The Alan Parsons Project

A musician, composer, and producer who was one of rock’s most influential figures through the ‘70s and ‘80s, Alan Parsons was 18 years old when he began his career as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios in 1967. After helping to create blockbusters like The Beatles’ Let It Be and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, he shifted into a more creative role as the mastermind behind The Alan Parsons Project, a unique group whose floating membership allowed him to realize some of the most ambitious albums of the era. A science-fiction concept album based on the stories of Isaac Asimov, 1977’s I, Robot epitomized Parsons’ canny synthesis of melodic pop and progressive rock. Hits like 1982's "Eye In the Sky" demonstrated Parsons' radio-friendly knack for economy, too. Though the Project’s run of albums ended with 1987’s Gaudi, Parsons began a new phase in the '90s by touring the world with The Alan Parsons Live Project, a revamped version of the act that had previously only existed in the studio.