What happened between
"Gaudi" and "Try Anything Once"?
Got any nagging questions? Heard something you want more information about? New to the Alan Parsons scene? Check this out:
Here's the questions, click on the links to jump to the answers:
What happened between
"Gaudi" and "Try Anything Once"?
What is "Freudiana"?
Where is Eric Woolfson, and why did he split from APP?
Why doesn't Alan Parsons use
the Project name anymore?
What is "Keats"?
Is "Ladyhawke" on CD?
Are there two versions of the
"Live" CD?
Are there two versions of the
"Best of APP vol. 2"?
What does Alan Parsons
contribute to the "Ice Castles"
soundtrack?
What videos
were made and can I buy them?
How do you spell
Stuart's last name?
Can I buy videos of
live performances?
Have I heard "You're The Voice" somewhere else?
Are there any
unreleased albums? / What is the "Sicilian
Defence" album?
Is sheet
music available?
What is the "Sound Check" disc?
Can I get the
original versionof "Tales" on CD?
Are there any
box sets available?
Where can I find the
lyrics of the songs?
What are the themes of the albums?
Who are the vocalists on the different songs?
What song do the
Chicago Bullsuse for their entrance music?
Where was the picture on the
cover of "I Robot" photographed?
Were the pictures in "Try Anything Once" taken in Arizona?
Who is "Brother Up In Heaven" about?
What is Alan Parsons
involvement with "The Symphonic Music of
Yes"?
Which Alan Parsons songs have
hit the Top 40 in America?
Who is Laurie Cottle?
Who is
Marilyn Bairnson?
Who is
Lindsey Elliott?
Who is
Smokey Parsons? (and Jeremy, and Daniel Parsons,
too.)
Who is Hazel Woolfson?
Who is Mr. Laser Beam?
What is a "video postcard"?
Who is Iconic
Phare / Millenia?
What happened between "Gaudi" and "Try Anything Once"? / What is "Freudiana"?
"Gaudi" was released in 1987 and "Try Anything Once" in 1992, between this there was another album called "Freudiana". "Freudiana" was originally meant to be the eleventh APP album. While recording the album, Brian Brolly entered the picture and he helped steer the album in a new direction. Brolly, for those who don't know him, was previously a partner with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and together they created such musicals as "Cats". With Brolly's help, Eric was able to turn "Fruediana" into a stage musical.
The double-length studio album was released in 1990. Shortly after, the stage production opened in Vienna, Austria. The musical had a successful run, and it was hoped that the show would open in other cities. Further plans were put on hold when a lawsuit broke out between Brolly and Woolfson, each fighting for control of the project. In the end, Brolly won. For more information on "Fruediana" and the lawsuit, see issue one of The Avenue.
The studio disk (the "white" album) was quite difficult to get for a while, but is now available through various dealers, including Thoughtscape Sounds. There was also a double-length cast disc (the "black" album) and that is currently out of print.
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Where is Eric Woolfson, and why did he split from APP?
"Freudiana" gave Eric a taste of musical theatre, which was to his liking and he chose to continue in that end of the business. Parsons on the other hand, felt that continuing with a rock band was the way for him. After Eric left, he staged "Gaudi" in Germany on two separate occasions, spinning off two cast discs. Eric followed that up with more shows: "Gambler" and "Poe".
Eric's musicals were successfully staegd all over the world. Currently none of his musicals are running. The cast discs from his shows are currently out of print.
Sadly Eric passed away on December 2, 2009 but his music will live on.
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Why doesn't Alan Parsons use the Project name anymore?
Alan Parsons felt that "The Alan Parsons Project" was the name of the duo of Parsons/Woolfson. When Eric left, he didn't feel comfortable continuing to use that name. In the end, he chose to go forward using his own name.
In 1984 a few members of The Alan Parsons Project got together to do their own album. The band consisted of: Colin Blunstone (vocals); Ian Bairnson (guitars); David Paton (bass); Stuart Elliott (drums) and Pete Bardens (keyboards). Alan Parsons produced and engineered the record and Richard Cottle made a guest appearance on sax and keyboards. The name of both the band and the album was "Keats".
It was released by EMI as ST-17136 in America and as EJ 24 0174 in the UK.
The A-side of the album was the same on both copies: Heaven Knows / Tragedy / Fight To Win / Walking On Ice / How Can You Walk Away.
