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Eye in the Sky

Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky Audio CD

A fair review of the Alan Parsons Project "Eye in the Sky" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Alan Parsons Project reviews here, or go back to the Alan Parsons Project tabs.

Band: Alan Parsons Project
Title: Eye in the Sky
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Sirius [Instrumental] 2: Eye in the Sky 3: Children of the Moon 4: Gemini 5: Silence and I 6: You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned 7: Psychobabble 8: Mammagamma [Instrumental] 9: Step by Step 10: Old and Wise

A bit of a mixed bag
Eye in the Sky (1982) did not offer much consolation either; as I recall, I was somewhat disappointed with the album and even more so with Ammonia Avenue (1984). After watching my favorite groups go on extended hiatus, streamline their approach, or simply pack it in over a period of four years or so, 1982 was a pretty bleak year for this fan of the classic progressive/experimental rock style. Indeed, I stopped buying new Alan Parson Projects (APP) albums after Ammonia Avenue.

This album of British symphonic pop is more or less divided between some pretty interesting material on the first half (Tracks 1-5) and a batch of comparatively weaker tunes that comprise the second half (generic-sounding and uninspired pop tunes [Tracks 6, 7, and 9], and a tepid instrumental [Track 8]). The material on the first half is really very strong though, and neatly sums up the dreamy atmospherics and symphonic fullness (an orchestra is used here and there) that characterized the classic APP sound. In contrast, I did not enjoy Tracks 6-9 for various reasons ranging from the silly (I do not like Lenny Zakatek's voice) to the dislike of the pop arrangements and instrumentation. However, I did enjoy the delicate closing track Old and Wise (Track 10), which is nicely sung by Colin Blunstone.

Although this album has not been remastered, the sound quality is just fine (Alan Parsons was at the helm) and the liner notes include both the lyrics and personnel listing.

All in all, while the musicians on the album did not change; a few of whom played on the less than satisfying Single Factor album (Camel, 1982), the times certainly had and I think the album suffered because of it. While I can not recommend Eye in the Sky without at least some hesitation, it is worth it for the strong material on the first half along with Old and Wise - albeit at a used copy price. Other albums by APP that I personally found enjoyable include Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976), I, Robot (1977), and Turn of a Friendly Card (1980).

Excellent cd
It starts off with the sensational Sirus,which leads into the title track of the cd Eye In The Sky. This is a supurb cd this.
I think those 2 songs are what makes theis cd worth getting. The lyrics to this song are supurbly written. I am the maker of rules dealing with fools. Just seems to have a touch of Jesus in it somehow. Eye in the sky looking at you,i can read your mind. . . . (God?) hmmm great stuff!!!
This cd has alot of mystique about it,i love the cover art to it.
Children Of The Moon is also a great song,i realy love that song.
You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned is another realy good song.
Get this album if you appreciate good music.

For those of us who lived the 80s
I have not been wrong in my prediction, as far as Old and Wise was played in their recent concert in Caracas last year. This is an album of nostalgia, AP proved came with this catching album we still hear today, back then I thought the album would live because of Old and Wise as well as Silence and I.

My 13 yo son is now into hearing AP, as a relieved parent seeing this as a radical change from RAP, which is of course based on primitivism, violence and negation of anything of value. i would encourage all you parents to steer your kids into AP, its melodic, fun, and the perfect intro to prog or other higher music .

One of their best!
I was in high school at the time when the title track was released. I was introduced to the Alan Parsons Project by my father via "Eye in the Sky" album. Unlike today's parents, it was highly unusual for them, the Baby Boomer generation, to listen to current pop-rock; I thought it was really cool to have a dad who listened to what I did. Dad was an amateur musician, who was studied music in high school and his freshman year in college. He had a real influence on me musically and taught me what to listen for in music. I have managed to collect most of his albums and, some twenty years later, still enjoy listening to this album.

The Alan Parsons Project was the brainchild of producer/engineer Alan Parsons, who, in conjunction with Eric Woolfson, created an outlet for studio musicians to perform. Each album had a subject, beginning with author Edgar Allan Poe in 1976 and ending in 1987 with architect Antonio Gaudi. The group never toured - they just produced songs that sold millions of albums.

With that said, you're probably asking, "What about the album?" First off, none of his albums come close to the high quality of "Eye in the Sky," with the exception of "Turn of a Friendly Card" (1980). The theme of this album focuses on government control and how it affects our lives. Parsons and Woolfson crafted wonderfully written tunes that not only adhere to the theme, but have well-constructed melodies and incredible orchestration.

Variety - YES! The album presents everything from full orchestrated progressive rock to techno. The best track is "Silence and I," a ballad with a soaring melody and awesome instrumental orchestrated by Andrew Powell. The syncopation between the mallets, horns and woodwinds is completely invigorating! "Old and Wise," the second hit off of the album, is a gorgeous ballad that begins with oboe and strings, ending in an awesome alto sax solo.

An Alan Parsons album wouldn't be complete without an instrumental. "Sirius," which became the Chicago Bulls theme, opens the album. It is great on a headset because the instruments were recorded on different channels. The other famous instrumental, "Mammagamma. " was adopted by the telelvision show The Wide World of Sports.

If you haven't listened to the Project's music, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend it!.

One of the two best Project releases
EYE IN THE SKY comes in a close second to TOAFC. This is the second Alan Parsons disc that I purchased after the great TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD album. This is an amazingly good album except for the song "Step By Step" which is kind of weak in comparison to the other great songs. I like "Psychobabble", but it's the next weakest song in my opinion. When you get past those two, the rest of the cd is superb. It kind of sounds like a ADD album because it kind of has a warm analog ambience to it. The cd STEREOTOMY was a DDD cd and you could tell because of the razor sharp cymbals and the great focus, but it lacked the warm analog sound picture. Two of my three favorite Project songs are on here, and they are "Silence and I" and "Old and Wise". "Mammagamma" is just about my favorite intrumental in their entire discography. I get chills from the opener and prelude to "Eye In The Sky" the song "Sirius", then, "Eye In The Sky" is in my top eight or so of Project songs. "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned" is also one of my favorites and a very catchy tune. Another great song is "Children Of The Moon". Definitely a topnotched tune. All in all, this is one of my favorite recordings, and I'm including all genres of music. If you're new to the Alan Parsons Project, just sample TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD and EYE IN THE SKY and you will forever be on the Project bandwagon.

You can see a complete list of all Alan Parsons Project discography, or go back to the Alan Parsons Project tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.