British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project, is releasing a deluxe limited edition boxed set of their iconic album, The Turn of A Friendly Card, on February 24, 2023, on Esoteric Recordings. Created by Composer/Musician Eric Woolfson and Producer/Engineer, Alan Parsons, the 1980 album became one of their most successful. Recorded in Paris with guitarist Ian Bairnson, bassist David Paton and drummer Stuart Elliot and Woolfson on lead vocals with Elmer Gantry, Chris Rainbow, and Lenny Zakatek.
The epic 3-CD and Blu-Ray disc takes the listener into the recording sessions with Woolfson’s song-writing diaries, studio outtakes, and a new 5.1 surround mix by Parsons. Disc One consists of remastered songs, “May Be A Price To Pay”, “Games People Play”, “The Turn Of A Friendly Card” (Part One and Part Two), and “The Gold Bug”. The boxed set includes demos of “May Be a Price To Pay” and “The Gold Bug” along with an early studio version of, “Nothing Left To Lose” with Woolfson’s Guide Vocal. When listening to the demos against the remastered tracks, it is fascinating to hear the songs being built upon with rich layers of sound.
Woolfson’s songwriting diaries comprise Disc 2 providing the listener an opportunity to be a fly on the wall in the studio. It’s not often that artists let listeners into the development of a song, so this is a special treat as you get to hear him working through the initial melodies and lyrics on the piano.
Disc 3 includes Recording Sessions bonus tracks like the early backing track of “The Turn of a Friendly Card (Part One)” and an early version of “The Ace Of Swords” with synth orchestration. This provides the listener with another chance to hear how a song changes and builds throughout the recording process.
A must-have for fans, musicians, as well as future musicians and songwriters, The Turn of a Friendly Card box set is an exceptional look into musical history and the creative process, allowing listeners a VIP seat in the studio.
I’m Music Magazine Writer Meesha Walden
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