The B-side of ST-17136: Turn Your Heart Around / Avalanche / Give It Up / Ask No Questions / Night Full of Voices.
The B-side of EJ 24 0174: Avalanche / Turn Your Heart Around / Hollywood Heart / Ask No Questions / Night Full of Voices.
As you can see, there was one song different between the two versions. The only single from the album was "Turn Your Heart Around" which also had a video.
In 1994, EMI finally released the album on disc in Japan as TOCP-8216. The track listing was the same as EJ 24 0174. After that disc went out of print, it was later revived by See For Miles Records. Recently Renaissance Records released this album in America with all eleven musical tracks, as well as two interview tracks, one with Alan Parsons, the other with Ian Bairnson.
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In 1985 Andrew Powell composed the music for the film "Ladyhawke" starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Alan Parsons produced and engineered the album. The players: Powell and Richard Cottle (keyboards); Ian Bairnson (guitar); David Paton (bass) and Stuart Elliott (drums).
Atlantic released this album as catalogue number 78 12481 with fourteen tracks on it. In 1994, a company called Genoa Records released a "limited edition" of 2000 discs. The catalogue number was GRCD-1014 (on the spine) and GRLC-CD1014 (on the disk). This edition proved to be a bootleg. In 1995 GNP Crescendo responded with a legitimate CD release (GNPD 8042). The latest CD release includes new artwork, and some previously unreleased material, bringing the total number of tracks to 23.
In 2015 it was re-released as a 2-CD set with bonus tracks.
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Are there two versions of the "Live" CD?
"The Very Best of Live" was first released in Europe on Arcade Records (cat# 9902230) on November 27, 1994. The twelve tracks were: Sirius / Eye In The Sky / Luciferama / Old and Wise / Psychobabble / The Raven / Time / You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned / Prime Time / Limelight / Don't Answer Me / Standing On Higher Ground.
Shortly after, RCA Victor brought the record to America (cat# 09026-68229-2). This release has fifteen tracks: the twelve live tracks, same as above, plus three new studio tracks: When / Take The Money and Run / You're The Voice. The artwork in the booklets are different between the two issues. If you're wondering what the lyrics for the new songs are, or where the songs were recorded, there was an additional insert with issue four of The Avenue.
Now that The Alan Parsons Live Project has spent so many years on the road, there have been other live CD sets released.
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Are there two versions of the "Best of APP vol. 2"?
In America, Arista released "The Best of The APP volume 2" (ARCD-8486), but in Europe called it "Limelight - The Best of Volume 2" (CD cat# 258.634). To complicate this further, the track listings are different.
US (eleven tracks): Prime Time / Let's Talk About Me / Standing On Higher Ground / Stereotomy / Don't Answer Me / Limelight / I Robot / What Goes Up... / Days Are Numbers (The Traveller) / Ammonia Avenue / The Turn of a Friendly Card (part II).
Europe (ten tracks): Limelight / The Same Old Sun / Ammonia Avenue / Since The Last Goodbye / I Robot / Prime Time / Hawkeye / The Turn of a Friendly Card (part I) / Silence and I.
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What does Alan Parsons contribute to the "Ice Castles" soundtrack?
"Ice Castles" was a 1978 film starring Lynn-Holly Johnson, Robby Benson and Colleen Dewhurst. The film was about a skater's rise, fall and comeback, and featured the hit single "Through The Eyes of Love" performed by Melissa Manchester. The soundtrack was released by Arista (ALB6-8317), which at that time was the label for both Parsons and Manchester. On the album, Arista added the track "Voyager", giving APP a little promotion. How is the song used in the film? Watch for a scene where there is a party going on and Lexie (played by Johnson) stares out a window over-looking a rink, in the background you can barely hear "Voyager". The funny part is that by the time the volume is loud enough to hear the song, the music has changed to "What Goes Up...".
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What videos were made and can I buy them?
The following songs had videos clips: I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You / Pyramania / Don't Answer Me / Prime Time / Let's Talk About Me / Stereotomy / Standing On Higher Ground / Freudiana / Don't Let The Moment Pass / Turn It Up / Brother Up In Heaven / Fall Free / The Time Machine. They also made, but didn't release a video for "The Turn of a Friendly Card (part one)".
"Don't Answer Me" was commercially released as part of a compilation called "Hot Rock Videos vol. 1" . Unfortunately you can't buy these videos in any store, as no APP compilation has ever been released.
