Alan Parsons - Turn of a Friendly Card

Eric Woolfson's Treatise on the Human Tragedy of Gambling Addiction

If much of Peter Gabriel's lasting artistic legacy will be the principled stands he has taken for the cause of human rights, then a similar legacy should linger long after Eric Woolfson for his insights into the human tragedies of gambling addiction. While many well-meaning artists have written many superficial songs on the subject, The Turn of a Friendly Card sets out to explore the excitement and disappointment, the folly and the wisdom that can sometimes come when there is "Nothing Left to Lose." That song, in particular, embodies an uplifting melody around starkly somber lyrics that together create a sense of quiet resignment, a singularly unique emotion not heard in many songs. But as deeply as this concept album delves into these themes of mental addiction and the power of choice versus the unconscious, Woolfson delves even deeper in his musical GAMBLER where additionally the primal male fantasies of heroism are turned against the hero. This album benefits from not only the stellar production and engineering of Alan Parsons, but also from two of the finest instrumentals Parsons has ever composed: THE GOLD BUG and THE ACE OF SWORDS.

If asked just what was The Alan Parsons Project, the simple answer would be a couple of musical geniuses who had the good sense to surround themselves with a bunch of other musical geniuses. Even a casual interest in the liner notes will reveal the unique talents of Andrew Powell who was solely responsible for all of the Project's orchestral arrangements. But far less obvious would be the tremendous contributions that guitarist Ian Bairnson made throughout the life of the Project in terms of arrangement and, all too often, extremely complicated key changes. On "I Don't Wanna Go Home" in particular, Bairnson places a single sheet of paper between the strings and the pickup of his guitar in order to achieve an almost unheard organic quality to his playing.

While I have heard some refer to The Alan Parsons Project as a poor man's Pink Floyd, I contend strongly that "Turn of a Friendly Card" stands toe to toe with the best efforts Pink Floyd ever put forth. The range of styles, tempos, and moods are as diverse as those on The Floyd's most successful album Dark Side of the Moon, but that should come as no surprise considering Parsons substantial involvement in recording and engineering that masterpiece. While this album's influence may not go as deep and wide, it certainly should given the relevance of the subject matter in modern societies where gambling is more widely sanctioned than ever. September 18, 2008

The Turn of a Friendly Card

The Turn of a Friendly Card was Parsons fifth studio album, it peaked at #13 on the charts. The single "Snake Eyes" peaked at #47 & "Games People Play" was a Top 20 hit. The third single was "Time', it peaked at #15. The Turn of a Friendly Card has gambling as its central theme & it does this rather well.

The album opens with "May Be a Price to Pay", unlike most Parsons albums up to this point, it's not an instrumental. It's probably the weakest song a Parsons had ever opened with. The song begins with a horn fanfare then gets into the proper part of it but it never rises above the ordinary. Next is "Games People Play", it borders on pop but nothing unique though it does have a catchy chorus. "Time" slows down the tempo, it's one of their prettier songs. "I Don't Wanna Go Home" has a syncopated feel but once again isn't anything special. Bairnson does give a pretty decent lead solo. "The Gold Bug" is an instrumental & is the easily the best song on the album. On previous albums Parsons would have opened the album with this song. Its beginning reminds me of music from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. The sax solo is a highlight of the song. Then we get what was on the original release a five part song that was called "The Turn of a Friendly Card", each section identified by a part, i.e., pt. 1, pt. 2, etc. The first part was entitled "The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 1" , is a slow tempo song with a beautiful melody. It becomes a recurring theme through the remaining songs. Then comes the single "Snake Eyes" which has a prominent rhythm guitar. It solidifies the theme of the album. Then comes "The Ace of Swords" (a tarot reference), a harpsichord is one of the main instruments opening the song. It's an instrumental that has a jazz-like section. "Nothing Left to Lose" is another slow tempo song that features a memorable melody. It ends with a reggae sample then goes int a heavier rendition of previous theme. Ian Bairnson gives us one of his best solo efforts. "Nothing Left to Lose" repeats the melody of "The Turn of a Friendly Card". This ends the original album. Overall there isn't a bad song on this album & the five part song "The Turn of a Friendly Card" is the definite highlight of the album. "The Gold Bug" stands right above it.

The remastering is excellent & features seven(!) bonus tracks. We get the demo version of "May Be a Price to Pay" Then there's three versions of "Nothing Left to Lose", the first one is only the instrument tracks, the second one is has a Chris Rainbow voval but incomplete, then the third version has Eric Woolfson doing a guide vocal (a common practice in those days). We get an early attempt at "Time", this song came a long way from this version. There's a rough mix of "Games People Play", which means it was a mix they knew they weren't going to use. Finally there's the demo version of "The Gold Bug" which is interesting because we see some of the genesis of the song. It's not near as good as the finished product, which is what makes it a demo, right?

The Turn of a Friendly Card is another Parsons album I'm never quite sure about, my feelings go back & forth on it at times. It's a solid effort just not a spectacular one. I guess you could say I've been spoiled by some of their better efforts. June 3, 2008

A work of genius

Between the Project's groundbreaking 'Tales of Mystery' (1976) and the release of 'Turn of a Friendly Card' (1980), the arrival of punk and disco had changed the music scene out of all recognition, but the genius that was APP sailed on regardless, producing a succession of groundbreaking albums ('I Robot', 'Pyramid', 'Eve'). 'Friendly Card' was the best Project album to date, and many, myself included, rate this as the best of the lot.

Inspired by gambling - or perhaps, more broadly, by the relationship between chance and destiny - 'Friendly Card' is a beautifully crafted, inspired concept album where the total exceeds the sum of the parts. There are great individual contributions here - Ian Bairnson's guitar work and Chris Rainbow's sublime vocals, to name but two - but the overall cohension of the album is superb, under the inspired guidance of Parsons, Eric Woolfson and Andrew Powell.

Though including some catchy songs (such as 'Games People Play'), the heart of the album is the 'Turn of a Friendly Card' suite. When I first heard this, I felt it was a crowning achievement in the prog rock pantheon. It sounds just as good today.

The remastering of this version is excellent. To be sure, it's been done with a light and subtle touch, but it should be remembered that the sound quality of the original album was far ahead of the contemporary norm. Add in the excellent bonus material and you have a beautiful reissue of one of the truly great prog rock albums. Brilliant. May 31, 2008

By far one of the best of Parsons Projects

This was the first Parsons album I ever owned. I was a Yes / Genesis fan at the time. The music here is a little bit pop a little bit progressive and a bit electronic. I have always enjoyed every song on this album but the instrumental THE GOLD BUG is a personal favorite.

It is nice to have the album remastered after all these years. The bonus material is subjective so I leave that for those who are into that kind of thing.

You can't go wrong with this album if you like Alan Parsons. April 17, 2008

Good remaster, but not great

The Turn of a Friendly Card is one of Alan Parsons best albums, and the newly remastered version is clearly better than the original CD release. The sound is good, but not great. Some remasters are radically better, and although it is an improvement, it lacks some of the "wow factor" that I would give to a great remastering job. The bonus tracks are interesting, with the Chris Rainbow overdub my favorite. Even if you have an old copy of the original CD release, this version is still worth buying. April 2, 2008

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