A Valid Path

About the Artist
Alan Parsons, an engineer and producer, worked on classic albums like Let It Be, Abbey Road, and Dark Side of the Moon, for which he earned one of his ten Grammy nominations. He emerged in 1976 as the artist behind his own group, ground breaking progressive rockers The Alan Parsons Project. The Alan Parsons Project had two Top Ten Albums, six Top Ten Singles and were awarded 3 platinum and 7 gold records by the RIAA.

A Valid Path,Alan Parsons,Artemis Records,Album Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop,Soft Rock

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A Valid Path

Average customer rating: tunguska Delightful Departure for Alan Parsons The Mystery and Imagination is Gone Solid effort, but.... Parsons Reinvents, Comes Out Swinging

A Valid Path Alan Parsons Manufacturer: Artemis Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pyramid Eve Ammonia Avenue The Turn of a Friendly Card Tales of Mystery and Imagination ASIN: B0002IQHY8 Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

1. Return to Tunguska
2. More Lost Without You
3. Mannagamma `04
4. We Play the Game
5. Tijuaniac
6. L'Arc En Ciel
7. A Recurring Dream Within A Dream
8. You Can Run
9. Chomolungma

Customer Reviews:

tunguska.......2007-05-13

to see a collaboration between simon posford, david gilmour and michele adamson is a dream come true for me (return to tunguska).

Delightful Departure for Alan Parsons.......2007-02-19

I've appreciated Alan Parsons since 1980. His production standards and art rock imagery can not be argued with.

Still, not everyone "gets" the music of Alan Parsons. He's a niche artist, a production perfectionist, appealing to a cerebral, musically sophisticated, and often audiophile audience.

Kudos to Parsons, then, for not resting on his laurels. He's branched out, he's taken a risk here. 'A Valid Path' is a foray into electronica.

No doubt this is a different animal than earlier Parsons, and admittedly, this took a few listens before I developed a full appreciation. But I am thoroughly glad I was patient with the material.

This is a delightful album, contemporary and accessible. Production is crisp, imagery is intact, and there are some very good musical collaborations.

Parsons gives his original Project fans a shout out with Mammagamma '04 and A Recurring Dream Within A Dream, excellent remixes of original pieces. Both well done and well worth the price of admission on their own.

My only stand out critique would be the barking dogs and baby sounds that can be heard on a few of the tracks. I found them distracting and didn't feel they added any value to the content.

Yes, 'A Valid Path' is a departure, but you get the feeling that Parsons is experimenting here, toying with a new genre, enjoying himself.

The familiar hidden hand is there, but be patient, 'A Valid Path' reveals itself over time, and it's well worth the wait.

The Mystery and Imagination is Gone.......2006-11-17

I read many reviews of "A Valid Path" and was relieved to find that my opinion of this "work" was shared by many others. When I heard about this CD I thought it was going to sound great, like the beginning of Pyramid (Voyager) or "Sirius" from Eye in the Sky. I listened to this on my CD at work and couldn't believe how terrible it sounded. One of my co-workers liked it though and gave me $10 for it. I felt guilty and tried to give him $5 of it back. I can't comprehend how anyone who has enjoyed his music from the start could like this. I'm hoping Parsons will come up with something mind expanding like he used to next time. I even gave this CD more than one chance and still didn't like it enough to keep it. Some of the melodies are good but the background sounds are so monotous and some are just plain weird sounding. I know this review will get many not helpful ratings but if you believe them instead of me and get this anyway and share my opinion don't say you weren't forewarned.

Solid effort, but...........2006-11-05

I think this is a solid effort by Alan Parsons, but a few of the tracks are a bit too techno for my tastes. I listen to Alan Parsons music becuase of the quality and professionalism of the artists playing on the disc, from that stand point this disc hits the mark. But the techno stuff is not for me.

Parsons Reinvents, Comes Out Swinging.......2006-10-01

Before reading this review, I want to take a few seconds to tell all those who will listen to the album: Do not listen to any of the older Project works immediately before this. The reason why people have given this album 1 star or less is generally because they expect the old "Project" lineup or the old sound. You're not going to get the old-style project stuff with this album. Which is why I rated it 5 stars.

