The Alan Parsons Project
Encyclopedia
The Alan Parsons Project was a British
progressive rock
band
, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson
and keyboardist Alan Parsons
surrounded by a varying number of session musicians.
Behind the revolving lineup and the regular sidemen, the true core of the Project was the duo of Parsons and Woolfson. Woolfson was a lawyer by profession, but also a composer and pianist. Parsons was a successful producer and accomplished engineer. Almost all songs on the band's albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons".
Alan Parsons
met Scotsman
Eric Woolfson
in the canteen of Abbey Road Studios
in the summer of 1974. Parsons had already acted as assistant engineer on The Beatles
' Abbey Road and Let It Be, had recently engineered Pink Floyd's
The Dark Side of the Moon
, and had produced several acts for EMI Records. Woolfson, a songwriter and composer, was working as a session pianist; he had also composed material for a concept album idea based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe
.
Parsons asked Woolfson to become his manager and Woolfson managed Parsons' career as a producer and engineer through a string of successes including Pilot
, Steve Harley
, Cockney Rebel, John Miles
, Al Stewart
, Ambrosia
and The Hollies
. Parsons commented at the time that he felt frustrated in having to accommodate the views of some of the musicians, which he felt interfered with his production. Woolfson came up with the idea of making an album based on developments in the film industry
, where directors such as Alfred Hitchcock
and Stanley Kubrick
were the focal point of the film's promotion, rather than individual film stars. If the film industry was becoming a director's medium, Woolfson felt the music business might well become a producer's medium.
Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Poe material, Woolfson saw a way to combine his and Parsons' respective talents. Parsons would produce and engineer songs written by the two, and the Alan Parsons Project was born. Their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination
, including major contributions by all members of Pilot and Ambrosia
, was a success, reaching the Top 40 in the US
Billboard 200
chart
. The song "The Raven
" featured lead vocals by the actor Leonard Whiting
, and, according to the 2007 remastered album liner notes, was the first rock song to use a digital
vocoder
, with Alan Parsons speaking lyrics
through it.
Arista Records
then signed The Alan Parsons Project for further albums. Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group's popularity continued to grow (although they were always more popular in North America
and Continental Europe
than in their home country, never achieving a UK Top 40 single or Top 20 album). The singles
"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You", "Games People Play
", "Damned If I Do", "Time" (Woolfson's first lead vocal), "Eye in the Sky
" and "Don't Answer Me" had a notable impact on the Billboard Hot 100
. After those successes, however, the group began to fade from view. There were fewer hit singles, and declining album sales. 1987's Gaudi was the Project's last release, though they planned to record an album called Freudiana
next.
Although the studio version of Freudiana was produced by Parsons (and featured the regular Project backing musicians, making it an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Woolfson's idea to turn it into a musical. This eventually led to a rift between the two artists. While Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour, Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project's music. Freudiana
, Gaudi and Gambler were three musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out", and "Limelight". The live music from Gambler was only distributed at the performance site in Mönchengladbach
, Germany
.
In 1981, Parsons, Woolfson and their record label
Arista, were stalled in contract renegotiations when on 5 March the two submitted an all-instrumental atonal album tentatively titled 'The Sicilian Defence' (the name of an aggressive opening move in chess), arguably to get out of their recording contract
. Arista's refusal to release the album had two known effects: the negotiations led to a renewed contract and the album was never released.
In interviews made before his 2009 death, Woolfson said he planned to release one track from the "Sicilian" album, which in 2008 appeared as a bonus track on a CD re-issue of the Eve album.
Parsons released titles under his name (Try Anything Once
, On Air
, The Time Machine, and A Valid Path
), while Woolfson made concept album
s named Freudiana
(about Sigmund Freud
's work on psychology
) and Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination
(continuing from the Alan Parsons Project's first album about Edgar Allan Poe's literature).
