Review The Alan Parsons Project

MIKEPR

Member: Rank 1
Games people play is a good and interesting song.

It's oddly written.

At the beginning it sounds like it's about an older couple who's children are grown and don't know what to do with themselves but you listen long enough it sounds more like gambling.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The first time I became aware of them was a kid.

My older brother knew I liked horror and sci fi films, so one christmas or birthday he gave me this bizarre green album about the works of Edgar Allan Poe. I wasn't sure about it, as rock concept albums were a new.... well.... concept to me, but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it - and I already knew the titles of some of the songs as short stories and horror movies starring Vincent Price.

Over the years I collected pretty much all of their albums.

I still favour that first album though and, gradually, my favourite song from it ended up being this one...



And I also still prefer the original version of the album to the updated version in the eighties, although I did appreciate the Orson Welles narration that was intended for the album, but that had not gone on it the first time.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Dr. Evil - The Alan Parsons Project


A scene from the movie Austin Powers 2 (The spy who shagged me) were Dr. Evil explains his Alan Parsons Project



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Alan Parsons visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he talked about working at Abbey Road, the Beatles recording, the Beatles final concert on the rooftop of Apple Studios in 1969, working with the Hollies on "Air That I Breathe" and more.


 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The "I, ROBOT" album.......



Background and concept

The album was intended to be based on the I, Robot stories written by Asimov, and Eric Woolfson spoke with Asimov himself, who was enthusiastic about the idea. As the rights already had been granted to a TV/movie company, the album's title was altered slightly by removing the comma in "I,", and the theme and lyrics were made to be more generically about robots rather than to be specific to the Asimov universe. The cover inlay reads: "I Robot... The story of the rise of the machine and the decline of man, which paradoxically coincided with his discovery of the wheel... and a warning that his brief dominance of this planet will probably end, because man tried to create robot in his own image." The title of the final track, "Genesis Ch.1 v.32", follows this theme by implying a continuation to the story of Creation, since the first chapter of Genesis only has 31 verses.



 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The first album.......



The lyrical and musical themes of the album, which are retellings of horror stories and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, attracted a cult audience. The title of the album is taken from the title of a collection of Poe's macabre stories of the same name.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)


Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."A Dream Within a Dream"Instrumental4:14
2."The Raven"Alan Parsons, Leonard Whiting3:57
3."The Tell-Tale Heart"Arthur Brown (additional vocals: Jack Harris)4:38
4."The Cask of Amontillado"John Miles (additional vocals: Terry Sylvester)4:33
5."(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether"John Miles (additional vocals: Jack Harris)4:20
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."The Fall of the House of Usher
  • "Prelude" – 7:02
  • "Arrival" – 2:39
  • "Intermezzo" – 1:00
  • "Pavane" – 4:36
  • "Fall" – 0:51"
Instrumental16:10
2."To One in Paradise"Terry Sylvester (additional vocals: Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons)4:46



 
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