EYE IN THE SKY

I wasn't actually planning on reviewing another Alan Parsons Project release any time soon since I've already previously talked about their first two albums. Their debut album is the one that gets most critical praise, which is quite understandable since the album introduced the project's style and, most importantly, the album format that will be set in stone for years to come. So why am I actually reviewing Eye In The Sky, the project's sixth release? The shortest answer is --- Colin Blunstone! Here is the whole story:

I've been a huge fan of the pop group The Zombies and especially their brilliant 1968 release Odessey And Oracle for nearly two years now. This love has nothing to do with nostalgia, since I've actually never listened to the band up until the recent years. We're talking about unconditional love that can only be brought upon by a truly spectacular experience! I highly recommend The Zombies to anyone who has not yet heard this great band... but let's get back to the topic at hand. Two days ago, I finally got the chance to see The Zombies perform live. Actually the real name of the band that I saw was The Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent, the two of the more prolific members of the band who both have had successful careers after the original band had called it a day back in 1968. During the show, the band played quite a few classic The Zombies tracks but they also mixed in quite a few covers from the two members solo careers. One of these songs just so happened to be an Alan Parsons Project cover that Blunstone just so happened to be featured on back in the day. I'm referring to the magnificent composition called Old And Wise, a song that I've heard on quite a few occasions previously but have never actually connected it to neither Colin Blunstone nor Alan Parsons Project!

With my new (re)discovery, I simply had no choice but to listen to the rest of Eye In The Sky just to see if it might actually be on the same level as the band's debut album or, my personal favorite, I Robot. Well, I can safely say that I was both impressed and disappointed by my experience of this album since it did happen to feature quite a few excellent moments, but the overall experience felt a bit lackluster. The album can roughly be divided into a great side one which opens with the memorable instrumental Sirius and an even better title track, featuring Eric Woolfson on vocals. After a slight drop in quality on Children Of The Moon, we're treated to a memorable track duo of Gemini and Silence And I. The latter is easily one of the most progressive pieces that the project has ever recorded, thus making this release worthy of its Crossover Prog title.

Side two is where this album completely loses any momentum that it previously had with tracks like You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned, Psychobabble and Step By Step all being standard pop songs that don't impress me one bit. Even the otherwise interesting instrumentals aren't up to the usual standard on Mammagamma which just passes me by completely without any notice. Luckily, the album is saved right in the last moment with the very strong ballad Old And Wise. Colin Blunstone does an amazing vocal performance, the orchestral arrangement really fits the composition like a glove and let's not forget the last moment saxophone solo that brings back the memories of Dark Side Of The Moon, thus making this composition the most memorable one off this album!

Even thought Eye In The Sky is far from an excellent album, it's still worth a spin or two just because of the few tracks that actually make this into the good, but non-essential release that it is.

***** star songs: Eye In The Sky (4:36) Old And Wise (4:55)

**** star songs: Sirius (1:55) Gemini (2:10) Silence And I (7:20)

*** star songs: Children Of The Moon (4:51) Psychobabble (4:52) Mammagamma (3:34) Step By Step (3:54)

** star songs: You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned (4:22)