The alan parsons Project

Complete Artist Review after reviewing every album. Here you will find an overview of the band as well as my personal rankings of all of their records. You will also find my Top 10 Songs as well as link to an Essential Playlist in this pages 1st photo.

Alright, everyone just take a moment and gently put your phone down, look up at the sky and thank the universe for Alan Parsons.

*In unison*

“Oh great and vast universe, thank you thank you for the gift of Alan Parsons and for allowing us to live during this time in which we can enjoy his music”

Now that we got that out of the way, let me review Mr. Parsons’ career and then rank not only the Alan Parsons Project albums, but ALSO his solo albums.

I will rank them both separately below and then add them together - so stick around you don’t want to miss it!

Alan Parsons is a phenomenal musician, songwriter, and producer who has left a more marks than one can count on the music industry. His innovative and meticulous approach to music production, as well as his talent as a songwriter and musician, have earned him a reputation as one of the most respected figures in the music industry. And rightfully so.

What I find so impressive about Parsons is that he began his career in the late 1960s, working as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios in London. Parsons would go on to have worked on several legendary albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Al Stewart’s Year of The Cat! Parsons then co-founded the Alan Parsons Project with his friend Eric Woolfson, a progressive rock band that would go on to release several critically acclaimed albums over the next decade. A lot of the bands early work were songs written by Woolfson that Parsons then took, deconstructed and rebuilt. Totally a collaborative effort.

The Alan Parsons Project took part in creating concept albums, which are a dying art these days. The groups first couple of albums were pure progressive-lite art rock. There was their debut, an Edgar Allen Poe concept called “Tales of Mystery and Imagination”, their sophomore 1950s Sci-Fi concept “I Robot”, and the Ancient Egyptian concept album “Pyramid” are all prime examples of TAPP (The Alan Parsons Project) hitting the nail on the head with their concept records.

Although they wouldn’t find their biggest commercial successes until later from the likes of “Eye in the Sky”, “The Turn of a Friendly Card”, and “Ammonia Avenue”. These were no less innovative than their predecessors, but the concepts chosen started to get less and less obvious and upfront. These albums showcased a more polished sound, though, with catchy hooks and commercially accessible lyrics and sounds.

In the early 90s, Parsons began his solo career and showcased his musical and production mastery with a mix of rock, pop, and electronic music. Parsons' production skills were on full display on all of his solo outings. During this solo period, Parsons has shown his versatility as an artist. These records explored a range of musical genres, from classic rock to dance music, from art rock to electronica, and showcased his ability to adapt to changing musical trends while still maintaining his distinctive sound.

Throughout his career, Parsons has continued to produce music for other artists, and has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. Parsons’ production work is known for its attention to detail, with each track sounding clean, polished, and sonically impressive. Alan Parsons' musical work is a testament to his talent as a producer, songwriter, and musician and he should be held on the highest of pedestals.

Now that you received a history lesson and my brief thoughts on Alan Parson, here are where I feel his albums rank amongst each other.

  1. Ammonia Avenue (1984)

  2. Eye In The Sky (1982)

  3. The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980)

  4. Vulture Culture (1985)

  5. Gaudi (1987)

  6. Eve (1979)

  7. I Robot (1977)

  8. Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)

  9. Pyramid (1978)

  10. Stereotomy (1985)

The Alan Parsons Project Albums Ranked:

Alan Parsons Solo

Albums Ranked

  1. Try Anything Once (1993)

  2. A Valid Path (2004)

  3. The Time Machine (1999)

  4. On Air (1996)

  5. The Secret (2019)

  6. From the New World (2022)

  1. Ammonia Avenue (1984)

  2. Eye In The Sky (1982)

  3. The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980)

  4. Vulture Culture (1985)

  5. Gaudi (1987)

  6. Eve (1979)

  7. I Robot (1977)

  8. Try Anything Once (1993)

  9. A Valid Path (2004)

  10. Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)

  11. The Time Machine (1999)

  12. On Air (1996)

  13. The Secret (2019)

  14. From the New World (2022)

  15. Pyramid (1978)

  16. Stereotomy (1985)

All Alan Parsons Albums Combined Rankings:

Honorable Mentions

  1. One Note Symphony: Live in Tel Aviv (feat. Israel Philharmonic Orchestra)

  2. The Neverending Show: Live in The Netherlands

  3. The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project: Live in Colombia

TOP 10 SONGS

In No Particular Order

  1. The Raven (Tales of Mystery and Imagination)

  2. Some Other Time (I Robot)

  3. Games People Play (The Turn of a Friendly Card)

  4. Sirius/Eye In The Sky (Eye In The Sky)

  5. Prime Time (Ammonia Avenue)

  6. Don’t Answer Me (Ammonia Avenue)

  7. Sooner or Later (Vulture Culture)

  8. Standing On Higher Ground (Gaudi)

  9. You Lie Down With Dogs (Eve)

  10. Damned If I Do (Eve)

  11. Old and Wise (Eye In The Sky)

  12. Snake Eyes (The Turn of a Friendly Card)

    Yes, I know that is 12 songs .. Deal with it!

This was a very, very hard ranking for me as I have found Alan Parsons to be one of the most consistent artists I have ever listened to. His ability to craft a standout record time after time so methodically, so meticulously, so precise, and to not have an outright stinker for 50+ years is unbelievably impressive. Parsons currently has the most No Skip Albums out of everyone I have reviewed so far. Will Alan Parsons be dethroned of his King of NSAs title? Who knows! But 8 out of 16 albums being NSA? That’s a 50% NSA probability .. who else is batting at that average?!

Alan Parsons will go down as not just one of the most impactful and important musicians to me in my personal life, but to the history of music as a whole. Every single Alan Parsons Project and Alan Parsons solo album deserves a listen. Each one of them deserves your love and attention as they are absolutely stellar pieces of art. If you choose to give them all a fair listen and you disagree with my thoughts on Parsons then… just know you have been volunteered as tribute at next years hunger games. Good luck, loser, I hope it was worth it!

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Al Stewart