ALAN PARSONS LIVE PROJECT

Sound engineer, music producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist.

Alan started out as an acoustic folk/blues musician and as the lead guitarist in a blues band called The Earth in late 1960s London.

After working as a recording engineer at EMI Studios, Alan started at the famous Abbey Road studios, where he was the assistant sound engineer on The Beatles’ latter albums “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road”. Once officially qualified as a recording engineer, he started working with Paul McCartney, and was also sound engineer on tracks by groups such as The Wings and The Hollies. However it was with his work as engineer on the classic Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” that he shot to fame and received one of his thirteen Grammy Award nominations.

In 1975, he met Eric Woolfson, who not only became his manager but also joined Alan as a composer and musician with The Alan Parsons Project. The APP debut album, “Tales Of Mystery And Imagination”, was based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

After a brief foray into musical theatre, which culminated in the release of “Freudiana” in 1990, Eric and Alan went their separate ways. Eric dedicated his career to musical theatre while Parsons continued with live progressive rock concerts.

In 1994, Alan released his first solo album “Try Anything Once” with his former APP collaborators, the guitarist Ian Bairnson, drummer Stuart Elliott and music arranger Andrew Powell. They continued their work together with “On Air” in 1996 and “The Time Machine” in 1999, inspired by the homonymous H.G. Wells novel.

During this period, the “Alan Parsons Live Project” had its first tour, with tickets selling out around the world.

In 2004, Alan released an electronic album “A Valid Path”, featuring David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, The Crystal Method, Shpongle, Uberzone, P.J. Olsson and Alan’s son, Jeremy.

n 2008, all of The Alan Parsons Project albums were reissued in expanded format. One of the Project’s most familiar tracks is “Sirius”, which is perhaps best known for being the Chicago Bulls’ theme song. It was also played in the New Orleans Saints’ triumphant Super Bowl game in 2010 and at the Euro 2012 football matches. “Sirius” has also appeared in countless other sporting events, advertisements and in the films “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” and “Beerfest”.

In March 2014, a CD box set was released featuring all of Alan Parsons’ projects, including a controversial, unreleased 1979 CD “The Sicilian Defence”.

In April 2019, Parsons released his latest studio album, “The Secret”, featuring collaborations with Steve Hackett, Jason Mraz, Vinnie Colaiuta, Lou Gramm and many others.

Alan has received a number of awards, including 13 Grammy nominations. He won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Immersive Album for “Eye In The Sky”, as well as the Les Paul Award in 1995 and the Diva Hall Of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in Munich, Germany in June 2012.

Alan Parsons’ complete discography: 69 albums.

The Alan Parsons Project (27), solo studio albums (5), solo live albums (5), solo singles (3), as sound engineer (12), as producer (16), as executive producer (1).

Billboard Top 40 hit singles (US):

• No. 37 – “(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether” (1976)
• No. 36 – “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” (1977)
• No. 27 – “Damned if I Do” (1979)
• No. 16 – “Games People Play” (1980)
• No. 15 – “Time” (1981)
• No. 3 – “Eye in the Sky” (1982)
• No. 15 – “Don’t Answer Me” (1984)
• No. 34 – “Prime Time” (1984)

Canadian singles:

• No. 62 – “(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether” (1976)
• No. 22 – “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” (1977)
• No. 16 – “Damned if I Do” (1980)
• No. 9 – “Games People Play” (1981)
• No. 30 – “Time” (1981)
• No. 1 – “Eye in the Sky” (1982)
• No. 43 – “You Don’t Believe” (1983)
• No. 20 – “Don’t Answer Me” (1984)
• No. 89 – “Let’s Talk About Me” (1985)

Awards and nominations:

• 1973 – Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1975 – Ambrosia – Ambrosia – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1976 – Ambrosia – Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1976 – The Alan Parsons Project – Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1978 – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1979 – Ice Castles – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
• 1979 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1981 – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1982 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1986 – The Alan Parsons Project – “Where’s The Walrus?” – Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
•  2007 – Alan Parsons – A Valid Path – Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album
•  2018 – Alan Parsons, Dave Donnelly, &  PJ Olsson – “Eye in the Sky – 35th Anniversary Edition”[26] – Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album – Alan Parsons, surround mix engineer; surround mastering engineers; Alan Parsons, surround producer (The Alan Parsons Project)[3]