Under Attack – ABBA (1982)

An individual, limited edition, example of vinyl record art made from a genuine, original, 45rpm, 7” single featuring the song by Swedish group, ABBA from 1982, Under Attack. The record was released on the Epic record label, in the UK, and has been reworked into a silhouette of a vintage 80s space invader.

Under Attack was not a commercial success upon its release. ABBA’s popularity was in decline and the two preceding singles had failed to reach No. 1 anywhere. After the single’s release, it was decided that ABBA would take a break; however, they would not record as a group again and effectively disbanded. The song’s dark lyrics seems to be about a stalker or an ex-lover.

Space Invaders is an arcade video game created by Tomohiro Nishikado and was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan. It was one of the earliest shooting games and its aim was to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible.  In designing the game, Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media: Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars.  It was one of the forerunners of modern video gaming and helped expand the video game industry from a novelty to a global industry.