Alan Parsons - wikipedia Alan Parsons For the former badminton player, see Alan Parsons ( badminton ). This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( October 2017 ) Alan Parsons Alan Parsons in 2017 Background information ( 1948 - 12 - 20 ) 20 December 1948 ( age 69 ) London, England Genres Rock, progressive rock Occupation ( s ) Audio engineer, composer, musician, record producer, director Instruments Keyboards, synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar, vocals, flute Years active 1967 -- present Labels Legacy, Arista, Fox, Mercury, Frontiers Associated acts The Alan Parsons Project Website Alan Parsons Music Alan Parsons ( born 20 December 1948 ) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including the Beatles ' Abbey Road and Let It Be, and the art rock band Ambrosia 's debut album Ambrosia as well as Pink Floyd 's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor. Parsons ' own group, the Alan Parsons Project, as well as his subsequent solo recordings, have also been successful commercially. Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Discography 3.1 Studio albums 3.2 Full discography 3.3 Billboard Top 40 hit singles ( US ) 3.4 Canadian singles 4 Awards and nominations 4.1 Nominations 5 References 6 External links Career In October 1967, at the age of 18, Parsons went to work as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios, where he earned his first credit on the LP Abbey Road. He became a regular there, engineering such projects as Paul McCartney 's Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway, five albums by the Hollies, and Pink Floyd 's The Dark Side of the Moon, for which he received his first Grammy Award nomination. He was known for doing more than what would normally be considered the scope of a recording engineer 's duties. He considered himself to be a recording director, likening his contribution to recordings to what Stanley Kubrick contributed to film. This is apparent in his work with Al Stewart 's `` Year of the Cat '', where Parsons added the saxophone part and transformed the original folk concept into the jazz - influenced ballad that put Al Stewart onto the charts. It is also heard in Parsons ' influence on the Hollies ' `` He Ai n't Heavy, He 's My Brother '' and `` The Air That I Breathe '', sharp departures from their popular 1960s hits `` Stay '', `` Just One Look '', `` Stop ! Stop ! Stop ! '' or `` Bus Stop ''. Parsons was also known to have swapped shifts during the engineering of Dark Side of the Moon so he could work entirely on the project. Parsons also produced three albums by Pilot, a Scottish pop rock band consisting of Ian Bairnson on guitar, Stuart Tosh on drums, and David Paton on lead vocals, guitars, bass and William ( Billy ) Lyall, on piano and keys. Their hits included `` January '' and `` Magic ''. He also mixed the debut album by the American band Ambrosia and produced their second album Somewhere I 've Never Travelled. Parsons was nominated for a Grammy Award for both of these albums. In 1975, he declined Pink Floyd 's invitation to come back and work on the follow - up for `` Dark Side, '' Wish You Were Here, and instead initiated the Alan Parsons Project with producer and songwriter ( and occasional singer ) Eric Woolfson, whom he had met at Abbey Road. The Project consisted of a revolving group of studio musicians and vocalists, most notably the members of Pilot and ( on the first album ) the members of Ambrosia. Unlike most rock groups, the Alan Parsons Project never performed live during its heyday, although it did release several music videos. Its only live performance during its original incarnation was in 1990, with Woolfson present but behind the scenes. After releasing ten albums, the last in 1987, the Project terminated in 1990 after Parsons and Woolfson split, with the Project 's intended 11th album released that year as a Woolfson solo album. Parsons continued to release work in his own name and in collaboration with other musicians. Parsons and his band now regularly tour many parts of the world. Although an accomplished vocalist, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist and flautist, Parsons only sang infrequent and incidental parts on his albums, such as the background vocals on `` Time ''. While his keyboard playing was very audible on the Alan Parsons Project albums, very