The Alan Parsons Project Album: “Turn of a Friendly Card”

The Alan Parsons Project's "The Turn Of A Friendly Card," their 1980 observation of the world of gambling, is an outstanding prog-pop album, and one of the group's very best works. In fact, I'd probably park this album right behind "Tales Of Mystery & Imagination" as the group's greatest disc. The music composed by Parsons & Eric Woolfson is simply stunning, the arrangements lush & breathtaking, the performances powerful. "May Be A Price To Pay" is a terrific opener, with singer Elmer Gantry taking you into the casino with this first-rate rocker. You can just see those roulette wheels spinning, the dice being thrown, and the cards being dealt while listening to this song, especially during the dreamy instrumental bridge. "Games People Play," sung by Lenny Zakatek, is a Project classic, another great exuberant rocker and one of the group's biggest hits. Eric Woolfson passionately sings "Time," another Project staple and one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded (and the only song that seems to depart from the album's gambling theme). I dare you not to melt on hearing this exquisite ballad! Zakatek returns to sing "I Don't Wanna Go Home," a terrific, rough & tough song about obsessive gamblers. "The Gold Bug" is a wonderfully hypnotic Project instrumental, and then, finally, there's the epic title suite, containing the songs "Snake Eyes", "Nothing Left To Lose," and the instrumental, "The Ace Of Swords." Sung by both Chris Rainbow & Eric Woolfson, this rock suite contains all the hallmarks of classic Project music: marvelous prog/pop, great orchestrations by Andrew Powell, a shimmering instrumental break, and top-notch performances and production---just like the rest of the album! "The Turn Of A Friendly Card" is a glowing gem from Alan Parsons & company, one of their finest. Getting this album is one gamble you can definitely bet on.

"Turn Of A Friendly Card" was The Alan Parsons Project commercial breakthrough in 1980,peaking at #13 on the Billboard Album Chart and producing two Top 20 hits,the up-tempo synth-laden "Games People Play" and the lovely dream-like ballad "Time".A concept album about gambling,it's also one of APP's best efforts,featuring polished,dynamic production,strong vocals (by Eric Woolfson,Chris Rainbow,Lenny Zakatek and Elmer Gantry,respectily),lush orchestraion, and thoughtful,tuneful songs throughout with no weak songs.This expanded reissue contains 7 bonus tracks(mostly alternate or demos of the album's songs),liner notes by Jerry Ewing,period pictures vividly reproduced in the booklet and a wonderful remastering job by Dave Donnelly and Alan Parsons himself at DNA Mastering,the latter of which is an excellent reason for any fan to replace their old 1980's-era Arista CD for good.Why this is not available stateside is a mystery.UPDATE:It has finally been released stateside in early 2009 as with the rest of the APP catalog.

The duo of Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons, better known as The Alan Parsons Project, produced ten studio albums from 1976 through 1987. The pair always had a theme with each album, crafting each song to comform to the subject matter. "The Turn of a Friendly Card," produced in 1980, contains their most easily accessible theme - the addiction to gambling. The album spawned two hits: "Games People Play," a fast rocker and the ballad, "Time."

My dad exposed me to this album in the early 1980's and it is by far my favorite (I own all of their albums but two). It is replete with amazing orchestration, masterfully arranged by Andrew Powell, a long-time friend of Alan Parsons. The melodies are the the most addicting, the title track being my favorite tune. Lyrically, the album is extremely poetic, with similies and analogies strung throughout. Of course, no Alan Parsons album would be complete without an instrumental. This one contains two, my favorite being "The Gold Bug." It's a piece, like Pachebel's canon, that builds on a bassline (better known as a passacaglia) for each verse, culminating in an awesome sax solo. The other instrumental, entitled "Ace of Swords," is really an orchestral piece, utilizing mixed meter and a cool harpsichord part.

As a public-school music teacher, I have often used this album as a listening example for my band and choir classes. Roughly 70% of the kids like the album (even though it is 20+ years old) because it speaks to any age level, both musically and thematically. I believe any "Projectologist" will agree - this album is the best place to start! Enjoy!

