The Alan Parson Project
The Sicilian Defence
(Self-released)

The loud, swirling, metallic keys of “P-K4” opens The Alan Parsons Project’s The Sicilian Defence, a collection of ten songs finally seeing release since they were recorded and shelved back in the 1970’s.

We’re into pretty and sad solo Eric Woolfson (he was Alan Parsons’ partner in this band at this time) with near classical piano on “P-Qb4.” “Kt-KB3” has a snappy, flipping, good synth lead floating over the top of the bubbling backing keys and “…Kt-QB3” offers bleeding big synth strings with sweeping choral “ohh’s” that don’t much touch down anywhere, very much like the big string sweeps on the even shorter “Kt-B3” later.

A decidedly bright piano instrumental with a drum machine click, “KtxP” fares better while Wooflson is making most of the heavy, low end of his piano on “Kt-QB3,” a long read of what sounds more or less like a demo of what might become a more commercial Parsons song.

Chirping keys and solo synth sweeps of “P-Q3” ends the entire album, full of A.P.P. drama. But again, what it could have been is more interesting than what we have here. My criticism over this The Sicilian Defence album really is the collection sounds very much like half-finished, atonal demos of what was at the time the band’s rebuke to their label. (Basically this is a hard, upheld middle finger). It’s a shame really, because if The Alan Parsons Project had unreleased stuff from the 197o’s, I for one would sure like to hear it!

The album can be downloaded here.