The first Abba CDs ever produced were never designed for public consumption. Indeed, they predate the release of the first CDs to the general public. The story of Abba on CD began in the technical laboratories of PolyGram in West Germany.
In the run-up to the official launch of the CD format in late 1982, PolyGram produced a number of different prototype discs of differing musical genres to test their manufacturing processes and eventually promote the new format among the press.
The chosen pop CD prototype was The Visitors, seemingly chosen because it had been mostly digitally recorded and it was the then latest record by PolyGram’s best-selling European artist, Abba.
In all, there were three different prototypes of The Visitors produced, each with different characteristics. Only one of these versions is known to be playable – the other two only appear to have been preserved encased in plastic in commemorative pieces presented to PolyGram staff to celebrate the launch of the new format.
The third version was definitely playable and was sent out to the press with pre-production CD players for review purposes. Among these reviewers were Bjorn, Benny and Abba’s manager Stig Anderson, who were presented with copies (and a CD player) by PolyGram in August 1982.
While the third version was essentially the finished product, it wasn’t the one that made it into the shops in October 1982
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
"From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel" traces the evolution of " Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", the closing track of The Visitors the last ABBA studio album. Back in 1981, this particular song was one of the more challenging tunes during original recording sessions for the album. With the first demos and backing tracks being laid down in May 1981, it was until several different versions later, in November 1981, only three weeks before the album reached record stores.
As the Deluxe Edition of The Visitors was put together, ABBA’s Benny Andersson had the idea that it would be interesting to revisit the various recordings of the song and put together as a medley. And this he did in October and November of 2011. The nine-minute medley takes us from the very first demo, with vocals by Björn, to a run-through with Benny on electric piano and Frida on lead vocals, similar to the final version.
In between are a demo recording by Frida and Benny (on grand piano) with alternate lyrics entitled ‘Another Morning Without You’; a completely different “disco” attempt, played by a full band and with the final lyrics in place; and a ballad interpretation, also with a full band backing, featuring Frida on lead vocals. “It was fun to put this thing together, just to show what the process can be like,” says Benny Andersson. “It’s an interesting observation on how you labour over things before you reach the final result.
Lyrics
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Like a diamond glitt’ring in the sky
Seems to me you shine your light
Down to me to say goodnight
Twinkle twinkle my old friend
Sleep is waiting round the bend
While you travel through the Milky Way
From afar
Twinkle twinkle twinkle little star
Another Morning Without You
Raindrops on a window pane
Stillness of a summer rain
Silently the haze drifts through the trees
Slowly dawn is breaking through
Yet a morning without you
Curtains rustling in the breeze
I’m still trapped within my dreams
Daylight makes its way into my mind
Coming through
Yet another morning without you
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room (disco version)
Finally when darkness falls
Casting shadows on the walls
In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace
Dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued
Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room
Mmm Mmm Mmm – echoes of a voice I knew
Full band version
Half awake and half in dreams
seeing long forgotten scenes
So the present runs into the past
Now and then become entwined
Playing games within my mind
Like the embers as they die
Love was one prolonged goodbye
And it all comes back to me tonight
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room
Full band version, compressed mix
I close my eyes
And my twilight images go by
All to soon
Like an angel passing through my room
Ballad version
Long awaited darkness falls
Casting shadows on the walls
In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace
Dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued
Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room
Half awake and half in dreams
Seeing long forgotten scenes
So the present runs into the past
Now and then become entwined
Playing games within my mind
Like the embers as they die
Love was one prolonged goodbye
And it all comes back to me tonight
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room
I close my eyes
And my twilight images go by
All too soon
Like an angel passing through my room
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