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How do you spell Stuart's last name?
Eliott? Elliot? You've probably seen it spelt a few different ways. The correct spelling of your favourite drummer is Stuart Elliott.
Can I buy videos of live performances?
"Live In Madrid" on DVD was the first commercial release of an Alan Parsons concert. "Live In Madrid" was recorded May 14, 2004 show at Plaze Mayor in Madrid, Spain.
However, there are also bootlegs circulating around, one is of a 1995 concert broadcast on television in Chile, the other is the 1995 World Liberty Concert.
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Have I heard "You're The Voice" somewhere else?
The song was written years ago by Chris Thompson. The first person to record it was Australian John Farnham, who made quite a hit with it. Look for it on his "Whispering Jack" album.
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Are there any unreleased albums? / What is the "Sicilian Defence" album?
After The Alan Parsons Project released "Pyramid", they were approaching a point in their contract which called for the 3rd and 4th albums to be delivered by a certain date. They recorded two albums, "Eve" and "Sicilian Defence" and delivered them at about the same time. "Eve" of course was released. However, Arista was so disappointed with the quality of "Sicilian Defence" that they locked the master in the vault.
When the remastered version of "Eve" was released, the track "Elsie's Theme" became the first peek fans ever had. But the album remained unreleased until 2014 when it was included as part of the "Complete Albums Collection" box set.
The title comes from the game of chess. The "Sicilian Defence" is a classic series of moves. In a way, this was the APP's moves in response to that contract.
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Is sheet music available?
There were songbooks released for all albums from "Tales" to "Gaudi". In addition, sheet music for individual songs was also released during that period. Currently all of it is out of print. The only place to find this material is on the second-hand market, such as used book shops, and in ads in publications like Goldmine.
Some songs were printed in issues of The Avenue newsletter.
There are also new songbooks available at this store.
What is the "Sound Check" disc?
This is disc was designed for professionals to use to calibrate and test their equipment. "Sound Check" was created by Alan Parsons and Stephen Court because they had always found a need for such a disc, but until then there wasn't one available. The disc contains 92 short tracks, and includes pink noise, octave bands, sweep tones, plus music and sound effects.
It was originally released in 1993 by Sound Check Productions. Since then it has been re-released on gold disc by Mobile Fidelity.
The track "Limelight" by The Alan Parsons Project also appears on this disc.
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Can I get the original version of "Tales" on CD?
In 1987, when "Tales" was finally released on CD, it was done as a remastered edition. Some fans preferred the original version, without the additional instrumentation and narrations. For purists, Mobile Fidelity released the original version of this classic album on gold disk. Mobile Fidelity has since gone bankrupt and this version is out of print.
In 2007, a remaster set was made available. The set included two discs: the original 1976 mix, and another disc with the 1987 mix.
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Are there box-sets available?
In the early 1980's, Arista released a vinyl box-set of four albums in Europe (301 450-445). The box-set set coincided with the success of "The Turn of a Friendly Card". It contained that album, plus the three previous albums: "I Robot", "Pyramid", and "Eve". The interesting thing is that the sleeves used inside the box for each album were made to follow the same style as "The Turn of a Friendly Card". All albums had stained glass window designs: "I Robot" was the Jack of Clubs, "Pyramid" was the Ace of Spades, and of course "Eve" was the Queen of Hearts.
Arista also released two other boxes that were strictly for promotional purposes and were not sold in stores. "The Audio Guide To The Alan Parsons Project" (SP-66) contained three studio albums ("I Robot", "Pyramid" and "Eve"), plus two interview albums. An updated version of "The Audio Guide..." (SP-140) appeared in the eighties. This time it had five studio albums ("I Robot" through "Eye In The Sky") and another interview album was added, bringing the total to three.
In 2010, a 5-CD box was released as part of Sony/Legacy's Original Album Classics series. That set included Pyramid, Eve, The Turn of a Friendly Card, Stereotomy and Gaudi.
in 2014 a CD box-sets called The Complete Albums Collection. It included all 10 of the original albums, but also include The Sicilean Defence. This set is the only place where The Sicilean Defence album has ever appeared.
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Where can I find the lyrics of the songs?
