For those unfamiliar with The Alan Parsons Project you’ll immediately recognize the first song off Eye In The Sky entitled “Sirius”. It’s ubiquitous with American sporting events, first becoming popular during the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990’s and later as any introduction during an entrance to any big sporting event, and it never fails to elicit a feeling of excitement deep in my gut whenever it comes on.
That’s where the sporting tie-ins end as it relates to Alan Parsons Project however. It’s almost hilarious how synonymous they are with jock rock considering the entirety of the band’s career output. They were a prog-rock band with an ear for the obtuse through and through, writing concept albums like 1976’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination which adapted the short stories of literary icon Edgar Allan Poe, and Eye In The Sky is very much in the same vein– sometimes meandering, other times sharp and decisive, but forever committed to the craft of making art rock for the sake of making it. It’s a real treat to listen to the duo of Alan Parsons (who served the roles of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer) and Eric Woolfson (songwriter and pianist) get together with a bunch of crack studio musicians and crack out something that surprises you at every single turn.
Standout Songs: “Sirius”, “Eye In The Sky”, “Silence and I”, “Psychobabble”
