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The Definitive Collection

Alan Parsons Project - The Definitive Collection Audio CD

A fair review of the Alan Parsons Project "The Definitive Collection" 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: The Definitive Collection
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-07-15
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether 2: Raven 3: I Robot [Instrumental] 4: I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You 5: Breakdown 6: Don't Let It Show 7: Voyager [Instrumental] 8: What Goes Up... 9: Eagle Will Rise Again 10: Can't Take It With You 11: Pyramania 12: Damned If I Do 13: Lucifer [Instrumental] 14: If I Could Change Your Mind 15: Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 1 16: Snake Eyes 17: Games People Play 18: Time 19: Sirius [Instrumental] 20: Eye in the Sky 21: Psychobabble 22: Mammagamma [Instrumental] 23: Old and Wise 24: Prime Time 25: Don't Answer Me 26: You Don't Believe 27: Let's Talk About Me 28: Days Are Numbers (The Traveller) 29: Stereotomy 30: In the Real World 31: Standing on Higher Ground 32: Too Late 33: Turn It Up 34: Re-Jigue [Instrumental]

(4.5 stars) A QUITE SUITABLE COLLECTION OF INTRIGUING MUSIC FROM THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT !
Using hand-picked musicians and various guest vocalists, they intended to keep the main focus of the album on a single concept and the producer's vision instead of the personality and theme of the band. In the summer of 1974 at Abbey Road Studios, musician/recording engineer Alan Parsons (Abbey Road, Dark Side Of The Moon) met his "partner in crime", lyricist Eric Woolfson, and sometime after that they decided to collaborate on an album. The Alan Parsons Project's first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976), was based on the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. In the next ten years, the APP would release nine more concept albums, the last being 1987's Gaudi (based on Antoni Gaudi, the architect).

The APP's sound consists of flawlessly produced and precisely structured progressive rock, pop music and beautiful ballads. It's a modern and elaborate sound that features creative details and effective emotional hooks. The various musicians and vocalists are always more than competent, and at times this music can deliver some real excitement.

The Definitive Collection (1997) is a 2-disc compilation that covers the APP's entire career, and includes 34 songs that are in chronological order. These recordings have been digitally remastered by Parsons himself, and the sound is well-defined and wonderful. The liner notes include an interesting essay on The Alan Parsons Project and information on each song including which album it was on. This is a thoughtful and well done collection, and the song selection, remastering and liner notes are all on the mark.

Games People Play, I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You, Eye In The Sky, Time and Damned If I Do are some of the APP's most easily recognizable songs and, of course, they're all here. Stereotomy, Old And Wise, The Eagle Will Rise Again and (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether are also highlights.

Some reviewers have commented that each APP song should only be listened to as a part of it's original album, but I disagree. While the APP's concept albums are excellent productions, these songs are quite enjoyable on their own, and because they're grouped in order here, you get a mini-preview of each album.

The Alan Parsons Project's interesting music is really a nice change from celebrity driven rock n' roll. It's an impressive exercise in production excellence, and for all of those arm-chair music producers out there, a chance to delight in expertly crafted progressive pop/rock music perfection.

The Epitomy of 70s/80s Progressive Rock
Be they topically based on literature (Tales of Mystery and Imagination, I Robot), art (Gaudi) relationships with the opposite sex (Eve, God and mysticism (Pyramid) or our own foibles (Stereotomy and Turn of a Friendly Card), he managed to create sonic tapestries that few others could match. Following his own peculiar career path, Alan Parsons became an unlikely star by recording a series of conceptual albums featuring a wide variety of singers and musicians, making rich and complicated music that still managed to cruise onto radio and beak the Top 40.

