Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Parsons, Alan
Label: Arista Records
Released: 1993
Running time: 59:36
Rating: 4.5/5
In 1990, just before the release of the ambitious rock opera »Freudiana«, the cult prog/pop rock attraction The Alan Parsons Project fell apart after a creative split between keyboardist/producer Alan Parsons and singer Eric Woolfson, and the two went their separate ways. Seasoned producer Alan Parsons, who is also, less famously, a decent keyboardist, flutist, bassist and guitarist, and who has hidden potential as a singer too (even though, apart from the occasional backing vocal, he never took the lead vocal spot on a single The Alan Parsons Project album), kicked off his solo career in 1993. He joined forces with a whole bunch of seriously talented guest musicians and recorded his debut, »Try Anything Once«. Some count the rock opera »Freudiana« as Parsons’ debut, but that doesn’t hold up. It was an equal partnership with Woolfson, and the album is often, just as wrongly, credited to him as a solo debut.
On »Try Anything Once« Alan carries on the musical style of his former band in a lot of ways, in an updated form, building bridges between progressive rock and melodic rock/AOR. To do that, besides longtime The Alan Parsons Project collaborator, Scottish bassist/guitarist Ian Bairnson, and drummer Stuart Elliott, who also played on the last TAPP album »Gaudi« (1987), he brought in names like former Manfred Mann’s Earth Band singer Chris Thompson, former The Mindbenders and 10cc guitarist/singer Eric Stewart (also known for his past work with Paul McCartney), Ambrosia singer/guitarist David Pack and former Duran Duran backing vocalist Jacqui Copland. A philharmonic orchestra also joined in for the symphonic arrangements on the instrumental »Re-Jigue«. The ethereal arrangements mix symphonic and jazz elements with rock ones, while on some tracks you can feel the musical heritage of the TAPP albums »Stereotonomy« and »Gaudi«, as well as the »Freudiana« project, which means there’s more than enough synth texture to go around.
On »The Three Of Me«, a bombastic opener of the kind Mr. Parsons has always adored, ruled by grand symphonic arrangements, American David Pack steps up as lead vocalist and shines with his perfect AOR vocal approach. »Turn It Up«, where the legendary Chris Thompson wows with a brilliant vocal performance, is also a real melodic rock treat, with ethereal waves of synth in the background and tasteful guitar phrasing. Here Alan’s old buddy Bairnson shows off with mighty bass lines too, while the hypnotic chorus builds an intensely atmospheric mood. »Wine From The Water«, where Eric Stewart takes over the vocal reins with his classic English old-school singing, sounds like some forgotten TAPP track thanks to its dominant ethereal arrangement. Eric, who is a very good guitarist, only tries his hand at singing on »Try Anything Once«. Worth mentioning: Bairnson’s guitar solos, even though they’re mostly pretty short, are finger-licking good.
The jazzy electro-pop-rock hybrid »Breakaway«, where Richard Cottle stands out with mighty saxophone passages, is one of four very solid instrumentals on the album, along with the Celtic battle march »Jigue«, the pastoral, dreamy »Dreamscape« and the orchestral »Re-Jigue«. Alan, as a composer, mostly tested himself on exactly these instrumentals and left the writing of the rest of the album to his collaborators. The orchestra-laced »Mr Time« is a full eight-minute power ballad with Jacqui Copland on lead vocals, and it successfully proves that a female voice isn’t unthinkable within Parsons’ traditional musical approach.
»I’m Talkin’ To You«, where Pack shines again on vocals, is another excellent hybrid of prog rock and AOR that would have had serious hit potential in the eighties. The ethereal ballad »Siren Song«, with Stewart in the lead vocal role, recalls past TAPP tracks with Eric Woolfson out front. Interestingly, Mr. Parsons steered clear of any traces of lovey-dovey sappiness in the lyrics, even on the ballads, the kind that’s usually typical of most AOR ballads. And unlike the TAPP albums, which were all concept albums, there’s no concept in the lyrics this time, though most of them wrestle with questions of religion and hope for life after death. »Back Against The Wall«, where Chris Thompson once again proves why he’s one of the best prog/pop rock singers of all time, offers a very good answer to what would happen if you crossed the musical worlds of TAPP and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – pure perfection with hit potential. The closing power ballad »Oh Life (There Must Be More)« has pompous symphonic arrangements and a great vocal performance from Pack, so the epic melodramatic mood is guaranteed throughout, making it a near-perfect ending for this album.
»Try Anything Once« was the logical stylistic follow-up to the magnificent The Alan Parsons Project legacy, and it will still grab every fan of the softer side of progressive rock who has a taste for melodic rock sophistication. On his solo debut, Mr. Parsons adapted remarkably well to the new production challenges of the nineties, and even though he dropped the word ‘Project’ from the name, the music on Try Anything Once is a perfect, unmistakable continuation of his long-standing tradition. There’s almost nothing to fault on this album, and the vocal duties were split up in such a near-ideal way that the incredibly intense overall atmosphere never lets up for a second.
Line-up
Alan Parsons – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, flute, backing vocals
Ian Bairnson – synthesizer, bass guitar, guitar, pedal steel, backing vocals
Jacqui Copland – vocals, backing vocals
Richard Cottle – synthesizer, saxophone
Andrew Powell – bass guitar, synthesizer
Stuart Elliott – synthesizer, drums
David Pack – synthesizer, guitar, vocals
Jeremy Parsons – guitar
philharmonic orchestra – ensemble
Graham Preskett – whistle, mandolin, violin
Eric Stewart – vocals
Chris Thompson – vocals
Production
Alan Parsons
Track list
1. The Three Of Me
2. Turn It Up
3. Wine From The Water
4. Breakaway
5. Mr Time
6. Jigue
7. I’m Talkin’ To You
8. Siren Song
9. Dreamscape
10. Back Against The Wall
11. Re-Jigue
12. Oh Life (There Must Be More)
