![]() ![]() “This one’s a bit of a cheat: Woolfson released the album as a solo effort years after the group disbanded. “Immortal” ( Eric Woolfson Sings the Alan Parsons Project That Never Was, 2009) This track, which was never to my knowledge released as a single, is pure Woolfson: sentimental, full-throated, replete with big choruses and big emotions.”Ħ. “ Gaudi, inspired by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, is generally considered to be APP’s last “official” album. “Closer to Heaven” – Eric Woolfson ( Gaudi, 1987) As always, I just love hearing that voice.”ĥ. “This album seems to persist in dividing critics: Do its 8 songs represent a culmination of the band’s vision and sound, or do they feel dated, too replete with all of the stylistic tics of 80s pop rock? The jury is still out, and “Sooner or Later,” whose first 10 seconds could easily have opened a Jeff Lynne-produced Tom Petty song from the era - and which brushes awfully close (some might say uncomfortably so) to the chord progression of “Every Breath You Take” - will find supporters on both sides of that argument. “Sooner or Later” ( Vulture Culture, 1985) This beautiful single, with its soaring harmonies, brilliant Spectorish “wall of sound” vibe, and, as always, Woolfon’s no-holds-barred vocal stylings, is a standout.”Ĥ. “ Ammonia Avenue had the misfortune of always being compared to its predecessor, the hugely successful Eye in the Sky, but it’s still a fascinating, eclectic effort. “Don’t Answer Me” ( Ammonia Avenue, 1984). delivery is what sells …sung in a croon that sounds like someone breathing heavy on the back of your neck.’”ģ. As they put it: ‘The secret ingredient to ‘Eye in the Sky’ had been under Alan Parson’s nose the entire time: Eric Woolfson. ![]() “ Pitchfork ranks this at #107 on its list of best songs of the ’80s, and justifiably so. “Eye in the Sky” ( Eye in the Sky, 1982). Woolfson’s soaring “Till It’s Gone Forever” has my vote for most powerful chorus of any pop song, before or since.”Ģ. And as already mentioned, even more amazingly, it’s the first track Woolfson ever sang lead vocals on for the band. “Amazingly, this single doesn’t even appear on many lists ranking the band’s best tracks. Granular ranking of my favourite Alan Parsons Project songs, all of which happen to feature Woolfson’s vocals.”ġ. With that in mind, here’s a slightly more There is something about that untrained, nuanced, characteristically reedy voice that evokes emotional vulnerability and authenticity. I was originally going to offer my own “best of” list of APP’s songs, but when I started work on it I quickly realized that every track I felt the most strongly about happened to feature Woolfson as a vocalist. (And this was already four albums into their amazing run in the late 70s.) Amazingly, this was the first APP single on which Woolfson, co-writer with Parsons on the bulk of their output-actually sang. I spent a lot of time listening to the track – and others from the APP catalogue - before diving into my version, and I came to the conclusion that much of its power comes from Eric Woolfson’s vocals. I chose “Time” to cover for Closer Than They Appear because, for me, it’s always been their most emotionally resonant song. “I chose “Time” to cover for Closer Than They Appear because, for me, it’s always been their most emotionally resonant song.” The legendary band, originally started by Parsons and Eric Woolfson as a producer’s project that featured a revolving cast of session musicians and guest vocalists like Lenny Zakatek, David Paton, and Colin Blunstone, is deserving of all of the love, and it was one of my musical obsessions growing up in the late 70s and 80s. Tod Lippy: “There have been countless rankings, appraisals, and appreciations of every Alan Parsons Project album and song over the past several decades. Wanting to find out more about Tod’s love for the Alan Parsons Project, we spoke to Tod and asked him to pick out a few of the essential listens from their hefty catalogue. “When I decided to cover it, I wanted to foreground its message about the ephemerality of existence by taking it in a darker, more electronic direction.” Artwork for ‘Time’ by Tod Lippy “I was a major fan of Alan Parsons Project growing up, and this was always my favourite song of theirs,” Lippy says. Speaking about his reason for covering the track as well as what he hoped to bring with his interpretation, Tod told us: ![]() The album, due on November 4th, will see the track, a cover of the Alan Parsons Project, feature alongside his interpretations of music by other artists such as Low, Beth Gibbons, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, American Music Club, The NoTwist, Lucinda Williams, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Frightened Rabbit and Bedhead.įollowing the release, Lippy has now released the video for the track which you can watch here: On October 5th, electronic artist Tod Lippy released “Time,” the lead single from his forthcoming covers LP Closer Than They Appear.
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