The Turn of a Friendly Card

Alan Parsons Project

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: November 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B000002VCU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,270 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. May Be a Price to Pay

2. Games People Play

3. Time

4. I Don't Wanna Go Home

5. Gold Bug

6. Turn of a Friendly Card: The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 1

7. Turn of a Friendly Card: Snake Eyes

8. Turn of a Friendly Card: The Ace of Swords

9. Turn of a Friendly Card: Nothing Left to Lose

10. Turn of a Friendly Card: The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 2

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Includes the same bonus tracks that appear on the EU/US expanded editions. Sony/BMG 2009. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gambling With The Alan Parsons Project, August 5, 2003

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Alan Parsons Project's "The Turn Of A Friendly Card," their 1980 observation of the world of gambling, is an outstanding prog-pop album, and one of the group's very best works. In fact, I'd probably park this album right behind "Tales Of Mystery & Imagination" as the group's greatest disc. The music composed by Parsons & Eric Woolfson is simply stunning, the arrangements lush & breathtaking, the performances powerful. "May Be A Price To Pay" is a terrific opener, with singer Elmer Gantry taking you into the casino with this first-rate rocker. You can just see those roulette wheels spinning, the dice being thrown, and the cards being dealt while listening to this song, especially during the dreamy instrumental bridge. "Games People Play," sung by Lenny Zakatek, is a Project classic, another great exuberant rocker and one of the group's biggest hits. Eric Woolfson passionately sings "Time," another Project staple and one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded (and the only song that seems to depart from the album's gambling theme). I dare you not to melt on hearing this exquisite ballad! Zakatek returns to sing "I Don't Wanna Go Home," a terrific, rough & tough song about obsessive gamblers. "The Gold Bug" is a wonderfully hypnotic Project instrumental, and then, finally, there's the epic title suite, containing the songs "Snake Eyes", "Nothing Left To Lose," and the instrumental, "The Ace Of Swords." Sung by both Chris Rainbow & Eric Woolfson, this rock suite contains all the hallmarks of classic Project music: marvelous prog/pop, great orchestrations by Andrew Powell, a shimmering instrumental break, and top-notch performances and production---just like the rest of the album! "The Turn Of A Friendly Card" is a glowing gem from Alan Parsons & company, one of their finest. Getting this album is one gamble you can definitely bet on.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TIED WITH I ROBOT AS PARSONS BEST, April 18, 2001

By	"cardinals4ever" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews

Like I ROBOT,there isnt a weak spot on FRIENDLY CARD.MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY is a great song to lead off the album with typically strong Parsons lyrics and melodies.GAMES PEOPLE PLAY is a great upbeat tune that still gets plenty of airplay.TIME just may be the most heartfelt song of all time.Eric Woolfson's vocals on TIME are phenomenal.GOLD BUG is another in a long line of great Parsons instrumentals.SNAKE EYES is a song that should have done much better on the charts than it did.The title track is one of the most powerful songs that the project has ever done.NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE is another heartfelt song sung beautifully by Woolfson.While all of Parsons albums are very good,I would rank FRIENDLY CARD with I ROBOT as Parson's best work.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe not the best, but close!, January 14, 1999

By A Customer

If you are not currently an Alan Parsons fan, but you'd like to dabble, I would heartily recommend this album to you. Sometimes due to technology, or music trends, recordings sound 'dated'. Not so with this beautiful, insightful album. Here Alan and Eric take on the concept of gambling; it's highs and lows.

This was the first APP album I ever listened to, and within the first week, I bought all of them. I would guess that having worn out 2 cassette tapes, melted a CD (long story there), and bought this same album a total of 4 times now, there is no doubt, I'm hooked and you will be too.

Many of these songs will probably sound familiar to you, even if you're not a fan yet. There is rarely a sweeter ballad heard than "Time". If you watched sports programs in the 80's than you probably heard "The Ace of Swords". Contemporary radio stations just loved "Games People Play" to death.

But probably the best for me, and the most moving was "Nothing Left to Lose". Find me one person that hasn't felt like that song: "Nothings good, the news is bad..."

Do yourself a favor... If you buy any Alan Parsons CD, BUY this first! You'll be glad you did!