few recordings feature his flute. During the late 1990s, Parsons ' career travelled an interesting full circle. Having started out in the music industry at the Abbey Road Studios in London as an assistant engineer in the late 1960s, he briefly returned to run the studio in its entirety. He reportedly managed to combine this role with the demands of a hectic performing and recording schedule. Parsons also continued with his selective production work for other bands. Of all his collaborators, guitarist Ian Bairnson worked with Parsons the longest, including Parsons ' post-Woolfson albums, Try Anything Once, On Air, and The Time Machine. In 1998, Parsons became Vice-President of EMI Studios Group including the Abbey Road Studios. He soon left the post, deciding to return to more creative endeavours. Parsons remained as a creative consultant and associate producer for the group. As well as receiving gold and platinum awards from many nations, Parsons has received ten Grammy Award nominations for engineering and production. In 2007 he received a nomination for Best Surround Sound Album for A Valid Path. Beginning in 2001 and extending for four years, Parsons conceived and led a Beatles tribute show called A Walk Down Abbey Road featuring a group of headlining performers such as Todd Rundgren, Ann Wilson of Heart, John Entwistle of the Who, and Jack Bruce of Cream. The show structure included a first set where all musicians assembled to perform each other 's hits, and a second set featuring all Beatles songs. Since 1999 he has toured under a revised name, the Alan Parsons Live Project ( with Woolfson 's permission ). The band currently features lead singer P.J. Olsson, guitarist Alastair Greene, drummer Danny Thompson, keyboardist Manny Focarazzo, keyboardist Tom Brooks, bass guitarist Guy Erez, vocalist and saxophonist Todd Cooper, guitarist and vocalist Dan Tracey, along with Parsons on rhythm guitar, keyboards and vocals. This band performed live in Medellín, Colombia in 2013 as Alan Parsons Symphonic Project in a performance recorded for Colombian television and also released on CD ( live 2 - CD ) and DVD ( May 2016 ). In May 2005, Parsons appeared at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, to mix front - of - house sound for Southern California - based Pink Floyd tribute band Which One 's Pink ? and their performance of The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. In 2010, Parsons released his single `` All Our Yesterdays '' through Authentik Artists. Parsons also launched a DVD educational series in 2010 titled The Art and Science of Sound Recording ( `` ASSR '' ) on music production and the complete audio recording process. The single `` All Our Yesterdays '' was written and recorded during the making of ASSR. The series, narrated by Billy Bob Thornton, gives detailed tutorials on virtually every aspect of the sound recording process. During 2010, several media reports, one of which included a quote from a representative of Parsons, alleged that the song `` Need You Now '' by country music group Lady Antebellum used the melody and arrangement of `` Eye in the Sky. '' Parsons produced Jake Shimabukuro 's album, Grand Ukulele, which was released on 2 October 2012. Also in 2012, he contributed lead vocals and performed keyboards and guitar on the track `` Precious Life '' by German electronic music duo Lichtmond, and appeared with many other noted progressive - rock musicians on The Prog Collective album by Billy Sherwood, singing lead on `` The Technical Divide. '' Parsons engineered the third solo album by Steven Wilson, The Raven that Refused to Sing ( And Other Stories ), released on 25 February 2013. In late 2013, a live album recorded on tour in Germany and Austria with the title LiveSpan was released, accompanied by a single called `` Fragile '' with Simon Philips on drums. Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, celebrated the 35th anniversary of Eye in the Sky, with the worldwide release of a definitive deluxe collector 's box set, featuring rare and unreleased material, on November 17, 2017. Personal Life Parsons was born in London. He resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife Lisa and her two daughters, Tabitha and Brittni, as well as numerous pets. He has two sons, Jeremy ( Jerry ) and Daniel, from his previous marriage. Discography Studio albums with The Alan Parsons Project : Tales of Mystery and Imagination ( 1976 ) I Robot ( 1977 ) Pyramid ( 1978 ) Eve ( 1979 ) The Turn of a Friendly Card ( 1980 ) Eye in the Sky ( 1982 ) Ammonia Avenue ( 1984 ) Vulture Culture ( 1985 ) Stereotomy ( 1985 ) Gaudi ( 1987 ) as a solo artist : Try Anything Once ( 1993 ) On Air ( 1996 ) The Time Machine ( 1999 ) A Valid Path ( 2004 ) Full discography Date Title Label Charted Country Catalog Number as part of The Alan Parsons Project May 1976 Tales of Mystery and Imagination Mercury 38 US June 1977 I Robot Arista 9 US SPARTY 1012 June 1978 Pyramid Arista 26 US August 1979 Eve Arista 13 US November 1980 The Turn of a Friendly Card Arista 13 US June 1982 Eye in the Sky Arista 7 US The Best of the Alan Parsons Project Arista 53 US February 1984 Ammonia Avenue Arista 15 US February 1985 Vulture Culture Arista 46 US November 1985 Stereotomy Arista 43 US January 1987 Gaudi Arista 57 US 1988 The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 Arista -- -- 1988 The Instrumental Works Arista -- -- Freudiana EMI -- -- 9 October 1989 Pop Classics Arista -- -- 1995 ( 6 / 2004 ) Extended Versions : The Encore Collection Live -- -- 15 July 1997 The Definitive Collection -- -- 27 July 1999 Master Hits - The Alan Parsons Project -- -- 2 August 1999 Alan Parsons Project - Greatest Hits Live = Best of Live -- -- 3 August 1999 Eye in the Sky -- Encore Collection -- -- 9 May 2000 Alan Parsons Project - Gold Collection BMG International -- -- 22 August 2002 Works Audiophile Legends -- -- 23 March 2004 Ultimate -- -- 2006 Days Are Numbers Arista -- -- 88697016972 2007 the Essential ( 2 CD Compilation ) Arista / Legacy -- -- 88697043372 The Collection Sony / Camden 88697808482 as Solo Artist - STUDIO ALBUMS 6 October 1993 Try Anything Once Arista 122 US 24 Sept 1996 On Air A&M / Digital Sound 78 US 28 Sept 1999 The Time Machine Miramar 71 US 24 August 2004 A Valid Path Artemis 34 US as Solo Artist - LIVE ALBUMS 27 June 1995 The Very Best Live RCA -- -- 6 April 2010 Eye 2 Eye : Live In Madrid Frontiers Sept 2013 Alan Parsons LiveSpan MFP June 2016 Alan Parsons Symphonic Project, Live in Colombia earMusic as Solo Artist - SINGLES 15 June 2010 All Our Yesterdays / Alpha Centauri ( 2010 ) Authentik Artists, Inc. 3 April 2014 Fragile / Luciferama Mfp Music Productions 10 April 2015 Do You Live At All as Engineer 1969 Abbey Road ( The Beatles ) UK US 1970 Atom Heart Mother ( Pink Floyd ) Harvest 55 UK US 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon ( Pink Floyd ) Harvest UK US Hollies ( The Hollies ) Polydor ( UK ), Epic ( US ) 28 US Another Night ( The Hollies ) 132 US Ambrosia ( Ambrosia ) 20th Century 22 US 1976 Year of the Cat ( Al Stewart ) 5 US 1978 Time Passages ( Al Stewart ) 10 US 2013 The Raven That Refused to Sing ( And Other Stories ) ( Steven Wilson ) Kscope 28 UK as Producer From the Album of the Same Name ( Pilot ) EMI The Psychomodo ( Cockney Rebel ) EMI The Best Years of Our Lives ( Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel ) -- -- Second Flight ( Pilot ) Modern Times ( Al Stewart ) 1976 Rebel ( John Miles ) 171 US 1976 Year of the Cat ( Al Stewart ) 5 US 1976 Somewhere I 've Never Travelled ( Ambrosia ) 20th Century 79 US 1978 Time Passages ( Al Stewart ) 10 US 1979 Lenny Zakatek ( Lenny Zakatek ) A&M US March 1984 Keats EMI 1985 Ladyhawke ( OST by Andrew Powell ) Atlantic Records Symphonic Music of Yes RCA 2012 Grand Ukulele ( Jake Shimabukuro ) Mailboat Records 2017 Blackfield V ( Blackfield ) Kscope UK, Israel as Executive Producer / Mentor 1999 Turning the Tide ( Iconic Phare ) Carrera Records -- -- Billboard Top 40 hit singles ( US ) No. 37 -- `` ( The System Of ) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether '' ( 1976 ) No. 36 -- `` I Would n'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 -- `` Do n'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 Would n'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 Do n't Believe '' ( 1983 ) No. 20 -- `` Do n't Answer Me '' ( 1984 ) No. 89 -- `` Let 's Talk About Me '' ( 1985 ) Awards and nominations 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 References ^ Jump up to : `` Alan Parsons - Bio FAQ Discography ''. Web.archive.org. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2017. Jump up ^ the Trades article Interview : Alan Parsons : The Artist and Scientist of Sound Recording Jump up ^ Parsons and Which One 's Pink Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` iTunes -- Music -- All Our Yesterdays -- Single by Alan Parsons ''. Itunes.apple.com. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Alan Parsons ' Art & Science of Sound Recording ''. Artandscienceofsound.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Lady Antebellum vs. The Alan Parsons Project ''. Freshmilc.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` People accusing Lady Antebellum of stealing Alan Parson song ''. Tampabay.com. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2011. Jump up ^ Rodgers, D. Patrick ( 11 November 2010 ). `` Alan Parsons ' Camp Alleges Lady Antebellum Rip - Off ''. Nashvillescene.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` The Alan Parsons Project - The Collection ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Live in Colombia ''. Smile.amazon.com. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` All Our Yesterdays ''. Smile.amazon.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alan Parsons - Fragile ''. Smile.amazon.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Do You Live at All ? ''. Smile.amazon.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Alan Parsons Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alan Parsons. Alan Parsons Music Official Site Alan Parsons Project Official Site Alan Parsons at AllMusic Alan Parsons discography at Discogs Alan Parsons on IMDb The Avenue, The Official Alan Parsons Fan Club Crawdaddy ! `` Parsons Knows : The Tale of Alan Parsons and Edgar Allan Poe '' Alan Parsons NAMM Oral History Program Interview ( 2011 ) Alan Parsons Studio albums Try Anything Once On Air The Time Machine A Valid Path Live albums Eye 2 Eye : Live in Madrid Related articles The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project Alan Parsons Eric Woolfson Ian Bairnson Andrew Powell David Paton Stuart Elliott Stuart Tosh Laurence Cottle Duncan Mackay Mel Collins Lenny Zakatek Chris Rainbow Geoff Barradale John Miles Colin Blunstone Jack Harris Dave Townsend Studio albums Tales of Mystery and Imagination ( 1976 ) I Robot ( 1977 ) Pyramid ( 1978 ) Eve ( 1979 ) The Turn of a Friendly Card ( 1980 ) Eye in the Sky ( 1982 ) Ammonia Avenue ( 1984 ) Vulture Culture ( 1985 ) Stereotomy ( 1985 ) Gaudi ( 1987 ) Compilations The Best of The Alan Parsons Project ( 1983 ) The Best of The Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 ( 1988 ) The Instrumental Works ( 1988 ) The Definitive Collection ( 1997 ) The Best of The Alan Parsons Project ( 2002 ) The Essential Alan Parsons Project ( 2007 ) Songs `` ( The System of ) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether '' `` The Raven '' `` I Would n't Want to Be Like You '' `` Games People Play '' `` Time '' `` Snake Eyes '' `` Sirius '' `` Eye in the Sky '' `` Old and Wise '' `` Do n't Answer Me '' Related articles Discography Keats Freudiana Pilot David Paton Billy Lyall Ian Bairnson Stuart Tosh Studio albums From the Album of the Same Name Singles `` Magic '' `` January '' Related articles Bay City Rollers Alan Parsons VIAF : 96939186 LCCN : no2013061357 ISNI : 0000 0000 7828 4294 GND : 134480473 BNF : cb14011140p ( data ) BIBSYS : 2112803 MusicBrainz : 9774cfd1 - 8862 - 42bd - 919e - 156c31f079b4 BNE : XX962006 SNAC : w6v8019s Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Parsons&oldid=833820383 '' Categories : English record producers English rock musicians British soft rock musicians Musicians from London English expatriates in the United States 1948 births Living people Progressive pop musicians Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2017 BLP articles lacking sources from October 2017 All BLP articles lacking sources EngvarB from May 2014 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2010 Articles with hCards Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from February 2015 Use dmy dates from May 2014 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Asturianu Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Magyar Македонски Malagasy Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina ไทย Türkçe Українська Winaray 中文 26 more Edit links This page was last edited on 2 April 2018, at 15 : 53. 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Question: who did the song he ain heavy he my brother
Answer: the Hollies