Reaching an impressive number one position in Spain, the song – with its straightforward verse/chorus/outro arrangement – was universal enough to be enjoyed by everyone.

Yet, while a monster track on the US singles charts, it remains one of the band’s most animated numbers. “Eye In The Sky”: The extent of Eric Woolfson’s enthusiasm for the track is clear from the fact that he sings the jaunty number himself. Matching this reflective tone comes a watery lyric, journeying with the listeners through the varying chord changes. Caught between two vocals and a string ensemble, sits one of The Alan Parsons Project’s most reflective melodies. And then there’s “Time,” the album’s soothing, spiritual standard. “Time”: The Turn of a Friendly Card offered a veritable showcase for Parson’s wide-ranging skills as an arranger, composer, and producer. And then it arrives, capturing the song’s sensual tone with accurate, almost McCartney- like, resonance. Building up from a soft, shallow keyboard, the song develops until the rollicking chorus kicks in. More than that, this spectral beauty- as capably sung by The Zombies Colin Blunstone- touches on the ghosts that hide beneath these impressive acts of architectural ingenuity. “The Eagle Will Rise Again”: Centred on the pyramids that brought beauty, decadence, and power to Ancient Egypt, Pyramid remains a tentpole of 70s conceptual pop. As dazzling today as it was in 1976, the song revels in a macabre rarely associated with the outfit. The same prose, with all their dark imagery, suited Parsons’ gravelly voice, who wound up singing with Zeffirelli protégé Leonard Whiting. “The Raven”: With his commitment to the group set, Parsons opted to invoke Edgar Allan Poe on the band’s fiery first effort. He’s continued that approach on his solo work, although he has been known to sing a song here and there himself. Co-founding The Alan Parsons Project with singer/songwriter Eric Woolfson, Parsons invited a panoply of vocalists to sing on his material. Furthering his credentials, Parsons collaborated with Pink Floyd on the colossal Dark Side of The Moon, before opting to record his own material. One of life’s genuine polymaths, Alan Parsons rose through rock n’ roll’s great ranks by working with The Beatles on their seminal Abbey Road.

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