It’s a Thursday night in February and a slightly nervous Bruce Soord is about to chat to one of his musical heroes, Alan Parsons, over Zoom. Prog sits in to chaperone The Pineapple Thief producer frontman and The Beatles/Floyd producer-performer legend in case either one faints, but once conversation has commenced – focusing on the 1980 Alan Parsons Project album, The Turn Of A Friendly Card, just released as a deluxe three-CD and one Blu-ray box set with book and poster – the pair are swapping trade secrets and away. As Alan holds up the latest issue of Tape Op mag to debate musical terms with Soord, and Soord admits, “As a 14-year-old boy, the Alan Parsons Project was my little secret, which made me a bit of a weirdo at school,” (thankfully, Alan laughs), it appears today’s interview is a gamble that’s paid off…
Bruce Soord: In 1979, when The Turn Of A Friendly Card was recorded, studios were a very different place. For a start, you had to use tape! Is there anything about that time that you miss?
Alan Parsons: Very, very little. The tape machine had to be lined up every day, and so much time was spent winding back from the end of the song to the beginning. I don't miss that much. I did enjoy the period, and, of course, I enjoyed the sound of tape.
BS: In 1979 the primary format was vinyl. Was the album formed with the concept of an A-side/B-side in mind?
AP: Very much so, and cassettes were two sided so you knew that the gap was crucial and a part of the decision-making process for how long, and in what order, the songs were.
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