Alan Parsons’ The Secret: First album in 15 years!

The Secret Alan Parsons

Released: April 26, 2019 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [5:44] Miracle [3:22] v: Jason Mraz (2/25/2019, --) As Lights Fall [3:58] v: Alan Parsons (4/26/2019, --) One Note Symphony [4:43] v: Todd Cooper Sometimes [5:08] v: Lou Gramm Soireé Fantastique [5:27] v: Alan Parsons/Todd Cooper Fly to Me [3:45] v: Mark Mikel Requiem [4:02] v: Todd Cooper Years of Glory [4:05] v: P.J. Olsson The Limelight Fades Away [3:36] v: Jordan Huffman I Can’t Get There from Here [4:38] v: Jared Mahone (3/20/2019, --)

Rating: 2.967 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: After making a name for himself as an engineer on classic albums such as the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (albums which are both referenced in the video for As Lights Fall), Alan Parsons helmed the Alan Parsons Project from 1976 to 1987. The group featured a rotating lineup of members with only Eric Woolfson as a constant. The two also worked together on Freudiana in 1990 which, for all practical purposes, served as an Alan Parsons Project album. In 1993, Parsons released his first solo album, although he relied on many of the same players he’d turned to over the years for Project albums. He released four studio albums from 1993 to 2004, the last being A Valid Path, a “voyage into spongey electronica and arty synth-pop” UCR which Parsons said “was very much an attempt to capture a younger audience,” UCR but he confessed “it just didn’t do very well, didn’t set the world alight.” UCR After that, he took a fifteen-year hiatus from recording, during which time Woolfson passed away from kidney cancer in 2009, derailing any hope of the pair working together again. However, Parsons’ 2019 album The Secret “is a U-turn back to the organic, light symphonic pop-rock style” UCR “for which the Project were so loved.” UDM Parsons says the album “could have been slotted between any of the Alan Parsons Project albums over the years…Any of the albums we made were pretty much timeless and didn’t really fit into any particular decade or year. I feel the same way about this new album, that it could have been made at any time.” UCM The album also reflects Parsons’ longtime interest in magic. “[It] has always been a passion of mine,” he says. “I am a member of the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. I’ve also worked with the Japanese magic company Tenyo, writing instruction books and catalogues for their tricks. I dabble with magic myself in my free time, so an album with magical influences was a natural progression.” UDM The first single, Miracle, continues the ever-revolving-door tradition of musicians with Jason Mraz (“I’m Yours”) providing lead vocals. Parsons explained to LouderSound.com, “I met Jason two years ago through a neighbour who grows coffee on his ranch. Jason wanted to grow coffee himself and our neighbour, Jay, was kind enough to introduce us since we had mutual musical interests.” LS When Mraz heard “Miracle” he said “it sounded like a song right off of Eye in the Sky.” LS He said he had early memories of hearing Parsons’ “Eye in the Sky” while “strapped in the backseat of my mom's green Fiat, 1982. Alan Parsons is on the radio and I’m singing along, harmonising. That sound of rich harmony over magical words would stick with me for my whole life and ultimately become what my own career is about – trying to solve universal quandaries through song craft.” LS Mraz has even recorded an unreleased version of “Eye in the Sky” which Parsons has said he should put out some time. UCR The two were not in the same studio when recording the song. Parsons was in Santa Barbara and Mraz recorded the vocals in Dallas. They sent files back and forth. That was similar to the process of adding vocals to Sometimes. Lou Gramm, of Foreigner fame (“Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “I Want to Know What Love Is”), recorded his vocals in New York. Another notable guest on the album is Steve Hackett, best known for his work as the guitarist for Genesis in their early years. He appears on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the orchestra overture which opens the album. UCR Parsons said he “wanted some fairly adventurous guitar parts on it” UCR and “that there were only two people who could have done this: either Brian May or Steve Hackett.” UCR Parsons also turns to musicians with whom he’d worked before. P.J. Olsson, who sings on Beyond the Years of Glory, took on lead vocal duties for the Alan Parsons Live Project in 2002. He also contributed to the 2004 Alan Parsons’ album, A Valid Path. Ian Bairnson also makes an appearance, contributing guitar – as he did on every Alan Parsons Project album. In the early ‘70s, he was a member of the band Pilot (“Magic”). Parsons produced their self-titled debut album and then used most of the members on the Alan Parsons Project debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination. One Note Symphony will “sort of be the anthem for the [50th anniversary] for the moon landing.” UCR Parsons explained that he was commissioned to play it in July at Cocoa Beach, Floria, near the Kennedy Space Center. The title refers to the one note in which the song is sung – the “resonant frequency of the universe,” UCR also known as the Schumann Frequency. UCR The highlight is the song As Lights Fall, released as the third single. A video featuring Parsons as a pirate includes multiple nods to his past career, a perfect companion to lyrics reflecting on the legacy he’ll leave behind and the importance of not living with regret. These were themes visited as far back as 1982 with the song “Old and Wise” (one of my top-10 favorite songs of all time), but here it leaves the listener worried that the 70-year-old Parsons is issuing a last hurrah from his deathbed. Luckily, his legacy isn’t over yet.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Lou Gramm DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Jason Mraz LS LouderSound.com UCR UltimateClassicRock.com UDM udiscovermusic.com WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/27/2019; last updated 7/20/2022.

Alan Parsons The Time Machine released

The Time Machine Alan Parsons

Released: September 28, 1999 Peak: 11 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Time Machine – Part 1 (instrumental) (Elliott) [5:08] (2000 single, --) Temporalia (instrumental) (Parsons) [1:10] Out of the Blue [4:59] v: Tony Hadley (9/99 single, --) Call Up [5:13] v: Neil Lockwood Ignorance Is Bliss [6:49] v: Colin Blunstone Rubber Universe (instrumental) [3:59] Call of the Wild [5:33] v: Maire Brennan No Future in the Past (Elliott) [4:48] v: Neil Lockwood Press Rewind (Elliott) (4:15] v: Graham Dye The Very Last Time [3:40] v: Beverly Craven (1999 single, --) Far Ago and Long Away (instrumental) [5:14] The Time Machine – Part 2 (instrumental) (Elliott) [1:53] Unless otherwise noted, songs are written by Ian Bairnson. The ‘v’ after the song listing indicates who provides lead vocals. Total Running Time: 51:50 The Players: Alan Parsons (engineer, producer, composer, acoustic guitars, keyboards, organ) Ian Bairnson (keyboards, guitars, mandolin, saxophone, composer) Stuart Elliott (keyboards/programming, drums/programming, percussion, orchestral arrangement, composer) Andrew Powell (orchestra arrangement and direction) The Philharmonia Orchestra (strings, brass, horns) Clio Gould (orchestra leader) Richard Cottle, Robyn Smith (keyboards, piano) John Giblin (bass) Claire Orsler (viola) Jackie Norrie, Julia Singleton (violin) Kathryn Tickell (bagpipes, Northumbrian pipes) Julian Sutton (melodeon)

Rating: 2.955 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Quotable: “Parsons’ best work of the 1990s” – Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: "This concept album about the passage of time – and the triumphs, mistakes, regrets, and memories associated with it – is Parsons' best work of the 1990s. It blends Parsons' traditional prog-rock and pop-rock leanings with a bit of techno.” AMG The “sonically flawless” AZ work "actually features very little musical input from Parsons himself,” AMG who as producer and engineer, “twiddles the knobs and slides the levers, just like the Great Oz. Fans will find that Parsons…has successfully stayed his familiar course.” AZ ”If the result is something akin to Pink Floyd lite meets Kenny G in the New Age aisle at your local Natural Wonders outlet, thus has it ever been. While it lyrically renders H.G. Wells's original novel all touchy-feely and virtually unrecognizable, musically it's a reaffirmation that Parsons – not Toto, Journey, or a score of lesser pretenders to the mantle – is the real godfather of corporate rock.” AZ "Parsons's familiar methodology once again shrewdly employs an almost-star cast of musical vets to do the heavy lifting.” AZ “The real stars are guitarist/saxophonist/keyboardist/bassist Ian Bairnson and drummer/keyboardist Stuart Elliott, both longtime Alan Parsons Project cohorts who individually wrote most of this album's songs.” AMG ”Bassist John Giblin and vocalist Neil Lockwood return for their second go-round. In a pleasant surprise, former Project vocalists Colin Blunstone and Chris Rainbow return after many years' absence. The vocalist corps is rounded out by Parsons semi-regular Graham Dye, and three new guest vocalists, all of whom are an interesting variance from Parsons' normal sound.” DV "The Time Machine (Part 1) is a wonderful instrumental complete with dreamy acoustic guitar lines and a steady drum-machine rhythm.” AMG This and The Time Machine (Part 2), are “brilliant piece[s] of work, the Jarre-like synthesizer and drums sandwiching the album neatly.” DV First up in the guest vocal department is "Spandau Ballet vocalist Tony Hadley [who] tastefully restrains his past histrionics for Out of the Blue.” AMG “Hadley slides into the Parsons sound as easy as if he'd been bred for it.” DV Then comes the song that has become standard on every Parsons’ album since 1985’s Vulture Culture - the shoulda-been hit that wasn’t. This time around, it is a lyrically simplistic, but catchy Call Up. Conceptually, this song is on par with, say, Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ – the song feels like it was written in a matter of minutes, but its incredibly basic idea is clever nonetheless. As in Joel’s ‘Fire,’ we get a walk through history in a matter of minutes, but on “Call Up” the focus is on musical and motion picture legends “who came and changed this world/we would welcome back today/they would really light the way.” Longtime Parsons’ contributor Colin "Blunstone is featured on the hypnotic Ignorance Is Bliss, which also contains tasteful piano and orchestral flourishes.” AMG "Rubber Universe may be the catchiest vocal-free piece on a Parsons CD since ‘Hawkeye’ on 1985's Vulture Culture. Both of these show the excellent writing ability of Bairnson and Elliot, performers who are heavily underappreciated both as composers and as guitarist and drummer. Ian Bairnson, for example, got bored a few years ago, so he learned how to play saxophone -- well enough he provides all the sax lines on this CD. This is what the guy does when he’s bored.” DV As the second guest singer, Maire Brennan shows up on The Call of the Wild, a song that sounds more like her group Clannad than anything Alan Parsons has ever done. Her "vocal work…is delicate, breathy, and the full undertones of her ethereal voice are brought out by Parsons' production.” DV The song “has a warm, Celtic feel thanks to [her] vocals…and a sprinkling of Northumbrian pipes.” AMG "No Future in the Past and Press Rewind are the album's most distinctive pop-rock numbers.” AMG ”Both are unusual for Parsons, the first hard rock, the second an almost guitar-band sound.” DV Last on the list of guest vocalists is “English singer-songwriter Beverly Craven” DV who "provides the vocals on the lush, bittersweet ballad The Very Last Time.” AMG The song "is minimally produced and arranged, with brilliant piano by new keyboardist Robyn Smith. Craven’s voice is not at all what you expect on a Parsons CD; it's bluesy, expressive, and the song itself is acoustic. It’s a long way from ‘Sirius/Eye in the Sky’, but it works.” DV "Far Ago and Long Away is a densely arranged instrumental with an overtly techno flavor.” AMG “Parsons has deviated from his standard sound, taken some chances, and come out a winner.” DV “It works…better than anything he’s done since the 1987 breakup of the Project.” DV “The Time Machine will definitely please diehard Parsons fans.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons AMG All Music Guide review by Mike DeGagne AZ Amazon.com review by Jerry McCulley DV DailyVault.com review by Duke Egbert WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 4/4/2008; last updated 7/20/2022.

