shepherdesses!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Emily, Emily
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Olives and Quinces
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Shepherds' Dance
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Thank You, Good Friends
Amahl And The Night Visitors: All That Gold!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Thief! Thief!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Don't You Dare!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Oh, Woman, You Can KeepThe Gold
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Oh, No, Wait
Amahl And The Night Visitors: I Walk, Mother
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Do You Really Want To Go?
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Shepherds, Arise!

Amazon.com

Back in the days when the forces that controlled television actually cared about art, it was perfectly normal to see original plays and live musical performances right in your living room. In 1950, Menotti was commissioned to write an opera for television, and on Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors was performed by the NBC Television Theater. This recording, under the composer's personal direction, was made a few days later, and it remains the definitive version, even though the sound is very dated and rough in places. This story of a poor shepherd boy's encounter with three kings and the miraculous healing of his crippled leg when he offers his crutch as a gift has captured audiences around the world ever since its premiere. Its charming mix of tuneful melody, dancing rhythms, delightful choruses, humor and poignancy, and an English text makes this work immediately accessible to audiences of all ages and musical tastes. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Christmas music.......2007-05-13

Having seen the original TV production of Amahl as a kid, I have very fond and tender memories of this story, and I find the music to be absolutely delightful - profound but in a very accessible and somewhat playful way. This recording brings back the spirit of Christmas to me instantly!

An unsung genius.......2007-04-10

Giancarlo Menotti slipped peacefully to his rewards recently after having composed some of the finest music of the last century. Although an Italian native, his ability to place English words in his vocal works in exactly the right places to allow singers their best production, he is still not performed often. His story lines are always poignant, whether for opera or ballet and his orchestral works strike at the emotional heart of the listener while giving the performers great opportunities to shine. His Christmas opera, "Amahl and the Night Visitors" was first telecast with a brilliant, wonderfully cast and directed group of singers and dancers and was an immediate success, scheduled to be repeated the following season. Only one copy of the tape was stored and, incredibly, was "accidentally" erased, before the second telecast. It was necessarily recast in the role of Amahl, since the first young boy's voice had changed. This is the result of that recasting, with the rest of the amazing singers and new boy recreating a blessed and beautiful masterpiece. I regret that the same care was not given to the visual aspects in the second, hastily produced telecast.
In my opinion, this creation should be lovingly produced every year!
I am a grateful singer of his works.

Amahl and the Night Visitors made our Christmas very precious!.......2007-01-20

I grew up listening to this operetta and it was so exciting to find it again and make it a part of my family's traditions. This is an excellent recording.

Mother, Mother, Mother Come With Me..........2007-01-13

It's as good as I remember from my own childhood, and I was AMAZED when my 5 year old son DEMANDED to hear it over and over on our recent trip to Minnesota. Now, weeks after we've packed away our Christmas CD's, my son STILL sings out from the other room "Mother! Mother! Mother come with me, I want to be sure that you see what I see!" whenever he wants to show me something. I'm glad that such a wonderful piece of our culture has been woven into the consciousness of yet another generation.

A must have.......2007-01-10

My earliest childhood memories of Christmas always include Amahl. My parents saw this the first year they were married and it became a tradition to listen to it after that.

It has become the cornerstone of my families holiday celebrations.

Average customer rating:

Abba's Magnum Opus
Great album...but poor re-mastering
wonderful
ABBA gets creepy, grown up, and very good.
In A Class By itself

The Visitors
ABBA
Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Super Trouper
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Abba - The Album
Ring Ring

ASIN: B00005CDNK
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

The Visitors
Head Over Heels
When All Is Said And Done
Soldiers
I Let The Music Speak
One Of Us
Two For The Price Of One
Slipping Through My Fingers
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Should I Laugh Or Cry
The Day Before You Came
Cassandra
Under Attack

