Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - The Alan Parsons Project - what genre?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedThe Alan Parsons Project - what genre?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>
Author
Message
Dan Locke View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie


Joined: August 01 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 7
Direct Link To This Post Topic: The Alan Parsons Project - what genre?
    Posted: August 01 2010 at 22:34
People always classify them as progressive rock, but I'm not seeing it.  They had moments where they approached it, but Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the only full album that I can actually call an example of the genre, and that's really only because of "The Fall of the House of Usher" and the overarching concept-album structure.
 
So, what were they?  As far as I can tell, they did pretty much everything - heck, I Robot even had disco on it!
Back to Top
scatterplot1 View Drop Down
Forum Groupie
Forum Groupie
Avatar

Joined: July 16 2010
Location: usa
Status: Offline
Points: 52
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2010 at 23:13
I think APP was half prog/half pop(until a certain point). "Turn of a Freindly Card"(the long song, not the whole album) was prog fer sure. The entire side 1, I did not care for, that was pop. "The Gold Bug" opening side 2 had to be prog. The next LP, Eye in the Sky.......well, it's high-tech pop now. Their instrumentals both prior to "Card" and after.....Some nice, some just plain corny("In the Lap of the Gods")....but cute. I don't equate "Cute" or "Corny" with Prog. The thing about instrumentals like "Los Endos"(Genesis)....There's nothing cute about it. You rock to it, tap yer feet and say "Wow" when it's over. But Alan will never be dismissed, as he was one of the slickest producers in rock history. Let's not forget what he did for Al Stewart. RIP Mr. Woolfson. 
Back to Top
Blacksword View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 10:15
You've answered your own question, as far as I'm concerned. Bands that do 'pretty much everything' are arguably progressive by definition.

That said, I know what you're driving at. They are a kind of cross over, arty rock band, who didnt want to prog out too extremely, but did want to do something with a bit of depth. Personally, I can take or leave them, although I do like I Robot quite a lot.
Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Back to Top
Slartibartfast View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam

Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29625
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 11:53
Disco was the first thing that popped into my mind before I read the opening post. LOL  I only have the first two and I find APP to be reasonably crossover.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Back to Top
lazland View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: October 28 2008
Location: Wales
Status: Offline
Points: 13173
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 12:31
Love them. A great mix of prog tendencies with pop sensibilities. Most definitely fitting in nicely in cross over prog.
Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
Back to Top
himtroy View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 20 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1601
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 12:52
I consider Tales of Mystery and Imagination and I Robot to be prog rock albums.  Turn of a Friendly Card the song is progressive, the other side has prog moments at most.  But I Robot is a fantastic album, and was a key album for getting me into prog.  I think it's more progressive than Tales of Mystery and Imagination is definitely.
The songs I Robot and The Voice (that crazy breakdown in the middle of the song) are both pretty progressive.  The entire second half of the album is pretty spacey and Total Eclipse is absolute madness .
Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.
Back to Top
genbanks View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2010
Location: Argentina
Status: Offline
Points: 956
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 16:55
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Love them. A great mix of prog tendencies with pop sensibilities. Most definitely fitting in nicely in cross over prog.
 
That's a good definition of Alan Parsons Project. That's just crossover prog as many others bands or solo artists in this site. Some of them are even less prog than Alan Parsons (Roger Hodgson for example).
 
I think that A valid path has some prog elements too.
Back to Top
GY!BE View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 27 2010
Location: Montreal
Status: Offline
Points: 538
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 17:02
I think APP had a lot of pop influences in certain albums but they always had this prog particularities proper to them,,,great band by the way...A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM...

Back to Top
moshkito View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 16045
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 18:39
Hi,
 
For the time it came out, it was nice stuff and ... well ... progressive in that it was different and nice, not because it had anything musically that was totally innovating and different out there. It started out more progressive and it became conventional in my book.
 
But nice stuff. Nothing great. I'm not sure I would consider this "progressive", since it's most important feature really was that it was very well recorded, not that the works themselves were that important.
 
I call this the Orange Juice or Apple Sauce Genre!


Edited by moshkito - February 02 2011 at 20:31
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
Back to Top
Snow Dog View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 23 2005
Location: Caerdydd
Status: Offline
Points: 32995
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 18:46
.

Edited by Snow Dog - February 05 2011 at 04:21
Back to Top
Deleuze View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 02 2010
Location: Qc
Status: Offline
Points: 193
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 21:20
lol, even pop bands in the 70' had prog influences, Idk why u guys are always seeking genres...just enjoy the music :p
Back to Top
Dellinger View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12581
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2010 at 22:25
I think that their first two albums (which i really love) were prog, with pop tendencies. Their next albums were progressivley more pop, with prog tendencies, until there remained only pop.
Back to Top
Kestrel View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: June 18 2008
Location: Minnesota
Status: Offline
Points: 512
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 03 2010 at 17:55
I just put them in "Prog Lite" with Styx and Supertramp's Breakfast in America
Back to Top
tamijo View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 06 2009
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 4287
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 04 2010 at 07:30
Originally posted by Kestrel Kestrel wrote:

I just put them in "Prog Lite" with Styx and Supertramp's Breakfast in America
Somethnig like that, ya, but the thing is who cares.
Either you like it or you dont, shouldent change anythong if they are consideres Prog lite, Prog related, or even not prog.  
Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
Back to Top
POTA View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: November 17 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 173
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2011 at 21:31
I'm a big APP fan. Their music is dark, soothing and atmospheric. I've always considered them prog. They fit in nicely in a playlist of Camel and Barclay James Harvest. Also, listening to the first two minutes of The Raven loudly in a pair of big, cushy headphones is indescribable. 
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 02 2011 at 02:01
They were always AOR to me and had very little to do with prog BUT recently I have been enjoying some of their songs. I put that down to age.Smile
Back to Top
Chris S View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
Status: Offline
Points: 7028
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 02 2011 at 03:20
Loved them up to Eye in the Sky.....after that they kind of fizzled from a consistent standpoint. As for genre labels, crossover/AOR   IMO. Woolfson was the driving force from Turn Of A Freindly Card....but good quality productions which is what you would expect from the engineer of DSOTM.
<font color=Brown>Music - The Sound Librarian

...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR]
Back to Top
halabalushindigus View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 05 2009
Location: San Diego
Status: Offline
Points: 1438
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 02 2011 at 03:51
great disco band

assume the power 1586/14.3
Back to Top
halabalushindigus View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 05 2009
Location: San Diego
Status: Offline
Points: 1438
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 02 2011 at 03:57
seriously, the band drummer Stuart Elliot hasd those tight chops that were always on time real slow. Engineering was always a-plus. Ian Bairnson guitar was always chromactically well conceived. Alans use of different vocalists from Lenny Zakatek to Chris Rainbow and, of couse, Eric Woolfson was soft, well spoken. Their music wasn't so much progressive but Alan Parsons sequencing elements definetly put him in a class by himself

assume the power 1586/14.3
Back to Top
Chris S View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
Status: Offline
Points: 7028
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 02 2011 at 11:32
Originally posted by halabalushindigus halabalushindigus wrote:

seriously, the band drummer Stuart Elliot hasd those tight chops that were always on time real slow. Engineering was always a-plus. Ian Bairnson guitar was always chromactically well conceived. Alans use of different vocalists from Lenny Zakatek to Chris Rainbow and, of couse, Eric Woolfson was soft, well spoken. Their music wasn't so much progressive but Alan Parsons sequencing elements definetly put him in a class by himself
Well said!, liked Zakatek..
<font color=Brown>Music - The Sound Librarian

...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR]
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.121 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.