Not everyone may know, but ‘The Visitors’, was their last album before ABBA separated. With years behind them, this album is several steps away from the "lighter" pop music they had recorded previously. The album is more complex and a mature effort.

In the 70s, ABBA were all around, but with no other real musical choices available in India, you tended to be a little tired of them. Songs like SOS, Mama Mia, Dancing Queen were the given songs on everyone’s playlist on radio stations like Saturday Date and other radio stations like Ceylon.

But this album is on a totally different level. It sounds modern. It’s an album that wasn't played that often either. The album came close to the breakup of the band. ABBA had problems within themselves with their partners. So you had Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog divorced in July 1980, while the band’s other couple, Benny Andersson and Anni – Frid Lyngstad announced their divorce in February 1981, adding strain to the musical partnership and the end of a musical band that had made music for the masses.

The album cover packed a lovely cover image that features the four band members in a room with Julius Kronberg's painting of Eros. They appear to be waiting in the shadows as can be seen in the image with the shadows.

On the music front the opening The Visitors is average followed by the catchy and solid dance track Head Over Heels. Soldiers is a politically motivated track, while When All Is Said And Done has the main emphasis being the aftermath of a failed relationship where no one is to blame. It is beautifully handled by the stunning and deeply personal Frida. Further displaying her versatility as a vocalist, Frida also does an amazing job on the simple and haunting Like An Angel Passing Through My Room and on the powerful I Let The Music Speak, the latter sounding very theatrical.

Agnetha moves in for the beautiful and heartbreaking One Of Us that talks of a woman’s independence and is very lyrically meaningful, while Slipping Through My Fingers hits off at looking after children in general and is fairly slow to upbeat. Bjorn comes in on Two For The Price Of One with a bit of electronica mixed in the track and a good steady beat.

It so interesting to see a band where the men were writing lyrics for the women to sing, it’s just unbelievable that the band disbanded one fine day. The album is a little different from the regular ABBA we have come to know.

The original nine tracks have their highs and lows, but then this is ABBA and surely they still pack a punch. On its release, ‘The Visitors’ reached the top of the charts in a number of countries, but was not as successful as their previous albums.

Release Date: March 1981.

Released on: Polydor India

Rating: *****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira