Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and record producer.
For the longest time, studio wizard Alan Parsons said that he would never tour because he didn't think the technology was there to bring his studio-perfected, progressive pop/rock to the live concert stage. Of course, this was back in the 70's & 80's, when Alan fronted his studio group, the Alan Parsons Project. But come 1993, with the release of Alan's first solo album, "Try Anything Once" (his first album without the "Project" name), and Alan finally felt that he had the necessary equipment to take his music out on the road. "The Very Best Live" documents Alan's very first live concert tour, recorded in Europe in 1994. In his live band are longtime Project veterans Ian Bairnson on guitar, Stuart Elliott on drums and Andrew Powell on keyboards, as well as singers Gary Howard and Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann. Parsons & company deliver brilliant live renditions of such Project favorites as "Eye In The Sky," "Psychobabble," "Time," "Prime Time" and "Don't Answer Me." The band also go back to the very first Project album, "Tales Of Mystery And Imagination," for a burnburning double-header of "A Dream Within A Dream" and "The Raven." There's even a marvelous melding of the Project instrumentals, "Lucifer" and "Mammagamma," called "Luciferama."
Alan & the band sound SO good live in concert: crisp, lean, and sharp, with the fantastic musicianship that Parsons' albums are known for, and singers Howard & Thompson both do an excellent job at the microphone. Only gripe: no live version of "Games People Play"! Oh well, I guess there just wasn't room for it.And as an added bonus, "The Very Best Live" concludes with three exclusive studio tracks, and they're all winners: "When" and "You're The Voice," both sung by Thompson, and "Take The Money And Run," featuring drummer Stuart Elliott's debut lead vocal on a Parsons album, and he does a great job. Quite simply,
"The Very Best Live" is a terrific document of Alan Parsons and his superb live band, plus you get a wonderful trio of studio songs, t'boot. As a longtime fan, I'm thrilled that Alan is performing his outstanding music live for his fans at long last. May he play gigs for many years to come!
Tracklist
1. Sirius (2:26)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
2. Eye In The Sky (5:05)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
3. Psychobabble (5:31)
Written-By – Parson, Woolfson
4. The Raven (5:59)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
5. Time (5:19)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
6. Luciferama (5:04)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
7. Old And Wise (4:52)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
8. You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned (4:27)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
9. Prime Time (5:28)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
10. Limeligh t (4:49)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
11. Don't Answer Me (4:29)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
12. Standing On Higher Ground (5:17)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
13. When (4:16)
Written-By – Bairnson
14. Take The Money And Run (6:18)
Written-By – Powell, Elliott
15. You're The Voice (5:07)
Written-By – A Qunta, C Thompson, K Reid, M Ryder
Companies, etc.
Alan & the band sound SO good live in concert: crisp, lean, and sharp, with the fantastic musicianship that Parsons' albums are known for, and singers Howard & Thompson both do an excellent job at the microphone. Only gripe: no live version of "Games People Play"! Oh well, I guess there just wasn't room for it.And as an added bonus, "The Very Best Live" concludes with three exclusive studio tracks, and they're all winners: "When" and "You're The Voice," both sung by Thompson, and "Take The Money And Run," featuring drummer Stuart Elliott's debut lead vocal on a Parsons album, and he does a great job. Quite simply,
"The Very Best Live" is a terrific document of Alan Parsons and his superb live band, plus you get a wonderful trio of studio songs, t'boot. As a longtime fan, I'm thrilled that Alan is performing his outstanding music live for his fans at long last. May he play gigs for many years to come!
Tracklist
1. Sirius (2:26)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
2. Eye In The Sky (5:05)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
3. Psychobabble (5:31)
Written-By – Parson, Woolfson
4. The Raven (5:59)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
5. Time (5:19)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
6. Luciferama (5:04)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
7. Old And Wise (4:52)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
8. You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned (4:27)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
9. Prime Time (5:28)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
10. Limeligh t (4:49)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
11. Don't Answer Me (4:29)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
12. Standing On Higher Ground (5:17)
Written-By – Parsons, Woolfson
13. When (4:16)
Written-By – Bairnson
14. Take The Money And Run (6:18)
Written-By – Powell, Elliott
15. You're The Voice (5:07)
Written-By – A Qunta, C Thompson, K Reid, M Ryder
Companies, etc.
- Artwork – Julien Mills
- Backing Vocals – Alan Parsons, Felix Krish (tracks: 13 to 15)
- Bass – Felix Krish (tracks: 13 to 15), Jeremy Meek (tracks: 1 to 12)
- Cover, Design [Cover Design] – Jon Crossland, Peter Curzon, Storm Thorgerson
- Drums – Stuart Elliott
- Keyboards – Alan Parsons, Andrew Powell, Richard Cottle
- Lead Guitar – Ian Bairnson
- Lead Vocals – Chris Thompson (tracks: 13, 15), Gary Howard (tracks: 1 to 12), Stuart Elliott (tracks: 14)
- Mastered By – Simon Heyworth
- Mixed By – Alan Parsons
- Photography By [Location Photography] – Paul Maxon, Storm Thorgerson
- Producer – Alan Parsons
- Producer [Production Assistance] – Ian Bairnson (tracks: 1 to 12)
- Rhythm Guitar – Alan Parsons
- Saxophone [Sax] – Richard Cottle
Notes
Tracks 1 to 12: Recorded on tour in Europe May 1994. Post Production at Parsonics, Sussex, England.
Track 13, 14 and 15: Previously unreleased studio recordings. Recorded and mixed at Parsonics, February 1995.
Released: 1995
Genre: Prog Rock
Length: 1:14:27
Label - BMG Records
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