Alan Parsons On Air released

On Air Alan Parsons

Released: September 24, 1996 Peak: 12 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Blue Blue Sky [1:32] v: Eric Stewart Too Close to the Sun (Bairnson/Elliott/Parsons) [5:06] v: Neil Lockwood Blown by the Wind [5:25] v: Eric Stewart Cloudbreak (instrumental) (Bairnson/Elliott/Parsons) [4:39] I Can't Look Down [4:38] v: Neil Lockwood Brother Up in Heaven [3:54] v: Neil Lockwood (1996 single, --) Fall Free (Bairnson/Elliott/Parsons) [4:33] v: Steve Overland (1997 single, --) Apollo (instrumental) (Bairnson/Elliott/Parsons) [5:59] speech by John F. Kennedy (1997 single, --) So Far Away [4:04] v: Christopher Cross (1996 single, --) One Day to Fly (Elliott/English) [6:16] v: Graham Dye Blue Blue Sky – Reprise [4:29] v: Eric Stewart Unless otherwise noted, songs are written by Ian Bairnson. The ‘v’ after the song listing indicates who provides lead vocals. Total Running Time: 50:50 The Players: Alan Parsons (engineering, mixing, keyboards) Andrew Powell (orchestral arranger and conductor) Ian Bairnson (guitar, bass synthesizer, bass guitar) Stuart Elliott (drums, bongos, keyboards and drum programming) Richard Cottle (saxophone, keyboards) Eric Stewart, Neil Lockwood, Steve Overland, Christopher Cross, Graham Dye (vocals) John Giblin (bass) Christopher Warren-Green (orchestra leader) Gary Sanctuary (keyboards)

Rating: 3.209 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Quotable: “Parsons probably isn't going to win over any new fans with this one, but anyone who has liked them in the past will probably enjoy On Air” – Steve Marshall, TheNightOwl.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: On his second post-project release, Alan Parsons hands over writing duties to longtime Project guitarist Ian Bairnson, who pens or co-pens all but one track on the album. Bairnson was supposedly “spurred on following the ‘friendly fire’ death of [his] cousin in Iraq.” DV The album’s “concept deals with the fascination of flight and the yearning people have to become one with the sky.” AMG Unlike most Project albums, a quick perusal of the song titles makes the theme obvious. When you listen to the music, you also hear a “light, breezy feel that carries each song, simulating an effortless flight through the clouds.” AMG However, “as beautiful and imagery-filled as this idea is, its potential never…get[s] off the ground. Most of the songs…lack the intensity…necessary to establish any concern for the main idea. Instead, they consist of metaphorical lyrics that go off on strange tangents, misconstrued and long-drawn-out stanzas that seem empty, and a slight pretentiousness…usually absent from this band's material. AMG Basically, the album’s ”sound is smooth and gentle but has difficulty in holding interest.” AMG After listening to the album you may find yourself easing back in your chair and letting out a relaxed sigh, but nothing will leave you tapping your fingers on the arm of the chair. As always, Parsons maintains “complete mastery of the recording studio,” DV and now that he is with a smaller label, Parsons has more control over the work. ”From the opening notes of Blue Blue Sky, man looks up and dreams of being able to break the bonds with earth.” DV As the track segues into Too Close to the Sun, a jet roars across your speakers. The sound is so realistic that at high volumes, you'll swear it's flying right over the room. NO ”Parsons captures all the power of the jet's flyby and sonic boom. The…myth of Icarus is put to music…featuring a powerful lead vocal from Neil Lockwood.” DV ”From the development of balloons which are, for the most part, out of human control (Blown by the Wind) to dealing with people's fear of flying (Can't Look Down), Parsons and crew choose not to dwell on a history of aviation…but rather focus on the poetry of developments and modern-day situations.” DV ”Interspersed is Cloudbreak, one of two instrumentals…and proof positive that Parsons and crew have lost nothing over the course of 20 years of creating music.” DV It “is superb, and ranks up with the best” NO of Parsons’ instrumentals. “The highlight…is Brother Up in Heaven, Bairnson’s tribute to his cousin. Unlike some of the other songs, the theme here is less on flight and more on dealing with the loss of a loved one and the process of grieving. Sample lyric: ‘I still see his shadow / His laugh lingers on / When I dream, we’re all back together / When I wake, he’s gone.’” DV "Fall Free is one of the CD’s better cuts, and it lightens the mood a bit after ‘Brother Up in Heaven.’” NO ”Now that humans have made it into the realm of soaring with the birds, Parsons looks at the natural progression of our thinking - thinking which led us into space. The instrumental Apollo "features excerpts from a speech by John F. Kennedy and is almost techno at times. The crunching power chords toward the end of the song bear a strong resemblance to ‘Where's the Walrus?’ from the [1986 Project album] Stereotomy.” NO ”Both instrumentals…are appealing, and capture the essence of the album more so than any of the vocally inhabited songs.” AMG ’Apollo’ “serves as a mood-setting piece that brings things up to speed, leading the way to So Far Away, another track that speaks of the dangers one faces when they defy gravity. Christopher Cross takes over the role of lead…and voices it perfectly (with all due respect to Britons, I don't think anyone but an American could have sang a lyric about the Challenger disaster.” DV This song and ‘Too Close to the Sun’ “are the album's finer points, but even these songs fall short of the domineering style that once surrounded the Alan Parsons Project.” AMG ”Most of the songs contain well-established harmonies and a fair amount of guitar and keyboard mingling, but it's the lack of depth and assertiveness that holds this album back.” AMG ”But while boundaries continue to be broken and experiments in flight occasionally still fail, man still finds himself dreaming about the next levels of flight, bringing the listener to One Day to Fly. Not surprisingly, the song captures the dream that…we all wish we could fly without the man-made gadgets and high-technology.” DV The album closes with a reprise of the opening song. “The way the album returns to Blue Blue Sky, featuring some beautiful guitar work from Bairnson, is a very smart move.” DV In the end, “Parsons probably isn't going to win over any new fans with this one, but anyone who has liked them in the past will probably enjoy On Air.” NO “This disc takes a few listens to really appreciate, but that's usually the sign of a good CD.” NO