The Turn of a Friendly Card is one of the APP's most solid "concept" albums (about gambling, if you will). "Time" doesn't fit quite as well with this concept as the other tracks unless it's about one's time (or life) being stolen from loved one's by the gambling disease. The song is so beautiful and celestial, however, it is hard to think of it in such mundane terms. Besides the two instrumental tracks ("The Gold Bug" and "The Ace of Swords")being not as memorable as the instrumentals on Eye in the Sky, there is nothing weak on this album. "Games People Play" is one of my all-time favorite APP tracks. It is a fun rocker you can't help but sing along to. The title track is simple and beautiful with some of Woolfson/Parsons' best lyrics ("There are unsmiling faces and bright plastic chains and a wheel of perpetual motion...").

The tracks on the second half of the album seem to be meant to tie in together as the track listing above suggests, however I think the title track and "Nothing Left To Lose" would have sounded better just standing on their own. "Nothing Left To Lose," like "Time," is another beautiful Eric Woolfson-sung track. My only qualm is the hard rocking ending to it (with the music from "Snake Eyes"), which I find rather distracting. Still, it is behind Ammonia Avenue as my second favorite APP album (just above Eye in the Sky and Gaudi). "Time" and "Games People Play" alone make this album worth its weight in "gold bugs" (or casino chips).

If much of Peter Gabriel's lasting artistic legacy will be the principled stands he has taken for the cause of human rights, then a similar legacy should linger long after Eric Woolfson for his insights into the human tragedies of gambling addiction. While many superficial songs have been written on the subject,

explores the excitement and disappointment, the folly and the wisdom that can sometimes come when there is

. That song, in particular, embodies an uplifting melody around starkly somber lyrics that together create a sense of quiet resignation, a singularly unique emotion not heard in many songs. But as deeply as this concept album delves into these themes of mental addiction and the power of choice versus the unconscious, Woolfson delves even deeper in his musical GAMBLER where additionally the primal male fantasies of heroism are turned against the hero. This album benefits from not only the stellar production and engineering of Alan Parsons, but also from two of the finest instrumentals Parsons has ever composed:

and

.

If asked just what was The Alan Parsons Project, the simple answer would be a couple of musical geniuses who had the good sense to surround themselves with a bunch of other musical geniuses. Even a casual interest in the liner notes will reveal the unique talents of Andrew Powell who was solely responsible for all of the Project's orchestral arrangements. But far less obvious would be the tremendous contributions that guitarist Ian Bairnson made throughout the life of the Project in terms of arrangement and, all too often, extremely complicated key changes. On

in particular, Bairnson places a single sheet of paper between the strings and the pickup of his guitar in order to achieve an almost unheard organic quality to his playing. Even Chris Rainbow deserves much more praise for his "rainbow effect" vocal harmonies laden throughout The Project catalog and showcased on the bonus material

from the more recent remaster.

While I have heard some refer to The Alan Parsons Project as a poor man's Pink Floyd, I contend strongly that

stands toe to toe with the best efforts Pink Floyd ever put forth. The range of styles, tempos, and moods are as diverse as those on The Floyd's most successful album

, but that should come as no surprise considering Parsons' substantial involvement in recording and engineering that masterpiece. While this album's influence may not go as deep and wide despite the success of the singles

and

, it certainly should given the relevance of the subject matter in modern societies where gambling is more widely sanctioned than ever.

(Of the high-definition audio discs Classic Records has released by The Alan Parsons Project, this particular one would be the lesser of the three. While certainly an improvement over the original compact disc released by Arista, it should also be noted that there is quite a bit of tape hiss on this rendering. I would only recommend this HDAD over Sony's recent remaster if dynamic range is your chief concern. I actually prefer the overall presentation of Sony's Direct Stream Digital remaster, but the HDAD does get the honorary nod when it comes to dynamic range.)