Alan Parsons Project boxed set featuring all 10 albums

To add to forum member Hawkeye's list above, don't forget to check out the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Over-Shoulder-Chris-Rainbow/dp/B000PDZOVW

(Worth EVERY penny, IMO!)

 

and ...

http://www.amcorner.com/forum/threads/aotw-lenny-zakatek-lenny-zakatek-sp-4777.11701/ (Not worth every penny, but still worthy to have, IMO)

 

and ...

Naturally, anything by The Zombies (for Colin Blunstone)

 

and, don't forget this great one by John Miles, produced by Parsons, which is as good as listening to The APP



Note, Alan Parsons produced a few albums by John Miles and so did singer/songwriter Rupert Holmes, believe it or not?

 

My old LP had a gatefold too. It looked like this (pic of a German pressing from ebay):

 

Except for Tales/Robot/Eve these remasters do not have an DR problem at all. The main reason people don't like them is their bright sound, not extreme compression or lack of dynamics. Btw, I like most of the remasters ...

 

Thank you for posting this! No doubt, here in the U.S., we got all of that (and more), as our version of the gatefold cover is a pull out poster, with the gatefold on one side and the outside cover, as a poster on the other!

 

I learn something old every day. I had no idea the original US release had no gatefold but had a poster/insert instead. Having said that, there was no attempt to replicate the insert in the box set, just like the albums with custom inner sleeves.

 

The booklet says "Re-mastering for the box set Dave Donnelly with Alan Parsons and Jeff Magid at DNA Mastering, Woodland Hills, California 2013".

Who on earth believes that?

 

The original german EMI pressing was not a gatefold and I can't remember seeing this version. I somehow doubt that it's a german pressing.

 

For what it's worth: I've got nothing against the remasters either, but I bought half of them at budget price, so they really needed to add some value to the box to get my interest.

 

I have most of the 2007/08 remasters with the sole non-remaster exception of the 2-CD The Definitive Collection by the Alan Parson's Project. I'm keeping this one!

 

A great sounding compilation! Of course this has been remastered, too (by Alan Parsons and Simon Heyworth, in 1997), but it sounds less bright than the individual remasters from 2007/2008.

 

It's the best compilation (sound).

 

I didn't think this was worth every penny when I bought it on vinyl back when it came out for a buck.

 

While I can't deny that Lenny Zakatek has sung many a great APP song, I've honestly just never been a fan of his voice. To think that he had a ghost of a chance of having a promising solo career, with the name Zakatek, was being a bit hopeful on everyone's part and that old A&M album, featuring him on the cover in those so NOT cool looking air tight pants and that somewhat flaming smile, didn't help!

 

If you have those remasters already you won't find anything new or different in the new box.
Apart from that "bonus" album, that originally was just a strategic recording to annoy the record company - unlike maybe a "rejected" album or unreleased production.

 

It's actually worse than that. You also lose all the bonus tracks that were added to the various albums when they were reissued a few years ago. Without a doubt, there's more of value among those bonus tracks than there is on the previously unreleased album.

 

It's NOT the worse way for a casual fan to get everything in once place with decent mastering.

 

I had the LP, probably played it 3 times in 10 or so years. Gave it away. I like his voice on the Project albums, but there just wasn't much joy on this solo LP.

 

Check this out ... Alan Parsons is coming to a record store that I actually shop at, in May!

I was at this store yesterday, for Record Store Day and he had a copy of the new box, somewhere in the vicinity of $115 dollars. I have no intention of buying this box, but it would be cool to meet Alan! Too bad that the late Eric Woolfson can't be a part of this, as he is the guy who I would've loved to meet!

https://www.facebook.com/RecordDen

 

Also, someone kindly posted the entire "The Sicilian Defense" on U-TUBE, if you've never heard it. This is truly hard for me to say, especially as I'm such a longtime fan of APP, but this album is a complete piece of garbage and no wonder that Arista or Parsons, never wanted it released!

 

Recent Interview with Alan Parsons:

http://www.examiner.com/article/ala...ns-to-cleveland-for-greatest-hits-concert?cid

His comments on brickwalling:

ALAN PARSONS: I don’t the world is ready to buy any one box for the sake of playing those particular files. I think another mistake the consumers are making is relying on music on-the-move, playing music in trains and on buses and stuff. Quite apart from the delivery format, the pressure on artists and producers to make the loud, LOUD record has become a problem. The heavy compression on everything, driving the meters to the absolute point of distortion.

EXAMINER: Yes, I’ve seen a few articles on that. “Brick-walling,” I think they call it, because when you look a waveform of a particular song, there aren’t any ups and downs to reflect dynamics. It’s all high. And I’ve read some articles on bands I like where fans have complained that their recent albums were subject to this process.

ALAN PARSONS: Brick wall limiting, yeah. The “level wall” we call it in the industry, as well. Everybody wants their record to be just as loud as everybody else’s. But my philosophy has always been, “If it isn’t loud enough, just turn it up!”

 

Actually, I wouldn't mind to have it. Not buying the box for this though..

 

I've heard him say that on many different occasions.