Wondering about these 3...Try Anything Once, Valid Path and On Air...These seem so invalid that they aren't even listed
on Progarchives and Wiki-pedia....
Wondering about these 3...Try Anything Once, Valid Path and On Air...These seem so invalid that they aren't even listed
on Progarchives and Wiki-pedia....
They would be listed under "Alan Parsons" because Woolfson was not involved. imo Try Anything Once is excellent. Valid Path is hit or miss, big hits and big misses. On Air is... airy and meh. pretty boring.
They're on progarchives, look up Alan Parsons Band rather than Project. I have the 1st and 3rd. Wouldn't rank them with the classic albums but they are still pretty good. Try Anything Once has no less than 4 instrumentals. On Air was written mostly by guitarist Ian Bairnson, I think Alan has only a couple of supporting credits. There's a newer release of On Air I dont have which sounds intriguing as it has a DTS track as well as a CD-ROM with videos etc.
I like On Air! It is mellow though, even by APP standards. I also like TAO. Never heard the other. I'd put both these two over most if not all of of the albums between Friendly Card and them though.
I really like both Try Anything Once and On Air. Both are solid albums and anyone who likes the APP output wholesale will be pleased to have these as well. Valid Path was the first real Alan Parsons solo album and it was the one where he went towards an electronic / dance type of sound almost and well ... it bored me to tears almost.
^^^ the above says it all. there's also 1999's Time Machine, also on the same level as On Air. many really good songs.
A Valid Path is also interesting because of the dual-disk version, which has a DVD-side with a surround-mix. Of course a 5.1 mix from Tales Of Mystery And Imaginagion would be nicer though.
Really like Try Anything Once - especially the closer, "Oh Life! (There Must Be More)." Good songs, and pristine production, as always.
I'll echo what others have said about On Air - it's very mellow, but pretty good, too. I never picked up A Valid Path, after reading some awful reviews.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
5.1 mix of any of the APP albums would be welcome.Originally Posted by interbellum
I like all four of AP's album, with Try Anything Once being my fav. A Valid Path, sticks out as being different as Parsons incorporated a couple of tracks with a slant toward electronica. They are good, not great, and I have to give him credit trying to add something different to the typical Parsons sound. The exception is Return to Tunguska, which is an instrument with a couple of solos by David Gilmour. I can't get enough of that track. I recently saw an interview where he said that moving away from the lush sounding music with an orchestra was a mistake because while he got some new fans, he lost a bit of his core fans.
I don't know if he is done with albums but he has released a few singles with the last being called Fragile.
“Try Anything Once” has grown on me a lot over the years. When it first came out I remember being disappointed with it, but today I really like it. Every once in a while a song from it will come up on random play on my I-Pod and it always makes me take notice. There are some great individual songs on that one and the production is stellar.
“On Air” is not nearly as good. It is not a bad album, but not great either. “Time Machine” I would rate about the same. I never picked up “Valid Path”, but did borrow it from a friend once. Seemed that Alan was trying to go for a more techno approach. It did not intrigue me enough to buy it.
"Oh Life" is one of David Pack's all time greatest vocal performance IMO (and he has had a few). Still sends chills up my spine when I listen to it.
One of my top 3 Alan Parsons (Project) songs. I like Try Anything Once all the way through. On Air, is a couple of steps down, but I think it is a good album for autumn. I didn't care for Time Machine that much when it came out but now think it is as strong as On Air.
I really enjoy Try Anything Once and On Air. It seems by reading the posts that my opinion of On Air is better than most listeners, but I really enjoy it. In fact, I never enjoyed Christopher Cross but he has what I think is a fantastic vocal on "So Far Away".
I purchased A Valid Path and I think I have only listened to it twice. I could not stand it. My sister-in-law whose musical opinion I typically agree with, loves it, but to me it is fingernails on a chalk board.
[QUOTE=Rangershockey7;320980]I really enjoy Try Anything Once and On Air. It seems by reading the posts that my opinion of On Air is better than most listeners, but I really enjoy it. In fact, I never enjoyed Christopher Cross but he has what I think is a fantastic vocal on "So Far Away".
Agreed, that is one of the best tracks on the album.
That was how the original version came out. The video content is pretty tame by current standards. Always liked the album, while acknowledging it's not one of the best associated with Parsons. However, Try Anything Once is a solid effort start to finish. Valid Path has some interesting moments, but very few "songs".
"Try Anything Once" has several good songs on it. "Turn It Up," "Breakaway," "Back Against the Wall"... However, it has one absolute gem and that's the album closer "Oh Life (There Must Be More)". It's one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard.
I tried "On Air" but I couldn't get into it at all.
"A Valid Path" is an interesting album. It's Parsons' foray into electronic music. It opens with the quite awesome "Return to Tunguska" featuring David Gilmour on slide guitar. There are also two reimagined Parsons tunes in "Mammagamma 04" and "A Recurring Dream Within a Dream." On the whole, it's a good album, but expect a little more danciness in some parts. The album ends with "Chomolunga," a good instrumental that features John Cleese riffing over it at the end. There's also a DualDisc version with a 5.1 mix on the 2nd side. It's worth tracking down.
Chad
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