Alan Parsons Gets Back To Abbey Road

Revered British artist-producer Alan Parsons has given uDiscover an exclusive preview of his upcoming Master Classes and talks at Abbey Road, the world-famous location with which he is so closely associated.

Parsons’ remarkable career has seen him sell many millions of records as the mastermind, with the late Eric Woolfson, of the Alan Parsons Project. Their catalogue is currently being extensively explored by Sony Legacy, with the latest release being a 35th anniversary, extended double CD version of The Turn of a Friendly Card. The upcoming talks will also draw on his vast experience gained in a lifetime of music-making, including engineering such landmark recordings as the Beatles’ final two albums, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, major pop hits by such artists as Al Stewart and Pilot and much more.

Now based in Santa Barbara, Parsons returns home later this week to Abbey Road for both the Sleeve Notes: From Mono To Infinity talks, starting next Friday (13 November), and his Master Class Training Sessions on 16-17 November (which will stage the results of an open contest to find a new recording artist) and 18-19 November. A few tickets are still available for both the talks and the sessions, at the Abbey Road website here and a dedicated site for the Master Classes here, where you can find much more information about these unique occasions.

The live events are supported by the publication of a new book by Parsons and musician-author Julian Colbeck, Art & Science Of Sound Recording, which follows the success of their award-winning DVD of the same name. The book offers an eye-witness overview of modern recording techniques as well as containing many anecdotes from Alan’s work with the Beatles, Pink Floyd and so many others.

“Abbey Road is where my various roles as engineer, producer, and eventually artist all started,” Parsons tells uDiscover. “The studios have always had a certain magic for me — every time I enter the building, I’m reminded of all the good times and the great music that’s been recorded there. I’m very excited about returning to the studios to talk about my experiences through the ‘Sleeve Notes’ talks.

“I will also be doing a pair of two-day masterclasses interspersed with the ‘Sleeve Notes’ talks which will be actual band recording sessions attended by delegates who will have a first hand opportunity to watch me at work and to share in the whole Abbey Road experience. The first masterclass band is a competition winner chosen from over 50 entries, and the second is the band Fish On Friday from Belgium.”

Format: UK English