The Alan Parsons Project – The Complete Albums Collection
Sony Legacy
http://www.the-alan-parsons-project.com/

Rating: A

Alan Parsons, along with the late Eric Woolfson, were the founders of The Alan Parsons Project, a musical experiment born in the mid-1970s that featured different vocalists singing progressive rock style songs.  Eventually, the group had major rock success with Woolfson taking over lead vocals.  Parsons produced the material and carefully oversaw the entire project, making sure the sound was perfect. 

It worked well, as The Alan Parsons Project sold millions of albums around the globe.  Now, for the first time ever, Legacy Recordings has put all of the band’s albums in one packaging, including the elusive and never before released fifth album, titled The Sicilian Defence.

The box set was overseen personally by Parsons and his willingness to include the lost album, one that he has publically despised since he created it, shows that this one is for his fans.  Indeed it is, as the set sounds better than ever and contains wonderful liner notes and photography. 

Whether you like the trippy and proggy masterpieces like Tales of Mystery and Imagination or I, Robot, or the more pop sounds of The Turn of a Friendly Card and Eye in the Sky, this one is for you. 

Having it all under one roof allows the listener to gain new perspective to the work of Alan and Eric.  One is able to see the band from its progressive intentions to its major pop success and appreciate the way they were able to create a band that had its own sound, yet didn’t really have its own members. 

This is an intellectual collection of music that truly captivates the listener and allows their own imagination to come along for the ride. 

Contents:
1976 – Tales Of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe
1977 – I, Robot
1978 – Pyramid
1979 – Eve
1980 – The Turn of a Friendly Card
1982 – Eye In The Sky
1984 – Ammonia Avenue
1985 – Vulture Culture
1985 – Stereotomy
1987 – Gaudi
*Unreleased: The Sicilian Defence

By Jeb Wright