The Alan Parsons Project "Vulture Culture"

Vulture Culture is the eighth studio album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1984 (early 1985 in some countries) via the Arista label.

The first side of the LP (CD tracks 1–4) consists entirely of four-minute pop songs, and the second side varies widely, from the subdued funk of the title track to the bouncing instrumental "Hawkeye".

At the beginning of 1985, the lead single "Let's Talk About Me" reached the Top 40 in Germany (where the album was No. 1), in Switzerland (where Vulture Culture was No. 2) and in the Netherlands. The song features voice-over commentary from Lee Abrams, credited on the album as "Mr. Laser Beam" (an anagram of his name).

Originally, the album was intended to be the second LP of a double album, with Ammonia Avenue being the first. After the discs were split into separate albums, Vulture Culture was given a more modern (for the time) studio treatment with harder-hitting drums and dynamics. "Sooner or Later" was described by Parsons himself as "the third attempt to try and get another hit with the "Eye in the Sky"-esque chugging guitar line – "Prime Time" from Ammonia Avenue was the second, which I thought was a little more successful in that respect."

In the charts, Vulture Culture was a success in continental Europe, often reaching the Top 10, and in Oceania; whereas it was less successful in North America. It was the last album by the band to be certified Gold.

The song "Hawkeye" is an instrumental but does contain a line from Monica, a woman working at the canteen in Abbey Road Studios. The line she says is: "Only what's on the menu".

This is the only Project album that does not feature the orchestration of Andrew Powell.

Vulture Culture was the last Project album recorded on analogue equipment, and as with the previous two, mixed directly to the digital master tape.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one

1. "Let's Talk About Me" David Paton 4:29
2. "Separate Lives" Eric Woolfson 4:59
3. "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" Chris Rainbow 4:31
4. "Sooner or Later" Eric Woolfson 4:25

Side two

1. "Vulture Culture" Lenny Zakatek 5:22
2. "Hawkeye" Instrumental 3:49
3. "Somebody Out There" Colin Blunstone 4:55
4. "The Same Old Sun" Eric Woolfson 5:25

Vulture Culture was remastered and reissued in 2007 with the following bonus tracks:

1. "No Answers Only Questions (final version)" (Woolfson) – 2:12
2. "Separate Lives (alternative mix)" – 4:18
3. "Hawkeye (demo)" – 3:18
4. "The Naked Vulture" – 10:43
5. "No Answers Only Questions (the first attempt)" (Woolfson) – 2:56

The Alan Parsons Project "Ammonia Avenue"

Ammonia Avenue is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released on 7 December 1983 by Arista Records. The Phil Spector-influenced "Don't Answer Me" was the album's lead single, and reached the Top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, as well as the fourth position on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single also reached the Top 20 in several countries and represents the last big hit for the Alan Parsons Project. "Prime Time" was a follow-up release that fared well in the top 40, reaching No. 34. "Since The Last Goodbye" was a minor hit.

Ammonia Avenue is one of the band's biggest-selling albums, carrying an RIAA certification of gold and reaching the Top 10 in a number of countries.

The title of the album was inspired by Eric Woolfson's visit to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham, England, where the first thing he saw was a street with miles of pipes, no people, no trees and a sign that read 'Ammonia Avenue', whose portrait was used for the front cover. The album focuses on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective. This album was the second of three recorded on analogue equipment and mixed directly to the digital master tape.

"You Don't Believe" had already been released as both a single and a new song on 1983's The Best of the Alan Parsons Project compilation.

Music videos for "Don't Answer Me" and "Prime Time" were produced in 1984, the former with art and animation by MW Kaluta. The latter video is inspired by John Collier's story "Evening Primrose" and features two mannequins, a female and a male one, coming to life and falling in love with each other. About halfway through the video, a street sign for "Ammonia Ave." appears - a reference to the album title.

