Published on Jul 8, 2000
The work that the Alan Parsons Project is best known for spans
the period from 1976 to 1982, from
Tales Of Mystery And Imagination to their only American Top
Ten hit, 1982’s “Eye In The Sky”. Despite a bit more chart success
after that (“Don’t Answer Me,” a Top Twenty from 1984’s
Ammonia Avenue), most of the Project’s mid-eighties work is
forgotten except by serious fans, and by 1987 the band was
history.
That’s a bit of a shame, really. While the three CDs in this
period didn’t have the grandeur of the seventies’ work, they’re
interesting CDs in their own right, full of experimentation and
flashes of genius. The best of the three, by far, is
Stereotomy.
Unlike earlier CDs,
Stereotomy is stripped down, less orchestral, harsher in
some ways. Ian Bairnson’s guitar really cuts loose on several
tracks, and guest vocalists include Gary Brooker of Procol Harum.
There is a sense of urgency to the CD, an almost industrial sound
in some places, and Parsons’ elegant engineering gives the sound
real impact. This is definitely a headphone CD.
At least four tracks bear special attention. The title track is
a hard-hitting, syncopated, powerful rock song, about as far from
the remote coolness of “Eye In The Sky” as you can imagine. The
intro keyboard line and bass riff creates a tension that the song
never really relieves, pulling you into the CD effortlessly. The
pairing of “Limelight” and “In The Real World” provides an odd
musical yin/yang, the idealism of desiring fame and fortune
contrasted sharply with the cost of being something other than what
you are. And “Light Of The World” is a soaring ballad about faith
and what it costs.
Stereotomy is a thinking CD, the kind where you sit and
listen and puzzle over what it means and listen again and
again.
As a bonus to the mental exercise,
Stereotomy also contains two of the best Parsons
instrumentals ever recorded, “Urbania” and “Where’s The Walrus.”
Both are popcorn for the ears, addictive and rhythmic.
If there is a weak song on
Stereotomy, it’s “Beaujolais.” Colin Blunstone’s paean or
lament about avoiding one’s problems with drink is a little too
light and bouncy for my tastes, and clashes with the intensity of
the rest of the disc.
Stereotomy is a tight, well-done piece of work from a group
of very talented musicians in an experimental phase, and is well
worth checking out.