Alan Parsons Project - The Orchestra Behind the Mixing Desk

The Alan Parsons Project was not a band at all, but a genuine musical project that took shape thanks to the ingenuity and creativity of its mastermind: Alan Parsons. A sound engineer, producer, composer, arranger and musician, Parsons gave life to a powerful symphonic rock sound through which, by combining classical instruments with cutting-edge equipment, he contributed significantly to modernizing traditional rock, anticipating the advent of contemporary electronic music and giving a major boost to the evolution of recording techniques.

Born in London on 20/12/1949, Alan started playing guitar, piano and flute at an early age. Initially he had no plans to pursue a career as a musician and composer: once he finished school, he worked at a research lab developing cameras, before moving to the magnetic tape production department. There he began to develop his interest in high fidelity, alongside his passion for music. It was listening to "Revolver", the Beatles album, that sparked the idea of writing a letter to the head of Abbey Road Studios; ten days later, Parsons began working at the very studio of the Fab Four, albeit as an errand boy. Soon, however, his first important collaborations as a sound engineer would come about, on "Abbey Road" (1969) and "Let It Be" (1970), the Fab Four's final albums. He would later handle the sound on two Wings albums, the band that Paul McCartney would form in the Seventies with his wife Linda: "Wild Life" and "Red Rose Speedway", as well as the singles "C Moon" and "Hi Hi Hi".

Parsons owes his fame, however, to "Dark Side Of The Moon", the bestselling masterpiece by Pink Floyd. During the recording sessions, Parsons introduced a multichannel sound, setting it against quadraphonic production, though he didn't abandon that approach altogether: on "Money", for instance, he used a ruler to measure out segments of tape, each containing a particular effect (a cash register, a bag of coins, a crumpled sheet of paper, etc.). Parsons' work on the sound left a decisive mark on the record, contributing in no small part to its success. And to think his pay was just 35 pounds a week... Some time later, he produced Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat", as well as some work for the Hollies ("He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"), on which Elton John also plays, and for Ambrosia.

The turning point, however, is the meeting with manager Eric Woolfson, who had worked with Andrew Loog Oldham, already a producer for the Rolling Stones, and who also had a past in politics. The two are joined by Andrew Powell, producer of Kate Bush's first two albums, as well as conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and composer of the soundtrack for "Ladyhawke", the film by Richard Donner. Out of this partnership comes The Alan Parsons Project, with Powell as arranger, while Woolfson and Parsons handle the composing. Parsons also serves as artistic producer and sound engineer and, like Woolfson, plays several instruments.

The trio is joined by a host of vocalists, each set to sing just one track per album: among them, former Zombies member Colin Blunstone (a longtime friend of Parsons), Chris Rainbow, John Miles, Lenny Zakatek, Arthur Brown, and Woolfson himself. There are also several session players worth mentioning, such as guitarist Ian Bairnson and bassist/vocalist David Paton, who had already played with Elton John and had been a member of Pilot. With this kind of team in place, the group embarks on a prolific run of musically varied concept albums, made up of instrumental tracks built with a heavy use of advanced technology, alongside radio-friendly songs, often melodic and sentimental.

In 1976, after two years in the making, the ensemble's debut album, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe, is released, inspired by the tales and life of the master of American gothic fiction. It's an album built on solid classical foundations, with barely any use of synthesizers, even though the first Moog synthesizer had been introduced just a few years earlier. Nonetheless, "The Raven" is the very first track ever to use a vocoder, and is also one of the rare songs sung by Parsons himself. The track is introduced by "A Dream Within A Dream", with Orson Welles' narrating voice declaring: "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream".

The highlight, however, is "The Fall Of The House Of Usher": made up of five parts, through the spectral background noises of "Prelude" and the organ of "Arrival", it stands as a virtual soundtrack to the tales and troubled life of the Boston-born writer.

The following I Robot (1977), inspired by Isaac Asimov's novel of the same name, shifts direction. The album, which alludes to the robotization of society tied to relentless scientific progress, takes on an almost futuristic character, with heavy use of synthesizers. This is especially noticeable in the instrumental tracks, such as the title track, marked by a sampled rhythm only slightly animated, where the evocative monotony of the main theme is joined by unsettling yet deeply emotional arrangements; the two mystical, shadowy symphonies "Nucleus" and "Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32"; and "Total Eclipse", the only track composed by Powell, whose synthetic hisses vaguely recall certain moments of "Heroes", the second chapter of David Bowie's Berlin trilogy, released that same year.

Moving away from these standards is "Don't Let It Show", a sweet pop song where the organ sound stands out, as does the poignant "Some Other Time", in which the pairing of guitar and piano is initially backed by flute and then by the orchestra. There's even room for flashes of funk and disco in "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You".

A complex and varied album, I Robot sets a new standard for electronic music, darker and more gothic than that of Jean-Michel Jarre, yet just as melodic and engaging.

Between September 1977 and February 1978, Pyramid is recorded, presenting a less cold and unsettling atmosphere than the previous work. The album unfolds like a journey into a three-dimensional reality, embodied by the Egyptian pyramids. The intro "Voyager" leaves the listener in a state of quiet suspension, leading into the soft-pop of "What Goes Up…".

"Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" best captures the idea of the journey, recalling I Robot especially in terms of tone and texture, but with a more relaxing effect, despite a more forceful rhythmic sampling. The peak of emotional intensity, however, is reached in the ballads "The Eagle Will Rise Again" and (especially) "Shadow Of A Lonely Man", both introduced by strings and marked by a passionate, anguished vocal performance.

After the success of Pyramid, Parsons moves to Munich to work on the next album: Eve. The title refers to the first woman, a symbol of womankind as a whole, yet the record is steeped in ominous predictions of an impending apocalypse. It's the first album in Parsons' output to feature female vocalists: Lesile Duncan sings on "If I Could Change Your Mind", a tender, melancholy love song, while "Don't Look Back" is entrusted to Clare Torry, who became famous for her extraordinary performance on "The Great Gig In The Sky", featured on the aforementioned "Dark Side Of The Moon". Many years later, Torry would sue Pink Floyd themselves, having received a meager fee for her significant vocal contribution and having been denied songwriting credit.

Beyond these and other romantic moments, such as the ballad "You Won't Be There", Eve showcases many of the innovative traits that define much of Alan Parsons' output. The instrumental "Lucifer", for instance, takes on apocalyptic, unsettling qualities, both rhythmically and harmonically, with a repetitive melody whose eeriness is heightened by sinister vocal chants.

His time in Munich inspires the conception of The Turn Of A Friendly Card, released in 1980. It's a kind of concept album about the vice of gambling, its implications and consequences: there's an undercurrent of perversion that takes hold of the soul, as stated in "May Be A Price To Pay", a pop song introduced by brass; in "Games People Play", meanwhile, the gambler's wishful hopes and false self-assurances are mentioned, later shattered by the harsh reality faced by the loser.

The depth of this album, however, lies mainly in other tracks. Among these, "Time" stands out, an exceptionally gentle slow number, in which Eric Woolfson's warm, mellow voice rises above an ethereal harmony, emphasized by the strings. The sinuous "The Gold Bug", meanwhile, benefits from the sax's presence over the rhythmic samples and the synthesizer loop.

Another gripping moment is the title track, a five-part suite: the first and last sections unfold the main theme, in which the striking melodic line is sung by Chris Rainbow, and later carried by piano and the closing orchestra; in the interludes, the mood shifts from the soft rock of "Snake Eyes" to the harpsichord of "Ace Of Swords", while the sweet, dreamy "Nothing Left To Lose", performed on acoustic guitars, soon turns energetic and driving, featuring a virtuoso electric guitar solo.

At the end of 1981, Parsons & company decide to return to Abbey Road to make the album that would bring them their greatest commercial success: Eye In The Sky. Released in June 1982, the record is a hit with both audiences and critics, going platinum. Giving in to his more "romantic" side, Parsons translates feelings and moods into music, lending the lyrics greater depth, tinged with a metaphysical, introspective quality. The formula used in previous works is reprised once again: the tracklist opens with "Sirius", a brief instrumental intro in which the synthesizers create a subtly sinister mood, before giving way to a guitar solo, flowing seamlessly as though it were part of the same track; this is followed by the title track, a pop song with a catchy melody destined to become one of the most famous of the 1980s.

Also noteworthy is “Mammagamma”, an electronic track with dance undertones that recalls an instrumental version of “Another Brick In The Wall” by Pink Floyd: as drums and bass press forward over a sampled rhythm track, the synthesizers produce a cyclical sound that persists even through the key changes. Also highly evocative is “Old And Wise”, a melancholy, autumnal ballad in which the chorus rises on a descending harmony, supported by an orchestral arrangement in which the oboe also emerges.

The highest emotional peak, however, is reached in “Silence And I”, which opens gently with a blend of piano and keyboards in a mournful atmosphere, before giving way to a radical rhythmic shift in which Powell's orchestra (95 strong) rises up impetuously, before returning to the starting point. A kind of rock opera, embellished by the intense voice of Eric Woolfson.

Along the same lines, both melodically and harmonically, is the title track of Ammonia Avenue, a 1984 album condemning the claustrophobic dominance of modern industrial society. The album goes gold and marks a further step forward, at least in terms of melodic solidity. Besides the remarkable title track, it also features heartfelt, engaging ballads such as “Since The Last Goodbye” and “Don’t Answer Me”. What's missing, though, is the dramatic intensity that had marked Parsons' earlier electronic productions, which here gives way decisively to the song format.

That same year, between May and July, Alan Parsons set about recording Vulture Culture, on which Andrew Powell does not appear, as he was busy working on the soundtrack for the film “Ladyhawke”. Despite this, the album, which takes on a more distinctly pop character than before, holds up reasonably well: eight catchy tracks that make up nicely for the lack of orchestral input, with no shortage of intense moments, such as the closing guitar solo on the ballad “The Same Old Sun”, or the vigorous power-pop of “Let’s Talk About Me”.

