PARSONS, ALAN.

 

NEWS::
Electric Litany to record their next album with Alan Parsons, watch this page with more info: www.kickstarter.com/.

“When I first heard Electric Litany I was very very impressed with what I heard”

Alan Parsons will be enginering the new Steve Wilson album.

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FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES click here (2012/ 13).

Interview by me March 2011 + live pics.

A recent interview (April '10) from my friends at Prog-Nose.

 

Born December 20th 1948 in London.

See also The alan Parsons Project.

After a technical study he starts as;

assistant-engineer Abbey Road ('69) from The Beatles

engineer of Formely Fat Harry ('70),

recording technicus of Wildlife ('71) & Red rose Speedway ('73) ; The Wings/Paul McCartney.

Pink Floyd;

Atom Heart Mother &

The Dark Side of the Moon ('73).

Pilot; ('74, '75 January),

Psychomodo & The best years of our lives of Steve Harly & Cockney Rebel ('76)

John Miles (Music '76, he did some session for the Project too) &

Zaragon ('78),

Ambrosia: Somewhere i never travelled ('76)

Al Stewart Year of the cat ('76),

Modern Times ('78)

Seemed like a good Idea at the Time ('96),

Roy Sundholm lp The Chinees method he plays guitar,

Bo Hansen, Lord of the Rings, acoustic guitar.
"The composer and organist Bo Hansson has passed away, 67 years old, reported SVT's "Culture News". Hansson appeared together with Janne "Loffe" Carlsson Hansson and Karlsson in the late '60s, the duo was primarily instrumental jazz-rock and psychedelia. On your own Hansson is best known for his musical interpretation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", the last few years he worked mainly with the organist Eric Malmberg of Sagor and Swing."

Lenny Zakatek ('79, he did some session for the Project)

Colin Blunstone (he did some session for the Project too)

Keats (mid 80, members of the Project)

Vitamine Z (mid 80)

Yes A classical Case ('94 with David Palmer)

Millenia, who later changed their name to Iconic Phare,

Excalibur Triology ('07), + live 2010!

Beatles tribute tour 'Walk Down Abbey Road',

Iconic Phare; Turning the Tide '04 (producer).
Tommy Trefethen, long time Ambrosia friend and associate who engineered the first 3 Ambrosia albums and was in the psychedelic band, Blue Toad Flax (with Chris North) made a tribute to John Lennon. The song was written and produced by Tommy with Alan Parsons as executive producer and Chris North plays organ on the single: "Johnny's Gone Away.".

During his career, Alan has received 12 Grammy nominations, but never actually won one. About prizes which Alan did win he said:

"There was a Japanese 'Best Producer' award for Al Stewart's Year of the Cat. I won two New Musical Express awards for The Raven and Pilot's Magic. There was also an engineering award for Let Yourself Go from Music Week which is a UK trade paper." When asked what his best contribution to the music world was, Alan answered: "If it's measured commercial success, that would have to be Dark Side of the Moon. No matter what anyone else says, I think I made a big contribution to that record. In terms of my own satisfaction, it would be the good old first album, Tales.'

Together with Eric Woolfson, who he met by occasion during a lunch-break, they decided to start a band. Andruw Powell is the third man of The Alan Parsons Project.

Their debut-album is called The Tales of Mystery & Imagination Of Edgar Alan Poe and is really strong.
In an interview in 1986, prior to the re-release of Tales, Alan was asked if he would change anything about the Tales album if he could do it all again. He answered: "I wouldn't change very much. To me, Tales Of Mystery represents everything that was right about what the Project was meant to be. It took risks. It was experimental. It had some good songs. It had a good choice of vocalists and musicians. Everything about it was right. It did well and it paved the way for the future. If anything, I felt that through media pressure, we kind of deteriorated artistically after Tales Of Mystery."

The collaboration with Eric ends with the album Freudiana ('90).

He also made 2 audio-ceedees for recording-technicians and audio-fans.

 

In 2001 he's on the road again with;

Ann Wilson (from Heart),

Todd Rundgren,

John Entwistle (Who),

David Pack (Ambrosia),

John Beck (keyboards),

Steve Luongo (drums) and

Geoffrey Townsend (guitar).

They play own songs and some covers from the Abbey Road Studio, where it all began.

In Japan he will do some concerts with:

Ian Bairnson - guitar,

Stuart Elliot - drums,

Niel Lockwood - vocals,

John Beck- keyboards, (It Bites)

Dick Nolan -bass, It Bites.

 

The new Alan Parsons album A Valid Path is released in August 2004.

This is the first record without his long-time bandmates Ian Bairnson, and Stuart Elliott. The new album will be take Alan in a new direction and into world of electronica.