Now that that's out of the way, "A Valid Path" is a good way to start back up after 5 years. The album, taken on it's own merits, has excellent production and excellent engineering.

Starting off with "Return To Tunguska", Alan brings in an old ally in David Gilmour to start and drive the album. It's ethereal and edged, and quite wonderful to listen to.

The next two are the weaker links of the album, the P.J. Olsson song "More Lost Without You", which would work well on a P.J. Olsson album, but not necessarily on this album; and "Mammagamma '04", which starts out great but ends up not doing as well. The credit that I can give to Jeremy Parsons on this remix, however, is that it is probably one of the best coast driving songs that one could ever play.

"We Play The Game" is a homerun on an album which has two outs already. Excellent engineering, help from members of the Crystal Method, and Alan singing on his own...let's just say that this song is the one that really gets the rest of the album going.

"Tijuaniac" is an instrumental ditty that takes you down a level. The song makes you feel like you're in a cigar bar, relaxing, not doing anything. It's a slow feel song, written by members of the Nortec Collection. It's just a nice song, with one small area of hard screechiness to wake you up from your slumber in time to catch the rest of the song, and it's eventual mix with the next track, "L'Arc en Ciel".

"L'Arc en Ciel" is a mix of soft and hard, techno and straight up driving sound. With help from Tim "Q" Wiles (aka Uberzone), he helps to make an ethereal yet edged song that would please anyone driving down the Pacific Coast.

"A Recurring Dream Within A Dream", a remix of "The Raven" and "A Dream Within A Dream", is as close to the old Project as one would expect on this album. With Parsons doing most of the guitar work, the bass, vocals and Jeremy Parsons doing a lot of mixing, this one becomes a real treat to listen to. And besides, who doesn't like hearing Orson Welles resurrected?

"You Can Run" is this album's equivalent of "Back Against The Wall" from "Try Anything Once", a song that seems out of place, but isn't. David Pack takes the lead on this, and the entire song is good, though it probably would have worked a lot better if it was placed after "Mammagamma 04".

The final cut, this which is the penultimate, is "Chomolungma". For those who don't know, Chomolunga is the Tibetan name for Mount Everest. And this song does effectively conjure up the image of Mt. Everest, and maybe more the people around it. The keyboards in the middle have a Tibetan flavor to them, the vocals have a semi-chant feel to them, overall it is an imaginative instrumental (if one can really call it that). And with John Cleese at the end to wake you up, you can just go rampant.

Overall, the album is great, though it does have some hits or misses. But this is what happens when you take time out to reinvent, get married, and really take a good look at yourself.

And, as a repeat just in case everyone missed it at the top: If you're looking for classic "Alan Parsons Project" stuff on this album, you probably will not find it. This album is something completely different, and if you're willing to give it a chance, do so. (and check out their live concert, too. It's an experience.)

Average customer rating: Is this Alan Parson? A Great Leap Forward for AP 5.1 Best mix ever a great release Magical DualDisc

A Valid Path Alan Parsons Manufacturer: Immergent ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Vulture Culture Eye in the Sky I Robot Tales of Mystery and Imagination Dutch Collection ASIN: B000EPFD4E Release Date: 2006-04-04

Tracks:

1. Return to Tunguska featuring Shpongle & David Gilmour
2. More Lost Without You featuring P.J. Olsson
3. Mammagamma '04 featuring Jeremy Parsons
4. We Play The Game featuring The Crystal Method
5. Tijuaniac featuring Nortec Collective
6. Larc En Ciel featuring Uberzone
7. A Recurring Dream Within A Dream featuring Jeremy Parsons
8. You Can Run featuring Deep E
9. Chomolungma featuring Jeremy Parsons, P.J. Olsson, & John Cleese

Album Description

Alan Parsons began his musical career as a staff engineer at EMI Studios, and first garnered significant industry exposure via his work on the Beatles' 1969 masterpiece Abbey Road. Parsons subsequently worked with Paul McCartney on several of Wings' earliest albums; but solidified his reputation by working on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

A Valid Path was Alan Parsons' first record in five years and is finally available on DualDisc with a boatload of extras. This disc marks a leap into the world of computers and electronic music filled with polyrhythmic drumbeats and soaring guitar solos (provided in part by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour). A Valid Path features a number of fascinating new collaborations, including The Crystal Method, Shpongle, Jeremy Parsons, Uberzone, The Nortec Collective and PJ Olsson, who also now sings with the Alan Parsons Live Project.

