Review Summary: ABBA's final studio album which proved to be a under appreciated gem of pop music.
Wow, where do I begin?
First off, this album is a perfect example of how to end a extremely successful career as one of the top pop acts of all time.
ABBA, Agnetha, Björn, Benny & Anni-Frid were the epitome of 1970's kitsch-y pop. They created timeless pop songs like "Take a Chance on Me," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Money, Money, Money," and of course "Dancing Queen." By this time however, ABBA was not the same band anymore.
The two couples within the band Agnetha Fältskog & Björn Ulvaeus and Frida Lyngstad & Benny Andersson, had by now broken up. While the breakup of a relationship is never a happy affair, it would lead them to create some of their best music.
By the time this album was released, ABBA had matured and the world wasn’t ready for it. You won’t find a “Dancing Queen” or “Waterloo” on this album. You won’t find an album filled with disco gems that glow and shimmer with the pure panache that ABBA was know for. What you will find is an album made by a group struggling to survive, and putting out some truly amazing pop music.
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1. The Visitors
5/5
Opening up the album with some deep and ominous synths from Benny Andersson, this song is my all time favorite ABBA song. At first listen, the lyrics are very ambiguous but deal with the feelings of paranoia and fearing for your life. Later, it turns out that Björn Ulvaeus’s lyrics were in fact about the underground democratic movements in the USSR, and the song’s protagonist being discovered by perhaps the KGB. Frida Lyngstad’s lead vocals and tinged with Indian-esque flavors and the melody sounds like something from a late ‘60’s psychedelic album. The chorus shows ABBA moving into a new territory. The synth-rock chorus with heavy pounding bass and drums and Benny’s iconic riff make this one of ABBA’s true gems.
2. Head Over Heels
5/5
Opening up this track with some synthesized pizzicato strings, Agnetha Fältskog delivers a fantastic performance. The lyrics on this song seem almost similar to the style of what Lindsey Buckingham was writing when it came to songs like “Second Hand News” and “Go Your Own Way.” Björn Ulvaeus’s lyrics were obviously about his ex-wife Agnetha. This was the second single released from the album, but was not as successful as the previous single “One of Us.”
3. When All is Said and Done
4/5
This song is often compared to “The Winner Takes it All” which was featured on the band’s last album “Super Trouper.” While that song dealt with the breakup of the Fältskog/Ulvaeus union, this song deals with the breakup of the Lyngstad/Andersson union. Frida and Benny were engaged for 9 years, married in 1978 and divorced in 1981 prior to the recording of this album. Frida sings with passion and remorse throughout the song and the chorus vocals with Agnetha are a perfect example of the ABBA harmonies we all know and love. The melody has the classic ABBA feel to it, and while the lyrics are rather somber, you can’t help but tap your foot to this song.
4. Soldiers
4/5
Like the title track, here we see ABBA moving more and more into a political side. The lyrics on this song critique militarism and how soldiers are underappreciated. Per Lindvall and Åke Sundqvist’s drums remain tight throughout the entire song, never missing a beat while Rutger Gunnarsson’s bass bounces throughout the song. Agnetha delivers a stellar performance, and the song ends with Björn playing one of his finest solos.
5. I Let the Music Speak
5/5
Around this time, Björn and Benny were beginning to start their foray into the world of writing musicals. With “Chess” starting to form in their minds, this song sounds like something you’d hear while watching a Broadway show. Frida Lyngstad’s lead vocal is full of dramatic yearn and feel. The chorus vocals are to this day some of my favorite ABBA lyrics:
“Let it be a joke
Let it be a smile
Let it be a farce
If it makes me laugh
For a little while
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Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart
Speaking to a heart
Let it be a cry”
6. One Of Us
5/5
Once again, another breakup song. Beginning with some mandolins provided by Björn and Rutger Gunnarsson, this is considered to be ABBA’s final hit. Like the lyrics in “Head Over Heels,” here Agnetha is singing a song about herself written by her ex-husband. The song is one of saddest on the entire album, second only to “Slipping Through My Fingers.” It was the lead single from the album and topped the charts in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and West Germany, and made it into the Top Tens in Austria, France, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.
7. Two For the Price of One
2/5
Not much to say here. This song sucks. It’s the obligatory Björn sung track, and the only highlight I can think of is the Sgt. Pepper-ish, Strawberry Fields-y type ending that sounds like something you’d hear at a circus.
8. Slipping Through My Fingers
5/5
A song about a parent’s regret, when I first heard it I remember thinking that it sounded like Agnetha was almost crying when she was singing it. Björn said this was inspired to write this song after seeing his 7 year old daughter Linda leave for school all by herself, and became overwhelmed with guilt for not seeing his child grow up. The guitar solo on this song retains the main chorus melody and shimmers along with Andersson’s keyboards. One of ABBA’s finest live performances was when they played this song on their TV special with Dick Cavett in April of 1981.
9. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
4/5
This song is unique in the ABBA song catalog, as it is the only ABBA song to feature only one vocalist. Frida Lyngstad delivers a soulful performance of this solemn tune that could have easily been featured in a Broadway musical. The only instruments in the song are Benny Anderssons keyboards, and the ticking sound created on his Minimoog gives the song the sound of a music box, and ends the original album on a sweet but solemn note.
CD Bonus Tracks:
10. Should I Laugh or Cry
3/5
A fairly typical ABBA song with lead vocals from Frida. While it is way more happier sounding than the other songs that were recorded at this time, it isn’t something that stands out in particular when compared to the other tracks.
11. The Day Before You Came
5/5
This song took a while to grow on me. I always felt that it was the lyrics were too narrative and awkwardly worded, but after a few more listens I realized that this is a true gem in ABBA’s song catalogue. The lyrics tell of a woman describing to her lover the events of the day before his arrival, and Agnetha sings them perfectly. This song is significant in the sense that it was the last song ever recorded by ABBA, and when it was released as a single it did not do as well as they had hoped. Coming in at #32 in the UK, it did however make it to the Top Ten in Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and West Germany.
12. Cassandra
3/5
Featured as the B-Side to “The Day Before You Came,” this song features a beautiful lead vocal from Frida Lyngstad but at the same time seems to drag on after a while. While the melody is very orchestral, it’s still a little below average for ABBA.
13. Under Attack
4/5
ABBA’s final single release. Featuring Agnetha on lead vocals, I can’t help but feel that this song is almost slightly foreshadowing what would happen to Agnetha later on. She sings of a woman being stalked by a former lover, and Agnetha herself would later deal with a stalker that terrorized her and later ended up being banned form entering Sweden for many years. The chorus again features wonderful harmony vocals from Agnetha and Frida and is a perfect way for ABBA to end their career. But then again, ABBA never did officially break up. They are still, technically, “taking a break.”
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Top 5 recommended songs on the album:
The Visitors
Head Over Heels
When All is Said and Done
I Let the Music Speak
Slipping Through My Fingers