Amazon.com

Abba's 1981 swan song is appropriately touched by intimations of loss; The Visitors certainly contains nothing as breezy as "Does Your Mother Know." Far from the listless meanderings of a group on its way out, however, the album is alive with emotion and creativity. The title track fuses a melody reminiscent of the Beatles Indian explorations with a smartly done synthesizer arrangement typical of the disc as a whole. (They could've been the Human League!) Similarly moody cuts like "Soldiers" and "One of Us" help make this that rare thing, an Abba record suited for lonely late nights. This 24-bit remaster boasts four bonus cuts, including the final singles "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack," in addition to improved sound quality. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Exclusive import limited edition digipak is remastered, has extensive line notes and lyrics, and includes four bonus songs, 'Should I Laugh Or Cry', 'The Day Before You Came', 'Cassandra' and 'Under Attack'. 13 tracks in all.

Album Details

24-bit digital remaster with new liner notes, complete lyrics and bonus tracks: 'Should I Laugh or Cry', 'The Day Before You Came', 'Cassandra' and 'Under Attack'.

Customer Reviews:

Abba's Magnum Opus.......2007-06-10

Abba had become better and better over the years. I think this album is one of the best released in the 1980s. The strange blend of happiness and sadness that is present on the previous ABBA records is still there, although this record's undertone is really sad. Perhaps that is why it is so beautiful.

Great album...but poor re-mastering.......2007-04-30

I agree with John (from N.Y.), these 24-bit re-masters of the Abba catalogue were a big letdown. In a side by side comparison, the original discs sounded much better than these. The originals were brighter and plenty full; just like the original album sounded.

On the other hand, these 24-bit discs sound slightly muddy and the high end (which includes acoustic guitars and cymbals) are flat or dead sounding thanks to the no-noise solution. My advice, is to save your money and keep your old discs.

wonderful.......2007-04-04

I first listened to this album back in the 80s when I was a teen, now I bought the remastered version and I am in my 40s and I think this album is excellent! When I was 18 or 20 I didnt realized what a wonderful material it was, and now I cannot believe it. Frida shows she is an excelllent singer. I strongly recommend it.

ABBA gets creepy, grown up, and very good........2007-01-17

ABBA's final studio album is truly in a class by itself. The title track is about someone alone in their apartment -- which has been surrounded by the secret police -- awaiting their fate for being a political dissident in a communist country. Creepy and brilliant.

This album isn't about disco dancing and teenage crushes, it's about tyranny, watching your children grow up, ending relationships, and war.

If you are an ABBA fan, and you are hesitant to buy this disc because you don't see any charting hits on it, just go ahead and buy it. It's sad that this is the their last album, because I think they could have succeeded with this sould through the decade of the 1980's. They proved that they could change and reinvent themselves.

How many bands have "last albums" that are as great as this one?

In A Class By itself.......2007-01-05

If you're a hardcore ABBA fan like me, you know the history of this album so I won't bore you.

After listing to the album for the umteenth time I have concluded that this is ABBA at their very best. The content of the tracks show an artistic maturity not seen in any previous release. This is ABBA at their finest and I would highly recommend this album to anyone, ABBA fan or not.

I have a lot of albums by a lot of artists, but I would accord "The Visitors" almost a mythical quality. I would willingly part with 99% of my music before i would let this one go.

Buy it, you'll like it! Trust me.

Average customer rating:

Amahl and The Night Visitors
Amahl
Amahl
Very disappointing
The best recording of Amahl

Amahl and the Night Visitors
Lorna Haywood , James Rainbird , David Syrus , and Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House - Covent Garden
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Menotti: The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore

ASIN: B00000C2I7
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

Amahl And The Night Visitors: Prelude - Opening
Amahl And The Night Visitors: What Was Keeping You Outside
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Don't Cry Mother Dear
Amahl And The Night Visitors: From Far Away We Come
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Amahl, Go See Who's Knocking
Amahl And The Night Visitors: It's Nice Here
Amahl And The Night Visitors: I Was A Shepherd
Amahl And The Night Visitors: This Is My Box
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Have You Seen A Child
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Shepherds, Shepherds
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Dance
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Thank You Good Friends
Amahl And The Night Visitors: All That Food
Amahl And The Night Visitors: Thief! Thief!
Amahl And The Night Visitors: I Walk Mother
Amahl And The Night Visitors: What To Do With Your Crutch?

Customer Reviews:

Amahl and The Night Visitors.......2007-01-10

This recording (produced in 1986), directed with the help of the composer, Gian Carl Menotti, is the most perfect piece of music I have encountered in many years. Amahl's (James Rainbird)voice is of such sweet clarity and nuance that it brings me to tears. The orchestra (Covent Garden Symphony) is beautiful and multi-layered. Each time I listen to it, I discover some other little piece of phrasing by another instrument that adds to the complex tapestry of the over all musical score. I have purchased several copies of it for friends. I have listened to other versions of Amahl for over 50 years, and this is, by far, the best I have ever heard. For pure listening pleasure of a treasured Christmas classic, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I even listen to it throughout the year, regardless of the season. I simply do not understand other people's criticism of it. Perhaps I am musically naive, perhaps they are musical snobs. It is pure musical bliss in my book, and I can't get enough of it.

Amahl.......2006-12-16

If you know the opera by heart, have performed it countless times, then you know that no recording is as good as the orginal 1951 recording. I find it difficult to listen to any other. I wish that it would be released again!

Amahl.......2003-01-25

Gee - sorry to those who like this modern recording but I like the 1951 recording the best.I have both the LP which is quite scratched by now and the CD which is quite good except for the pauses between tracks. I recommend the 1951 version available from Amazon (or at least it was in 2001).

Very disappointing.......2002-10-16

I'm currently studying the role of Amahl's mother, and I got this recording by the luck of the draw. Kaspar is horribly flat throughout, which is a shame. It was a difficult recording to listen to once, I dread bearing it the number of times I will need to over the next two months.

I'm going to try to return it this afternoon.

The best recording of Amahl.......2002-10-13

I am also a singer and I find this recording much superior in every respect to the other old mono recording. Yes there are a few occasional questionable tuning but it has much less bad tuning when compared to the other recording, which in addition has inferior old mono sound. The performances in this recording are vivid, dramatic and musical, obviously much helped by the presence and direction of the composer, Menotti. If you want a recording of Amahl, this is the only and best recording of Amahl to get.

Average customer rating:

Automatic Man Severely Neglected
Impressive Sophomore Effort!!

Visitors
Automatic Man
Manufacturer: Lemon Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Automatic Man
Complete Go Sessions
Hughes/Thrall
Sky Blue
Streamline

ASIN: B00093UQGG
Release Date: 2005-05-23

Tracks:

Give It to Me
Live Wire
So You Wanna Be
Y-2-Me
Visitors
Here I Am Now
Daughter of Neptune
What's Done

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Automatic Man's Second Full Length Album, a Blend of Funk, Fusion and Classic Rock that was Perfectly Executed on this Uplifting Eight Track Record. The Lineup Includes "Bayete" (Aka Todd Cochrane, Founder of the Group) and Bay Area Guitarist Pat Thrall. This Deep Catalog Title Appears on CD for the First Time on the Lemon Label and Includes all the Original Artwork plus Bonus Sleevenotes!

Customer Reviews:

Automatic Man Severely Neglected.......2006-07-15

I know that this take on the Automatic Man story will likely irritate some of those familiar with both albums and disdainful of both songs in question, but the biggest question of all is how two astounding would-be singles in a row, "My Pearl" (from the debut) and "Give It To Me", simply didn't become Top 10 smashes in the late Seventies. I can only imagine it was due to Island not having the resources to promote either (this being, of course, pre-U2, although the label's primary roster of reggae artists gave them a steady stream of revenue). "My Pearl" consistently defies easy categorization and portends the (Glenn) Hughes / (Pat) Thrall sound nearly a decade early, as does to a lesser extent the slinky gift-of-the-Magi tale "Give It To Me", resembling, ironically enough, a cross between Rick James (who, of course, had a hit of almost the same exact name not too long after) and Steely Dan. That Island was so blase about this sonically innovative act (try.....earliest Ambrosia, fronted not by David Pack but Donald Fagen, jamming with the Brothers Johnson?) especially given their budding reputation as a cutting-edge label, remains one of those nagging music biz mysteries; while lead vocalist and composer Bayete's lyrics could be a bit clumsy and Thrall is really best known to mainstream audiences in tandem with Pat Travers for "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)", maybe Automatic Man were just TOO eclectic and a little before their time.

