Even though 1987's Gaudi was inspired by architect Antonio Gaudi, its songs seem to lack the assertiveness or the instrumental endowments that usually occur within the Alan Parsons Project's work.
With a leaner, edgier sound that is best represented on "Standing on Higher Ground," the easiness and touch that should have enveloped this album is noticeably absent.
While not a complete failure, the album does reveal some passion with the last track, "Paseo de Graciad," a finely orchestrated instrumental done exquisitely in full Parsons style.
The usual lineup of Miles, Woolfson, Zakatek, and Rainbow share the singing duties, with Geoff Barradale taking over on "Standing on Higher Ground." The songs on the album have difficulty supporting any imagery or symbolism concerning the album's main character, which was done masterfully more than ten years earlier with Tales of Mystery and Imagination, a musical voyage through Edgar Allen Poe's work.
Here, the songs stand up well individually, but Parsons is a conceptual virtuoso who usually ties together his main idea through the use of each separate song.
Although Gaudi isn't without some minor merit, its lasting impression doesn't leave much regard for its central character.
[The 2007 Sony BMG reissue included bonus tracks.].
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Sagrada FamiliaAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 08:49 | 20 MB | 45 MB |
| 2 | Too LateAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Closer To HeavenAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 05:53 | 13 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Standing on Higher GroundAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Money TalksAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Inside Looking OutAlan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 7 | Paseo de Gracia (instrumental) | The Alan Parsons Project | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 38 mins | 88 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 211 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Bairnson | Guitar |
| 2 | Geoff Barradale | Vocals |
| 3 | Chris Blair | Mastering |
| 4 | Laurie Cottle | Bass |
| 5 | Richard Cottle | Saxophone, Synthesizer |
| 6 | David Cripp | Conductor, Horn |
| 7 | Stuart Elliott | Drums, Keyboards, Percussion |
| 8 | Maude Gilman | Art Direction |
| 9 | John Heley | Cello |
| 10 | Bob Howes | Conductor, Timpani |
| 11 | John Miles | Vocals |
| 12 | Alan Parsons | Composer, Engineer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 13 | The Alan Parsons Project | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 14 | Andrew Powell | Arranger, Orchestra, Orchestral Arrangements |
| 15 | Chris Rainbow | Vocals |
| 16 | Tony Richards | Engineer |
| 17 | Eric Woolfson | Composer, Executive Producer, Keyboards, Piano, Producer, Vocals |
| 18 | Lenny Zakatek | Vocals |
The Alan Parsons Project
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |