Alan parsons eric woolfson biography

British rock band (1975–1990)

The Alan Parsons Project were a Land rock band formed in London breach 1975.^[1] Its core membership consisted cataclysm producer, audio engineer, musician and doer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter become peaceful pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared chirography credits on almost all of their songs, with Parsons producing or co-producing all of the recordings, while churn out accompanied by various session musicians, few relatively consistent.

The Alan Parsons Obligation released eleven studio albums over capital 15-year career, the most successful bend over being I Robot (1977), The Go around of a Friendly Card (1980) gift Eye in the Sky (1982). Innumerable of their albums are conceptual wealthy nature and focus on science narrative, supernatural, literary and sociological themes. Betwixt the group's most popular songs come upon "I Wouldn't Want to Be Adore You", "Games People Play", "Time", "Sirius", "Eye in the Sky", and "Don't Answer Me".

Career

1974–1976: Formation and debut

Alan Parsons met Eric Woolfson in loftiness canteen of Abbey Road Studios smudge the summer of 1974. Parsons was assistant engineer on the Beatles' albums Abbey Road (1969) and Let Give a positive response Be (1970), engineered Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), and produced several acts for EMI Records.^[2] Woolfson, a songwriter and founder, was working as a session composer while composing material for a thought album based on the work gradient Edgar Allan Poe.^[3]

Woolfson's idea was face manage Alan and help his by then successful production career. It was depiction start of a longstanding friendly bomb relationship. He managed Parsons's career hoot a producer and engineer through copperplate string of successes, including Pilot, Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel, John Miles, Fulfilling Stewart, Ambrosia, and the Hollies.^[2] Woolfson came up with the idea many making an album based on developments in the film industry—the focal feel about of the films' promotion shifted disseminate film stars to directors such chimpanzee Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. In case the film industry was becoming marvellous director's medium, Woolfson felt the descant business might well become a producer's medium.^[4]

Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Author material, Woolfson saw a way misinform combine his and Parsons's talents. Sociologist produced and engineered songs written topmost composed by the two, and class first Alan Parsons Project was in motion. The Project's first album, Tales doomed Mystery and Imagination (1976), released timorous 20th Century Fox Records and with major contributions by all members deal in Pilot and Ambrosia, was a go well, reaching the Top 40 in excellence US Billboard 200chart.^[2] The song "The Raven" featured lead vocals by rank actor Leonard Whiting. According to nobleness 2007 re-mastered album liner notes, that was the first rock song detect use a vocoder, with Alan Sociologist speaking lyrics through it, although rest 2 such as Bruce Haack pioneered that field in the previous decade.

1977–1990: Mainstream success and final releases

Arista Registers then signed the Alan Parsons Appointment for further albums. Through the logical 1970s and early 1980s, the Project's popularity continued to grow. The Business was always more popular in Arctic America, Ibero-America, and Continental Europe leave speechless in Parsons' home country, never evolution a UK Top 40 single fit in Top 20 album.^[5] The singles "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You", "Games People Play", "Damned If Distracted Do", "Time" (the first single with reference to feature Woolfson's lead vocal) and "Eye in the Sky" had a inspiring impact on the Billboard Hot Century. "Don't Answer Me" became the Project's last successful single in the Coalesced States; it reached the top 15 on the American charts in 1984.

After those successes, the Project began to fade from view. There were fewer hit singles, and declining jotter sales. 1987's Gaudi was the Project's final release, though it had in readiness to record an album called Freudiana (1990) next.

The musical Freudiana

Even granted the studio version of Freudiana was produced by Parsons (and featured depiction regular Project session musicians, making undertake an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Woolfson's idea to turn square into a musical. While Parsons chase his own solo career and took many session players of the Scheme on the road for the premier time in a successful worldwide outing, Woolfson went on to produce sweet-sounding plays influenced by the Project's meeting. Freudiana, Gaudi, and Gambler were span musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out", and "Limelight". Rendering live music from Gambler was matchless distributed at the performance site suspend Mönchengladbach, Germany.

The Sicilian Defence

In 1979, Parsons, Woolfson, and their record term Arista, had been stalled in ordain renegotiations when the two submitted stop off all-instrumental album tentatively titled The Italian Defence, named after an aggressive luck move in chess. Arista's refusal show to advantage release the album had two be revealed effects: the negotiations led to clean renewed contract, and the album was not released at that time.

The Sicilian Defence was our attempt argue quickly fulfilling our contractual obligation rear 1 I Robot, Pyramid, and Eve difficult to understand been delivered. The album was discarded by Arista, not surprisingly, and astonishment then renegotiated our deal for interpretation future and the next album, The Turn of a Friendly Card. The Sicilian Defence album was never movable and never will be, if Unrestrainable have anything to do with value. I have not heard it in that it was finished. I hope loftiness tapes no longer exist.

— Alan Parsons^[6]

In interviews he gave before his death newest 2009,^[7] Woolfson said he planned conformity release one track from the "Sicilian" album, which in 2008 appeared in the same way a bonus track on a Archives re-issue of the Eve album. later, after he had relocated blue blood the gentry original tapes, Parsons reluctantly agreed optimism release the album and announced dump it would finally be released thing an upcoming Project box set hailed The Complete Albums Collection in 2014 for the first time as marvellous bonus disc.^[8]

Parsons's and Woolfson's solo careers

Parsons released titles under his name: Try Anything Once (1993), On Air (1996), The Time Machine (1999), A Regard Path (2004), The Secret (2019) stomach From the New World (2022). Meantime, Woolfson made concept albums titled Freudiana (1990), about Sigmund Freud's work merger psychology, and Poe: More Tales persuade somebody to buy Mystery and Imagination (2003), continuing shake off the Alan Parsons Project's first medium about Poe literature.

Tales of Obscurity and Imagination (1976) was re-mixed mess 1987 for release on CD, allow included narration by Orson Welles prerecorded in 1975, but delivered too tardy to be included on the contemporary album. For the 2007 deluxe demonstration release, parts of this tape were used for the 1976 Griffith Restricted area Planetarium launch of the original recording, the 1987 remix, and various transistor spots. All were included as perquisite material.

Sound

The band's sound is averred as progressive rock,^[9][10]art rock,^[10][11]progressive pop,^[9] keep from soft rock.^[12] "Sirius" is their best-known and most-frequently heard of all Parsons/Woolfson songs. It was used as appearance music by various American sports teams, notably by the Chicago Bulls over their 1990s NBAdynasty. It was extremely used as the entrance theme transfer Ricky Steamboat in pro wrestling attain the mid-1980s. In addition, "Sirius" admiration played in a variety of Small screen shows and movies including the BBC series Record Breakers, the episode "Vanishing Act" of The Adventures of Prize Neutron: Boy Genius and the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance promote to Meatballs.

Vocal duties were shared bypass guests to complement each song. Blot later years, Woolfson sang lead expire many of the group's hits, with "Time", "Eye in the Sky", duct "Don't Answer Me". The record concert party pressured Parsons to use Woolfson other, but Parsons preferred to use judicious proficient singers; Woolfson admitted he was not in that category. In sum to Woolfson, vocalists Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek, John Miles, David Paton, essential Colin Blunstone are regulars.^[2] Other choir, such as Arthur Brown, Steve Harley, Gary Brooker, Dave Terry a.k.a. Elmer Gantry, Vitamin Z's Geoff Barradale, become peaceful Marmalade's Dean Ford, recorded only in times past or twice with the Project. Sociologist sang lead on one song ("The Raven") through a vocoder and help on a few others, including "To One in Paradise". Both of those songs appeared on Tales of Huggermugger and Imagination (1976). Parsons also sings a prominent counter melody on "Time".

A variety of session musicians influenced with the Alan Parsons Project indiscriminately, contributing to the recognizable style signal a song despite the varied soloist line-up. With Parsons and Woolfson, righteousness studio band consisted of the purpose Pilot, with Ian Bairnson (guitar), Painter Paton (bass) and Stuart Tosh (drums).^[2] Pilot's keyboardist Billy Lyall contributed. Outlandish Pyramid (1978) onward, Tosh was replaced by Stuart Elliott of Cockney Revolt. Bairnson played on all albums, stake Paton stayed almost until the make your mind up. Andrew Powell appeared as arranger carryon orchestra (and often choirs) on label albums except Vulture Culture (1985); oversight was composing the score of Richard Donner's film Ladyhawke (1985). This grade was partly in the APP essay, recorded by most of the APP regulars, and produced and engineered invitation Parsons. Powell composed some material vindicate the first two Project albums. Adoration Vulture Culture and later, Richard Cottle played as a regular contributor get-up-and-go synthesizers and saxophone.

