Stereotomy Adrian MI

Stereotomy

The Alan Parsons Project

Arista Records, 1985

REVIEW BY: Duke Egbert

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/08/2000

The work that the Alan Parsons Project is best known for spansthe period from 1976 to 1982, from Tales Of Mystery And Imagination to their only American TopTen hit, 1982's "Eye In The Sky". Despite a bit more chart successafter that ("Don't Answer Me," a Top Twenty from 1984's Ammonia Avenue), most of the Project's mid-eighties work isforgotten except by serious fans, and by 1987 the band washistory.

That's a bit of a shame, really. While the three CDs in thisperiod didn't have the grandeur of the seventies' work, they'reinteresting CDs in their own right, full of experimentation andflashes of genius. The best of the three, by far, is Stereotomy.

Unlike earlier CDs, Stereotomy is stripped down, less orchestral, harsher insome ways. Ian Bairnson's guitar really cuts loose on severaltracks, and guest vocalists include Gary Brooker of Procol Harum.There is a sense of urgency to the CD, an almost industrial soundin some places, and Parsons' elegant engineering gives the soundreal impact. This is definitely a headphone CD.

At least four tracks bear special attention. The title track isa hard-hitting, syncopated, powerful rock song, about as far fromthe remote coolness of "Eye In The Sky" as you can imagine. Theintro keyboard line and bass riff creates a tension that the songnever really relieves, pulling you into the CD effortlessly. Thepairing of "Limelight" and "In The Real World" provides an oddmusical yin/yang, the idealism of desiring fame and fortunecontrasted sharply with the cost of being something other than whatyou are. And "Light Of The World" is a soaring ballad about faithand what it costs. Stereotomy is a thinking CD, the kind where you sit andlisten and puzzle over what it means and listen again andagain.