Parsons and his creative partner in the APP, Eric Woolfson managed a nifty trick though out their heyday, which was to create complex music and make it sound simple. There were no ELP gymnastics here, no Yes-like side long odes to alternate universes, and no musical condescension that often plagued prog-rock collectives. Just memorable hooks attached to beautifully structured ballads ("Time, "Days Are Numbers") pop (the Phil Spector style "Don't Answer Me," "Eye In The Sky") and Album rockers ("Stereotomy," "Dr Tarr and Professor Feather"). He also had a knack for immaculate instrumentals, some became almost as well known as the hit singles. "Sirius" in particular became a heavily used Sports theme.

Listening to these songs (remastered in 1997 and sounding amazing) is a reminder of just how beautiful high-fidelity can be in the age of computerized compression and MP3's. Don't get me wrong; I love my I-pod. But in the race to replace fidelity with convenience, artists with a style like the Alan Parsons Project or the equally idiosyncratic Steely Dan find their music less likely to be heard in the manner it is created. And that's a shame. Get this CD now (and others like it, like Parson's work on Dark Side of the Moon) before the CD meets in inevitable doom.

Some Great Songs
And this part is not so much connected to the Alan Parsons "concept albuns". I confess that part of me is a kind of FM-guy. So I think that some Alan Parson's songs for me is just boring, even I recognize that are creative and experimental, but I don't get it!

Besides, some songs are pop but not catchy, in my opinion.

But finally some songs I consider great tunes, with creative arrangements and inspired vocals. In that CD I highlight the following songs with the lead vocal between parentesis:

Eye in the Sky (Eric Woolfson), Old and Wise (Colin Blunstone from "Zombies"), Prime Time (Eric Woolfson), Let's Talk About Me (David Paton from "Pilot"), Days are Number (Chris Rainbow), The Turn of A Friendly Card (Chris Rainbow), Snake Eyes (Chris Rainbow), Games People Play (Lenny Zakatek), Time (Eric Woolfson), Cant't Take With You (Dean Ford from "Marmalade")

Other songs that I like and are out this compilation includes the
instrumental "The Gold Bug" and "Nothing Left To Lose" (Eric Woolfson)
from the best Alan Parsons's CD in my opinion ("The Turn of a Friendly Card")

.

Great Collection, of a Great Band

However this has to be the best one I have heard. I have had several APP "Greatest Hits" albums, incluing "Anthology", which is magnificent. The songs included are all top notch Sure one of two could have been left out, and one or two others put in their places, but it was nothing major.

Also great is that the songs are put in order, so that the earliest are first, and the later ones afterwards. This is especially good since then the style and themese group together.

IMPORTANT NOTE!: Many APP fans decry such collections because APP albums are all themed, so that the songs cannot be heard outside of their albums.

I disagree strongly with this.

True the albums may have a theme to them, and the individual songs in them may represent an aspect of that theme, but the genius of APP is that their music can stand alone as well.

The songs in this collection may all be part of their albums' themes, but alone they too can be heard as having their own message.

Take a song like "The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Part 1)", it comes from the album "Turn of a Friendly Card", whose theme is gambling. The song is therefore part of that theme, specifically examining the role of chance in gambling.

But the song stands on its own as well, not only as a song about chance in gambling, but as a beautiful song about the role of chance in life, how life can sometimes be with you and sometimes be against it. The role of Fate, on other words.

Or take the song "Don't Let It Show", from the album "I Robot", based on Asimov's book. The song in the album may be about the developement of consciousness in the robots, but the song stands alone as well, as being about holding back one's feelings out of fear of what the public will say.

I can go on and on, but the point is that while the songs are part of a larger themed albums, they also stand on their own with an independent message or symbolism.

This is part of the genius of APP, that they can wrote songs that are part of themsed albums, but that can also stand on their own, both musically and meaningfully.

Highly recommended cd. Buy and enjoy, and then go out and buy th individual albums!
.

Truly Definitive
I have been buying Alan Parsons since the seventies and my daughter just recently discovered this type of music. This compilation gets 5 stars from two generations at our house. We both agree that this collection hits all of the highs while still having enough tracks from each major release to maintain that "concept album" feel.

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.