This is one of those albums that I got way back in 1982 when it was first released. Having only recently converted the vinyl to mp3, I haven't heard some of these songs for the best part of 30 years and I must admit to not being able to recall what a few of them sounded like. That's not a particularly good sign, right?
Well, as it turns out, it's a better album than my memory was telling me. Of course, everyone knows 'Sirius/Eye in the Sky', the first part famously used by the Chicago Bulls to introduce their starting line-up. Less famously, the Perth Wildcats from my home town also started using Sirius in the 1990s (perhaps they should've been known at the Perth Copycats, haha). The other track I readily recalled was the closing ballad, 'Old and Wise', sung by Colin Blunstone of The Zombies. This song has an almost sad atmosphere, so the album doesn't exactly leave you on a high. There are a few more upbeat tracks though, 'You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned' and 'Step By Step', both sung by Lenny Zakatek.
A variety of singers have been used here, six in all. It seems like they've tried to match the voices to the songs and I suppose they've done that fairly well but the overall mood of this album is more Pop/Rock than Progressive. 'Silence and I' is perhaps the most progressive track coming in at over 7 minutes and using a variety of instrumentation, including horns. It's the highlight of the album in my opinion.
The production is all pretty slick, as you'd expect from a guy who not only worked at Abbey Road, he worked on Abbey Road! It seems like Parsons borrowed one of the studios famous tricks employed on 'A Day in the Life'. Check out 'Psychobabble' and you'll know what I mean.
Overall, I think my musical tastes have changed a fair bit from when I purchased this but still, it's not a bad album for an occasional listen.
By: Muzzman