Page 3 of 8 FirstFirst 1234567 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 75 of 176

Thread: New music from Alan Parsons

  1. #51
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Here's another question: the only APP video I remember seeing on MTV was the one for Don't Answer Me. Were there any others? My impression is that APP didn't get much into videos (which makes sense since they were such a studio project) but I'm thinking there must be a few more I don't remember or never saw.

  2. #52
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Burlington Twp, NJ
    Posts
    2,272
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Here's another question: the only APP video I remember seeing on MTV was the one for Don't Answer Me. Were there any others? My impression is that APP didn't get much into videos (which makes sense since they were such a studio project) but I'm thinking there must be a few more I don't remember or never saw.





  3. #53
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Thanks - will watch these! Another I just found was for Limelight. That's a song they did last night where I couldn't remember what album it was from - Stereotomy. Another song that for me never did much on album, but was very effective live.

    Seeing this show made me realize I need to revisit the whole APP catalog.

  4. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    I know Woolfson wrote most if not all of the lyrics for the APP songs, but who wrote the music? Both of them?
    I looked up his NY Times obituary and it said Woolfson wrote almost all the songs. Then again, the last sentence is wrong: "He lobbied Mr. Parsons to let him take the lead vocal on “Time,” which turned out to be one of the group’s biggest hits, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard pop chart in 1981. Thereafter, Mr. Woolfson sang lead on nearly all the group’s songs."

    My guess is that Woolfson wrote almost all the songs but then Parsons added enough to several per album so that they are listed as "All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson."

  5. #55
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Burlington Twp, NJ
    Posts
    2,272
    As far as the Parsons/Wolfson songwriting thing, this is what Parsons said in an interview with Songwriting Magazine:

    Did your career progress from engineer to producer and then on to The Alan Parson’s Project?

    “They happened almost simultaneously, I think Pilot’s Magic was creeping up the charts when Eric and I first met. Our relationship at the beginning was kind of a business relationship. He was a songwriter with some experience in the business and he knew how to make deals. He said ‘I think you need a manager’ and so he signed me up as a client. In no time at all we were working together as a songwriting and production team for the project.”

    How did you share writing duties, did you work together or separately?

    “I’d done very little in the way of songwriting up to that point but Eric encouraged me, he said ‘go off and see what you can come up with and record some demos’. We went to a studio in Islington called Pathway and stuck down a couple of ideas for one of the songs he had, The Raven and one of the songs I had, To One In Paradise. It was much more collaborative in the beginning than it became in later years. We tended to work more separately as writers later on.”

  6. #56
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Philly, PA
    Posts
    6,583
    Finally had a chance to listen to the first new single. I'm a big Jason Mraz fan, so this totally works for me. It hearkens back to classic APP, IMO.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  7. #57
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    Finally had a chance to listen to the first new single. I'm a big Jason Mraz fan, so this totally works for me. It hearkens back to classic APP, IMO.
    What I don't get is that when they did the new single last night, the guy who sang it - not Jason Mraz I'm pretty sure - sounded just like Jason Mraz does on the recording.

  8. #58
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Monroe Mi
    Posts
    16
    I’m excited because Jeff Kollman is on it . And in the live band.

  9. #59
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    The Right Coast
    Posts
    1,704
    Quote Originally Posted by yamishogun View Post

    My guess is that Woolfson wrote almost all the songs but then Parsons added enough to several per album so that they are listed as "All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson."
    That was just their working agreement. Remember Parsons had a name from working with many groups including the Beatles and Pink Floyd, Woolfson was a songwriter / manager who didn't want any of the limelight. One worked in front of the glass and the other was behind it. Most everything was written by Woolfson.

  10. #60
    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Vallejo, CA
    Posts
    1,012
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Thanks - will watch these! Another I just found was for Limelight. That's a song they did last night where I couldn't remember what album it was from - Stereotomy. Another song that for me never did much on album, but was very effective live.

    Seeing this show made me realize I need to revisit the whole APP catalog.
    There was also another one for "Stereotomy" itself, which I remembered at the time being an MTV WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO. It wasn't anything special, if I recall, some acrobats leaping around with video effects, but I liked the song well enough.
    "Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)

  11. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Thanks - will watch these! Another I just found was for Limelight. That's a song they did last night where I couldn't remember what album it was from - Stereotomy. Another song that for me never did much on album, but was very effective live.

    Seeing this show made me realize I need to revisit the whole APP catalog.



    ah man, I love that John Miles vocal


    one of the tunes that they did at that first Night at the Proms show strangely enough



    PJ Olsson is a great (the current) singer. his versions of Don't Let it Show are pretty intense
    2trevorsforlife

  12. #62
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Quote Originally Posted by prog57 View Post
    I’m excited because Jeff Kollman is on it . And in the live band.
    His guitar soloing was very good. I didn't know any of these guys aside from Parsons by name (probably because I haven't listened to Parsons' recent albums), but I wouldn't have expected anything less from Parsons than having an excellent group of musicians and vocalists. I couldn't really even see the drummer or keyboardist because they were so far back, but they were very good as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by helix View Post
    PJ Olsson is a great (the current) singer. his versions of Don't Let it Show are pretty intense
    He was really good, and did a great job on Don't Let it Show - that was a highlight.