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons AMG All Music Guide review by Mike DeGagne NO TheNightOwl.com review by Steve Marshall DV DailyVault.com review by Christopher Thelen WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 4/4/2008; last updated 7/20/2022.

Alan Parsons Try Anything Once released

Try Anything Once Alan Parsons

Released: October 26, 1993 Peak: 122 US, 14 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Three of Me (Pack/ Powell) [5:32] v: David Pack Turn It Up (Bairnson) [6:13] v: Chris Thompson (1993 single, --) Wine from the Water (Bairnson/ Parsons) [5:43] v: Eric Stewart (1994 single, --) Breakaway (instrumental) (Parsons) [4:07] Mr. Time (Copland/ Driscoll/ Elliot) [8:17] v: Jacqui Copland Jigue (instrumental) (Parsons/ Powell) [3:24] I’m Talkin’ to You (Pack/ Powell) [4:38] v: David Pack Siren Song (Bairnson/ Musker) [5:01] v: Eric Stewart Dreamscape (instrumental) (Parsons) [3:01] Back Against the Wall (Bairnson) [4:38] v: Chris Thompson Re-Jigue (instrumental) (Parsons/ Powell) [2:28] Oh Life (There Must Be More) (Pack/ Parsons) [6:34] v: David Pack (1994 single, --) Total Running Time: 60:01 The Players: Alan Parsons (producer, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, bass, flute, background vocals) Ian Bairnson (synthesizer, bass, guitar, pedal steel guitar, background vocals) Stuart Elliott (drums, synthesizer) Andrew Powell (orchestra director, bass, synthesizer, electric piano, autoharp) Philharmonia Orchestra (strings) David Pack, Eric Stewart, Chris Thompson, Jacqui Copland (vocals) David Pack, Jeremy Parsons (guitar) Richard Cottle (synthesizer, saxophone) Graham Preskett (fiddle, violin, mandolin)

