Regarded by many as the first Japanese progressive rock group, the Far East Family Band featured the keyboardist and future new age composer, Kitaro. A keyboard-dominated space rock band, the Far East Family Band played extended compositions that brought comparisons to Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd.
The group's first album was released under the band name of Far Out. After changing their name, the band released The Cave Down to Earth in 1975. Their first European release, Nipponjin -- Join Our Mental Phase Sound (1975), featured re-recorded versions of material from the previous record and the album attributed to Far Out. The group's next record, Parallel Worlds (1976), was profoundly influenced by Klaus Schulze who Kitaro met on a trip through Europe. With the first track over 30 minutes long, the album bears similarities to Krautrock legends Ash Ra Tempel. Tenkujin (1977) followed and was the band's first and only American release. By this point, the band consisted of Miyashta (vocals, synths, guitars, bamboo flute), Hirohito Fukushima (guitar, vocals, koto), and Yujin Harada (drums, percussion). It would be the band's last record. ~ Geoff Orens, All Music Guide
Personnel:
Akira Fukakusa - bass
Akira Ito - keyboards
Fumio Miyashita - guitar, keyboards
Hirohito Fukushima - vocals, guitar
Masanori Takahashi (Kitaro) - keyboards, percussion
Shizuo Takasaki – drums

Track A1 produced at Wessex Sound Studios, London; from "In The Court Of The Crimson King"
Track A2 produced & directed at Wessex Sound Studios, London; from "In The Wake Of Poseidon"
Track A3 produced at Command Studios, Piccadilly, London; from "Islands"
Track A4 recorded in the front room at 93a Brondesbury Road, London NW6 during July 1968 on an old second-hand Revox
Track B1 produced at Olympic Sound Studios; from "Red"
Track B2 from "Red"
Track C1 from "Starless And Bible Black"
Track C2 produced at Command Studios, Piccadilly, London; from "Larks' Tongues In Aspic"
Track C3 from "In The Wake Of Poseidon"
Track C4 from "In The Wake Of Poseidon"
Track C5 produced & directed at Wessex Sound Studios; released as a single with 'Cat Food' in March 1970
Track C6 from "Larks' Tongues In Aspic"
Track D1 from "In The Court Of The Crimson King"
Track D2 produced at Olympic Sound Studios, recorded live at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw
Track D3 from "In The Court Of The Crimson King"

Artist
Yes
Album
Fragile
Rating
Release Date
Jan 4, 1972
Recording Date
Sep 1971
Label
Atlantic
Time
39:52

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Includes the same bonus tracks that appear on the EU/US expanded editions. Sony/BMG 2009.

British Rock band best known for their power ballad, "Eye in the Sky".

A collections of live versions of The Alan Parsons Projects biggest and most loved songs including the hits Eye in the Sky, Time and Prime Time.

British Rock band best known for their power ballad, "Eye in the Sky".

六十年代末、七十年代初当"前卫""概念""实验"等口号被喊地震天价响时，King Crimson（KC）是当中最优秀的理论与实践者之一；八十年代九十年代当此类经典乐团解体（ELP）或被主流收编（Yes）时，King Crimson仍路遥知马力般的摇滚着。无论现今摇滚的潮流为何，吾人仍不能否认当年KC所创造或遗留下的概念、技巧、精神正影响着现在想要突破的乐团，而他们的成就也成为后世前卫团体所无法突破的"梦靥"。

Rattle That Lock is the fourth solo album by British musician David Gilmour. It is scheduled to be released on 18 September 2015. Gilmour will undertake a short tour of Europe in September and October 2015 to support the album, and a similar tour of the U.S. and Canada will follow in March and April 2016. There is also a South America tour scheduled for December 2015. The artwork for the album was created by Dave Stansbie under the direction of Aubrey Powell, who has worked with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd since the late 1960s

UK reissue of 1993 album. 2001.

Digitally remastered reissue of the first solo album from the Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist, originally released in 1978. Features musical assistance from Steve Rance, Willie Wilson, Rick Wills, Mick Weaver and others. Nine tracks including 'There's No Way Out Of Here', 'Cry From The Street', 'I Can't Breathe Anymore' and more. EMI. 2006.

Electric Light Orchestra Live is a live album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), set to be released on 19 April 2013 in the UK, and on 23 April in the US on Frontiers. This album consists of performances from their 2001 Zoom Tour Live PBS taping at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, along with two previously unreleased studio tracks.

The Electric Light Orchestra are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements and futuristic iconography.

