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Eye in the Sky provided the Alan Parsons Project with their first Top Ten hit since 1977's I Robot, and it's hard not to feel that crossover success was one of the driving forces behind this album. The Project never shied away from hooks, whether it was on the tense white funk of "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" or the gleaming pop hooks of "Games People Play," but Eye in the Sky was soft and smooth, so smooth that it was easy to ignore that the narrator of the title track was an ominous omniscient who spied either on his lover or his populace, depending on how deeply you wanted to delve into the concepts of this album. And, unlike I Robot or The Turn of a Friendly Card, it is possible to listen to Eye in the Sky and not dwell on the larger themes, since they're used as a foundation, not pushed to center stage. What does dominate is the lushness of sound, the sweetness of melody: this is a soft rock album through and through, one that's about melodic hooks and texture. In the case of the spacy opening salvo "Sirius," later heard on sports talk shows across America, or "Mammagamma," it was all texture, as these instrumentals set the trippy yet warm mood that the pop songs sustained. And the real difference with Eye in the Sky is that, with the exception of those instrumentals and the galloping suite "Silence and I," all the artiness was part of the idea of this album was pushed into the lyrics, so the album plays as soft pop album -- and a very, very good one at that. Perhaps nothing is quite as exquisite as the title song, yet "Children of the Moon" has a sprightly gait (not all that dissimilar from Kenny Loggins' "Heart to Heart"), "Psychobabble" has a bright propulsive edge (not all that dissimilar from 10cc), and "Gemini" is the project at its dreamiest. It all adds up to arguably the most consistent Alan Parsons Project album -- perhaps not in terms of concept, but in terms of music they never were as satisfying as they were here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Alan Parsons, Composer - Andrew Powell, Arranger - David Paton, Bass - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Keyboards - Haydn Bendall, Keyboards - Ian Bairnson, Guitar - Stuart Elliott, Drums - The Alan Parsons Project, Engineer - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer - The Alan Parsons Project, Producer - The Alan Parsons Project, Programmer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Andrew Powell, Arranger - Chris Blair, Producer - Chris Rainbow, Background Vocal - David Paton, Bass - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Keyboards - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - Eric Woolfson, Vocal - Ian Bairnson, Guitar - Stuart Elliott, Drums - The Alan Parsons Project, Engineer - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer - The Alan Parsons Project, Programmer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Andrew Powell, Arranger - Bob Howes, Chorus Master - David Paton, Bass - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - Eric Woolfson, Vocal - Ian Bairnson, Guitar - John Wallace, Piccolo Trumpet - Stuart Elliott, Drums - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer - The English Chorale, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Chris Rainbow, Vocal - David Paton, Bass - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Keyboards - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - Ian Bairnson, Guitar - Stuart Elliott, Drums - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Alan Parsons, Programmer - Andrew Powell, Arranger - Chris Blair, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - Jack Harris, Background Vocal - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Engineer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Alan Parsons, Programmer - Andrew Powell, Arranger - Andrew Powell, Conductor - Bob Howes, Chorus Master - Chris Blair, Producer - Colin Blunstone, Vocal - David Paton, Bass - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Executive Producer - Eric Woolfson, Keyboards - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - Ian Bairnson, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Ian Bairnson, Electric Guitar - Mel Collins, Saxophone - Stuart Elliott, Drums - Stuart Elliott, Percussion - The Alan Parsons Project, Keyboards - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 1982 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Alan Parsons, Composer - Alan Parsons, Lyricist - Alan Parsons, Producer - Eric Woolfson, Composer - Eric Woolfson, Lyricist - The Alan Parsons Project, Performer
(P) 2007 Arista Records LLC
Album review
Eye in the Sky provided the Alan Parsons Project with their first Top Ten hit since 1977's I Robot, and it's hard not to feel that crossover success was one of the driving forces behind this album. The Project never shied away from hooks, whether it was on the tense white funk of "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" or the gleaming pop hooks of "Games People Play," but Eye in the Sky was soft and smooth, so smooth that it was easy to ignore that the narrator of the title track was an ominous omniscient who spied either on his lover or his populace, depending on how deeply you wanted to delve into the concepts of this album. And, unlike I Robot or The Turn of a Friendly Card, it is possible to listen to Eye in the Sky and not dwell on the larger themes, since they're used as a foundation, not pushed to center stage. What does dominate is the lushness of sound, the sweetness of melody: this is a soft rock album through and through, one that's about melodic hooks and texture. In the case of the spacy opening salvo "Sirius," later heard on sports talk shows across America, or "Mammagamma," it was all texture, as these instrumentals set the trippy yet warm mood that the pop songs sustained. And the real difference with Eye in the Sky is that, with the exception of those instrumentals and the galloping suite "Silence and I," all the artiness was part of the idea of this album was pushed into the lyrics, so the album plays as soft pop album -- and a very, very good one at that. Perhaps nothing is quite as exquisite as the title song, yet "Children of the Moon" has a sprightly gait (not all that dissimilar from Kenny Loggins' "Heart to Heart"), "Psychobabble" has a bright propulsive edge (not all that dissimilar from 10cc), and "Gemini" is the project at its dreamiest. It all adds up to arguably the most consistent Alan Parsons Project album -- perhaps not in terms of concept, but in terms of music they never were as satisfying as they were here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 01:16:39
- Main artists: The Alan Parsons Project
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Arista - Legacy
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2008 Arista Records LLC
Distinctions:
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