OLD AND WISE

The Project's sixth album Eye in the Sky (1982) is a pretty enjoyable soft rock release with only a little bit of prog elements, and its last track 'Old and Wise' is the only single by The Alan Parsons Project to feature the lead vocals of Colin Blunstone. This beautiful-voiced former vocalist of The Zombies had sung on the very lovely APP song 'The Eagle Will Rise Again' (Pyramid, 1978) and would appear also on the albums Ammonia Avenue (1984) and Vulture Culture (1985). By the way, an early version, without orchestration or the saxophone solo, was sung by Eric Woolfson and is included as a bonus on the 2007 remastered edition of Eye in the Sky.

The song is very mellow and romantic. Some will undoubtedly find it syrupy, but to me it has become a fond classic, or should I say everGREEN. Not that I would listen to it regularly, instead it often starts playing in my *head* when I'm riding my bicycle in a beautiful surrounding with trees and grass. I must have developed this Pavlovian music memory nearly 30 years ago as a young student amidst his (mostly long-distance) first love -- and first heartache. I used to play cassettes in a Walkman on a beautiful lakeside park route from university to my tiny room. I guess I felt the song and its lyrics strongly at that time.

Also the B side comes from Eye in the Sky: 'Children of the Moon' is a brighter, not so deeply emotional song with lead vocals of the bassist David Paton. Another good and accessible pop song from The AP Project.