Artists appearing on this record include:

Alan Parsons - vocals, backing vocals, keyboards, nuendo programming and sequencing, guitars, slide (on "the raven"), bass,
Jeremy Parsons - keyboards, nuendo programming and sequencing, co-writer,
Lisa Parsons - additional vocals,
Tim "Q" Wills - nuendo programming and sequencing,
Simon Posford - logic programming and sequencing, additional vocals, writer,
Michelle Adamson - processed vocals,
Ken Jordan - digital performer programming and sequencing,
Scott Kirkland - digital performer programming and sequencing,
Alastair Greene - lead guitar (on "we play the game"),
Nortec Collective,
The Crystal Method,
Shpongle,
PJ Olsson - nuendo programming and sequencing, lead vocals,
Tim "Q" Wills - nuendo programming and sequencing,
David Pack - guitar and co-writer and
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour,
Orsons Wells - narration,
John Cleese - special guest appearance,
Eric Woolfson - co-writer.

The cover artwork for "A Valid Path" was created by Storm Thorgerson.

The album starts very impressive with "Return To Tunguska" with David Gilmour doing his job as we want, an absolutely marvelous solo, on an impressive layer of Eastern influenced "logic Programming and sequencing" by Simon Posford (Shpongle).
Mammagamma 04 is full of spacey instrumental electronica, but the original got my favour. We Play The Game, with The Crystal Method has a link to Richard Wrights broken China and the next song Tijuaniac is a more slower instrumental song. L'Arc En Ciel has an intro with an echo from Pink Floyd's soundscapes and alan Parsons fascination for perfect sounds, then kicking of with Tangering Dreams electronica, nice riff and guitar solo!
From Jeremy's version of The Raven I did expect more, a bit flat. I think the original will be the best version ever, with that great guitar solo of Ian Bairnson. Do you remember when you heard that song for the first time? That was just such as a moment when Neil Amstrong set his first step on the moon, you'll never forget.
You Can Run with Ambrosia's David Pack brings us back in trance remixes, nice but David Pack can play guitar and this is what i miss in this song. Chomolungma is a good song to end with this electronic dance scene-bases cd, referring to Faithless, Orzic and Ashra Temple. Not all the songs are my thing, but i prefer this as another "Time Machine" album.
With this album the former Beatles and Pink Floyd engineer can sit back, give his studio to his children and close his succesfull career.
Well done.

Highly Recommended

Alan Parsons Live 2004

Parsons on Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals,

Godfrey Townsend on Lead Guitar and Vocals,

Steve Murphy on Drums and Vocals,

Manny Focarazzo on Keyboards,

John Montagna on Bass and Vocals, and

P.J. Olsson on Vocals.

Setlist:
October 5th, 2004
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

I Robot
Damned If I Do
Don't Answer Me
Breakdown / The Raven
Luciferama (Lucifer/Mammagamma)
What Goes Up
Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)
Time
Psychobabble
Return To Tunguska
More Lost Without You
I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You
We Play The Game
Don't Let it Show
Standing on Higher Ground
Prime Time
Sirius / Eye in the Sky

(The System Of) Doctor Tar & Professor Fether
Old and Wise
Games People Play

A review of this gig you can find at DPRP.

 

EYE TO EYE ('10).
New live Alan Parsons Live album:

I Robot
Can’t Take It With You
Don’t Answer Me
Breakdown / The Raven
Time
Psychobabble
I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You
Damned If I Do
More Lost Without You
Don’t Let It Show
Prime Time
Sirius / Eye In The Sky
(The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether
Games People Play

There 's a dvd version (region free).
Eye 2 Eye – Live In Madrid” filmed and recorded 14 mei 2004 in Playa Mayor te Madrid, Spain.

BAND ALAN PARSONS: Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals
P.J. OLSSON: Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
GODFREY TOWNSEND: Lead Guitar and Vocals
STEVE MURPHY: Drums and Vocals
MANNY FOCARAZZO: Keyboards and Vocals
JOHN MONTAGNA: Bass Guitar and Vocals

 

A new single is out and downloadable at ITunes; All Our Yesterdays (July 2010)>
Alpha Centaurionis the B-side, an instrumental song, how it is ment to be.

FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES click here.

And he will be back in the Netherlands in March 2012: click here.

Current Line-up:
ALAN PARSONS: Guitar, vocal, keyboards, percussion
P.J. OLSSON: Vocals
MANNY FOCARAZZO: Keyboards
DANNY THOMPSON: Drums
GUY EREZ: Bass
ALASTAIR GREENE: Guitar
TODD COOPER: Vocals and Sax

 

For more information visit the Alan Parsons website.

 

An interview from Progressive World.Net.
Alan about the dsotm.

 

 

 

www.mostlypink.net