Stereotomy

Performer: The Alan Parsons Project
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: The Alan Parsons Project: Alan Parsons (keyboards); Eric Woolfson (vocals, piano, keyboards); John Miles, Chris Rainbow, Gary Brooker, Graham Dye and Steve Dye (vocals); Ian Bairnson (guitar); Richard Cottle (saxophone, synthesizer); Alan Parsons (keyboards); David Paton (bass); Stuart Elliot (drums, percussion). Recorded at Mayfair Studios, Abbey Road, London, England. According to the Random House Dictionary, "stereotomy" is the technique of cutting solids, as stones, to specified forms and dimensions. On their album Stereotomy, The Alan Parsons Project paints a portrait of a man who has been cut into a specific shape according to the demands of society, as he thirsts after the "Limelight" but is consigned to "Urbania" and relies on "Beaujolais" to ease the pain. Most of the album is devoted to long, sweeping instrumental passages which makes the album one of the group's most ambitious records, but not one of their most accessible. ~ Daevid Jehnzen It seems as though the Alan Parsons Project's conceptual grandeur began to lose its potency right around the mid-'80s. With Stereotomy, the message that Parsons is trying to reveal by way of his music begins to dissipate quickly, and the album is saved only somewhat by a couple of interesting instrumental pieces. On this album, the theme circles around the way in which the modern world molds the personality, the character, and the livelihood of the human being. People are but a slave to their lifestyle and their environment, and they are destined to be thrown into this situation at birth, with tolerance as an inevitability. One must really pay attention to the profound lyrics and loose structuring of the music to attain the concept that Parsons metaphorically dances around. John Miles' angriness on the title track kicks things off, and his forceful voice makes for a passable rock tune. Aside from this song, the only other vocal standout is "In the Real World," again with the help of Miles' assertiveness. Two of the album's instrumentals, "Where's the Walrus?" and "Urbania," conjure up mood and keep the listener slightly poised, causing some musical buoyancy among the blandness of the other tracks. Stereotomy's main theme remains stagnant, ever so slightly regaining consciousness across the nine songs laid out here. Parsons' genius can be better investigated on numerous past releases, as this album comes up short. ~ Mike DeGagne

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