AMMONIA AVENUE

A good effort by Alan Parsons Project that finds the band in a quite 'poppy' direction with some easy listening songs and melodic rocking tracks. The album starts off where 'Eye in the Sky' ended, and maybe in a more commercial path. And it's dancing on a highwire - as one of the best songs of the album states - because it's ranging from weak, uninteresting tracks (One Good Reason) to some of the best songs in Alan Parsons history (title track).

I would quite agree with most of the arguments set by fellow reviewers and would rate the album somewhere in the middle of the ladder... It starts off with two 'soft rocking' tracks that don't impress but keep up the usual AP songwriting level. Unfortunately, two rather weak tracks follow (One Good Reason and Since the Last Goodbye). 'Don't Answer Me' continues in the same 'pleasant' rhythm of the album with melodic saxophone intervals.

For me, this is the point where the interesting part of the album begins... The rest 4 tracks present a more 'mature' approach to songwriting and this was one of the issues I spotted from the first time I listened to this album. More effort seems to have been given to this section of the album, and I can't understand why...

'Dancing on a Highwire' continues on the same motif but the melodies sound a bit more 'sophisticated' compared to previous songs. 'You Don't Believe' reminds of 'Eye in the sky' and follows on the same tempo; not something impressive, but flows well with the rest of the album. The last two tracks of the record really blew me off... The instrumental PIPELINE starts with a relaxing mid-tempo that puts you in the mood, and when the saxophone comes in...you can't describe the feelings... So simple and so amazing at the same time! The album ends with AMMONIA AVENUE that brings again this melancholic feeing of 'Turn of a Friendly Card'. The song starts as a typical AP ballad with great piano and vocal melodies, with an emotional refrain, evolving to a prog track that reveals AP's true capabilities in songwriting.

Overall, it's not Alan Parsons best album, but it's worth a good listen... Especially the second half of the record. The music can be described as pop-rock-prog-related with some touches of blues, funk and classic rock. Not impressive but enjoyable!!!

Note: Even if you don't get the chance to listen to the full album, do yourself a favour and listen to 'Pipeline' and the title track. Recommended for any music fan!

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