Ammonia Avenue was remastered and reissued in 2008 with bonus tracks, and in 2020 as well, on blu-ray audio format, including a high definition remaster in stereo and multichanel sound, and the two promotional videos of the album as a bonus.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one

1. "Prime Time" Eric Woolfson 5:03
2. "Let Me Go Home" Lenny Zakatek 3:20
3. "One Good Reason" Eric Woolfson 3:36
4. "Since the Last Goodbye" Chris Rainbow 4:34
5. "Don't Answer Me" Eric Woolfson  4:11

Side two

1. "Dancing on a Highwire" Colin Blunstone 4:22
2. "You Don't Believe" Lenny Zakatek 4:26
3. "Pipeline" instrumental 3:56
4. "Ammonia Avenue" Eric Woolfson  6:30

2008 Bonus Tracks

1. "Don't Answer Me" (Early Rough Mix)
2. "You Don't Believe" (Demo)
3. "Since the Last Goodbye" (Chris Rainbow Vocal Overdubs)
4. "Since the Last Goodbye" (Eric Guide Vocal – Rough Mix)
5. "You Don't Believe" (Instrumental Tribute to The Shadows)
6. "Dancing on a Highwire/Spotlight" (Work in Progress)
7. "Ammonia Avenue Part 1" (Eric Demo Vocal – Rough Mix)
8. "Ammonia Avenue" (Orchestral Overdub)

The Alan Parsons Project "Eye In The Sky"

Eye in the Sky is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in June 1982 by Arista Records. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards in 1983, Eye in the Sky was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album. In 2019, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Eye in the Sky is the first of three albums the Project recorded on analogue equipment and mixed directly to the digital master tape.

Eye in the Sky was the last platinum record in the United States from the band.

Eye in the Sky contains the Project's biggest hit, the title track with lead vocals by Eric Woolfson. The album itself was a major success, reaching the Top 10 (and sometimes the number 1 slot) in numerous countries.

The album features the instrumental piece "Sirius", which has become a staple of many college and professional sporting arenas throughout North America. It is best known for its use by the Chicago Bulls to introduce its starting line-up during its championship years of the 1990s. 

On 1 December 2017, a 35th-anniversary-edition box set of the album was released, for which Alan Parsons, along with surround mastering engineers Dave Donnelly and PJ Olsson, won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

1. "Sirius" Instrumental 1:54
2. "Eye in the Sky" Eric Woolfson 4:36
3. "Children of the Moon" David Paton 4:51
4. "Gemini" Chris Rainbow 2:11
5. "Silence and I" Eric Woolfson 7:19
6. "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned" Lenny Zakatek 4:22
7. "Psychobabble" Elmer Gantry 4:51
8. "Mammagamma" Instrumental 3:34
9. "Step by Step" Lenny Zakatek 3:54
10. "Old and Wise" Colin Blunstone 4:55

2007 Remaster Bonus Tracks

1. "Sirius" (Demo) Instrumental 1:56
2. "Old and Wise" Eric Woolfson 4:43
3. "Any Other Day" (Woolfson) (studio demo) Instrumental 1:42
4. "Silence and I" Eric Woolfson 7:33
5. "The Naked Eye" Instrumental medley 10:49
6. "Eye Pieces" (Classical Naked Eye) Instrumental 7:51

The Alan Parsons Project "The Turn of a Friendly Card"

The Turn of a Friendly Card is the fifth studio album by the British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1980 by Arista Records. It is a concept album about gambling. The title piece, which appears on side 2 of the LP, is a 16-minute suite broken up into five tracks, with the five tracks listed as sub-sections. The Turn of a Friendly Card spawned the hits "Games People Play" and "Time", the latter of which was Eric Woolfson's first lead vocal appearance.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one

1. "May Be a Price to Pay (Woolfson)" Elmer Gantry 4:58
2. "Games People Play (Woolfson)" Lenny Zakatek 4:22
3. "Time (Woolfson)" Eric Woolfson 5:04
4. "I Don't Wanna Go Home (Woolfson/Parsons)" Lenny Zakatek 5:03

Side two

1. "The Gold Bug (Parsons)" Instrumental 4:34
2. "The Turn of a Friendly Card

• i. The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 1 (2:44) (Woolfson)
• ii. Snake Eyes (3:14) (Woolfson/Parsons)
• iii. The Ace of Swords (2:57) (Parsons)
• iv. Nothing Left to Lose (4:07) (Woolfson)
• v. The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 2 (3:22) (Woolfson)"
• Chris Rainbow (1, 2, 5) Eric Woolfson (4), Instrumental (3) 16:24

Though numbered as a single work, "The Turn of a Friendly Card" is split into five tracks.

The Turn of a Friendly Card was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:

"May Be a Price to Pay" (Intro/demo)

"Nothing Left to Lose" (Basic backing track)

"Nothing Left to Lose" (Chris Rainbow overdub compilation)

"Nothing Left to Lose" (Early studio version with Woolfson's guide vocal)

"Time" (Early studio attempt)

"Games People Play" (Rough mix)

"The Gold Bug" (Demo)