Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Alan Parsons Project, The
Label: Arista Records
Release: 1984
Duration: 40:10
Rating: 4/5
By the time “Ammonia Avenue” came out, the legendary British art rockers The Alan Parsons Project were at the peak of their popularity. With the previous album, the mega-successful “Eye in the Sky” (1982), they had conquered the top of the radio charts and become one of the most popular rock acts of the eighties. Not bad for a project that was born in the last gasps of the golden age of progressive rock, and one that no critic of the day could have predicted would stick around past the end of the seventies, let alone climb the charts. The band’s two founding fathers, producer/keyboardist Alan Parsons and singer/keyboardist Eric Woolfson, had plenty of reasons to be satisfied, but they didn’t rest on their laurels and made yet another record that still keeps art rock and AOR fans hooked to this day. Eric got the idea for the album’s title and cover after visiting a central chemical plant, where the sight of an endless maze of pipes struck him with its sheer artificiality and the total absence of anything natural.
Like every The Alan Parson Project album, “Ammonia Avenue” has a concept, even if it’s a fairly abstract one this time around. It’s based on the ever-relevant clash between the over-industrialization of the environment through scientific achievement and ‘ordinary’ people, whose way of life is radically changed by this kind of ‘progress’ and who refuse to just accept it as a given. The mastermind behind the concept, Eric Woolfson, tries to tackle this lack of understanding between progress and tradition from both angles, the scientific one and that of the ‘plebs’. The album nails just the right atmosphere, one that keeps swinging between the futurism of the dawning digital age and old-English idealism and nostalgia. A big part of that comes down to the masterful use of what were then cutting-edge synthesizer technologies, paired with a commitment to the prog rock heritage that goes all the way back to when Alan Parsons was still a sound engineer for Pink Floyd.
Once again the standard, tried-and-tested crew of top-notch instrumentalists played the key role on the album, backed by vocal heavyweights like Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek, Colin Blunstone and of course Eric Woolfson. Among the prestigious guests this time, the legendary saxophonist/flautist Mel Collins (ex-King Crimson, Camel) stands out. He was most likely the one to thank for Rainbow briefly joining prog rock giants Camel. The philharmonic orchestra once again did a great job too, helping you feel TAPP’s prog rock roots the whole way through.
“Ammonia Avenue” holds a string of hits, including the opener “Prime Time”, probably the album’s best-known track. The Alan Parsons Project were always a byword for production and instrumental sophistication, and this composition is no exception. The strongly melodic chorus, with Woolfson’s unmistakably melancholic vocals front and center, is backed up by hypnotic harmonies and exceptionally fine synth lines. The guitar phrases from the legendary Ian Bairnson are wonderfully crisp and hold the melodic cohesion together nicely between the dreamy chorus and the rhythm cemented in the mid-range.
The fighting-spirited “Let Me Go Home” has a much more pronounced hard rock side, thanks mostly to the partnership between Zakatek’s energetic vocal approach and classic rock guitar passages. “One Good Reason” is a typical TAPP creation with prominent synth lines and Woolfson’s melancholic vocal acrobatics. Still, thanks to its repetitiveness, it’s one of the less interesting tracks on the album. The AOR ballad “Since The Last Goodbye” likewise follows the long tradition of melodic rock ballads that earned the band its reputation as eternal sentimentalists. Chris Rainbow’s vocals are excellent as usual, while the well-crafted orchestral arrangements pull their weight too.
“Don’t Answer Me”, which also came out as a single, was the next mega hit off this album. It goes without saying that, thanks to its happy blend of melancholy and melody, it ranks among the band’s most beloved evergreens. TAPP were masters of hypnotic, melodic choruses, and once again they win that category outright, while Collins’ sax solo adds even more to the gorgeous atmosphere. The intriguing art/melodic rock hybrid “Dancing On a High Wire”, with Colin Blunstone shining on vocals, is propped up by melodramatic bluesy guitar passages and a rattling bass line courtesy of David Paton.
“You Don’t Believe” was a minor hit, which comes as no surprise, since it has all the ingredients for an AOR success: prominent, melodic synth lines and an energetic mix of guitar phrases, topped off with an epic chorus. The song first appeared in its original form on “The Best of the Alan Parsons Project”, a year later. The dramatic instrumental “Pipeline” rides on the waves of the jazzy melancholy of Collins’ sax and mighty orchestral arrangements performed by the philharmonic orchestra. As per tradition, the title track (which is also the closer) features Woolfson’s vocals and melodramatic orchestral arrangements. The balladesque opening section later morphs into a prog-leaning instrumental passage, which is over too quickly to count among the more complex moments in the band’s story. Even so, the intense atmosphere makes for a triumphant, almost solemn finish to the album.
“Ammonia Avenue” is a more than worthy successor to the legendary “Eye in the Sky”. It cemented The Alan Parsons Project once and for all among the most accomplished and successful rock acts of the eighties, even if they’ve never quite managed to shake off their predecessor’s long shadow. Most importantly, you can feel the ambition and creative fire throughout the whole album, still smoldering in both of the band’s leaders at the time. Sure, it took them another step away from prog rock and deeper into pop rock waters, but they pulled off the stylistic transition remarkably well, and in that respect they’re still a model for plenty of other bands. Alan, Eric and their sidekicks left behind yet another classic album that blends the best of prog rock and AOR, and as such it belongs in the collection of any fan of both genres.
Lineup
Alan Parsons – keyboards, programming, backing vocals
Eric Woolfson – vocals, keyboards
Ian Bairnson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Colin Blunstone – vocals
Mel Collins – synthesizer, saxophone
Stuart Elliott – drums, percussion
David Paton – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals
Chris Rainbow – vocals
Lenny Zakatek – vocals
Christopher Warren-Green – philharmonic orchestra conductor
Production
Alan Parsons
Track List
1. Prime Time
2. Let Me Go Home
3. One Good Reason
4. Since the Last Goodbye
5. Don’t Answer Me
6. Dancing on a High Wire
7. You Don’t Believe
8. Pipeline
9. Ammonia Avenue
