This is actually my favorite AP album, perhaps because I’ve heard the more well known too much. This review did remind me of how good the recording is. Best vocal performance by David Pack (Ambrosia) IMO, ironically after APP broke up:
So why, in 2010, am I writing a review for a disc that is nearly 20 years old and is out-of-print? As a "born-again" Alan Parsons fan having recently purchased this album for the first time, I just feel like more should be said on this apparently criminally over-looked disc.
As you are probably aware, this was the first album by Alan Parsons after the "Project" ceased to be with the departure of Eric Wolfson (R.I.P. Eric!). As it is one of the few Alan Parsons discs currently out of print, one must also assume that it did not perform well commercially, at least relative to most of the rest of his catalog. Based on hearing this for the first time recently, that can not be because of the music. (One must assume that this album was the commercial victim of the on-set of grunge...) After several passes through this album now, this has to be one of his better sets of music overall and certainly one the most satisfying to listen to, as a whole, since at least Ammonia Avenue. (one of my top 3 APP albums)
Rather than go through a song-by-song description of this album, I will hit on a few highlights. The disc, as a whole, is an essay on our search for self-worth, both inside and outside. The album has a slightly dark feel in that, for most of the songs, he highlights our failures in this search, all while you feel that the answer is right outside our grasp, floating along with us. This theme is at once both apparent and yet subtle throughout.
This disc contains four instrumentals, all very good in their own right. Two of them stand out, Jigue and Re-Jigue. These two pieces are a recasting of a basic Scottish or Irish melody (It sounds familiar but, as yet, I have not been able to identify the original.) These two pieces provide for a very interesting study in "Composition 101 - How to develop varients on a theme with in a single composition". It takes this simple melody, casts it at different tempos, changes textures with different instruments and harmonies, and at one point, even throws in a saxophone (in an celtic piece - and this actually seems to work!) to make for a very involving listen. Re-jigue takes that same theme and creates a symphonic version which could have come straight from a good movie score.
The next interesting point of note is the involvement of David Pack on several of these songs. I believe this is the first (and last time?) David performed on a Alan Parsons release. This would seem to be a paring that should have worked together far more often. There are three songs, The Three of Me, I'm Talkin to You, and Oh Life, which he sings on. All three are good songs and David sings as well as I have ever heard him sing on any album. In fact, if you are a David Pack or Ambrosia fan, you absolutely must hear Oh Life (There must be more) all the way through. This is the absolute best song on the disc and may be the best single Alan Parsons piece ever. (No, that is not hyperbole.) It is certainly David Pack at his very best!
Two other songs of note are Mr. Time and Back Against the Wall. Mr. Time includes a female lead singer (I do not have her name with me at this point) who sings a classic female lead vocal similar to those on Eve and Pyramid. Back Against the Wall is a very good song in the same vein as up-tempo pieces from several of the albums in the 80s. This brings me to my final point.
Listening to Try Anything Once, you get a sense that Alan Parsons is both closing out his APP era and starting to look forward. The music is at once both reminiscent of the groups previous out-put while presenting some strong hints at potential future direction. It is clear that Alan does not see his musical identity wrapped up with Alan Parsons Project, while it is also clear that he has a great love for that history as well. As such, this album presents a very compelling colleague of all things APP, from the over-reaching theme, to the music, right down to the (of course) pristeen production. Yet, there is a "new feel", relative to Alan Parsons, that is moving along within this disc as well. This is even further highlighted if you listen to Gaudi and Try Anything Once in order.
For this reason, I recommend getting your hands on a copy and try it again, and again, and again. To paraphrase, "you can't just listen to it once!"
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Originally Posted by Top Cat
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