The Alan Parsons Project

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The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock and pop group active between 1975 and 1987 founded by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Most of the Project's titles, especially the early work, share common traits (likely influenced by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, on which Parsons was the audio engineer in 1973): they were concept albums, they tended to begin with an instrumental introduction which faded into the first song, often had an instrumental piece in the middle of the second LP side, and concluded with a quiet, sad, or powerful song. The opening instrumental was largely done away with by 1980; no later Project album except Eye in the Sky featured one. Ironically, the instrumental on that album, "Sirius," eventually became the best-known Parsons instrumental because of its frequent use as entrance music by American sports teams, most notably the Chicago Bulls during their 1990s dynasty.

The group was notable for its lack of a single lead vocalist. Lead vocal duties alternate between Woolfson (mostly for slow or sad songs) and a stream of guest vocalists chosen by their vocal style to complement each song. Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits (including "Time" and "Eye In The Sky") and the record company pressured Parsons to use him more, but Parsons preferred "real" singers, which Woolfson admitted he was not. In addition to Woolfson, Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek, and Colin Blunstone made regular appearances. Other singers, such as Ambrosia's David Pack, Vitamin Z's Geoff Barradale, and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker, have recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons himself only sang lead on one song ("The Raven") and can be heard singing backup on another ("To One in Paradise"). Both of those songs appeared on the group's first record, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, an album containing music based on the stories and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

Although the vocalists varied, a small number of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly. They, and Parsons' production, are the reason listeners can instantly recognize a song as a Project work even with an unfamiliar singer. Andrew Powell (composer and arranger of orchestral music throughout the life of the Project), Ian Bairnson (guitar) and Richard Cottle (synthesizer and saxophone) were integral parts of the Project's sound. Powell is also notable for having composed a film score in the Project style for Richard Donner's film Ladyhawke.

Behind the revolving lineup and the regular sidemen, the true core of the Project was the duo of Parsons and Woolfson. Eric Woolfson was a lawyer by profession, but is a classically-trained composer and pianist as well. Alan Parsons was a successful producer and accomplished engineer. Both worked together to craft noteworthy songs with impeccable fidelity, and almost all songs on Project albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons."

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Members

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Trivia

  • In the Austin Powers movie The Spy who Shagged Me, Dr. Evil's laser was called "The Alan Parsons Project," after the "noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons"
  • The project for developing a new site for the National Library for the Blind is officially called "The Alan Parsons Project"
  • "Sirius", the instrumental piece that opens Eye In The Sky, is popular in the NBA as background music during player introductions. It is perhaps best remembered as playing this role for all six Chicago Bulls championship teams of the 1990s.
  • "Sirius" and Eye In The Sky's other instrumental, "Mammagamma", were used as music-under for a 1987 Weather Channel special on thunderstorms (this was long before the network engaged in regular non-live programming), alongside the music of Jean-Michel Jarre.
  • In The Simpsons episode 3F21 Homerpalooza, Homer thought that The Alan Parsons Project was "some sort of hovercraft".
  • Grandaddy's promo-only single "Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland" is a humourous cover of the Christmas song Winter Wonderland, with lyrics altered to make the song about Alan Parsons.
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Discography

  • 1976 Tales of Mystery and Imagination - based on stories by the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The later reissue on CD (in 1987) was remixed from the original master tapes, enhancing some of the tracks and restoring the Orson Welles narration (recorded a few weeks before his death) that was left off the original due to record company 'concerns'.
  • 1977 I Robot - The title quotes Isaac Asimov's work, "a view of tomorrow through the eyes of today". Includes minor hits "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "Breakdown."
  • 1978 Pyramid - Ancient Egypt surfaces repeatedly, the album is called "a view of yesterday through the eyes of today".
  • 1979 Eve - about women; this is the only Project album to feature female lead vocalists - and even then only on two tracks.
  • 1980 The Turn of a Friendly Card - about gambling, literally and figuratively. Includes their hits "Time" and "Games People Play."
  • 1982 Eye in the Sky - presumably about surveillance, Life and the Universe, but some insist it is about "forgotten and lost values". Album contains their most famous single, "Eye in the Sky."
  • 1984 Ammonia Avenue - although this album has no discernable theme, it is their most "radio-friendly" album. Includes "Don't Answer Me" and "You Don't Believe" (the latter first appeared on a 1983 "best of" collection).
  • 1984 Vulture Culture - a critique of consumerism and, in particular, American popular culture. Includes "Let's Talk About Me."
  • 1985 Stereotomy - The effect of fame and fortune on various people - singers, actors, etc.
  • 1987 Gaudi - songs inspired by the life of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, with a song named after his most famous work, La Sagrada Familia.

After those albums, Parsons released other titles under his name (Try Anything Once, On Air, The Time Machine, and A Valid Path), while Woolfson made concept albums named Freudiana (about Sigmund Freud's work on psychology) and Poe - More Tales of Mystery and Imagination (continuing from the Alan Parsons Project's first album about Edgar Allan Poe's literature).

Although the studio version of Freudiana was produced by Alan Parsons (and featured the regular Project backing musicians, making it an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Eric Woolfson's idea to turn it into a musical. This eventually led to a rift between the two artists. While Alan Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour, Eric Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project's music. Freudiana, Gaudi and Gambler were three musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out," and "Limelight." The live music from Gambler was only distributed at the performance site (in Cologne, Germany).

A collection called The Instrumental Works (1990; now out of print) includes many of the Project's instrumental tracks.de:The Alan Parsons Project es:Alan Parsons Project it:Alan Parsons Project nl:The Alan Parsons Project no:Alan Parsons Project pl:Alan Parsons Project pt:The Alan Parsons Project ru:The Alan Parsons Project sv:Alan Parsons Project

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