Tales of Mystery and Imagination was first remix
ed in 1987 for release on CD
, and included narration by Orson Welles
which had been recorded in 1975, but arrived too late to be included on the original album. On the 2007 deluxe edition release, it is revealed that parts of this tape were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album, the 1987 remix, and various radio spots, all of which were included as bonus material.
In 2010 Eye to Eye: Alan Parsons Project Live in Madrid was released on CD.
's The Dark Side of the Moon
, on which Parsons was the audio engineer in 1973). They were concept album
s, and typically began with an instrumental
introduction which faded into the first song, often had an instrumental piece in the middle of the second LP
side, and concluded with a quiet, melancholic, or powerful song. The opening instrumental was largely done away with by 1980; no later Project album except Eye in the Sky featured one (although every album includes at least one instrumental somewhere in the running order). The instrumental on that album, "Sirius", eventually became the best-known (or at least most frequently heard) Parsons instrumental. It was used as entrance music by various American
sports teams, most notably by the Chicago Bulls
during their 1990s NBA
dynasty
. It was also used as the entrance theme for Ricky Steamboat
in pro wrestling of the mid 1980s. In addition, Sirius has been played in a variety of TV shows and movies including the episode "Vanishing Act" of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
, and the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
.
The group was notable for using several vocal performers instead of having a single lead vocalist. Lead vocal duties were shared by guest vocalists chosen by their vocal style to complement each song. Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits (including "Time" and "Eye in the Sky") and the record company pressured Parsons to use him more, but Parsons preferred "real" singers, which Woolfson admitted he was not. In addition to Woolfson, Chris Rainbow
, Lenny Zakatek
, John Miles
, David Paton
and The Zombies
' Colin Blunstone
made regular appearances. Other singers, such as Arthur Brown
, Procol Harum
's Gary Brooker
, Dave Terry aka Elmer Gantry
, Vitamin Z
's Geoff Barradale and Marmalade
's Dean Ford, have recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons himself only sang lead on one song ("The Raven") through a vocoder, and can be heard singing backing vocals
on a few others, including "To One in Paradise". Both of those songs appeared on Tales of Mystery and Imagination
.
Although the vocalists varied, a small number of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly. These core musicians contributed to the recognizable style of a Project song in spite of the varied singer lineup. Together with Parsons and Woolfson, the Project originally consisted of the group Pilot, with Ian Bairnson
(guitar), David Paton
(bass) and Stuart Tosh
(drums). Pilot's keyboardist Billy Lyall
also contributed. From Pyramid onwards, Tosh was replaced by Stuart Elliott
of Cockney Rebel. Bairnson played on all albums and Paton stayed almost until the end. Andrew Powell
appeared as arranger of orchestra (and often choirs) on all albums except Vulture Culture, when he was composing the score
of Richard Donner
's film Ladyhawke
. This score was partly in the Project style, recorded by most of the Project regulars, and produced and engineered by Parsons. Powell also composed some material for the first two Project albums. From Vulture Culture onwards, Richard Cottle played as a regular member on synthesizers and saxophone.
Except for one occasion, the Project never played live during its original incarnation. This was because Woolfson and Parsons saw themselves mainly in the roles of writing and production, and also because of the technical difficulties of reproducing on stage the complex instrumentation used in the studio. In the 1990s things changed with the technology of digital samplers. The one occasion where the band was introduced as "The Alan Parsons Project" in a live performance was at Night of the Proms
1990 (at the time of the group's break-up), featuring all Project regulars except Woolfson who was present but behind the scenes, while Parsons stayed at the mixer except during the last song, where he played acoustic guitar.
Since 1994, a new version of the band has toured, with Parsons performing live acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals, with various lineups. This latest incarnation is called the Alan Parsons Live Project, the name distinct from "The Alan Parsons Project", due to founder Parsons' break-up with Woolfson.
According to SonyBMG, there are no plans to release The Sicilian Defence.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson
Eric Woolfson
Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
and keyboardist Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
surrounded by a varying number of session musicians.
Behind the revolving lineup and the regular sidemen, the true core of the Project was the duo of Parsons and Woolfson. Woolfson was a lawyer by profession, but also a composer and pianist. Parsons was a successful producer and accomplished engineer. Almost all songs on the band's albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons".
History
EnglishmanEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
met Scotsman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Eric Woolfson
Eric Woolfson
Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
in the canteen of Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in the summer of 1974. Parsons had already acted as assistant engineer on The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Abbey Road and Let It Be, had recently engineered Pink Floyd's
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
, and had produced several acts for EMI Records. Woolfson, a songwriter and composer, was working as a session pianist; he had also composed material for a concept album idea based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
.
Parsons asked Woolfson to become his manager and Woolfson managed Parsons' career as a producer and engineer through a string of successes including Pilot
Pilot (band)
Pilot was a pop rock musical group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by the former Bay City Rollers members, David Paton and Billy Lyall.-Career:...
, Steve Harley
Steve Harley
Steve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
, Cockney Rebel, John Miles
John Miles (musician)
John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
, Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
, Ambrosia
Ambrosia (band)
Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in southern California in 1970. Ambrosia had five Top Forty hit singles between 1975 and 1980.-Formation and inspiration:...
and The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
. Parsons commented at the time that he felt frustrated in having to accommodate the views of some of the musicians, which he felt interfered with his production. Woolfson came up with the idea of making an album based on developments in the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
, where directors such as Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
and Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
were the focal point of the film's promotion, rather than individual film stars. If the film industry was becoming a director's medium, Woolfson felt the music business might well become a producer's medium.
Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Poe material, Woolfson saw a way to combine his and Parsons' respective talents. Parsons would produce and engineer songs written by the two, and the Alan Parsons Project was born. Their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album's avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by...
, including major contributions by all members of Pilot and Ambrosia
Ambrosia (band)
Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in southern California in 1970. Ambrosia had five Top Forty hit singles between 1975 and 1980.-Formation and inspiration:...
, was a success, reaching the Top 40 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The song "The Raven
The Raven (song)
"The Raven" is a 1976 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The song is based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. It is well-known as being one of the first rock songs to use a vocoder, developed by EMI, to distort vocals. It is also one of...
" featured lead vocals by the actor Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
, and, according to the 2007 remastered album liner notes, was the first rock song to use a digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
, with Alan Parsons speaking lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
through it.
Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
then signed The Alan Parsons Project for further albums. Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group's popularity continued to grow (although they were always more popular in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
than in their home country, never achieving a UK Top 40 single or Top 20 album). The singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You", "Games People Play
Games People Play (Alan Parsons Project song)
"Games People Play" is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. It charted at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart. It appears on the album The Turn of a Friendly Card and was sung by Lenny Zakatek....
", "Damned If I Do", "Time" (Woolfson's first lead vocal), "Eye in the Sky
Eye in the Sky (song)
"Eye in the Sky" is a 1982 song by the Alan Parsons Project from the album Eye in the Sky.Possibly the most successful song the group has ever had, it hit #3 on the Billboard charts in the US in October of 1982 and #6 in Canada and New Zealand. Says Parsons of the song, "...I hated the song when we...
" and "Don't Answer Me" had a notable impact on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. After those successes, however, the group began to fade from view. There were fewer hit singles, and declining album sales. 1987's Gaudi was the Project's last release, though they planned to record an album called Freudiana
Freudiana
Freudiana is a rock opera, originally intended to be the 11th album by The Alan Parsons Project, but by release time was the first album credited to Eric Woolfson as a solo artist, marking his final project with former collaborator Alan Parsons, who is credited as producer. After recording the...
next.
Although the studio version of Freudiana was produced by Parsons (and featured the regular Project backing musicians, making it an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Woolfson's idea to turn it into a musical. This eventually led to a rift between the two artists. While Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour, Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project's music. Freudiana
Freudiana
Freudiana is a rock opera, originally intended to be the 11th album by The Alan Parsons Project, but by release time was the first album credited to Eric Woolfson as a solo artist, marking his final project with former collaborator Alan Parsons, who is credited as producer. After recording the...
, Gaudi and Gambler were three musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out", and "Limelight". The live music from Gambler was only distributed at the performance site in Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
In 1981, Parsons, Woolfson and their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Arista, were stalled in contract renegotiations when on 5 March the two submitted an all-instrumental atonal album tentatively titled 'The Sicilian Defence' (the name of an aggressive opening move in chess), arguably to get out of their recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. Arista's refusal to release the album had two known effects: the negotiations led to a renewed contract and the album was never released.
In interviews made before his 2009 death, Woolfson said he planned to release one track from the "Sicilian" album, which in 2008 appeared as a bonus track on a CD re-issue of the Eve album.
Parsons released titles under his name (Try Anything Once
Try Anything Once
Try Anything Once is the first solo album created by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project.This album features vocals by Ambrosia's David Pack, Duran Duran backing singer Jacqui Copland, Former Mindbender and 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman...
, On Air
On Air
On Air is the second solo release by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project, however the album's chief creative force was the Project's long-time guitarist, Ian Bairnson...
, The Time Machine, and A Valid Path
A Valid Path
A Valid Path is the fourth solo album that Alan Parsons recorded after splitting from his previous group The Alan Parsons Project. The gap between this and his previous album, The Time Machine, was the second greatest period between two consecutive albums, second only to the time between the split...
), while Woolfson made concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
s named Freudiana
Freudiana
Freudiana is a rock opera, originally intended to be the 11th album by The Alan Parsons Project, but by release time was the first album credited to Eric Woolfson as a solo artist, marking his final project with former collaborator Alan Parsons, who is credited as producer. After recording the...
(about Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's work on psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
) and Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination is an album by Eric Woolfson.-Track listing:# Angel Of The Odd# Wings Of Eagles# Train To Freedom# Somewhere In The Audience# The Bell# The Pit and the Pendulum: Part I...
(continuing from the Alan Parsons Project's first album about Edgar Allan Poe's literature).
Tales of Mystery and Imagination was first remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed in 1987 for release on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, and included narration by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
which had been recorded in 1975, but arrived too late to be included on the original album. On the 2007 deluxe edition release, it is revealed that parts of this tape were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album, the 1987 remix, and various radio spots, all of which were included as bonus material.
In 2010 Eye to Eye: Alan Parsons Project Live in Madrid was released on CD.
The Project sound
Most of the Project's titles, especially the early work, share common traits (likely influenced by Pink FloydPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
, on which Parsons was the audio engineer in 1973). They were concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
s, and typically began with an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
introduction which faded into the first song, often had an instrumental piece in the middle of the second LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
side, and concluded with a quiet, melancholic, or powerful song. The opening instrumental was largely done away with by 1980; no later Project album except Eye in the Sky featured one (although every album includes at least one instrumental somewhere in the running order). The instrumental on that album, "Sirius", eventually became the best-known (or at least most frequently heard) Parsons instrumental. It was used as entrance music by various American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sports teams, most notably by the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
during their 1990s NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
dynasty
Dynasty (sports)
A sports dynasty is a team that dominates their sport or league for multiple seasons or years. Such dominance is often only realized in retrospect...
. It was also used as the entrance theme for Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
in pro wrestling of the mid 1980s. In addition, Sirius has been played in a variety of TV shows and movies including the episode "Vanishing Act" of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, often shortened to just Jimmy Neutron, is an American animated television series, and spin-off of the Academy Award-nominated computer-animated movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The series first officially aired on July 20, 2002, on Nickelodeon...
, and the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. It was first published in 1978 by the Simon & Schuster imprint Atheneum Books, followed by a 1982 trade paperback edition from sister company Aladdin Paperbacks...
