The Alan Parsons Project Album: “Best of the Alan Parsons Project [Arista 1983]”

If I were to put a compilation together of my favorite Alan Parsons Project songs, this would be pretty close to what I'd come up with. Four of my top 5 APP classics are here: "Eye in the Sky," the addictively funky "Games People Play," the beautiful ballad "Time" showing off Eric Woolfson's amazing vocal range, and the heartbreaking dirge "Old and Wise." It is a very powerful song. Other excellent choices are "Can't Take It With You," the best track off Pyramid beautifully sung with intriguing lyrics, the disco number "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You," and "You Don't Believe" from my favorite APP album Ammonia Avenue. It is an interesting choice because it is not very well-known. If there were not a volume two to this album, it would no doubt be replaced by the hit single "Don't Answer Me" (the other track in my top 5). "Damned If I Do," off of the controversial and underappreciated Eve album, is nothing spectacular, but I find myself humming it more than probably any other APP track, so it must have a way of grabbing the listener. Tracks I would leave off are the quirky but annoying "Pyramania" and "Psychobabble" which, lyrically is very cool and has a soul driving verse, but the chorus is rather predictable. "Lucifer" is a good instrumental track and "Don't Let It Show" is a nice ballad but unremarkable. In sum, it is an excellent collection but not perfect.

I'm a new fan of The Alan Parsons Project. I just got into this band after many countless years of hearing their songs on the radio,songs such as,"Eye In The Sky","Games People Play","Time" & and the irrepressibly funky,"I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You". These were songs that my Mom remembers back from high school growing up in the late 70's and the early part of the 80's. I would recommend this band to anyone that's into the British wave of Prog-Rock that began taking shape in the early 1970's. Basically,if you enjoy the music of Yes,Genesis,Supertramp,and even Pink Floyd,then I'm sure that you will like The Alan Parsons Project as well. I recently bought this album on cassette while I was browsing around for some vintage music at a local consignment shop. Let me tell you,I'm glad that I stumbled upon this album because it is truly a treasure and a work of art. This is a classic piece of Prog-Rock,and an excellent excerpt torn from the History of Seventies Progressive Rock. The compositions contained here in this collection are breathtaking,beautiful,and full of musical brilliance. And after buying this compilation,I felt immediately urged to get my hands on more music by this band,if that says anything about just how good this group is. As a matter of fact,I've already purchased two of The Alan Parsons Project's albums,and I ordered three more LP's through a music shop online. Alan Parsons is a wonderful and talented producer and conceptualist,a true musical genius. The singers from the group,like Lenny Zakatek and Eric Woolfson,contribute earnest and raw emotion to their vocals,and are incredibly gifted vocalists. Overall,The Alan Parson Project made well-crafted music that was equally impassioned,melodic,spiritually uplifting,and mind-expanding. Well Done.

Years ago I found this tape in my dad's collection and I thought that the name sounded cool, so I decided to listen to it. At the time, I had no idea that Alan Parson was a producer of my favorite band, Pink Floyd. I couldn't really get into the tape much, it was much too advanced (melodic) for my preteen tastes. Fast forward 9 years... and, after getting into Supertramp and other 70's "pop," I listened to this tape again and the production blew me away (obviously.) I could now see the (loose) correlation with Pink Floyd. Most notably on Time, which at times reminds me of a Roger Waters tune, (and not because of the title.) I like the nature of APP's songs, they have a soothing and relaxing pace which make this album a pleasure to relax to. I also dig the funky, almost disco-like beats in a few of the songs. I can't comment on if this is a good compilation or not, but it IS a good stand-alone album!

I bought this as a tape long ago. I played it over and over and LOVED it! The tape has long worn out, and I replaced it with the CD. I cannot think of any song on the album that I only "like." I LOVE them all!

As did Becker and Fagen in Steely Dan, Alan Parsons has employed the cream of rock musicians to make his albums shine. But Steely Dan's albums carry two unifying factors: Fagen's voice, and an underlying theme of existentialist futility.

Parsons produces each of his albums around a given concept, as do Pink Floyd. The albums themselves are unrelated. At risk of being too simplistic, Parsons, like Jeff Beck, sometimes places technical virtuosity over musical expression. Not doing so, but stepping ever so close to the line, is the genius of Steely Dan. They are Mozart to Parsons's Beethoven.

While the result of Parsons's Greatest Hits album may not be psychobabble, there is more than a little schizophrenia going on. Not only are the pieces disossociated thematically, they often employ different vocalists and musicians. The result is a collection that ranges from symphonic, heart-wrenching vocals (Old and Wise) to icy-cold fusion (Lucifer).

I'm not into fusion or cleverness (another Parsons indulgence), so I've booted about half the songs from this disk and consider the rest to be classics. No doubt other buyers are doing the same, but with different halves. Others still, and a lot of them, will treasure each song. Certainly, Alan Parsons has given us all something we can treasure.