The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980/2015) [Hi-Res/DSD64]

„With two of the Alan Parsons Project's best songs, the lovely ballad 'Time' and the wavy-sounding 'Games People Play,' The Turn of a Friendly Card remains one of this group's most enjoyable albums. Parsons' idea, the subject of the album's six tracks, centers around the age-old temptation of gambling and its stranglehold on the human psyche. On 'Games People Play,' vocalist Lenny Zakatek sounds compelling and focused, giving the song a seriousness that aids in realization of the album's concept. With 'Time,' it is Eric Woolfson who carries this luxurious-sounding ode to life's passing to a place above and beyond any of this band's other slower material. The breakdown of human willpower and our greedy tendencies are highlighted in the last track, entitled 'The Turn of a Friendly Card,' which is broken into five separate parts. 'Snake Eyes,' sung by Chris Rainbow, is the most compelling of the five pieces, and ties together the whole of the recording. As in every Parsons album, an instrumental is included, in this case an interesting number aptly titled 'The Gold Bug.' Like most of the band's instrumentals, its flow and rhythm simulate the overall tempo and concept of the album, acting as a welcome interlude. Although short, The Turn of a Friendly Card is to the point and doesn't let down when it comes to carrying out its idea.“ (Mike DeGagne, AMG)

Stuart Elliott, drums, percussion
David Paton, bass
Ian Bairnson, guitars
Eric Woolfson, piano, harpsichord, lead vocals
Alan Parsons, whistling, finger snaps, Clavinet, harpsichord, backing vocal
Chris Rainbow, lead and backing vocals
Elmer Gantry, lead vocal
Dennis Clarke, saxophone
Lenny Zakatek, lead and backing vocals
The Philharmonia Orchestra
Andrew Powell, conductor

This 24-bit HDAD was made from a transfer of the original flat analog master tape obtained directly from Alan Parsons and offers a level of detail and clarity never before heard from the great recording and musical composition.

Recorded Late 1979 – mid 1980 at Le Studio Acousti, Paris
Engineered by Alan Parsons Project, Chris Blair, Patrick Stapley
Produced by Alan Parsons

Digitally remastered