Lyrics for the songs have been printed in CD booklets and liner notes of albums. Sometimes the albums have been re-released without all the trimmings. If you have a copy without the lyrics printed inside, you can now check them out on-line here at The Avenue just by starting at the lyrics index page and select the song you like.
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What are the themes of the albums?
Some of the themes of the albums are quite clear, others not so clear. If there is a particular album you're curious about, check it out in the discography. For even more detail, read issue nine of The Avenue.
Who are the vocalists on the different songs?
Starting with "Eve", the liner notes of each album gave a song-by-song breakdown of which vocalist sang which song. But what about the ones before that? For any song, past to present, check out the discography pages for further details.
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What song do the Chicago Bulls use for their entrance music?
At every home game, the Chicago Bulls play "Sirius" while the players are announced. The song must be lucky for them as they keep winning games. This hasn't been overlooked by other teams, and many teams from the NBA down to local high schools also use that song, perhaps with the hope that a little of Alan's magic will rub off on them. Check out the original version of that song on the "Eye In The Sky" album.
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Where was the picture on the cover of "I Robot" photographed?
Those glass tubes are in the Charle DeGaulle airport in Paris, France. And no, the robot wasn't really there.
Were the pictures in "Try Anything Once" taken in Arizona?
Many people would think that, but the real answer is Spain.
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Who is "Brother Up In Heaven" about?
The song was dedicated to Erik Mounsey (1965-1994). Erik was Ian Bairnson's cousin, and he lost his life fighting the Gulf War as a result of "friendly fire".
What is Alan Parsons involvement with "The Symphonic Music of Yes"?
Because of his experience with orchestras, Yes asked him to produce and engineer the orchestra on their "Symphonic Music of Yes" album. That disc was released by RCA Victor in 1993 (catalogue number: 09026-61938-2). More about this in issue three of The Avenue.
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Which Alan Parsons songs have hit the Top 40 in America?
The following are the eight Top 40 hits, their peak position and the week they entered the chart:
PEAK SONG TITLE DATE OF ENTRY #37 (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether (9/11/76) #36 I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You (9/24/77) #27 Damned If I Do (11/17/79) #16 Games People Play (1/24/81) #15 Time (6/6/81) #3 Eye In The Sky (7/31/82) #15 Don't Answer Me (3/24/84) #34 Prime Time (6/23/84)
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Who is Laurie Cottle?
Laurie Cottle is the brother of Richard Cottle. Brother? Yes, think of "Laurie" as being similar to "Lawrence".
Who is Marilyn Bairnson?
Marilyn is the ex-wife of Ian Bairnson. Marilyn did backing vocals on the Chris Rainbow album "White Trails".
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Who is Lindsey Elliott?
Lindsey is the brother of Stuart Elliott. He also appears on Al Stewart's "Time Passages" album.
Who is Smokey Parsons? (and Jeremy and Daniel Parsons, too)?
Smokey is Alan Parsons' wife. They have two sons Jeremy and Daniel. Alan and Smokey have recently divorced.
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Who is Hazel Woolfson?
Hazel is Eric Woolfson's wife, and they have two daughters.
Who is Mr. Laser Beam?
Mr. Laser Beam's real name is Lee Abrams, and he works in the radio industry in America. Parsons' fans first came to know him when he wrote the liner notes for "The Best of The Alan Parsons Project" album back in 1983. He later returned as the "radio voice" on "Let's Talk About Me". Where does the name "Laser Beam" come from? Take the letters of his real name and scramble them.
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What is a "video postcard"?
Arista made a video tape to help promote the release of "Try Anything Once". This promotion-only video tape (ARV-389) was only a few minutes in length and came in a custom box. The purpose was to show it at trade fairs like NARM (National Association of Retail Merchandisers).
Where can you find a copy? Try ads from record dealers in Goldmine, eBay, or check the vendors at a record collector fair.
Who is Iconic Phare / Millenia?
In 1997, the trio of Paul D'Acia, Russell Dawson-Butterworth, and Richard Dews released the album "Thinking Rock" under the band name of Millenia. The album was brought to the attention of Alan Parsons; he liked what he heard and offered to help with their next project.
Later the band became just the duo of Paul and Russell, and they changed the band name to Iconic Phare. In 1998 Alan came on board as the Executive Producer, and with his guidance they helped create the new "Turning The Tide" - part of which was recorded in Abbey Road Studios.
Today they have a loyal and growing following in Europe and America, and making plans for their next album.
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