Vulture Culture

Last updated

Vulture Culture
TAPP-VultureCulture.jpg
Studio album by
The Alan Parsons Project
ReleasedMarch 1985
RecordedMay–July 1984
Studio Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre
Length37:59
Label Arista
Producer Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Ammonia Avenue
(1984)		Vulture Culture
(1985)		 Stereotomy
(1985)
Singles from Vulture Culture
  1. "Let's Talk About Me"
    Released: 11 January 1985 [1]
  2. "Days Are Numbers"
    Released: April 1985 (US)
  3. "Vulture Culture (remix)"
    Released: 1985 (Germany)
  4. "The Same Old Sun"
    Released: 1985 (EU)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Vulture Culture is the eighth studio album by the Alan Parsons Project, released in March 1985 via the Arista label. [2]

Contents

Overview

The first side of the LP (CD tracks 1–4) consists entirely of four-minute pop songs, and the second side varies widely, from the subdued funk of the title track to the bouncing instrumental "Hawkeye".

At the beginning of 1985, the lead single "Let's Talk About Me" reached the top 40 in Germany (where the album was No. 1 [4] ), in Switzerland (where Vulture Culture was No. 2) and in the Netherlands. [5] The song features voice-over commentary from Lee Abrams, credited on the album as "Mr. Laser Beam" (an anagram of his name).

On the charts, Vulture Culture was a success in continental Europe, reaching the top 10 in many countries, [6] and in Australia; whereas it was less successful in the US. It was the last album by the band to be certified Gold.

The song "Hawkeye" is an instrumental but does contain a line from Monica, a woman working at the canteen in Abbey Road Studios. The line she says is: "Only what's on the menu".

This is the only Project album that does not feature the orchestration of Andrew Powell.[ citation needed ] However, the album was the first to feature Richard Cottle, who played various synthesisers on the record, including the Fairlight CMI and the Yamaha DX7. [7]

Vulture Culture was the last Project album recorded on analogue equipment, and as with the previous two, mixed directly to the digital master tape.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one
No.TitleLead VocalsLength
1."Let's Talk About Me"David Paton4:29
2."Separate Lives"Eric Woolfson4:38
3."Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)"Chris Rainbow4:52
4."Sooner or Later"Eric Woolfson4:24
Side two
No.TitleLead VocalsLength
1."Vulture Culture"Lenny Zakatek5:22
2."Hawkeye"(Instrumental)3:48
3."Somebody Out There"Colin Blunstone4:54
4."The Same Old Sun"Eric Woolfson5:26

Vulture Culture was remastered and reissued in 2007 with the following bonus tracks:

  1. "No Answers Only Questions (final version)" – 2:12
  2. "Separate Lives (alternative mix)" – 4:18
  3. "Hawkeye (demo)" – 3:18
  4. "The Naked Vulture" – 10:43
  5. "No Answers Only Questions (the first attempt)" – 2:56
    • "No Answers Only Questions" is credited solely to Eric Woolfson on the expanded edition CD notes and is one of the only songs released by the band where this occurs. [8]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [23] Gold50,000^
Germany (BVMI) [24] Gold250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alan Parsons Project</span> British rock band (1975–1990)

The Alan Parsons Project were a British rock band formed in London in 1975. Its core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared writing credits on almost all of their songs, with Parsons producing or co-producing all of the recordings, while being accompanied by various session musicians, some relatively consistent.

<i>Tales of Mystery and Imagination</i> (Alan Parsons Project album) 1976 studio album by The Alan Parsons Project

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Edgar Allan Poe) is the debut studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project. It was released on 25 June 1976 in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Charisma Records and 20th Century Records in the rest of the world. The lyrical and musical themes of the album, which are retellings of horror stories and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, attracted a cult audience. The title of the album is taken from the title of a collection of Poe's macabre stories of the same name.

<i>Ammonia Avenue</i> 1984 album by The Alan Parsons Project

Ammonia Avenue is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in February 1984 by Arista Records. The Phil Spector-influenced "Don't Answer Me" was the album's lead single, and reached the Top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, as well as the fourth position on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single also reached the Top 20 in several countries and represents the last big hit for the Alan Parsons Project. "Prime Time" was a follow-up release that fared well in the Top 40, reaching No. 34. "You Don't Believe" was the first single in November 1983, reaching #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Since the Last Goodbye" was a minor hit.

<i>Hi Infidelity</i> 1980 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, spending 15 weeks at number one. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>I Robot</i> (album) 1977 studio album by the Alan Parsons Project

I Robot is the second studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released on 8 July 1977 by Arista Records. The album draws conceptually on author Isaac Asimov's science fiction Robot stories, exploring philosophical themes regarding artificial intelligence.

<i>Eye in the Sky</i> (album) 1982 studio album by the Alan Parsons Project

Eye in the Sky is the sixth studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in May 1982 by Arista Records. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards in 1983, Eye in the Sky was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album. In 2019, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Pyramid</i> (The Alan Parsons Project album) 1978 studio album by The Alan Parsons Project

Pyramid is the third album by progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in May 1978. It is a concept album centred on the pyramids of Giza. At the time the album was conceived, interest in pyramid power and Tutankhamun was widespread in the US and the UK. Pyramid was nominated for the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

<i>Eve</i> (Alan Parsons Project album) 1979 studio album by the Alan Parsons Project

Eve is the fourth studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in September 1979 by Arista Records. The album's focus is on the strength and characteristics of women, and the problems they face in the world of men. It had originally been intended to focus on "great women in history", but evolved into a wider concept. The album name was the same as Eric Woolfson's mother-in-law.