Impressive Sophomore Effort!!.......2005-09-06

This album lacks some of the musical creativity of the first Automatic Man album. The departure of bassist Doni Harvey (who now records innovative blues songs on his DoniMusic label) seemed to remove the funky bottom from the layered, spacey rock groove that the first album pioneered. Drummer Mike Shrieve's exit was also awkward, as it seemed that the band was originally formed to provide a showcase for his talents.
I felt that vocalist/keyboardist Bayete outshined the other musical geniuses in the band on its debut, and then continued to shepherd on with guitarist Pat Thrall (Pat Travers Band, Asia, Hughes/Thrall, Sly & Robbie) for this second effort. It's a continuation of its predecessor, but more synthesizer-driven and danceable ("Give It to Me", "Live Wire"). There were quicker breaks, unexpected bursts of loud guitar and change in tempo ("Here I Am Now"), and the trademark space-rock sound of their classic first album.
Great to find music with great catchy melodies, outstanding musicianship, and little or no gimmicks. Many thanks to Lemon Records for distributing this gem, and be sure to pick up the amazing debut effort from Automatic Man!

Average customer rating:

The Visitors
The Visitors
Manufacturer: Eschatone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MQC8V6
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Tracks:

Clean And Civilized
My Unknown Love
TV Blues
Leave Her Alone
Stop What You're Doin'
Dance Into Your Heart
Never Get Enough
I Don't Belong
Happy Again
I Walked With A Zombie
Don't Wait For Me
Runnin' From You

Average customer rating:

In My Youth
The Visitors
Manufacturer: Muse Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Australia & New Zealand | International | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000008OW4
Release Date: 1995-03-21

Tracks:

In My Youth
Juggler
Visit
Mood Seekers
Giant Steps
In My Youth

Logan's Run (Original Television Soundtrack)

Average customer rating:

Byew! Byew! Byew!

Logan's Run (Original Television Soundtrack)

Manufacturer: Film Score Monthly
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0006SSQ5M
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

Main Title
Suite, Pt. 1
Suite, Pt. 2
Suite, Pt. 3
Bumpers
Collectors
Capture
Innocent
Man Out of Time
Half Life
Fear Factor
Futurepast
Night Visitors
End Title

Customer Reviews:

Byew! Byew! Byew!.......2005-01-14

In the seventies, we were treated to many short-lived and little remembered science fiction television shows, some of them based on popular films. Logan's Run the tv show lasted for just a handful of episodes and is now virtually forgotten. So who on earth would want to release (let alone listen to) the soundtrack music of this show? Well, the good people at Film Score Monthly have dug up the masters and released this astonishingly entertaining cd. Really a seperate beast altogether from Jerry Goldsmith's classic score to the film, the music presented here is varied, textured and just plain terrific. The siren-like tones of the opening theme had -- unknown to me until I reheard them here -- burned themselves into my brain as a young lad, and listening to it again brought the memories of being a kid in the seventies flooding back. But after that little bit of nostalgia, the disc really takes off, with wonderful orchestral contributions from Laurence Rosenthal, Bruce Broughton, Jerome Immel and Jeff Alexander. Unlike today's overly bland tv underscoring, the music on this disc is delightfully tuneful, original and an absolute pleasure to hear. The action music, suspense cues and even touches of romance all work like gangbusters, and the whole thing has been well-sequenced to make a superb listening experience. If you have fond memories of seventies science fiction music, then don't hesitate to pick up this disc.

