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Review:
It seems as though the Alan Parsons Project's conceptual grandeur began to lose its potency right around the mid-'80's. With Stereotomy, the message that Parsons is trying to reveal by way of his music begins to dissipate quickly, and the album is saved only somewhat by a couple of interesting instrumental pieces. On this album, the theme circles around the way in which the modern world molds the personality, the character, and the livelihood of the human being. People are but a slave to their lifestyle and their environment, and they are destined to be thrown into this situation at birth, with tolerance as an inevitability. One must really pay attention to the profound lyrics and loose structuring of the music to attain the concept that Parsons metaphorically dances around. John Miles' angriness on the title track kicks things off, and his forceful voice makes for a passable rock tune. Aside from this song, the only other vocal standout is "In the Real World," again with the help of Miles' assertiveness. Two of the album's instrumentals, "Where's the Walrus?" and "Urbania," conjure up mood and keep the listener slightly poised, causing some musical buoyancy among the blandness of the other tracks. Stereotomy's main theme remains stagnant, ever so slightly regaining consciousness across the nine songs laid out here. Parsons's genius can be better investigated on numerous past releases, as this album proves to come up short.
Even though 1987's Gaudi was inspired by architect Antonio Gaudi, its songs seem to lack the assertiveness or the instrumental endowments that usually occur within the Alan Parsons Project's work. With a leaner, edgier sound that is best represented on "Standing on Higher Ground," the easiness and touch that should have enveloped this album is noticeably absent. While not a complete failure, the album does reveal some passion with the last track, "Paseo de Graciad," a finely orchestrated instrumental done exquisitely in full Parsons style. The usual lineup of Miles, Woolfson, Zakatek, and Rainbow share the singing duties, with Geoff Barradale taking over on "Standing on Higher Ground." The songs on the album have difficulty supporting any imagery or symbolism concerning the album's main character, which was done masterfully more than ten years earlier with Tales of Mystery and Imagination, a musical voyage through Edgar Allen Poe's work. Here, the songs stand up well individually, but Parsons is a conceptual virtuoso who usually ties together his main idea through the use of each separate song. Although Gaudi isn't without some minor merit, its lasting impression doesn't leave much regard for its central character.
Track List:
01-Stereotomy.
02-Beaujolais.
03-Urbania(Instrumental).
04-Limelight.
05-In The Real World.
06-Where's The Walrus- (Instrumental).
07-Light Of The World.
08-Chinese Whispers (Instrumental).
09-Stereotomy Two.
01-La Sagrada Familia.
02-Too Late.
03-Closer to Heaven.
04-Standing On Higher Ground.
05-Money Talks.
06-Inside Looking Out.
07-Paseo De Gracia (Instrumental).
It seems as though the Alan Parsons Project's conceptual grandeur began to lose its potency right around the mid-'80's. With Stereotomy, the message that Parsons is trying to reveal by way of his music begins to dissipate quickly, and the album is saved only somewhat by a couple of interesting instrumental pieces. On this album, the theme circles around the way in which the modern world molds the personality, the character, and the livelihood of the human being. People are but a slave to their lifestyle and their environment, and they are destined to be thrown into this situation at birth, with tolerance as an inevitability. One must really pay attention to the profound lyrics and loose structuring of the music to attain the concept that Parsons metaphorically dances around. John Miles' angriness on the title track kicks things off, and his forceful voice makes for a passable rock tune. Aside from this song, the only other vocal standout is "In the Real World," again with the help of Miles' assertiveness. Two of the album's instrumentals, "Where's the Walrus?" and "Urbania," conjure up mood and keep the listener slightly poised, causing some musical buoyancy among the blandness of the other tracks. Stereotomy's main theme remains stagnant, ever so slightly regaining consciousness across the nine songs laid out here. Parsons's genius can be better investigated on numerous past releases, as this album proves to come up short.
Even though 1987's Gaudi was inspired by architect Antonio Gaudi, its songs seem to lack the assertiveness or the instrumental endowments that usually occur within the Alan Parsons Project's work. With a leaner, edgier sound that is best represented on "Standing on Higher Ground," the easiness and touch that should have enveloped this album is noticeably absent. While not a complete failure, the album does reveal some passion with the last track, "Paseo de Graciad," a finely orchestrated instrumental done exquisitely in full Parsons style. The usual lineup of Miles, Woolfson, Zakatek, and Rainbow share the singing duties, with Geoff Barradale taking over on "Standing on Higher Ground." The songs on the album have difficulty supporting any imagery or symbolism concerning the album's main character, which was done masterfully more than ten years earlier with Tales of Mystery and Imagination, a musical voyage through Edgar Allen Poe's work. Here, the songs stand up well individually, but Parsons is a conceptual virtuoso who usually ties together his main idea through the use of each separate song. Although Gaudi isn't without some minor merit, its lasting impression doesn't leave much regard for its central character.
Track List:
01-Stereotomy.
02-Beaujolais.
03-Urbania(Instrumental).
04-Limelight.
05-In The Real World.
06-Where's The Walrus- (Instrumental).
07-Light Of The World.
08-Chinese Whispers (Instrumental).
09-Stereotomy Two.
01-La Sagrada Familia.
02-Too Late.
03-Closer to Heaven.
04-Standing On Higher Ground.
05-Money Talks.
06-Inside Looking Out.
07-Paseo De Gracia (Instrumental).
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| Log: Code: EAC extraction logfile from 2. June 2006, 10:17 for CD Alan Parsons Project / Stereotomy '86 + Gaudi '87 Used drive : SAMSUNG CD-R/RW SW-248F Adapter: 0 ID: 0 Read mode : Secure with NO C2, accurate stream, disable cache Read offset correction : 97 Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No Used output format : Internal WAV Routines 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo Other options : Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No Installed external ASPI interface Range status and errors Selected range Filename E:\Documents and Settings\rat.TR-G50KCK082Q78\My Documents\Alan Parsons Project - Stereotomy '86 + Gaudi '87.by.rat.eac-ape\Alan Parsons Project - Stereotomy '86 + Gaudi '87.wav Peak level 100.0 % Range quality 99.9 % CRC 2087DE8B Copy OK No errors occured End of status report |