Rating: 3.306 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings) Quotable: “An intriguing collection of songs” – Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: In 1987, the Alan Parsons Project released Gaudi, which turned out to be their last album. Three years later, Eric Woolfson, Parsons’ longtime partner in the Project, released Freudiana, a work designed for the stage and a natural progression from the Project’s conceptual album work. The album could very much be viewed as the Project’s eleventh album since Woolfson still brought in Parsons to do production and engineering work. The album also used longtime Project players such as Ian Bairnson (guitar) and Stuart Elliott (drums) as well as vocalists John Miles, Chris Rainbow, and Graham Dye, all of whom had contributed vocals to Project albums. All that is really just a set up to say that ”the absence of the word ‘Project’ at the end of his name makes no difference, because the music and the atmosphere on this album harbor the same mysterious effects as when it was included.” AMG The aforementioned Bairnson and Elliot again lend their talents, as does Andrew Powell, who arranged conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra for the Project albums. The largest difference between this and Project albums is the absence of Woolfson. There are a couple takes on whether this is a good or bad thing. “Woolfson was an excellent singer and a good lyricist,” DV and he consequently added a punch to the Project albums that isn’t as apparent here. Just look to how well Woolfson’s talents are showcased on his 1990 Freudiana and you realize what an important contribution he made to the Project albums. However, one can also argue that “the fact he was the lead vocalist on several of the Project's biggest hits meant Arista kept trying to make him sing, and therefore put constant pressure on the band for more soft rock hits like ‘Time’ and ‘Eye in the Sky.’ Without that pressure, Parsons [is free] to be more adventurous, more lyrical, and [craft a] deeper…multi-layered sound” DV that at least one reviewer says “bears repeated listening and exploration.” DV On a vocal level, “singers such as David Pack, Chris Thompson, Eric Stewart, and Jacqui Copland present each tune with refreshing differentiation and style,” AMG making for a collection of “beautifully mastered songs that carry their own charisma” AMG “with either rich instrumentation or delicate lyrics,” AMG but “no single track rises from among the others.” AMG Unlike the Project albums, “there is no overall concept strewn together on Try Anything Once.” AMG ”Since his message is left for the listener to contemplate (unlike past albums that were conceptually blatant like I Robot or Pyramid), Try Anything Once breeds its own allure and intricacies.” AMG “The cloudiness and uncertainty of Parsons' themes create an attraction to his thought-provoking words” AMG and “use of puzzling metaphors.” AMG While there is no obvious theme, “many of the songs touch on religion and the hope of an afterlife, like Wine from the Water and Turn It Up.” AMG The latter "has a surprising edge to it, laced with Bairnson's precise guitar…there is no better proof that Ian Bairnson is underappreciated as a guitarist and a musician.” DV Only “Turn It Up” and I’m Talkin’ to You, the latter of which comes closest to feeling like the requisite single, sound like they might get a spin or two at radio, but, of course, neither did. “An element of wonder and fascination hovers above songs like The Three of Us and Mr. Time.” AMG The latter “is an ominous, throbbing, complex paean to death and immortality (reminiscent of ‘Can't Take It with You’ from the Project's Pyramid).” DV “The four instrumentals – Dreamscape, Breakaway, Jigue, and Re-Jigue – add wonderment and a classical savoir faire to the album, with ‘Re-Jigue’ benefitting from the Philharmonia Orchestra.” AMG As with previous Project albums, too many instrumentals can start to feel like filler (especially on 1986’s Stereotomy), but eight vocal tracks balance it out somewhat. Parsons’ ability to craft gorgeous balladry is most evident on Siren Song and the stunning closer Oh Life, which “is in many ways a triumphant denial of [death and immortality]…Special note should go to David Pack's vocals…from a near whisper at the beginning to defiance and power at the end.” DV In the end this is “an intriguing collection of songs,” AMG “hitting multiple styles and feels, weaving together a full colour picture of moments of transition and rites of passage.” DV One could argue that Alan Parsons definitely continues to grow and stretch as an artist, even after all these years, but the majesty of Eric Woolfson’s Freudiana makes me wonder how much more this album could have been if the two had only decided to grow together.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons AMG All Music Guide review by Mike DeGagne DV DailyVault.com review by Duke Egbert Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 12/2/2009; last updated 7/20/2022.

Eric Woolfson Freudiana released

Freudiana Alan Parsons

Released: October 11, 1990 Peak: 13 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Nirvana Principle (instrumental) [3:45] Freudiana [6:21] v: Eric Woolfson I Am a Mirror [4:07] v: Leo Sayer Little Hans [3:13] v: Graham Dye Dora [3:51] v: Eric Woolfson Funny You Should Say That [4:36] v: The Flying Pickets You're on Your Own [3:54] v: Kiki Dee Far Away From Home [3:12] v: The Flying Pickets Let Yourself Go [5:26] v: Eric Woolfson Beyond the Pleasure Principle (instrumental) (Parsons/Woolfson) [3:14] The Ring [4:23] v: Eric Stewart Sects Therapy [3:40] v: Frankie Howerd No One Can Love You Better Than Me [5:41] v: Kiki Dee, Marti Webb, Gary Howard, Eric Woolfson Don't Let the Moment Pass [3:41] v: Marti Webb Upper Me [5:16] v: Eric Stewart Freudiana (instrumental) [3:43] Destiny [:51] v: Chris Rainbow There But for the Grace of God [5:56] v: John Miles All songs written by Eric Woolfson unless otherwise noted. The ‘v’ after the song listing indicates who does lead vocals. Total Running Time: 74:30 The Players: Eric Woolfson (vocals, keyboards, executive producer) Alan Parsons (engineer, producer, additional keyboards) Andrew Powell (orchestra leader, arrangements) Ian Bairnson (guitar) Stuart Elliott (drums, percussion) Laurie Cottle (bass) Richard Cottle (synthesizer, saxophone)