Average customer rating:

The Visitorrs: a bit less sugar-sweet, still undeniably ABBA
ABBA's Pet Sounds?
When all is said and done, it's a great album
Let the music speak
The GREATEST pop album in ALL OF HISTORY!!!!!

The Visitors
ABBA
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ring Ring

ASIN: B000005IKX
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

The VIsitors
Head Over Heals
When All Is Said And Done
Soldiers
Let The Music Speak
One Of Us
Two For The Price Of One
Slipping Through My Fingers
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room

Customer Reviews:

The Visitorrs: a bit less sugar-sweet, still undeniably ABBA.......2005-01-12

As most other reviewers have noted, this album is surely something very different for ABBA; it was obvious to me on the first listen (in those days of LP records, on "the first spin"). The Visitors, is indeed, a more mature album than anything that came before---although ABBA's lyrics were often far more accomplished than they were given credit for (Knowing Me, Knowing You; Fernando; One Man, One Woman, I'm A Marionette... none of them obscure, shocking or literary, but undeniably solid, adult pop lyrics). Still, with a new consistency, the songs on The Visitors clearly aim for, and usually strike, adult nerves. Ruminations on the power of music, the Cold War, raising kids, personal break-ups.. all very well done, the glaring exceptions being "Two For The Price Of One" which is at best, a trifle, both lyrically and melodically. "When All Is Said & Done" has a truly fine, insightful lyric, notwithstanding the rather gratuitous inclusion of the word "sex", which seems in retrospect a quaint but obvious move, part of the "adult" mood they were aiming for. Each song has something to say, and says it well.

The sounds, too, are somewhat different---though not unreservedly for the better. Like the lyrics, the melodies are often more subtle and complex than what ABBA were usually known for (too often described as "hook-filled" and "sing-song"). So here we get more melodic & rhythmic subtlety, but sometimes at the expense of that uncanny, positively joyful musical energy that seemed to inform every typical ABBA smash hit, from Waterloo to Dancing Queen to Super Trouper. One wants to love this album, like a last conversation with an old friend, but there's no denying that "Head Over Heels" or "Soldiers" simply do not make one want to jump up and shout the way their predecessors did. These melodies are by no means UNmelodic, or even less than VERY catchy. It's more fair to say that if their earlier songscapes were painted in bright, primary colors, Bjorn & Benny were now utilizing other, more subtle shadings.

The arrangements, are as always, rich, interesting and distinctive. Frida's and Agnetha's performances, consistent with everything else on the album, are more adult, personal and individual ---a far cry from the early days when it was often said that they sing in such perfect harmony, "you can hardly tell them apart".

The final verdict? Taken on its own terms, The Visitors is quite impressive. It's a more complex listen than their other stuff, both lyrically and melodically, and it highlights the impressive extent of ABBA's evolution over the scarcely ten years that we knew them (and this is not to diminish the wonder of their earlier work). Equally important, for all the talk of more serious moods, Bjorn & Benny STILL had a way with a song, to drastically understate it. It's not like they did an album of minimalist jazz, or a suite of atonal gregorian chants. This is still ABBA music, and practically nobody in the pop world can do it like them: melodies you remember forever, flawless singing, intricate arrangements, accessible, yet meaningful lyrics. A fine, final album from a group whose music was always far more adult and technically accomplished than they're ever likely to be given credit for--even (or especially) with their newly hip "rehabilitated" status. Perhaps the final word on ABBA should be, Just because they wrote songs that were wonderfully catchy doesn't mean they didn't write great music. The Visitors underscores that.

ABBA's Pet Sounds?.......2003-02-01

No not really, but ABBA's 1981 LP "The Visitors" was almost as drastic a departure from 1980's "Super Trouper" as Brian Wilson's classic 1966 "Pet Sounds" was from "Beach Boys Party!".

