I’ll go into more detail at some point but for now here is my ranking of the 10 albums released by The Alan Parsons Project, from 1976 to 1987. It is telling that the best albums are the earlier ones. The Alan Parsons Project is an example of a band (in as much as they were one) devolving its sound into one that became slicker and less interesting with each album before finally getting back to the wacky and evocative sounds of their earlier work.
- Eye in the Sky (1982). The first half of this album is some of the most beautifully-crafted progressive rock recorded.
- Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976). By turns weird and wonderful. It sounds almost alien today.
- The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980). An entertaining precursor to Eye, stately and always catchy.
- Pyramid (1978). A short album with no filler and perhaps the broadest range of material, with the mood ranging from melancholic to bombastic and even playful.
- Eve (1979). Not exactly an anthem to women, the lyrics are the most cutting of any Project.
- I Robot (1977). A bit dated now but the best tracks hold up well.
- Ammonia Avenue (1984). The follow-up to Eye apes that album in a number of ways but has its own standout tracks, especially the title track and the ‘wall of sound’ in “Don’t Answer Me”.
- Stereotomy (1986). A decent attempt to return to form that mostly succeeds.
- Gaudi (1987). The pop part of the Project was getting a little too glossy by the final album but the closing instrumental is stirring.
- Vulture Culture (1985). Not a bad album but not particularly memorable. Without the orchestra a number of songs feel plain. Oddly, the bonus track “No Answers, Only Questions” which is a spare acoustic number, is one of the best.