Rating: 3.668 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: The Alan Parsons Project launched in 1976 with Tales of Mystery and Imagination, an album devoted to musical interpretation of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Originally intended as a one-time project, the work led to nine more studio albums in just over a decade’s time. ”Between 1975 and 1987, ten Alan Parsons project albums…sold over 45 million copies worldwide.” PC The Project was helmed by its namesake alongside singer, keyboardist and co-writer Eric Woolfson and backed by a slew of rotating vocalists and other session musicians. When the Project split in 1987, “Woolfson was eager to write for musical theatre, and in 1990, a new career began when his first musical Freudiana, was premiered in Vienna.” PC Freudiana “offers…various interpretations of [psychiatrist Sigmund] Freud's works, studying all his most famous cases (Wolfman, Ratman, Dora, Little Hans, Schreber and the Judge).” AMG Much of the Project’s work suffered from songs with an eye for radio that were loosely tied to vague themes studying the nature of man. Woolfson’s single-minded purpose to craft a musical freed him from the burden of crafting songs that had to stand alone out of context while also tying the songs more closely to an overall theme. The result is the most focused work on Woolfson’s resume since the Project’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The music here also works in that it is a Project album in all but name. Not only does Woolfson enlist longtime Project players Stuart Elliot and Ian Bairnson on drums and guitar respectively, but vocalists Chris Rainbow, John Miles, and Graham Dye, all of whom had worked with the Project. Of course, the most important connection is the presence of Alan Parsons himself. While the Project albums were fairly collaborative efforts between Woolfson and Parsons, this album is the brainchild of Woolfson. Parsons, however, still produces and engineers the album and even wrote one instrumental (Beyond the Pleasure Principle). As a result, it is no surprise how much the album serves up “obvious reminders of the Alan Parsons Project (most noticeably Dora)” AMG on which Woolfson handles the lead vocals, as he did on Project songs such as “Eye in the Sky,” “Time,” “Don’t’ Answer Me,” and “Prime Time.” The title cut, also voiced by Woolfson, is the ultimate conclusion of the Project’s years of attempting to merge a great song with a big concept. The song would have been the logical choice as a leadoff single, but in its unwavering commitment to songs that all sound the same, radio would have never given it a chance. Where this album veers most from the Project is through some more diverse vocal performances. Woolfson enlists well known singers such as Leo Sayer and Kiki Dee alongside the aforementioned Project alumni as well as singers Eric Stewart, Frankie Howerd, Marti Webb, Gary Howard, and the quirky vocals of The Flying Pickets. With such a cast, the album can’t help but have a more varied sound than anything the Project released, and this proves to be a good thing. "The strongest performances are by Leo Sayer (I Am a Mirror) and the Flying Pickets (on the strange, yet incredibly powerful, Funny You Should Say That).” AMG The latter song, along with No One Can Love You Better Than Me, show that “the rest can be progressive at times…and the whole is very creative and intelligent.” AMG "Some songs (like Little Hans) are reminiscent of the Beatles — which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering Woolfson used to be a member of Herman’s Hermits.” AMG The album concludes with John Miles singing There But for the Grace of God, a song that easily ranks amongst the best works of the Alan Parsons Project. Miles did vocal duty on Project singles “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether,” and “Stereotomy,” as well as the fantastic album cut “La Sagrada Familia” from the Project’s final album Gaudi in 1987. Woolfson would go on to create three more musicals. “Gaudi, which premiered in 1995 and has run for over five years in several German productions,” PC was an extension of the Project’s 1987 album of the same name. “Gambler, Woolfson’s third musical also premiered in Germany in 1996 and had a first run of over 500 performances.” PC In addition, it “has had five productions in Korea, one of which also toured Japan in 2002 (the first time a Korean language production had been staged in this way).” PC In 2003, Woolfson’s career came full circle when he premiered fourth musical Poe, an extension of the same theme as the first Alan Parsons Project album. None of Woolfson’s work would come close to the success of the Project, but Freudiana was a logical progression for Woolfson and one that breathed new creative life into an already distinguished musical career.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Eric Woolfson AMG All Music Guide review by Alex S. Garcia PC Poe-cd.com WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 9/12/2009; last updated 7/20/2022.

Keats: An Alan Parsons Project Offshoot

Keats Keats

Released: August 1984 ? Recorded: December 1983 to March 1984 Charted: -- Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Heaven Knows (Bardens) [3:56] Tragedy (Blunstone, Elliott) [5:01] Fight to Win (Bardens) [4:10] Walking on Ice (Paton) [3:31] How Can You Walk Away (Paton) [3:41] Turn Your Heart Around (Bardens) [3:44] (1984, --) Avalanche (Bardens) [4:06] Give It Up (Bairnson) [4:45] Ask No Questions (Bairnson) [3:25] Night Full of Questions (Blunstone, Elliott) [3:57] Hollywood Heart (Bairnson) [3:43] Total Running Time: 44:00 The Players: Colin Blunstone (vocals) Ian Bairnson (guitar) Pete Bardens (keyboards) David Paton (bass, backing vocals) Stuart Elliott (drums, percussion) Stuart Cottle (saxophone, synthesizers, additional keyboard parts)

