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Up to now there has been no mention of a box set of singles from The Visitors album being released. It was due last year, but probably delayed due to the release of Voyage album.Is The Visitors singles box set being released or put back until next year?

Regards,
Julian, UK

Just curious to get your input on what songs Universal might include in The Visitors anniversary re-issue box set, if in fact one is even slated for release now that the 40th year has come and gone.

Regards,
Mike, Canada

Rumours persist that the delayed releases for The Visitors 40th anniversary (double half-speed master LP, picture disc singles, and singles box set) will take place sometime in 2023. My guess is the accompanying singles would be the four Polar singles of the era: 'One Of Us', 'Head Over Heels', 'The Day Before You Came', and 'Under Attack'. 

What can you tell us about Michael Tretow these days? We know he was unwell for a period of time. Do we know what he has been doing over the years? Is he retired or in any way active in the music business still?Was he approached to work on Voyage?

Regards,
Simon, UK

In a rare interview in 2016 he talked about having taken ten years to relearn to talk after his brain hemorrhage in 2001, and that many memories of his active years were lost. That year he released an album of home recordings from the 1960s, Kungsgatan 25. Otherwise, he has been retired from the music business since 2001 and has made few public appearances or statements.

Do you happen to know where I can buy Raskenstam on DVD, if so does it come with English subtitles? Also are there any plans to release any further films with Agnetha or Frida?

Thanks,

Simon, UK

Raskenstam was released on DVD and Blu-ray in November 2022. It is only available with Swedish subtitles for the hearing impaired. It seems yet again that Swedish marketers don't think there is a market for their product outside Sweden. I have found it available from the ABBA Fan Club Shop and CD ON. I'm not aware of any plans to release any other films featuring Agnetha or Frida.

I was gifted the 2022 CD Albums Box Set from a friend as a Christmas present. It's nice to see the dropout in 'Dancing Queen' restored, distortion-free tracks in The Album and the correct mix of 'Head Over Heels' included, among other surprises. Sadly, the segue between 'Lay All Your Love On Me' and 'The Way Old Friends Do' isn't present and the 1992 mixes (without the applause) are included. Is this the same for the vinyl version of the box set?

Love,
Aaron, Australia 

I'm not aware of what masters were used for the Vinyl Albums Box Set, but I would guess that it's the same as the CD set. I haven't heard the vinyl, I haven't had a working turntable for decades, so I can't tell you if it's the same.

Why isn't there a good-sounding version of 'Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal)' on CD? All the versions I've heard (2022 box set included) are clearly based on the digital transfer from the 1988 Polar CD release of the Ring Ring album, which is widely considered to be the worst-sounding release in any configuration. Is there a complicated explanation for this?

Love,
Aaron, Australia 

I'm afraid I can't say for sure, but probably all releases are sourced from the same master tape. The Swedish mix has always been a lot noisier than the other language versions.

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