Burning The Ground Exclusive 1981
“The Visitors” (working title “Den första”, meaning “The First”), also known as “The Visitors (Crackin’ Up)”, is a 1981 song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It is the title track from the band’s studio album of the same name, and was released as the fourth and final single in April 1982. The lead vocal was performed by Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
The official stated theme is a protest against the persecution of political dissidents in the Soviet Union at the time, as ABBA seemed to put political issues into their lyrics in the final days of the group. Björn Ulvaeus has stated that at the time of release he preferred that the song should have a sense of mystery so did not explain the exact meaning.
In 1982, the album The Visitors was banned in the Soviet Union, possibly due to the band allowing a video of “When All Is Said and Done” to be shown in the United States Information Agency television special, Let Poland Be Poland, along with a spoken message from Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, broadcast via satellite around the world on 31 January 1982. The show, which also featured Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Orson Welles, Henry Fonda, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan, was a public protest against the then-recent imposition of martial law in Poland.
However, ABBA’s segment was not included in the broadcast. The official reason given was time constraints. However, in a Rapport interview, Björn Ulvaeus mentioned that their message referenced human rights issues in several countries, including El Salvador and Chile. This has led to speculation that political considerations might have influenced the decision to exclude the segment, although this remains unconfirmed.
“The Visitors” was released as the album’s second (and final) single in the US instead of “Head over Heels,” which remained as the B-side.
The single peaked just outside the Top 60 at No. 63 on the singles chart in the U.S., and a double A-sided “The Visitors/When All Is Said and Done” 12″ single reached No. 8 on the Billboard dance chart. AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder retrospectively described the song as “a topical song about Soviet dissidents that also manages to be very catchy.” Even though the song did not have any success in some countries, “The Visitors” was No. 1 in Costa Rica.
++ The “Short Version” included on this U.S. 12″ Promo is a vinyl-only exclusive, and has not appeared on CD. The edit that appeared on “More ABBA Gold” was modeled after the original “Short Version” taking the “Long Version” and editing it down therefore not the original edit that appears here.
SIDE A:
The Visitors (Long Version) 5:45
SIDE B:
The Visitors (Short Version) 4:22 ++
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Visitors | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #63 |
| 1982 | The Visitors | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #8 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – DMD 329
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Disco
CREDITS:
- Engineer – Michael B. Tretow
- Lacquer Cut By – GP*
- Written-By, Arranged By, Producer – Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus*
NOTES:
From the Atlantic LP “THE VISITORS”
Promotional Copy Not For sale
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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“Exactly 25 years ago (17 Aug. 1982) the world’s first compact disc was produced at a Philips factory in Germany. The first CD produced was The Visitors by Abba. The first CDs went on sale in November 1982 and were mainly classical recordings.”
Reference: Compact disc hits 25th birthday (Article from 17 Aug. 2007): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6950845.stm
Thank you Paul for another fantastic transfer.
Martika I wholeheartedly agree with you that this should serve as a tribute to Alexey Navalny,
@Raymond, proves that good music will stand the test of time
You’re welcome, Jay
Perfectly timed… this song should be a tribute Alexey Navalny! Thank you for another amazing and rare vinyl transfer!
RIP Alexey Navalny
HOOORAY! Thanks so much for this!
You’re welcome, Conner 🙂
Arguably the best ABBA tune!
Arguably the best ABBA time from the best ABBA album!
Thanks Paul! An all time fave. Can’t wait to hear the 12” transfer!
Thank you so much! I think this is the same short version that was released on the More Abba Gold compilation from 1993, as that clocks in at 4:28. Still this presentation is better, and not as thin and shrill sounding as the early and mid 90s Abba masters. Thanks again!
From what I have learned the version that was on “More ABBA Gold” was not the original “Short Version” they just took the existing “Long Version” and tried to match it to the original “Short Version” the fade in and out is a bit altered.
Thanks for the unique version!
You’re welcome, Martijn 🙂
Wow love this!! I’ve always felt The Visitors was ABBA’s best album. They had matured, both as artists and with their sound, incorporating synths and drum machines in order to stay modern. And they taught their peers and up & coming artists how it’s done! They really went out on top, especially with the two additional singles they released the following year. So excited about this, especially to have the original Short Version as intended. Thank you so much Paul, this is such a treat!! Have a “romantically inclined” weekend Paul, Jeff, Martika, Fred and all the rest of you… Read more »
Thank you, retro Hound. I agree with you this is ABBA at their best love the production on this one and the record sounds amazing as well. Have a great weekend 🙂
Love this one! Just a comment about ABBA in general. Went to a wedding, the son of my best friend, packed with Millennials, when “Dancing Queen” came on, you would have thought they were handing out free money on the dance floor, they went craaaaazy! DJ played it twice in a row, after seeing the reaction.
That is so funny Raymond. Thanks for sharing 🙂
And to think, I always thought this song was about extra-terrestrials, the alien thing of space! Great background information concerning this song, Paul. And like DJ XREY pointed out, the Hot Tracks mix is amazing! I also liked the later Hot Tracks mix of “Tree Frog” by Hope, remixed by the uber-talented, Chris Cox! In his mix, there is an interpolation of “The Vistors” in the mix!! DjPaulT, thanks for giving us plenty of rarities on BTG!!! Oh, Paul, this has been a wonderful week of rips. Starting with the ISH record! Again, I am most grateful to you for… Read more »
I own the Hot Tracks 12″ that was released for “The Visitors” Sadly it is a bad pressing and sounds awful. I am so happy you enjoyed this week. Have a great weekend.-
Probably the most-played hit in the ‘alternative lifestyle’ bars in 1981 and 1982 because of the amazing Hot Tracks remix, based in Paul’s hometown of Tulsa. More trivia: the album The Visitors was the first CD I ever heard at an L.A. engineering presentation by Sony on their first commercial CD player. Also ABBA’s Polar Music recorded this in the entirely digital domain (SPARS code: DDD). The original CD and vinyl pressings had the most amazing dynamic range before fatiguing brick wall “loud” remasters ruined CDs and music files.
I can also confirm that this 12″ also sounds amazingly dynamic. Thanks for the trivia DJ XREY
Wikipedia: 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. 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… Read more »