Rating: 3.107 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

About the Album: “If Toto was considered a super-star band consisting of the finest session musicians available in the US studio scene, this description applied for Keats in England as well. Consequently, the self-titled album is a milestone of contemporary rock.” RYM Members Colin Blunstone, Ian Bairnson, David Paton, and Stuart Elliott all worked together in the Alan Parsons Project, but had respectable resumes even before that. Blunstone had worked with the Zombies and as a solo artist. Bairnson and Paton had both worked with the group Pilot, best known for the song “Magic.” Elliott had been with Cockney Rebel. Pete Bardens, who’d worked with Them and Camel, rounded out the group. Although neither Alan Parsons nor Eric Woolfson had a hand in any of the writing as they did with all the Alan Parsons Project albums, they were still both involved. Parsons lent his hand as producer and, according to RateYourMusic.com, it was Woolfson who conceived the Keats project. It was his intent “to create a career for the core of the band and give them the opportunity to control their own musical output.” RYM He reportedly named the group after his favorite restaurant. GR Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way. Keats didn’t go anywhere despite how closely the sound matched that of Alan Parsons Project albums. Of course, from a timing standpoint, the Alan Parsons Project’s fortunes were waning. While previous album Ammonia Avenue had gone gold and produced a top-20 hit (“Don’t Answer Me”), it would mark the last time the group would achieve gold status or a top-40 hit. Still, this is “top-notch AOR throughout” GR even if “listeners often considered the Keats music as being too technical – lacking emotion.” RYM “The songs are slicker than the more musically and lyrically adventurous Alan Parsons Project albums. That’s saying something considering the highly polished sonic glaze Parsons gave his own work.” AMG All Music Guide called the opening song Heaven Knows one of the album’s highlights. AMG That song and Avalance are reminiscent of Toto with the former marked by saxophone playing from Richard Cottle. “Elsewhere there are even hints of late-1980s Magnum (Fight to Win),” GR another song noted by All Music Guide as a highlight. AMG It’s Blunstone who handles most of the vocals here. His most notable vocal with the Alan Parsons Project was on the song “Old and Wise” from their 1982 album Eye in the Sky. However, Paton takes the lead on Walking on Ice, a song he composed, and Ask No Questions, a song written by Bairnson. GR The latter “has a definite Doobies-feel in the chorus.” GR The album’s sole single, Turn Your Heart Around, is “amongst the standouts.” GR It was written by Bardens and also turned up on Blunstone’s solo album On the Air Tonight.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Keats AMG All Music Guide review by Bret Adams GR Get Ready to Rock! (5/1/2020). “Feature: Albums That Time Forgot – Keats by David Randall RYM Rate Your Music WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 9/24/2021.

 

Alan Parsons Project Eve released

Eve Alan Parsons Project

Released: August 27, 1979 Peak: 13 US, 74 UK, 10 CN, 14 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Lucifer [5:09] You Lie Down with Dogs [3:45] I’d Rather Be a Man [3:52] You Won’t Be There [3:37] Winding Me Up [4:00] Damned if I Do [4:50] Don’t Hold Back [3:36] Secret Garden [4:40] If I Could Change Your Mind [5:49] Total Running Time: 39:23 The Players: Alan Parsons (producing, engineering) Eric Woolfson (keyboards, executive producing) Ian Bairnson (guitar, backing vocals) David Paton (bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals) Stuart Elliott (drums, percussion, backing vocals) Andrew Powell (orchestral arrangements) Duncan Mackay (keyboards) Lesley Duncan, Chris Rainbow, Clare Torry, Dave Townsend, Lenny Zakatek (vocals)

Rating: 3.271 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings)

The Project’s Fourth Album The two primary members of the Alan Parsons Project, Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, worked with a slew of session musicians and vocalists over the years to craft a “cultivated respect via a small-but-loyal cult audience: sci-fi geeks, audiophiles, musicians into ‘the craft,’ and basically anyone with a decent pair of headphones or an expensive stereo system.” SS On their fourth album, 1979’s Eve, they matched the top-30, gold-selling status of previous album, 1978’s Pyramid. This album, however, spawned the group’s biggest hit to date – “Damned if I Do” – which reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Polarizing Album Perhaps no album polarizes the Alan Parsons Project fan more than this one. “One camp believes that it’s the worst thing that Parsons ever put together…Another camp believes it’s a misunderstood masterpiece. Fascinatingly enough, this may be one of those rare situations where both are half-true.” DV On one hand, you can find comments like “Eve…involves some of this group’s most intricate songs” AM that “are highly entertaining with catchy rhythms and intelligent lyrics. Musically, the tempo appealingly switches back and forth from slow to quick, as does the temperament of the album.” AM On the other hand, you’ll find comments like “Eve offers plenty of sonic grandeur [but] the lyrics are almost clumsy and sententious enough to give sex a bad name.” RS Even more brutal is the claim that “Eve is perhaps the worst engineered Project CD, for starters, its sound muddy and shallow in places…The drums lack punch in most cases, a sad undermixing of talented drummer Stuart Elliot, and David Paton’s bass work is little more than average.” DV The Concept There is an equally polarized view of the merits of the concept. One description calls this one of the Project’s “finest marriages of both concept and music.” AM It says the theme “deals with the female’s overpowering effect on man. Each song touches on her ability to dissect the male ego, especially through sexual means, originating with Eve’s tempting Adam in the beginning of time. Not only does this idea gain strength as the album progresses, but a musical battle of the sexes begins to arise through each song.” AM Look around, though, and you’ll find a very different opinion: “Eve purports to be a song cycle evoking Woman, yet the portrait thrown up by this 3-D space-rock oratorio is of some whory Victorian witch in a leather headdress flicking her garter belt and hissing curses. ‘I’d rather be a man than sin my soul like you do,’ announces David Paton, playing one of the LP’s four male accusers. ‘You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas,’ spits another. That about sums up Eve’s sexual politics. When it’s finally Woman’s turn to reply — Woman gets only two cuts to Man’s four — she’s made to whine about being lonely.” RS "On…I Robot, the Alan Parsons Project’s bombastic and synthesized orchestral pop rock proved to be a nifty idiom for exploring man-machine myths. But the more human the theme, the more inappropriate such a style becomes. And how much more human can you get than a concept album concerned with sex?” RS With such differing opinions, it is hard to draw a conclusion. Personally, I consider this one the Project’s weaker efforts musically, lyrically, and conceptually that started with an idea that could have been one of their best works. With the Project’s affinity for using a number of vocalists, this could have been a much more interesting (and balanced) study of relationships between man and woman with an attempt to see both points of view. Having said that, the individual songs are not completely without merit, even if the overall theme slips into a woman-bashing fest. Conclusion In the end, one must accept that “Eve…is neither as great as some claim, or as bad as some others insist. Alan Parsons, with or without Eric Woolfson, is one of the most underrated and original voices in progressive rock history, but even he has some misses. Eve has to be counted as one, recommended for only the completist and the fan.” DV Reissue A 2008 reissue added demos and rough mixes of six of the song from the album along with an edited version of “Elsie’s Theme” from The Sicilian Defence, an album recorded by the Project in 1979 but not released until 2014. The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Lucifer Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: NA (instrumental) Released: single (August 1979), Eve (1979) B-side: “I’d Rather Be a Man” Peak: 50 CL Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.05 streaming About the Song: "The dominating fury of Lucifer, a powerful instrumental” AM opener, “may be the best instrumental Parsons recorded in the seventies, if not all time; its driving keyboard line and eerie Morse code intro is hypnotic.” DV

