Lost/Forgotten Album #295

[Jon]

It's the twenty-fourth album in the series I thought up all by myself, and maybe you're getting tired of this series. Don't worry, though. There's more to come!

This week's selection is the 1984 release from The Alan Parsons Project, Vulture Culture. This was the first album since their 1976 debut, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination, that was not certified either gold or platinum. At the time, Vulture Culture was also the lowest charting album for APP in the U.S., reaching #46 on the charts.

Two singles were released, "Let's Talk About Me" and "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" with the former reaching #56 and the latter reaching #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, they both performed better on the main US chart (#10 & #30) with "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" reaching #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. 

To be honest, after Turn Of A Friendly Card, I lost interest in APP. I thought that Eye In The Sky was way too mellow and maybe listened to Ammonia Avenue once. I skipped over this album but did  pick up Stereotomy (which I liked) and then lost interest again. I didn't pick up Vulture Culture until the early 90's and liked it. Then I listened to the other albums I didn't like and liked them too. Now I like them all, but some more than others (of course). 

THe first side of the album is more pop oriented with the second side more prog. Shame that "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" didn't make more of an impact, it's quite a nice song.

Well, allmusic.com need to put in their two cents:

As the title suggests, Vulture Culture explores the tendencies the modern world has to feed off of each other, circling around for the losers, since you either "use it or you lose it." Musically, it's a bit tougher and more ambitious than Ammonia Avenue, though it basically reiterates the same themes as its predecessor, only in a more abstract way.

Vulture Culture

1. Let's Talk About Me
2. Separate Lives
3. Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)
4. Sooner Or Later
5. Vulture Culture
6. Hawkeye
7. Somebody Out There
8. The Same Old Sun

Availability: The remastered version with five bonus tracks (not included here) runs around $6.00 new or used.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I happen to be enjoying this series, for the most par (I'm sure that will probably convince you to drop it).  If you put all of the albums that you have featured in the series up on a fence, the majority, I do believe, would fall on the "I'm glad I got to listen to it/I like it" side of the fence.

I own The Turn of a Friendly Card and a two disc greatest hits (The Essential Alan Parsons Project).  The latter has the first and third track from this album on it, but I've never listened to it.  I will say that I have come close a couple of times to buying the complete album box, but just haven't done so.  

I'm liking it through the first three songs.  All nice tracks.  The opener does sound a bit familiar, so I'm guessing I've heard it on the radio.  It sounds kind of like Supertramp to me.  The guy that sings track two is my favorite of the vocalists, and that appears to be Eric Woolfson.  I do like that third song, but it sounds like a song Christoper Cross would do.  You know, yacht rock.  Sooner Or Later just keeps the goodness going.  This is just easy music to listen to.

Vulture Culture isn't a bad song in the least, but it's the first one that somewhat loses my attention. The instrumental is nothing special.  The last two songs are pretty good. So it closes well.

Look, I can see where a person might find this "boring".  It's that yacht rock feel.  But overall, it's a pleasant listen for me.  It doesn't really lead me to a decision on whether or not to pick more APP up, but I enjoyed it.

[Jon]

APP "yacht rock"? Yeah..........no.

Jimmy Buffet? Yes. 

Hootie And The Blowfish? Yes.

APP? NO!

[Scott]

agreed...  not Yacht Rock.

[Scott]

Heres my ranking of the APP albums I own...

1. Tales of Mystery and Imagination
2. The Turn of a Friendly Card
3. I Robot
4. Eye In The Sky
5. Pyramid
6. Eve
7. Ammonia Avenue

None of which I would label as Yacht Rock and all of which I would recommend.

This album did escape me, though I can't recall why.  I can hear a little of why in the second track.  Very dated stuff right there!  But he always was a bit of a technology artist.  So its not surprising to hear the sounds of the times in his work.  The song writing is very nice throughout the entire album, even if its a bit predictable given the number of APP albums I own.  And maybe that's the rub here, he's went to the well one too many times?  Not sure, but the other reality is I still like it!  So I'm left with a bit of a mixed feeling about this.  I'm not a hard core APP fan but, I do own a majority chunk of his work, so do I round out my collection or take a pass?

I'm electing to leave this one on the shelf, but not because I was tempted, but because I'm not sure Id pick it up and listen to it very often if at all.  Had I heard this sooner, say around the time it came out, I may feel differently.  But I love this guys work... especially the early stuff...