I bought this album new in 1981 and I was surprised how somber and serious it was. I was expecting another fun upbeat Pop album from them, but here were lyrics about the end of marrages, the fear of a Russian invasion during the cold war, children growing too-quickly, and the final disillusionment of childhood/adolescent dreams into adulthood. Not something you'd expect from a group that gave us "Sitting in The Palmtree" "King Kong Song" and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" 5-6 years before. ABBA were showing signs of maturing from 1977's "Arrival" LP on, but "The Visitors" is the album where the group had truely grown up.

Despite the upbeat melodies and sing-along choruses the whole album has a sense of impending doom about it - Perhaps it's the all-digital production with the increased use of drum machines and synthesizer programming that creates the chilly sonic atmosphere. There's a couple of fun songs like "Two For The Price Of One" (which made me gag back then - but I now find charming) but the optimistic "bouncy" energy of ABBA's earlier albums is gone.

But Benny & Bjorn didn't lose their touch for writing memorable songs and crafting big and beautiful productions. The whole album just sucks me in - the track listing isn't as haphazard as earlier ABBA albums, it seems to flow just right.

ABBA started make a album after this called "Opus X" (their 10th album) and recorded a few tracks for it like the great "Just Like That" (a edited version made the "Thank You" box set but us fans want the full version with all the verses) and "In the City" (which made ABBA Gold Volume 2) but personal differences broke up the foursome for good. Had ABBA stayed together, could they have made a album that would have changed jaded rock critics and "serious" music fans minds that thought ABBA was just a "bubblegum" group? ...Well we will never know! But we have this great send off to the best overseas Pop group of the 70's and early 80's.

When all is said and done, it's a great album.......2002-01-02

I believe this is the greatest of Abba's original albums. I like every single song on this album. Some of these songs don't appear on the "Gold" or "More Gold" albums, but every one is a classic. From the intense (and paranoid?)"The Visitors," to the bitersweet "Slipping Through my Fingers," to the humorous "Two for the Price of One" (with a male lead vocal), this album is worth listening to.

Let the music speak.......2001-10-05

Not by any chance the typical Abba album, "The Visitors" shows the world a totally different reality than the one that was experienced through their previous recordings. If "Ring Ring" or "Arrival" featured innocent and candid lyrics, and "Voulez-Vous" or "Super Trouper" were deeply involved with the disco-revolution that the world was living, "The Visitors", stands out as the best Abba album because of its strength. This is a pop record, made by people who know how to make pop sound like pop.

Probably a big part of the strength of the album had to do with the lives of the members of the band during the recording. With guitarist/composer Bjorn Ulvaeus and singer Agnetha Faltskog already divorced since 1979, the band had to suffer the divorce of the second marriage, between keyboardist/composer Benny Andersson and singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The result of these hard situations are the most sincere lyrics ever written by this band.

From beginning to end, the album is astonishing. "The Visitors" is the first (and the best in my humble opinion) track, and features an amazing Frida lead vocal, and altered all-band vocals for the bridge and chorus. The theme of the album goes through all these marriage complications, and it's mostly Frida the one who gets to sing the most intense lyrics this time. "When All Is Said And Done" (re-recorded in Spanish as "No Hay A Quien Culpar", this version is available on the "Oro: Grandes Éxitos" compilation) is a strong "goodbye" song, ironically with Benny playing an amazing piano part. We see Frida on her best vocal way also with "I Let The Music Speak", a track that explores the not always well apreciated theatrical vein of the band. The beautiful, haunting closing track (and a good farewell track for the band) is "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", the one and only Abba track that does not feature a single vocal harmony, not even in the background. The song is sweet and tender, it sounds like Frida is sending her children to sleep.

