Sunday, March 12, 2006

The Alan Parsons Project ‘The Best Of: Platinum And Gold Collection’

It’s Sunday and I’m pretty excited. I’m in an exceptional mood. And it’s not because I’m rediscovering The Alan Parsons Project.

I started off the day with ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ season 5. Then I got that “creative” feeling. Then, I can work out my jollies.

As I write this, I’m listening to the song “Don’t Answer Me”. Do you remember the video for that song?

It was animated. But it was still-animation with comic book like panels to tell the story complete with dialogue.

It was a great video and the song grew on me because at first, I didn’t like it. The same thing that I like about The Alan Parsons Project, I like about The Beach Boys. But The Project sounds organic and garage-like without a whole lot of post-production. Whoever these secretive men were in The Project, they did a HELL of a job. And I love the cover of on this collection. It shows the elusive Alan Parsons working like a silk-shirted, gold medallion wearing, scientific madman working in his home studio (I’m guessing here). There’s even a record-playing turntable in the background.

Mr. Parsons didn’t really possess a terrific singing voice, but he knew a good melody. So he hired a guy who didn’t really have a terrific singing voice. And for that, I thank him. There’s not really a bad track on this album except “Time”. My cousin Paula drove me crazy one summer with that song. She purchased the 45 and kept repeating it. Over and over it would play, night and day. Every time she left her room and left the door open, the song got louder. It was like Chinese water torture except each drip lasted like 5 minutes.

So, I’m not too crazy about revisiting that particular track.

Tonight I’m excited about watching ‘The Sopranos’ on HBO. I’m too cheap to electronically pay them for their services so I’m going to freeload off my sister Tina. She and her boyfriend have HBO just for ‘The Sopranos’ and there’s no better way to enforce the “I’m related” rule than taking root on their couch every Sunday night for 3 months. And there’s a return visit in January when they finish the series off.

Finally, we get to ‘Time’ on this collection that I’m listening to today (check out blog title)… And I’m considering making it my “trademark” karaoke song. It’s just that bad that it HAS to be funny.

I’ve only done karaoke once before in my life and it was at a company party. I enjoyed singing Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”. And I surprised a few people that didn’t know that I could sing. If you ever hear me singing this song, I’m in a good mood. If you hear me singing it like a bad lounge singer, then I’m in a TERRIFIC mood.

I also brought down the house with my rendition of Tammy Wynette’s “D.I.V.O.R.C.E.” complete with drag queen like gestures. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I remember seeing people laughing their asses off. I remember Shelia Pemberton wiping the tears from her eyes. And to this day, those who were there still bring it up to me as one of the funniest moments of their lives.

Now if someone wants to put together a cover band with my ideas, we can take over the world. If Alan Parsons can do it, by God, so can WE!

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:18 AM

    The late lamented local video channel used to always show the very cool Don't Answer Me video. I seem to remember it would always show it in the last hour before it signed off for the night. At least that's how I remember it.

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  2. Anonymous6:39 PM

    Brad -- Channel 61? The one with Todd Yohn? (Why, oh why do I remember that? *stabs self repeatedly with sharp object*)

    Oh dear, thanks for making me feel fucking old.

    I liked Neil Young's "Wonderin'" video.

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  3. Channel 61 actually signed off?

    Huh.

    Now, I must admit that I like Todd Yohn's lip-synched presentation of Wham's "Careless Whisper". That made me laugh my ass off!

    Neil Young's "Wonderin'" was awesome too. I purchased that album because of that video. Radio wasn't about to play some rockabilly around here.

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  4. Anonymous8:11 PM

    That's a very interesting album. I recently picked up a copy on CD just for that song.

    I have a bootleg acoustic version of "Wonderin" that's my very favorite, though. *must go and listen to it now*

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