Customer Reviews

Eye in the Sky: The Encore Collection

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"Eye in the Sky" is one of the best APP CDs ever produced, but this is NOT that CD. Don't be fooled. This is a compilation CD, as is aptly pointed out by another reviewer.

This CD has the following tracks:

1. Eye In The Sky (from "Eye in the Sky")

2. Time (from "Turn of a Friendly Card")

3. Damned If I Do (From "Faces of Eve")

4. Standing On Higher Ground (I can't remember...from "Ammonia Avenue"?)

5. Mammagamma (from "Eye in the Sky")

6. Psychobabble (from "Eye in the Sky")

7. Games People Play (from "Turn of a Friendly Card")

8. Stereotomy (from "Stereotomy")

9. Sirius (from "Eye in the Sky")

10. Snake Eyes (from "Turn of a Friendly Card")

So, what this CD amounts to is a compliation of tracks from the first half dozen or so APP albums, with more tracks from "Eye in the Sky" than from any other CD. I'm not even sure I would call it a greatest hits CD. It's just a compilation. That doesn't mean that I dislike any of these tracks...it just means that there are better greatest hits CDs out there.

If it were my money and I were interested in APP music, I would, without hesitation, PASS THIS CD BY and buy the real "Eye in the Sky" or any other APP CD (even compilation CDs).

Don't be fooled.

Happy listening.

Alan Holyoak

This isn't the eye in the sky album with extra tracks. It's a compilation album. You're better off buying the original

The releasing company for this CD, BMG Special Products, is the budget line for BMG Music and simply repackages previously released music from the many music labels that it owns. In fact, live versions of several of the songs on this compilation can also be found on another budget release from BMG, "Extended Versions: The Encore Collection," which, in turn, is taken from Parsons' 1995 live album. The biggest problem that I have with this release is the sequencing of "Sirius" and "Eye of the Sky." As originally recorded, "Sirius" and "Eye of the Sky" were played as a single piece, one song flowing into the other. On this compilation, they appear separately, completely out of their proper sequence. Whoever compiled this disc has done a disservice to the band and its many fans.

Despite the sequencing issue, this is a decent, inexpensive compilation of mostly "greatest hits" by The Alan Parsons Project. Like the companion budget live CD, this release is recommended for casual fans, or to those looking for a low cost introduction to the band.

One of the most frustrating things about being a APP fan is the lack of non-album B-Sides and rare tracks to be found. Outside the studio and live albums, all you can find are compilations of stuff fans have heard many times before like 'Love Songs' and 'Instrumental Works.' Case in point, 'Eye in the Sky,' which uses the title of one of the APP's most popular albums and adds the very misleading "Extra Tracks." If this was in fact just a compilation with actual "extra tracks" that I haven't heard I would buy it in a heartbeat, but all these songs are available on various APP studio albums including "Standing on Higher Ground" off the 1987 LP 'Gaudi' (five years after 'Eye in the Sky'). I was going to give it three stars because it is reasonably priced (it should be, considering the tacky cover photo) but then it dawned on me that there is not a single track from my all-time favorite APP album Ammonia Avenue represented on this compilation.

When looking at the career of the Alan Parsons Project, the credentials of its creator Alan Parsons are unquestioned. Parsons started his early career as a studio engineer working with the Beatles (on "Abbey Road") and Pink Floyd ("Dark Side of the Moon"). Working with such musicians helped Parsons shape his own musical career. This eventually inspired Parsons to develop his own sound. In 1975, Parsons assembled his own group of musicians into "The Alan Parsons Project". The Project was started as a partnership between Parsons and producer/singer/songwriter Eric Woolfson. To support the duo between Parsons and Woolfson, the duo would bring in a loose aggregation of musicians. This group of musicians would be brought in at the right time to support the musical style of a Project song. Parsons and Woolfson would take things a step further: For each album, they released they would integrate a various theme or concept that would highlight the music. Parsons and the Project would go on to release 9 studio albums. They would best be known for their 1982 hit album "Eye in the Sky" (featuring the popular title track). Despite the fact that this album shares the name with that album, it is important to note that this is NOT 1982's "Eye in the Sky", but a compilation album with the same name.

As mentioned above, one thing that made an Alan Parsons Project album so special is that they would often integrate a theme into the album. For the 1982 "Eye in the Sky" album, the primary concept was "surveillance". The title track is based on the cameras in the casinos - and this carries over to other songs such as "Mammagamma". There are also lesser themes about life and values present on this collection. Originally, I thought I was going to be purchasing the 1982 album. When I got this CD back, I discovered I had gotten another compilation album that happened to slap the "Eye in the Sky" name as the title. Besides a different album cover, the only other differentiating factor is that this compilation collection states it is "The Encore Collection" (whatever that means).