.
The group was notable for using several vocal performers instead of having a single lead vocalist. Lead vocal duties were shared by guest vocalists chosen by their vocal style to complement each song. Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits (including "Time" and "Eye in the Sky") and the record company pressured Parsons to use him more, but Parsons preferred "real" singers, which Woolfson admitted he was not. In addition to Woolfson, Chris Rainbow
Chris Rainbow
Chris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
, Lenny Zakatek
Lenny Zakatek
Lenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
, John Miles
John Miles (musician)
John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
, David Paton
David Paton
David Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
and The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
' Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.-Biography:...
made regular appearances. Other singers, such as Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
, Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
's Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
, Dave Terry aka Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as "Velvet Opera", was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch.-History:...
, Vitamin Z
Vitamin Z
Vitamin Z were an English pop group, formed in 1982 by vocalist Geoff Barradale and bassist Nick Lockwood. Their lone hit "Burning Flame" charted well in the UK, but no further hits caught on. Geoff Barradale now serves as manager for the Arctic Monkeys....
's Geoff Barradale and Marmalade
Marmalade (band)
Marmalade were a successful Scottish pop rock group, from the east end of Glasgow, originally formed in 1961 as "The Gaylords", later "Dean Ford and The Gaylords". In 1966, they changed the group name to 'The Marmalade'. The most successful period for the band, in terms of UK chart success, was...
's Dean Ford, have recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons himself only sang lead on one song ("The Raven") through a vocoder, and can be heard singing backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on a few others, including "To One in Paradise". Both of those songs appeared on Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album's avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by...
.
Although the vocalists varied, a small number of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly. These core musicians contributed to the recognizable style of a Project song in spite of the varied singer lineup. Together with Parsons and Woolfson, the Project originally consisted of the group Pilot, with Ian Bairnson
Ian Bairnson
Ian Bairnson is a Scottish musician, famous for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best known as a guitarist...
(guitar), David Paton
David Paton
David Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
(bass) and Stuart Tosh
Stuart Tosh
Stuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
(drums). Pilot's keyboardist Billy Lyall
Billy Lyall
Billy Lyall was a Scottish musician.Born William Lyall in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lyall was a keyboard player and vocalist with Pilot, and an early member of the Bay City Rollers. He also contributed to The Alan Parsons Project with fellow Pilot members, and released a solo album, Solo Casting in 1976...
also contributed. From Pyramid onwards, Tosh was replaced by Stuart Elliott
Stuart Elliott (drummer)
Stuart Elliott is an English rock drummer, who has played along with David Byron, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Al Stewart, The Alan Parsons Project, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney and Keats....
of Cockney Rebel. Bairnson played on all albums and Paton stayed almost until the end. Andrew Powell
Andrew Powell
Andrew Powell - musical composer, arranger and performer - was born 18 April 1949 in London, England of Welsh parents.- Early life :He began taking piano lessons at the age of four and later attended Kings College School, Wimbledon by which time he was also learning the viola, violin and orchestral...
appeared as arranger of orchestra (and often choirs) on all albums except Vulture Culture, when he was composing the score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
of Richard Donner
Richard Donner
Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern...
's film Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
. This score was partly in the Project style, recorded by most of the Project regulars, and produced and engineered by Parsons. Powell also composed some material for the first two Project albums. From Vulture Culture onwards, Richard Cottle played as a regular member on synthesizers and saxophone.
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Poland. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg...
1990 (at the time of the group's break-up), featuring all Project regulars except Woolfson who was present but behind the scenes, while Parsons stayed at the mixer except during the last song, where he played acoustic guitar.
Since 1994, a new version of the band has toured, with Parsons performing live acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals, with various lineups. This latest incarnation is called the Alan Parsons Live Project, the name distinct from "The Alan Parsons Project", due to founder Parsons' break-up with Woolfson.
According to SonyBMG, there are no plans to release The Sicilian Defence.
