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Alan Parsons Project
Eye in the Sky
(Arista/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2007, Volume 14, #3
Written by John Metzger
Songwriter Eric Woolfson learned his craft at the hands of former Rolling
Stones manager and pop music producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Recalls Woolfson in
the liner notes for the recently refurbished rendition of the Alan Parsons
Project’s Eye in the Sky, "Oldham took me to his offices, sent me into a
room with a piano, and told me not to come out until I’d written a song for
every artist in the Top 10." While such a strategy works well for comprehending
the cornerstones of a given music scene, failing to move beyond such mimicry
carries with it the risk of sounding unoriginal. This simple statement, then,
highlights the problems that lie at the heart of the bulk of the Alan Parsons
Project’s catalogue. Despite Parsons’ shimmering production flourishes and the
ambitious concepts that were envisioned by Woolfson, the material itself
increasingly was forced to fit within the framework of whatever was perched at
the forefront of the mainstream. While Woolfson’s ability to blend into the
fabric of popular culture was remarkable, it also was plagued by a cold,
calculated sterility that has become more apparent with each passing year.
Just as the Alan Parsons Project had turned the futuristic paranoia of I
Robot into the superstitious reflections of Pyramid, its 1982
endeavor Eye in the Sky flipped the gambling theme of its predecessor
Turn of a Friendly Card into a commentary on western society’s political and
spiritual value systems. This time, however, the thematic arc that had held the
band’s earlier efforts together was deployed in a flimsier fashion. While this
was the band’s intention — a consequence, no doubt, of the demise of the
progressive rock genre — the resulting lack of cohesion further undermined the
set by leaving the melodies and arrangements to find their own way.
Unfortunately, the music on Eye in the Sky was, for the most part,
untenably limp. You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned and Step by Step
were weak replications of Billy Joel’s forays on Glass Houses, while Psychobabble was a laughable impression of
The Who. Elsewhere, the Pink Floyd-ian aspects that crept into Children of the Moon and the
instrumental Mammagamma found the Alan Parsons Project returning to its
comfort zone but failing to find any forward momentum. Only the title track
continues to hold any semblance of durability, though this has had more to do
with its candy-coating than with its less-than-satisfying aftertaste.
Considering that Eye in the Sky hasn’t aged terribly well, it’s not
surprising that the six bonus tracks that have been affixed to it — a demo (Sirius);
an outtake (Any Other Day); two early, alternate versions (Old & Wise
and Silence & I); and a pair of recently crafted overtures that were made
from an array of recording session snippets (The Naked Eye and Eye
Pieces) — also are, at best, pleasantly forgettable. Fans, however, might
find the more musical theater-minded arrangements intriguing, considering that
they hint at the direction in which Woolfson would head after the Alan Parsons
Project disbanded. 
Eye in the Sky is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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