While Bjorn pays his personal tribute to The Beatles with the Pepper-ish "Two For The Price Of One", Agnetha gets the chance to sing on "Head Over Heels", a great poppy track; the haunting "One Of Us" (the only song from this album that made it to the "Gold" compilation"), in which she shows yet again her talents as a vocalist; "Soldiers", which is an ambient surrealistic track resemblent to the anthem "Eagle", released on 1978; and "Slipping Through My Fingers", the sweetest song of the bunch, talking about how hard is for parents to handle the growing of their children. This song was also re-recorded in Spanish as "Se Me Está Escapando"

The B-side to the "One Of Us" single was "Should I Laugh Or Cry", another breaking-up song, strongly sung by Frida. The next Abba singles were "The Day Before You Came", probably the Abba song with the greatest lyrics ever and "Under Attack", ironically a much lighter love song. Those along with their respective B-sides "Cassandra" and the silly "You Owe Me One" can all be found in different issues of this album, and in different compilations. Those are for giving the costumer a complete view of the moment Abba was experiencing while recording "The Visitors". Their strongest record was surrounded by the sense of having grown up, the sensation of maturity and the need to do more innovative stuff in the fields of music. Benny and Bjorn took their chance and let the music speak for them. They were totally splitting up, but they let the world know about it. Surely they didn't think that was true, but it was anyway. It's sad that after a masterpiece like this a band like Abba broke up. It would have been great to know their achievements in the fields of the complex 80's music scene, but one must think that everything has a planned end, and there's nothing left to do when that happens.

Don't expect this to be the regular Abba CD. It is much more innovative and "experimental", if you want... But it is an Abba record anyway. You recognize them not only because of the vocalists, but also because they're "letting the music speak" by them. And that's what they always did.

The GREATEST pop album in ALL OF HISTORY!!!!!.......2001-09-07

No pop act today can compare to the catchiness and melody of Abba. And their artistic sincerity really shined through on THE VISITORS, the final album in late 1981.

What makes this such a superb cut? Begin with the overall sound. Abba were charging forward from the oldies sound of 70s pop into the characteristic sounds of the 1980s--synthpop, new wave, dance-club music. Had they remained for another album, who knows what? They would probably still be heard today on AC radio, a genre that still plays 80s music liberally. This is one of the earliest albums to make complete use of CLEAN SOUNDING electronic drum tracks and synthetically manipulated voices (listen to songs like WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE and TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE to hear this mastery). The sound on this album approaches the likes of Duran Duran or early Madonna (especially on the title track). It's actually cool and fun to dance to.

Second, the emotions are wonderfully set here which range from haunting Halloween-esque fear ('The Visitors') to Swedish folk music ('Head Over Heels') to divorce sorrow ('When All Is Said and Done' and 'One Of Us') to parenthood ('Slipping Through My Fingers') to memories of the past ('Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'). This last song sounds especially like a good-bye song with its quietude and midnight-hour atmosphere. It's Abba's denouement after nearly ten years of fame and glory.

Finally, these singers have perfect voices on this album and the recording is wonderful. No more tinny studios that sound like the Sixties. Everything here is pretty much just as crisp in audio as today's pop music records. Many songs recorded for a few years after in America didn't have this same clarity.

While The Beatles can be accepted by most as the most overall innovative artists in the history of the music industry, when it comes to pure melody and family-friendly pop, Abba can't be beat. No group before or since has made me so likely to shed tears in joy or sorrow.

I would definitely recommend THE VISITORS, the final dying gasp by one of the greatest pop groups of all time-ABBA!

Sounds of Portland
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Sounds of Portland

Manufacturer: Portland Oregon Visitors Association
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000HAZO72

Product Description

From 1998. Portland Oregon Visiters Association (POVA) & KXL radio 95.5 presents The Sounds of Portland 1. Quarterflash - Sad But True 2. Brenda Dickey - Borrowed Hope 3. Curtis Salgado & Terry Robb - Bitter Tears 4. Craig Carothers & Tim Ellis - Next Time Around 5. Maureen Andrews - Beatnik Boys 6. Mel Kubik - Slow Freight Train 7. Pink Martini - Sympathique 8. Cal Scott - Adrift on the Sun and Moon 9. Meria Solinger - I Will Be There For You 10. McKinley - Dorothy 11. Tom Grant - Blue Orchids 12. Arlie Neskahi & Leroy Critcher - Two Rivers 13. John Doan - Farewell 14. John Nilsen - Rain Pool