The "Encore Collection" (which I will refer to this "Eye in the Sky" album) only contains four tracks from the 1982 "Eye in the Sky" album. These songs are "Sirius", "Eye in the Sky", "Mammagamma", and "Psychobabble". The "Encore Collection" presents 10 tracks - most of them from the period of 1979 through 1982. The albums represented are "Eve" ("Damned If I Do"); "The Turn of a Friendly Card" ("Games People Play", "Time", "Snake Eyes"); "Stereotomy" ("Stereotomy"); and "Gaudi ("Standing on Higher Ground"). The other big drawback is the separation of "Sirius" and "Eye in the Sky". On the 1982 "Eye in the Sky" album (as well as several other compilations), these songs are arranged back to back to preserve the segue between these songs. I won't listen to either song solo, but insist on listening to them in sequence.

When considering a compilation of the works of the Alan Parsons Project, one must look at what compilations that are out there. Here are some of the more popular compilations out there to consider:

"The Best of the Alan Parsons Project": This 1983 collection includes material from the Alan Parsons Project through 1983 and focuses on the first 2/3 of the Project's career. Songs on "The Encore Collection" not on this collection include "Mammagamma", "Sirius", and "Snake Eyes".

"The Best of the Alan Parsons Project Volume 2": This 1987 collection supplements the 1983 "Best of" release. It not only includes material from post-1983, but material from prior to 1983 that was not included on the first "Best of" release. "Stereotomy" and "Standing on Higher Ground" - both post 1983 releases on "The Encore Collection" are found on this collection.

"Master Hits: The Alan Parsons Project": This includes 11 tracks. The songs from "The Encore Collection" on this collection are "Eye in the Sky", "Sirius", "Games People Play", and "Time".

"The Definitive Collection": This two disc set includes 34 tracks spanning all 9 of the Project's studio albums and is the most comprehensive collection to consider. All of the tracks from "The Encore Collection" are on this collection.

"Platinum and Gold Collection": Provides 12 tracks from the Project and provides a "light sampling" of the Project's hits. The songs from "The Encore Collection" on this collection are "Eye in the Sky", "Sirius", "Games People Play", and "Time".

"Ultimate": This collection includes 18 tracks and is not as comprehensive as "The Definitive Collection". The songs from "The Encore Collection" on this collection are "Eye in the Sky", "Sirius", "Games People Play", "Time", and "Psychobable".

From a musical standpoint, I can't complain too much about "The Encore Collection". The music is very enjoyable and it will serve as a good primer to someone wishing to get a taste of Alan Parsons. In addition to the misleading album title name and the missing segue,there are other issues. For starters this collection, while it does contain songs that aren't available on many other collections still does not go deep enough. My recommendation would still be to get "The Definitive Collection" as this will provide all of the songs on this collection, plus many other songs.

Another grip is that this album is not chronologically ordered. In a greatest hits collection, I normally prefer the songs to be ordered chronologically. This allows me to see how an artist has progressed over time. On "Encore Collection" the songs are shuffled chronologically. Therefore, you don't get to see how the band has progressed over time.

The collection also suffers from a lack of liner notes - there aren't any. No songwriting, album, or musician credits. One must be warned of the misleading album name as well. While I did enjoy the music included on "Encore Collection", I wouldn't recommend this as the first choice for an Alan Parsons collection - start with the more comprehensive "The Definitive Collection".

While this is an interesting low price idea versus going through 2 CDs (and over 2 hours!) of other compilations, the drawback is the tacky, funny album cover. It's like Alan Parsons' about to go to the beach with his feet and sandals exposed to hit the sand. It shows his humor, but doesn't tell you much about his music. The album has good song choices, especially Games People Play which is more rock driven and the still wonderful Eye In The Sky. There's more of an emphasis on music improvisation, song structure and craft rather than going for a radio hit. Parsons is a excellent keyboardist and musician and the first 7 of the 10 songs show it. Time sounds very close to something the band Pink Floyd would do. Sirius has to be the most recognizable song by APP as it is still popular intro music as sporting events, especially the Chicago Bulls' '90s success with Michael Jordan winning NBA titles for them. I didn't know that the song was less than two minutes long, yet it is still a pop culture classic. Alan and his band must have 15 homes or so by now from the royalties and money made from that song. This is a good start for anyone hearing this risk taking, challenging music for the first time.