CD SIDE: • Complete album in stereo

DVD SIDE: • Entire album recorded in 5.1 surround sound
• Track Commentary
• Interview with Alan in English with subtitles in French, Spanish, German, and Japanese
• Complete Alan Parsons discography
• Lyrics
• Website links
• DVDLauncher feature
• Easter Eggs- "Turn it Up" video, "More Lost Without You" video

Customer Reviews:

Is this Alan Parson?.......2007-05-26

Alan Parsons Project was unique, talented, original. There were feelings, emotions, melodies that were giving me a goosebumps. What is this now? Bunch of digital notes through the computer?
I have a software that creates music, you pick the instruments and... in 2 minutes the song is composed and recorded. I can even do in AC3 Dolby 5.1, its easy. Sounds the same to me and to all my friends. We have compared side by side.

I guess you know all what I am trying to say. This music is OK for people who love computer noises. And for people like me, lets wait and see what is Alan will come up next with... : -)

A Great Leap Forward for AP.......2007-05-04

I've been a fan of The Project and Alan's solo work so long I can barely remember not listening to them. Alan Parsons has always been one of the artists I listen to that somewhat deviates from what I normally lisetn to. Typically I listen to mostly electronic/industrial music, but no one can deny the themes and wonderful recordings that Alan has been a part of...pure genius. As you could probably guess when I hear Alan was venturing into the world of electronica music my palms started sweating, and my heart rate increased...I was rather excited.

I was in the store the day it came out, and listened to it imediately...and I have to say it did not disappoint me one bit. Don't be fooled this is still Alan, just in a different musical venue. It's great to hear him take risks with his music...and his programming, and composition is spot on. As you can imagine the recording itself is perfect. The only thing that initially threw me off are the tracks that had pop influence. I almost forgot that Alan was a pop artist...so it was a few minutes of adjustment to hear the electronica tracks with the pop-esque lyrics.

When the 5.1 version finally came out...again I was in the store the day it was released. I don't even have a 5.1 system currently in my house, but the extra features alone are worth the money. When I was able to listen to it in surround it was like a completely different disc...Alan has stated he wrote this album for surround and by god does it show. Alan is one to use the space within the 5.1 realm with ease, making every track an adventure to your ears.

I hope that Alan continues down this path. I really want to hear where he goes with electronic music. It's very refreshing to have someone who has given so much break free from prior prejudices.

To those who are afraid of the new AP...give it an honest listen. you will be glad you did.

5.1 Best mix ever.......2006-07-14

This is a good Alan Parsons album,
its progressed with an electronic bent from his previous albums... much better than time machine which was half way electronic,

some people complain its not like his other albums.... (they need to stop buying any cd "New" then....

the 5.1 mix is one of the best of I have ever heard...... it finally gives my stereo system a work out.....

a great release.......2006-06-30

Alan is Alan and that's all!!!
This is not his best album but this 5.1 version is incredible.
extra features includes audio commentary, lyrics, complete discography and music videos.

A must for every fun!

Magical DualDisc.......2006-04-25

I have just received the recently released dualdisc of A Valid Path. This is really magical stuff. One of the best surround sound albums that I have ever listened to and I have a lot of them in my collection. Best song is 'We Play the Game' with lead vocals of Alan Parsons himself and perfoming together with The Crystal Method. I also like 'You Can Run' with Deep E. Deep E actually stands for David Pack (D.P.), former member of another great band, Ambrosia. Furthermore the commentary of Alan Parsons on the songs (dvd-side) is very interesting.
Alan is back!

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