其實我認識Alan Parsons Project的過程大概與許多搖滾樂迷相同，都是從Pink Floyd那張經典專輯《Dark Side of the Moon》開始，專輯中Speak to me的心跳聲與Money的收銀機聲響，都是Alan Parsons這位錄音工程師匠心獨具的結果，然而Dark Side of the Moon的成功卻不是Alan Parsons發跡的開端。
自 1960年代晚期起，Alan Parsons已經藉由參與the Beatles的《Abbey Road》與《Let It Be》兩張專輯的錄音而在樂壇嶄露頭角了。之後，Alan Parsons還參與了Paul McCartney、George Harrison與Alan Stewart的個人專輯，以及The Hollies與Pilot的錄音與製作工作，The Hollies的He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother便是出自Alan Parsons的手筆。
我買的第一張Alan Parsons Project的專輯是於1983年發行的精選集《The Best of Alan Parsons Project》，80年代的我完全不懂什麼概念專輯，或者是前衛搖滾，當時只覺得真要命，怎麼Alan Parsons Project的情歌這麼好聽，I Wouldn't Be Like You、Eye in the Sky、Time、Don't Let It Show與Old and Wise等歌曲，不僅讓人朗朗上口，而且旋律的經營又是如此獨特、不落俗套，小時候的我暗自以為這就是前衛搖滾的全部了，然而也是因為這種誤打誤撞的單純天真，讓我對Alan Parsons Project有了美好的想像，打開進入其他前衛搖滾團體的大門。
由於Alan Parsons是EMI於英國Abbey Road Studio的錄音工程師，協助許多偉大經典專輯的誕生，Alan Parsons一直希望能夠成立一組專屬於自己樂隊來實踐本身的音樂理念。
在 1974年的時候，Alan Parsons遇到Eric Woolfson(manager/producer/songwriter/singer)，深受Stanley Kubrick影響的兩人氣味相投，決定一起成立Alan Parsons Project。顧名思義，Alan Parsons Project是一個由Alan Parsons與Eric Woolfson主導錄音計畫，在每張唱片中，兩人都會依據專輯概念及歌曲特性，找來客席歌手與樂手，像是The Hollies的Allan Clarke、Zombies的Colin Blunstone、Cockney Rebel的Steve Harley、Chris Rainbow、Lenny Zkkatek及吉他手Ian Bairnson等共同合作，因此相較之下，Alan Parsons Project更像是一個合作計畫，而不是一組樂隊。
從1975年發行第一張專輯到1987年解散為止，Alan Parsons Project總共出版了10張專輯，每張專輯都有一個特定的主題作為出發點，像是《Tales of Mystery and Imagination》(1975)是以美國懸疑神秘大師愛倫坡(Edgar Allan Poe)的小說為本，《I Robot》(1977)的創作概念更是直接受到科幻大師Isaac Asimov的同名小說I, Robot的啟發，《Pyramid》(1978)是想要探討金字塔的神秘力量，《The Turn of A Friendly Card》(1980)希望以牌局上的搏弈競賽來比喻人生，《Gaudi》(1987)則擺明是一張向西班牙建築師高第致敬的專輯。這也是為什麼Alan Parsons Project出版的唱片之所以會被成為「概念專輯」的主要原因。
其中，我最喜歡1982年出版的《Eye in the Sky》，這也是Alan Parsons Project最為人熟知的專輯，曾經拿下Billboard專輯榜的第七名。當年從精選集裡聽到這首與專輯同名的歌曲時，心裡相當激動，對一個已經夠苦悶的高中生來說，即將來臨的大學聯考就像一個緊箍咒一樣緊緊地箝住我生活的全部，讓我透不過氣來。
後來才明白，這樣一種以分數為導向的聯考制度像極了George Orwell的經典小說1984裡面，老大哥(Big Brother)主宰一切的世界，在來自四面八方的監視中，個人生活的隱私與慾望蕩然無存，這也是Alan Parsons Project當初創作出《Eye in the Sky》這張專輯的核心概念。據說，當初這張專輯的名稱是因為Eric Woolfson發現賭城飯店的監視系統與美國軍方的間諜衛星系統都是取名Eye in the Sky而來的靈感，因此，某種程度上，《Eye in the Sky》也可以算是對小說1984的有聲回應。
基本上，《Eye in the Sky》是一張極容易入耳的專輯，旋律好聽易記，而且曲式結構的安排不像一般前衛搖滾那樣的複雜難懂，令人望之卻步，然而這也是Alan Parsons Project為人稱頌的地方，因為許多樂迷，包括我自己，都是藉由他們的帶領，才開始進入到所謂的搖滾或者前衛搖滾的世界。聽聽上述的Eye in the Sky以及Old and Wise這兩首中慢版抒情搖滾曲風的歌曲，就可以明白由Eric Woolfson與Chris Rainbow優雅但略帶憂鬱氣味的嗓音唱來，是如何讓人再三回味，而且餘醞無窮。這樣優美流暢的旋律也幾乎讓人忘了隱藏在《Eye in the Sky》這張專輯背後、凸顯全知意像對人類宰制如此嚴肅弘大的企圖。
除此之外，Sirius這首演奏曲是《Eye in the Sky》專輯的另一聆聽重點。Alan Parsons Project本來就非常擅長以電子合成樂器營造磅礡恢弘的氣勢，Sirius更是其中代表(許多運動隊伍或賽事也喜歡以此曲當作暖身或者介紹球員出場，包括1990年代由Michael Jordan領軍時期的芝加哥公牛隊)，而由Sirius尾聲節奏不間斷地直接帶出其後Eye in the Sky旋律的主要前奏，更是Alan Parsons Project行走江湖的獨門絕活，兩首合計將近七分鐘的時間，譜成一闕具有交響詩質地的史詩格局，這種模式也於《I Robot》(I Robot + I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You)與《Pyramid》(Voyager + What Goes Up)等專輯中出現，成為Alan Parsons Project音樂的註冊商標。
雖然《Eye in the Sky》這張專輯述說的是人類生活全面受到全知意象宰制的困境，但是人類總是可以利用各種方式來努力擺脫這種老大哥對我們無時不刻的監控，我想這也是 Alan Parsons Project創作音樂的主要動機，藉由音樂，我們可以突破外在世界對心靈的重重枷鎖，直指事物的核心本質。或者也可以不需要談的那麼嚴肅複雜，對一個當時正在準備大學聯考的苦悶高中生來說，在Alan Parsons Project的音樂當中我找到了慰藉，也撫平了自己在年少時期那一個焦躁不安的炙熱靈魂。(by 粉紅機器人六號 @ Rodoo!)