The primary singer and co-founder of The Alan Parsons Project passed away earlier this week according the NY Times. Contrary to the band being named after his partner; the more famous recording engineer (practically everyone knows about Alan’s contributions to Dark Side of the Moon); Eric did most of the writing.
From reading the obit, I had no idea he was Carl Douglas’ manager (the dude behind “Kung Fu Fighting.”) The musical world can be a funny place when you find out who has worked with whom.
Although most Prog Rock isn’t often my cup of tea (Helen says it best in her criticisms of Rush and Queensryche, to paraphrase, “Don’t tell me a stupid story, just sing the song in a decent amount of time!”) I feel Woolfson mastered the ability to synthesize the genre’s sound (or mindset) to the Pop/Rock format long before Genesis and Yes did in the Eighties: “Can’t Take It With You,” “I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You,” “Damned If I Do,” and “Games People Play” appeared well before 1980. Many say Alan Parsons Project was rather cheesy too. Never mind the cool soundtrack they did for the movie Ladyhawke or the song “Sirius” which was frequently used at sporting events such as introducing the opening line up of the Chicago Bulls in the Nineties or segments on Frasier and Duckman.
Alan Parsons Project will always remain one of the guilty musical pleasures of my life. I often heard them on WDBR and KLOL as a teenager so they were a part of my upbringing and musical education. Anybody who can turn the writings of Edgar Allen Poe into interesting, accessible songs deserves a round of applause and respect.
I didn’t hear about this. What a bummer. I’ve seen Yes and the Moody Blues in concert, but never saw APP. Music has definitely lost another great one.