  13. #63
    This is the last Jason Mraz collaboration I enjoyed. This new one with Alan Parsons; not at all.
    https://youtu.be/acvIVA9-FMQ

  14. #64
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Philly, PA
    Posts
    6,583
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Seeing this show made me realize I need to revisit the whole APP catalog.
    What's nice about their catalog is the consistent quality. You can just shuffle everything and it all just flows.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  15. #65
    Quote Originally Posted by helix View Post
    ah man, I love that John Miles vocal
    Since you replied to the Limelight post may point it out that it is actually Gary Brooker (from Procol Harum) singing that song.

  16. #66
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    Finally had a chance to listen to the first new single. I'm a big Jason Mraz fan, so this totally works for me. It hearkens back to classic APP, IMO.
    Ditto.

  17. #67
    I saw the latest incarnation of APP last night at the Keswick in Glenside PA and I was expecting the entire I robot album based on past set lists but unfortunately they only played 2 songs from that album, Wouldn't want to be like you and Breakdown 2 songs from the first album
    The raven and Dr. Tarr and professor feather nothing from pyramid two songs from eye in the sky and a couple from turn of a friendly card the rest of the show was new stuff that sucked and mid eighties tunes that my have charted but were nothing special

    show overall C plus at best vocals were good and the guitar player was the only outstanding player Jeff Collman

  18. #68
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Philly, PA
    Posts
    6,583
    I had tickets to that one, but the weather scared me away. They were calling for heavy snow exactly during the show, and I just didn't want to risk it.

    It really should have been re-scheduled (again). The venue says that it was Parsons' call. Either way, very disappointing.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  19. #69
    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisXymphonia View Post
    Since you replied to the Limelight post may point it out that it is actually Gary Brooker (from Procol Harum) singing that song.


    aye you are correct and I knew that!




    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrQuhGUU3PY
    2trevorsforlife

  20. #70
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    The Right Coast
    Posts
    1,704
    This thread got me to listen to all of APP cds again and get the two studio cds that I didn’t have. Eve is a really strong album but I think it is kind of forgotten in their catalog. Gaudi has a couple of standout tracks, especially La Sagrada Familia, but overall is a disappointment. For me their weakest album and not a good way to go out.

    One of my fav all time bands and I really enjoyed going back and listening to it all again. Even tracked down and listened to ‘The Sicilian Defence’ online!

    Looking forward to the new AP disc, but after the stellar Try Anything Once, I’ve had to lower my expectations a bit.
    Last edited by Tangram; 03-07-2019 at 05:30 AM.

  21. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by Tangram View Post
    Gaudi has a couple of standout tracks, especially La Sagrada Familia, but overall is a disappointment. For me their weakest album and not a good way to go out.
    I love Gaudi but the one APP album I can not get along with is Vulture Culture, to me their weakest effort.

  22. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisXymphonia View Post
    I love Gaudi but the one APP album I can not get along with is Vulture Culture, to me their weakest effort.



    I love Days Are Numbers and Let's Talk About Me, but it's a poor man's Ammonia Ave, which itself is a 7.5/10. the instrumentals are goofy and abysmal


    on that note I was quite stoked to have seen them actually play Ammonia Ave last winter in Clearwater with an orchestra. it was the song's live premiere and didn't seem to stick around the setlist for too long
    2trevorsforlife

  23. #73
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kalamazoo Michigan
    Posts
    9,578
    Quote Originally Posted by Tangram View Post
    This thread got me to listen to all of APP cds again and get the two studio cds that I didn’t have. Eve is a really strong album but I think it is kind of forgotten in their catalog. Gaudi has a couple of standout tracks, especially La Sagrada Familia, but overall is a disappointment. For me their weakest album and not a good way to go out.

    One of my fav all time bands and I really enjoyed going back and listening to it all again. Even tracked down and listened to ‘The Sicilian Defence’ online!

    Looking forward to the new AP disc, but after the stellar Try Anything Once, I’ve had to lower my expectations a bit.
    Don't agree about "Eve". To my ears that is one of their weakest albums. I don't hate it, as there are some good songs, but overall I thought it was rather weak. I agree about "Gaudi". "La Sagrada Familia" ranks right up with the best tracks APP ever did, and I liked the single "Standing On Higher Ground", but the rest of the album seams rather half hearted. "The Siciliian Defence" is included in the complete albums box set that I have. Nothing really special there.

  24. #74
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    W MI
    Posts
    155
    I like Eve.

  25. #75
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    The Planet Lovetron
    Posts
    13,023
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian View Post
    I like Eve.
    Yeah, I'd put it in their top 4.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •