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Ammonia Avenue

Harry Brewer | S'port, La. | 10/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ammonia Avenue was the Project's seventh studio album. It peaked at #15 on the charts & was the last Project album that cracked the Top 20. It had more charting singles than any other Project album. The songs that charted: "You Don't Believe" (#54 Hot 100), "Ammonia Avenue" (#15 Top 200), "Don't Answer Me" (#15 Hot 100) & "Prime Time" (#34 Hot 100). Ammonia Avenue could be considered the last album of Parsons early or classic era or it could be considered the transitional album before the late era. It's certainly the dividing line for the Project's impact on album or singles charts. Most of the usual suspects are here as lead vocalists: Eric Woolfson, Lenny Zakatek, Chris Rainbow & Colin Blunstone. surprisingly, there isn't a lead vocal by the bassist, David Paton.



Ammonia Avenue has a lot of good tracks, comes close to being the equal of Eye in the Sky. The album opens with "Prime Time", a very good song. It was unusual for the Project to open an album with a song that wasn't an instrumental. This changed with Ammonia Avenue. "Let Me Go Home" is about as close as the Project came to rocking out on a song. It's not what one would call hard rock but for the Project it is. Ian Bairnson provides an excellent solo proving, once again, he's an underrated guitarist. "One Good Reason" is another very good song. "One Good Reason" is a song that hints at the future direction the Project would embark upon. "Since the Last Goodbye" is a nice ballad but it might be the weakest song on the original album. That's not saying it's a bad song, it's not, it's just surrounded by so many good songs. "Don't Answer Me" has a pop sound, it's typical Parsons but that isn't a bad thing. There's a great sax solo in it performed by Mel Collins. "Dancing On a Highwire" is an adventurous song. Bairnson performs a very tasteful solo. "You Don't Believe" is one of the two best songs on the album, it has one of the catchiest choruses I've ever heard. "Pipeline" is the only instrumental on the original album. It's not the same "Pipeline" recorded way back in the sixties but Parsons is acknowledging a group that has been largely forgotten. But as far as instrumentals go, this isn't on the level as "I Robot" or "Sirius" but it has another great sax solo by Collins. "Ammonia Avenue" is reminiscent of "Silence & I" from Eye in the Sky. Woolfson's voice is particularly suited to this type of song.



There are eight bonus tracks included in the remastered version of Ammonia Avenue. There's an early rough mix of "Don't Answer Me", there's even a false start included at the beginning of the track. Next is the demo version of "You Don't Believe" that's much shorter than the final version. This version is an instrumental & it would have worked well that way also. "Since the Last Goodbye" is only 29 seconds long & has only the vocal overdubs by Chris Rainbow. The rough mix of "Since the Last Goodbye" follows, this version has a guide vocal by Woolfson. This is a case that shows why Rainbow did the vocal for the final version. Woolfson has a fine voice for certain songs but this is a case where it isn't suitable. The next track is an instrumental version of "You Don't Believe". In the credits it's listed as an instrumental tribute to the Shadows (get it? "Pipeline"). This is another song that would have worked well as an instrumental. Parsons was never crazy about this version but I found it to be interesting. The next bonus track is "Dancing On a Highwire/Spotlight" which is listed as a work in progress & this version is definitely that. The vocal is very rough & incomplete, the drumming isn't even on time. There are parts where one can hear voice directions for the musicians. "Ammonia Avenue Part" is next & is a rough mix with a vocal by Woolfson which wasn't used. On this version Woolfson had yet to complete the lyrics so some of the vocals are only syllable phrasing. This is more typical of songs in their early stages than most people realize. The final bonus track is "Ammonia Avenue" that is only orchestral overdubs, kind of like the Naked versions on some of the remastered albums but without the length.



This is one of the Project's three best albums & the remastering is GREAT! The booklet has a lot of information but isn't deep. This one is really worth the money, even the early versions of songs are mostly interesting. I highly recommend that Project fans get this edition. The long wait is over!"

Time to throw your original copy out, this remaster is essen

R. Mayer | Florida, USA | 10/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll be brief. It was a 4 star album to begin with. Now it's nothing less than 5 stars. This new expanded remaster sounds so much better than the original. There is no comparison. The real draw though, is a treasure trove of vocal demos, backing tracks, orchestral overdubs, etc. It's an absolute must for any big APP fan. Get this one and throw your original copy away."

Among the best sounding remasters by The Alan Parsons Projec

Parrish A. Highley | Somewhere I've Never Travelled | 09/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Along with Gaudi and Eve, Ammonia Avenue benefits from a dynamic range that caters more to the audiophile than the casual listener content with the mp3 quality from an iPod. In hindsight, I wonder if it might have been more prudent to master compilations of hits with music downloaders in mind while mastering the complete concept albums of The Alan Parsons Project with the wider dynamic range that most audiophiles demand. Afterall, if ever there was an artist to whom audiophiles were drawn, it would be The Alan Parsons Project.



Ammonia Avenue is probably the single most difficult "Project" for me to review. On the one hand, there is no shortage of truly good music in the forms of Prime Time, Don't Answer Me, and Ammonia Avenue. But on the other, the album as a whole is the single least cohesive "Project" that Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons ever produced. (Even Alan Parsons, himself, called it "just a collection of songs.") Pipeline is a fantastic instrumental, but, sadly, it is the only instrumental and doesn't exactly blend all that seamlessly into its surroundings the way so many other Parsonic instrumentals managed to do. Eric Woolfson's gentle voice has such a unique timbre that makes it almost irresistable, but he sings most of the vocals himself leaving Project standards Lenny Zakatek, Chris Rainbow, and Colin Blunstone only a single lead vocal each.



It is at this point that I have to wonder if I'm just knit-picking. Would I ever apply this same standard to ANY other recording act? The obvious answer is "No, I would not," but it just goes to show how high Woolfson, Parsons, and company set the bar for themselves by the release of this seventh Project. Rating Ammonia Avenue, the remaster, with five stars comes down to two criteria: The stellar sound quality and the fact that five, four, three, two, and one stars directly corresponds to the letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F. Was Ammonia Avenue my favorite Project? Not by a long shot! But there are some undeniable strengths throughout, so I can thoroughly understand why someone else might hold it in very high esteem. I just tend to favor innovation even if it fails as opposed to convention that consistently succeeds.



All that said, I almost cannot heap enough praise on the epic closing track itself. From the core of the song to its charged bridge to the lush orchestrations of Andrew Powell, there was still plenty of innovation amidst the convention to make this album more than a little memorable. The song itself seems to address the struggle to reconcile the aspirations of faith with the confines of understanding. A truly great song musically, but also a truly elusive song in strictly lyrical terms.



The bonus material didn't seem nearly as strong as that from Eye in the Sky or Vulture Culture, but will still certainly intrigue the ardent fan who wishes to glimpse behind the curtain to see into the creative process. My personal favorites were the humorous You Don't Believe (Instrumental Tribute To The Shadows) for its spaghetti western feel and Ammonia Ave (Orchestral Overdub). Although the latter is far too short, it was nice to hear a small homage to Andrew Powell's unique contributions to the finished products know as The Alan Parsons Project."