DAYS ARE NUMBERS

I've actually never listened to this single's source album Vulture Culture (1984) in its entirety, but several tracks have become familiar from e.g. compilations. A trivial fact I didn't know is that originally Ammonia Avenue (1983) and Vulture Culture were thought to form a double album. As commercial as their material is, it hardly would have been a good idea in any sense. After the decision to make Vulture Culture an individual album, Alan Parsons gave it a more modern (for the time) treatment, which results for example as harder hitting drums (*sigh*). At least here on PA Vulture Culture is considered the weakest album of the Project. It's also the only one not to feature any orchestrations of Andrew Powell. This single gives a clear, representative idea of Vulture Culture.

'Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)' is a soft and a bit syrupy ballad from the Parsons-Woolfson assembly line. Chris Rainbow's lead vocals are nicely backed up with harmonies, and the song's very hummable melodies are not plain bad, but also sonically this tender pop ballad is far from the finest Alan Parsons touch as a producer and engineer. The saxophone addition finishes the cheesiness. Of course compared to much of the mid-80's commercial pop, this still is pretty fine and sophisticated.

'Somebody Out There', another Vulture Culture track, I hadn't heard before. That it's sung by Colin Blunstone, the ex- Zombie whose voice graces many beautiful APP songs such as 'The Eagle Will Rise Again' and 'Old and Wise', made me expect more of it. Well, his vocal contribution is just average here, and the song itself is, after the fairly promising beginning, dead boring in its "dramatic" pop hit approach. And those sharp, cheap synth sounds, they're something that never should have come out from Parsons' hands. A disappointment.