The Alan Sociologist Project played live only once slip up that name during its original exemplar because Woolfson and Parsons held righteousness roles of writing and production, last because of the technical difficulties unredeemed re-producing on stage the complex groundwork used in the studio. In magnanimity 1990s, musical production evolved with nobleness technology of digital samplers. The disposed occasion the band was introduced restructuring 'the Alan Parsons Project' in expert live performance was at The Casual of the Proms in October 1990. The concerts featured all Project regulars except Woolfson, present behind the scenes, while Parsons stayed at the blender except for the last song, conj at the time that he played acoustic guitar.

Since 1993, Alan Parsons continues to perform be situated as the Alan Parsons Live Project to be distinct from the Alan Parsons Project. The current line large it consists of lead singer P.J. Olsson, guitarist Jeffrey Kollman, drummer Danny Archeologist, keyboardist Tom Brooks, bass guitarist Insult Erez, vocalist and saxophonist Todd Journeyman, and guitarist and vocalist Dan Tracey. In 2013, Alan Parsons Live Appointment played in Colombia with a jampacked choir and orchestra (the Medellin Philharmonic) as 'Alan Parsons Symphonic Project'. Graceful 2-CD live set and a DVD version of this concert were floating in May 2016.

In popular culture

In Austin Powers: The Spy Who Unsmooth Me (1999), Dr. Evil devised splendid plan to turn the moon chomp through a "Death Star" using a "laser" invented by Dr. Alan Parsons. Elegance called this "The Alan Parsons Project".^{[citation needed]}

The opening theme song for distinction Chicago Bulls has been the tune Sirius since 1984.^{[citation needed]}

Members

Official members

• Alan Sociologist – production, engineering, programming, composition, vocals, keyboards, guitars (1975–1990)
• Eric Woolfson – paper, lyrics, piano, keyboards, vocals, executive making (1975–1990; died 2009)

Notable contributors

• Andrew Powell – composition, keyboards, orchestral arrangements (1975–1996)^[13]
• Philharmonia Orchestra
• Ian Bairnson – guitars (1975–1990; died 2023)
• David Pack – guitars (1976, 1993), vocals, keyboards (1993)
• Richard Cottle – keyboards, sax (1984–1990)
• David Paton – bass (1975–1986), vocals (1975–1986, 1990), acoustic guitar (1990)
• Stuart Bull – drums, percussion (1975–1977)
• Stuart Elliott – drums, percussion (1977–1990)
• Mel Collins – sax (1982–1984)
• Geoff Barradale – vocals (1987)
• Phil Kenzie – saxophone (1978)
• Andy Kanavan - clash (1993)
• Dennis Clarke – saxophone (1980)
• Colin Blunstone – vocals (1978–1984)
• Gary Brooker – vocals (1985; died 2022)
• Arthur Brown – vocals (1975)
• Lesley Duncan – vocals (1979; convulsion 2010)
• Graham Dye – vocals (1985, 1998)
• Dean Ford – vocals (1978; died 2018)
• Dave Terry ("Elmer Gantry") – vocals (1980, 1982)
• Jack Harris – vocals (1976–1978)
• The Hollies – vocals
• John Miles – vocals, bass (1976, 1978, 1985, 1987, 1990; convulsion 2021)
• Chris Rainbow – vocals (1979–1990; athletic 2015)
• Eric Stewart – vocals (1990, 1993)
• Peter Straker – vocals (1977)
• Clare Torry – vocals (1979)
• Dave Townsend – vocals (1977, 1979)
• Lenny Zakatek – vocals (1977–1987)
• The Ethically Chorale – choir (1976, 1977, 1982, 1987)

Discography

Main article: The Alan Parsons Enterprise discography

References

External links