Members
- Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
- keyboards, vocals, executive production - Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
- keyboards, acoustic guitar, flute, bass, vocoder, vocals, engineering, production
Notable or frequent contributors
Note that these are not official members of The Alan Parsons Project, but musicians who have made significant studio contributions- Andrew PowellAndrew PowellAndrew Powell - musical composer, arranger and performer - was born 18 April 1949 in London, England of Welsh parents.- Early life :He began taking piano lessons at the age of four and later attended Kings College School, Wimbledon by which time he was also learning the viola, violin and orchestral...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, orchestral arrangements - Philharmonia OrchestraPhilharmonia OrchestraThe Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
- The English Chorale
- Ian BairnsonIan BairnsonIan Bairnson is a Scottish musician, famous for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best known as a guitarist...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Stuart ElliottStuart Elliott (drummer)Stuart Elliott is an English rock drummer, who has played along with David Byron, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Al Stewart, The Alan Parsons Project, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney and Keats....
- drums, percussion - Stuart ToshStuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Richard Cottle - keyboards, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Laurence CottleLaurence CottleLaurence Cottle is an electric bass guitarist and composer.-Career:His solo recordings have been mostly in the jazz and jazz-fusion vein, with such notable releases as Five Seasons, Laurence Cottle Quintet Live and others....
- bass - Duncan MackayDuncan Mackay (musician)Duncan Mackay is a British composer, singer, arranger, and keyboard player.-External links:...
- keyboards - Mel CollinsMel CollinsMel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Lenny ZakatekLenny ZakatekLenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
- vocals - Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
- vocals - John MilesJohn Miles (musician)John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
- vocals - Colin BlunstoneColin BlunstoneColin Blunstone is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.-Biography:...
- vocals - Dave Terry ("Elmer Gantry")Elmer Gantry’s Velvet OperaElmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as "Velvet Opera", was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch.-History:...
- vocals - Jack HarrisJack Harris (musician)Jack Harris was an English vocalist for the British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project. He sang lead vocals on "Day After Day " on the album, I Robot , and the single "Pyramania" taken from the Grammy nominated Pyramid...
- vocals - Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
- vocals - Graham Dye - vocals
- Steven Dye - vocals
- Steve HarleySteve HarleySteve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
- vocals - P. J. OlssonP. J. OlssonPaul Josef Olsson is currently the lead singer for the Alan Parsons Live Project. He has five released albums. He has toured with various artists over his lifetime, including The Alan Parsons Project, Kid Rock, Muse, Train, Rufus Wainright, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton, Bob Geldof, Something Corporate,...
- vocals - Allan ClarkeAllan Clarke (singer)Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...
- vocals - Dean Ford - vocals
- Gary BrookerGary BrookerGary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
- vocals - Kip WingerKip WingerCharles Frederick Kip Winger is an American rock musician, both a member of the hard rock band, Winger, and a solo artist.-Early days:Winger was born in Denver, Colorado to parents who were both jazz musicians....
- vocals - Lesley DuncanLesley DuncanLesley Duncan was an English singer-songwriter, best known for her work during the 1970s. She received a lot of airplay on British radio stations such as BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, but never achieved great commercial success.Duncan was born in Stockton-on-Tees...
- vocals - David PackDavid PackDavid Robert Pack , is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Producer & Music Director of Global Events. His career began as the front man, vocalist and guitarist with the rock group Ambrosia popular in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - ShpongleShpongleShpongle is an English psychedelic downtempo/psybient music project formed in 1996. The group includes Simon Posford and Raja Ram . Their musical style combines eastern ethnic instruments and vocals with contemporary western synthesizer-based psychedelic music...
- Out of Order soundtrack, "Antarctica" (track 11) - Shpongle - A Valid Path (track one)
Studio albums
- Tales of Mystery and ImaginationTales of Mystery and ImaginationTales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album's avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by...