The following Stereotomy (1985) sees the return of John Miles, who sings on the title track. Although it contains gems like the romantic “Limelight”, sung by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, and touches on fascinatingly reflective subjects, such as the religious introspection of “Light Of The World”, the album fails to stir the same emotional engagement that had set apart Parsons' earlier records.

Gaudi, released in 1987, is also a far cry from the strong emotions of Eye In The Sky and The Turn Of A Friendly Card. The album, inspired by the great works of the Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudí, rests on just a handful of decent tracks. Among them, “La Sagrada Familia”, which, besides a touching vocal part, boasts a solid orchestral section; the same theme is then revisited in the instrumental “Paseo De Gracia”, which closes the tracklist. Also worth mentioning is “Closer To Heaven”, sung by Woolfson.

In 1990, Alan Parsons teamed up with Woolfson to create a musical titled “Freudiana”: it is the last project the two would work on together. Parsons himself, in fact, was not satisfied with the work, which, among other things, would only ever be staged in a theatre in Vienna. In an interview, Parsons stated: “There isn't enough genuine rock music in theatres: to find an example you'd have to go back to 'Tommy', in the Sixties”. He then decided to sell his recording studio, along with several properties, intending to move to America with his family, buying a farm in California. The plan, however, never came to fruition, and once back in England, Parsons built a new studio.

After producing a CD of technical test material for hi-fi systems, in 1993 he finally released, under the sole name of Alan Parsons, Try Anything Once, opening a new chapter in his career. The traditional sound of the Philharmonic Orchestra was now favoured over the advanced technological instruments of the past; moreover, Parsons abandoned the concept-album format for good. As in the past, he enlisted outside collaborators, but this time with live performances in mind, something that had never happened before. Among them were Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann, Eric Stewart of 10cc, David Pack formerly of Ambrosia, and Jacqui Copland: vocalists who alternate across the various tracks, just as on the “classic” Alan Parsons Project albums. “Mr. Time” is a hypnotic, almost spacey ballad, with a perfect symbiosis between keyboards and guitars; “Jigue” and “Re-jigue” show traces of Irish folk influence; “Dreamscape” is an instrumental with dreamlike overtones; also worth noting is the delicate “Oh Life”. All the tracks are credited to Parsons and his inseparable guitarist Ian Bairnson.

1996 is the year of On Air, which marks a return to the old name, The Alan Parsons Project, and to the concept-album format: the record is in fact inspired by the saga of flight, from the Montgolfier brothers to the future yet to come, complete with a fantastical vision of the colonization of other galaxies and distant worlds. Alongside veterans Bairnson and Elliott, bassist John Giblin joins the fold, as do vocalists such as Christopher Cross, who sings “So Far Away”. The real novelty, however, lies in the CD-ROM, through which listeners could hear the tracks while viewing footage of aviation pioneers and the Apollo mission. Among the tracklist, worth mentioning are the melancholy “Brother Up In Heaven” and “Blue Blue Sky II”, introduced by an orchestral section.

1999 saw the release of The Time Machine, featuring guests from different musical backgrounds, such as Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, Maire Brennan of Clannad, Beverly Craven and, last but not least, old friend Colin Blunstone. This time Parsons limited himself solely to the role of producer and sound engineer, while Bairnson and Elliott wrote the songs. The Time Machine has been regarded by critics as the most “ethereal” work since Eye In The Sky, with its mystical lyrics and journeys through time. The Japanese edition includes the instrumental “Beginnings”, on which Parsons serves as narrator.

2004 is the year of A Valid Path, an album that is completely revolutionary both in its sound and its team: there's no longer any involvement from Bairnson and Elliott, his lifelong collaborators; this is now a solo record in every sense, with Parsons as its undisputed creator. Among the collaborators are major names in electronic music, such as Crystal Method, Nortec Collective and Shpongle, but also veteran musicians like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The electronic contribution is dominant here: “Chomolungma”, besides synthesizers and a sampled rhythm track, also makes use of the vocoder; “L’Arc En Ciel” is built on ambient sounds vaguely reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre; on “We Play The Game”, Parsons sings and plays guitar; “Tijuaniac” is a bizarre crossbreed of electronic music and the Mexican mariachi tradition; finally, there's a new version of “Mammagamma”, recorded with the help of his son, Jeremy Parsons, a skilled programmer. The only track touched by nostalgia for the past is “A Recurring Dream Within A Dream”, which brings to mind the sounds of “Pipeline” (included on Ammonia Avenue) and the esoteric themes of his early days.

The decline of his most recent period has only slightly tarnished the image of a musician, technician and composer of unquestionable talent. Over the course of his long career, Alan Parsons has sold millions of records, constantly seeking out new avenues for experimentation: in his versatility, both as a sound engineer and as a musician, he has truly marked an era in the evolution of electronics applied to sound, proving himself to be far more than simply “the sound engineer of 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'”.

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