On Air (Bonus CD) [Import]

Alan Parsons Project | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Pony Canyon Japan
• ASIN: B000006ZPM
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,247 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Blue Blue Sky

2. Too Close To The Sun

3. Blown By The Wind

4. Cloudbreak

5. I Can't Look Down

6. Brother Up In Heaven

7. Fall Free

8. Apollo

9. So Far Away

10. One Day To Fly

11. Blue Blue Sky

12. Apollo Ambient Mix (Moon Boots)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Chased the Balloons and I was Enlightened, December 2, 2001

By 

M. Archuleta (DENVER, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On Air (Bonus CD) (Audio CD)

I think your experience with this very expensive release (but darn well worth it), will be as pleasureable as mine. I don't know what is the better experience, the enclosed CD-Rom or the music. My favorite Alan Parsons release before this CD was "The Turn Of A Friendly Card". There is no comparison.

This release is substantially more mellow and having more substance in terms of lyrical content and music than other 'projects'. The music is fantastic.

The CD-Rom offers historical facts, tributes, and amazing effects and photographs. 'Hit' the soaring balloons--some whizzing by. Hint: go to the website listed on the liner notes to get tips on the proper viewing of this CD-Rom).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Alan's Most Melodic Offerings, June 30, 2000

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On Air (Bonus CD) (Audio CD)

Returning to the thematic concept so often used in his early career, Alan Parsons has assembled a great mix of tunes, instrumentals, and singers for an overall beautiful CD. The theme is flight, from the first time Daedalus and Icarus took wing to our modern space age. It details the frustrations, the glories, the wins, the losses, the sorrows of the pursuit of flight. Highlights are the opening intro to "Blue Blue Sky" which fades into "Too Close to the Sun." (With a dynamic jet crescendo!); "Brother Up There," a poignant story dedicated to someone who lost their life in a flight, and the finale of "Blue Blue Sky" which crescendos and decrescendos so beautifully. This is a haunting, enjoyable album, exquisitely produced and engineered by the marvelous Mr. Parsons

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alan Parsons soars the skies! An Excellent concept album!, November 1, 2000

By 

Jeffery K. Matheus (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On Air (Audio CD)

"On Air" rates as one Alan Parsons finest works to date. This is an album of pure bliss for anyone who calls themselves a melodic rock fan. It also stands as an excellent entry into the world of "concept albums", something that music fans like myself need more of! This time around the concept is the history of flight, and Parsons pumps plenty of emotion into his subject matter with bold musical themes, and lyrical references to avaiation, the fall of Icarus, and the doomed Challenger space mission. There is even an intense (almost paranoid) ode to the fear-of-flying called "I Can't Look Down". Like previous Alan Parsons releases "On Air" covers a wide breadth of different musical moods and styles. "Too Close To the Sun" has a dreamy, atmospheric quality. "Brother Up in Heaven" is a lush piano-based ballad with a fine vocal by former ELO Part 2 singer Neil Lockwood. (This song also makes nice use of a sparse orchestral arrangement.) "Fall Free" is a rocker with a powerful chorus, and an equally powerful vocal performance from the high-voiced Steve Overland. Another guest vocalist, Eric Stewart of 10cc, adds greatly to "Blue Blue Sky", a gentle acoustic piece which is reprised at the end of the album, making for sort of a musical "bookend" effect. "Cloudbreak" is an exhilarating insrumental with some great guitar licks from long-time Parsons cohort Ian Bairnson. Another instumental, "Apollo", is a throbbing burst of synths and electronic percussion, interspersed with dialog clips of President John F. Kennedy speaking about the Apollo space mission. All in all, if you are a fan of Alan Parsons, or just art-rock in general, then "On Air" is an experience that should not be missed! By the way, this is a disc that sounds absolutely stunning through a good pair of headphones! Parsons has constructed a full-bodied mix which takes full-avantage of stereo panning, background arrangements, clever sound effects (which always have something to do with the overall song), and even snatches of conversations! (A bit reminicent of his production work on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of the Moon"). So hey, if you don't have a set of quality headphones, you may want to order some to go with this CD! : )