(1976) - I RobotI Robot (album)I Robot is a progressive rock album recorded by The Alan Parsons Project, engineered by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson in 1977. It was released by Arista Records in 1977 and re-released on CD in 1984 and 2007. It was intended to be based on the I, Robot stories written by Isaac Asimov, and Woolfson...
(1977) - Pyramid (1978)
- Eve (1979)
- The Turn of a Friendly CardThe Turn of a Friendly CardThe Turn of a Friendly Card is a progressive rock album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1980. The album focuses on gambling, and loosely tells the tale of a middle-aged man who grows restless and takes a chance by going to a casino and betting all he has, only to lose it all...
(1980) - Eye in the Sky (1982)
- Ammonia AvenueAmmonia AvenueAmmonia Avenue is one of the most commercially successful albums of The Alan Parsons Project.It was the second of the group's three most accessible albums, beginning with Eye in the Sky and ending with Vulture Culture...
(1984) - Vulture CultureVulture CultureVulture Culture is an album by The Alan Parsons Project.The first side of the LP consists entirely of four-minute pop songs, and the second side varies widely, from the subdued funk of the title track to the bouncing, desert-like "Hawkeye".At the beginning of 1985, the lead single "Let's Talk...
(1985) - StereotomyStereotomyStereotomy is the penultimate album by The Alan Parsons Project.Although generally considered better musically than its predecessor, Vulture Culture, it was not as successful commercially, perhaps due to much fewer vocals from Eric Woolfson...
(1986) - Gaudi (1987)
Alan Parsons solo albums
- Try Anything OnceTry Anything OnceTry Anything Once is the first solo album created by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project.This album features vocals by Ambrosia's David Pack, Duran Duran backing singer Jacqui Copland, Former Mindbender and 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman...
(1993) - On Air (1996)
- The Time Machine (1999)
- A Valid PathA Valid PathA Valid Path is the fourth solo album that Alan Parsons recorded after splitting from his previous group The Alan Parsons Project. The gap between this and his previous album, The Time Machine, was the second greatest period between two consecutive albums, second only to the time between the split...
(2004)
Eric Woolfson solo albums
- 1990 FreudianaFreudianaFreudiana is a rock opera, originally intended to be the 11th album by The Alan Parsons Project, but by release time was the first album credited to Eric Woolfson as a solo artist, marking his final project with former collaborator Alan Parsons, who is credited as producer. After recording the...
- 1996 Gaudi (Musical)
- 1997 GamblerGambler (Eric Woolfson album)Gambler was a musical staged in Germany written by Eric Woolfson. It features several of his most popular singles from his earlier writing with The Alan Parsons Project...
(Das Geheimnis Der Karten) - 2003 Poe: More Tales of Mystery and ImaginationPoe: More Tales of Mystery and ImaginationPoe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination is an album by Eric Woolfson.-Track listing:# Angel Of The Odd# Wings Of Eagles# Train To Freedom# Somewhere In The Audience# The Bell# The Pit and the Pendulum: Part I...
- 2005 Gambler
- 2007 Dancing Shadows
- 2009 The Alan Parsons Project That Never WasThe Alan Parsons Project That Never WasEric Woolfson sings The Alan Parsons Project That Never Was is an album by the progressive rock musician Eric Woolfson, co-creator with Alan Parsons of The Alan Parsons Project, as well as main songwriter and manager of the band. Released in 2009, this was Woolfson's final album before he died of...
Related
- LadyhawkeLadyhawkeLadyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
(1985, soundtrack by Powell and Parsons) - FreudianaFreudianaFreudiana is a rock opera, originally intended to be the 11th album by The Alan Parsons Project, but by release time was the first album credited to Eric Woolfson as a solo artist, marking his final project with former collaborator Alan Parsons, who is credited as producer. After recording the...
(1990 - Released under the name "Freud" with full Alan Parsons Project line up) - Black Freudiana (1991 - Austrian Original Cast Musical Soundtrack, virtually a solo Woolfson project)