<i>The Turn of a Friendly Card</i> 1980 studio album by the Alan Parsons Project

The Turn of a Friendly Card is the fifth studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in 1980 by Arista Records. The title piece, which appears on side 2 of the LP, is a 16-minute suite broken up into five tracks. The Turn of a Friendly Card spawned the hits "Games People Play" and "Time", the latter of which was Eric Woolfson's first lead vocal appearance. An edited version of the title piece combining the opening and ending parts of the suite was also released as a single along with an official video.

<i>Stereotomy</i> 1985 studio album by The Alan Parsons Project

Stereotomy is the ninth studio album by the Alan Parsons Project, released in 1985.

<i>Gaudi</i> (The Alan Parsons Project album) 1987 studio album by The Alan Parsons Project

Gaudi is the tenth album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1987. Gaudi refers to Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect, and the opening track references what is probably Gaudí's best known building, the Sagrada Família.

<i>On Air</i> (Alan Parsons album) 1996 studio album by Alan Parsons

On Air is the second solo studio album by English rock musician Alan Parsons. The album's chief creative force was the Alan Parsons Project's long-time guitarist, Ian Bairnson. Its concept revolves around the history of airborne exploration.

<i>The Time Machine</i> (Alan Parsons album) 1999 studio album by Alan Parsons

The Time Machine is the third solo album by English rock musician Alan Parsons.

<i>The High Road</i> (Roxy Music album) 1983 live album by Roxy Music

The High Road is the second live album by the English rock band Roxy Music. Recorded at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland on 30 September 1982 during the band's Avalon tour, it features four tracks. Two of the songs are covers, including Roxy Music's no.1 hit version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", and Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane". A Bryan Ferry solo effort "Can't Let Go" was also included, originally released on his 1978 album The Bride Stripped Bare, with the remaining track being a version of "My Only Love" from Flesh + Blood, with an extended instrumental section. The album reached number 26 on the UK Album Charts. and did even better in Canada, reaching #5 in May 1983.

<i>Freudiana</i> 1990 studio album by Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons

Freudiana is a rock opera by Eric Woolfson. It was to be the 11th album by the Alan Parsons Project, but during its development, Woolfson had creative differences with Alan Parsons. The production, released in 1990, utilizes the Project's personnel as well as many guest vocalists.

The following is the complete discography of the Alan Parsons Project. Over the years they have released 12 studio albums, 14 compilation albums, and 38 singles.

<i>The Best of the Alan Parsons Project</i> (1983 album) 1983 compilation album by The Alan Parsons Project

The Best of the Alan Parsons Project is a 1983 greatest hits compilation by the Alan Parsons Project. In addition, it contained a new song "You Don't Believe", which would be included on the next Project album, Ammonia Avenue. In 1986, it had become the first album of the group to be released in the Soviet Union, although the song "Psychobabble" was removed from it. No songs from Tales of Mystery and Imagination were included, presumably because that album had not been released through Arista.

<i>The Essential Alan Parsons Project</i> 2007 greatest hits album by the Alan Parsons Project

The Essential Alan Parsons Project is a compilation album released by English progressive rock musician Alan Parsons and the Alan Parsons Project on 6 February 2007. It was released through Sony BMG as part of The Essential album series. The album featured some of the band's best known songs as well as some rare tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You</span> 1977 single by The Alan Parsons Project

"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" is a song by the British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, featured on their 1977 album I Robot. Written by band leaders Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" was sung by pop singer Lenny Zakatek, who would go on to sing many of the band's songs. In the United States, the song was a moderate success and charted at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Answer Me</span> 1984 single by The Alan Parsons Project

"Don't Answer Me" is a 1984 song by the Alan Parsons Project from the album Ammonia Avenue. It reached number 15 on the Billboard charts in the United States and was the final Billboard Top 20 hit for the group. It also reached number 58 in the United Kingdom, the group's highest chart placing in their native country. The music video was rendered in comic book style, with art and animation by Michael Kaluta.

References

  1. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 8.
  2. 1 2 "allmusic ((( Vulture Culture > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  3. ↑ Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews Archived 14 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Rollingstone.com.
  4. ↑ charts.de [ dead link ]. charts.de.
  5. ↑ The Alan Parsons Project – Let's Talk About Me. hitparade.ch.
  6. ↑ The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture. dutchcharts.nl.
  7. ↑ Elen, Richard (May 1984). "The Alan Parsons Project". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 11 December 2024– via Music Magazine Archive.
  8. ↑ "Vulture Culture (1985) | the Alan Parsons Project".
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0514". RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  12. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 July 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Alan Parsons Project".
  15. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  17. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  21. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0618". RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture". Music Canada.
  24. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Vulture Culture')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.