You Lie Down with Dogs Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Lenny Zakatek Released: B-side of “Damned if I Do” (9/29/1979), single (US, March 1980), Eve (1979) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.93 streaming About the Song: “The loutish ‘You Lie Down with Dogs’ bears wit with its gender inclined mud-slinging.” AM This was Lenny Zakatek’s third appearance on an Alan Parsons Project album. He most notably took the lead on their top-40 hit “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” from 1977’s I Robot.

I’d Rather Be a Man Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: David Paton Released: B-side of “Lucifer” (August 1979), Eve (1979) Peak: 36 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.75 streaming About the Song: David Paton, formerly of the band Pilot, had worked with the Alan Parsons Project on their three previous albums as a bassist and backing vocalist. He took the lead on the single “What Goes Up…” from the previous album, Pyramid, and takes the reins again here on “I’d Rather Be a Man.”

You Won’t Be There Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Dave Townsend Released: single (US, January 1980), Eve (1979) B-Side: “Secret Garden” Peak: 36 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.95 streaming About the Song: “The gorgeous ‘You Won’t Be There’” AM “is a sweet, lyrical ballad, plainly illustrating Parsons’ connection with more single-oriented bands like Ambrosia.” DV The song “spotlights man's insecurity. Sung by Dave Townshend, its melodramatic feel sets a perfect tone.” AM

Winding Me Up Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Chris Rainbow Released: Eve (1979) Peak: 36 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.02 streaming About the Song: “The classically enhanced Winding Me Up follows suit, based on a woman's ability to dominate her mate and opening up with sound of a wind-up doll being cranked.” AM Both “funny and catchy,” DV it “may be the most underrated song in the Parsons catalog.” DV

Damned if I Do Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson (see lyrics here) Vocals: Lenny Zakatek Released: single (9/29/1979), Eve (1979) B-side: “You Lie Down with Dogs” Peak: 27 BB, 30 CB, 28 GR, 28 HR, 25 R, 10 CL, 16 CN, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1.55 video, 3.59 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The best-known song, and highpoint of Eve, is album rock staple “Damned If I Do.” It was the group’s third top-40 album and highest chart hit yet, reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. As Richard Challen says on the Spandex & Synths website, “it was an early indication of things to come.” SS Throughout the Alan Parson Project’s history, they leaned on a number of vocalists – as many as fifteen on the first four albums alone. SS This “bitter but forceful [gem] sung by Lenny Zakatek” AM may be the best rocker the Project ever created. At the time, he was with the group Gonzalez, who had a disco hit with “Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet.” However, he had already worked with the Project on the previous two albums and was “dubbed ‘The Voice’ of the Project in certain circles.” SS After all, of the group’s twelve singles released from 1977 to 1980, he sings on the three that hit the top 40. That included this song, 1977’s “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” and the top-20 hit “Games People Play” in 1980. Apart from the album, this comes across as just another man lamenting a rocky relationship; in the context of the album, though, it plays into the overly bitter “why do women treat women this way” vibe.

Don’t Hold Back Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Clare Torry Released: Eve (1979) Peak: 34 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.55 streaming About the Song: This song features session singer/songwriter Clare Torry, whose best-known work was as the female vocalist on Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky” on their 1973 masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon. Of course, Alan Parsons worked as an engineer on that album. In fact, he was the one who recommended her for “The Great Gig in the Sky.”

Secret Garden Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: NA (instrumental) Released: B-side of “You Won’t Be There” (US, January 1980), Eve (1979) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.66 streaming

If I Could Change Your Mind Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Lesley Duncan Released: Eve (1979) Peak: 36 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.94 streaming About the Song: If I Could Change Your Mind “is wistful, elegant, and spare, a brilliant ballad with a rare female lead” DV by Lesley Duncan. Unfortunately, the effect isn’t quite the same on the album’s other female lead vocal. “Not even Clare Torry, the ethereal yodeler on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, can save Don’t Hold Back.” DV

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Mike DeGagne DV DailyVault.com review by Duke Egbert RS Rolling Stone review by Stephen Holden (originally in print issue 306) SS Spandex & Synths (3/23/2020). Review by Richard Challen. WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 9/27/2025.