Musician info missing on Powell playing Parsons

I don't have the album, but info on the web shows the orchestra is the UK's world famous Philharmonia Orchestra.

Here is a review from DPRP ... http://www.dprp.net/reviews/9802.htm .... which gives some idea ..... it certainly refers to drums and bass "on every track" and Alan Parsons being the producer!

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Back in the mid-eighties an album called Andrew Powell and the Philharmonia Orchestra Play The Best of The Alan Parsons Project was released. Back then I failed to buy it while it was available and I've been on the look out for a re-release ever since.
Recently I came across it in the Parsons section of a record store. The original 'Scrabble cover' had been replaced by a photo collage and the title had also been changed. The infamous Dutch label Dutchy is responsible for the re-release. This both has its pros and cons; as with the dubious Marillion compilation disc Kayleigh the booklet is very minimal. The song credits contain several mistakes (all are copyrighted 1983) and the original credits are missing. If I remember correctly, some of the Project's members participated in making this album and I think it was produced by Alan himself.
On the positive side, the CD is very cheap. I myself bought it for less than 15 guilders.

Andrew Powell is the person who has been responsible for the orchestral arrangements on the albums of The Alan Parsons Project. Later he also played keyboards, both live and in the studio and co-wrote several tracks. On this album Andrew arranged some of the earlier Project songs for performance by orchestra and band. Yes, this is indeed one of those 'orchestral albums'.

The album opens with Lucifer (Mamma Gamma), which in fact starts with the orchestral intro of May Be A Price to Pay and goes into a version of Lucifer. After a while the May Be A Price to Pay theme is repeated and the orchestra continues with Mamma Gamma, which was originally played by computers. Alan Parsons seemingly enjoyed this combination of tracks because he played it live during his recent tours, and it appeared on his live album under the title Luciferama.
After a version of Time, with a lot of string and brass instruments playing the melody, we get to a nice version of Games People Play which features some great saxaphone.

The next track is one of the highlights of the album. In 8 and a half minutes the I Robot Suite offers us a medley of most of the tracks on that album, like I Robot, Breakdown, Wouldn't Want To Be Like You, The Voice and Genesis CH.1 V.32.
Next up is a very powerful version of Damned if I Do which immediately had me looking for the lyrics to sing along. Pavane, the next track, is of course part of the Fall of the House of Usher epic. The original already had a lot of orchestra in it. This version however has been fully re-arranged and features different instruments and percussion.

What Goes Up also features the Voyager part, but unfortunately isn't the strongest track on the CD. I'm slightly annoyed by the constant pounding of the kettledrums.
The obligatory Eye in the Sky and Old and Wise close the album. Nice versions nevertheless.

Most of the songs feature bass and drums, which makes this orchestral album less hard to digest than certain others are. The orchestral arrangements themselves are very Parsons-ish, as we know them from his albums. If you like the older Parsons stuff and you're not put off by orchestral tribute albums, you should really get this one. Anyway, the costs don't have to be an obstacle; may be a very low price to pay.

Conclusion: 7.5 out of 10.

Ed Sander