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Eve (Alan Parsons Project album)

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Eve is the fourth studio album by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in September 1979 by Arista Records. The album's focus is on the strength and characteristics of women, and the problems they face in the world of men.[2] It had originally been intended to focus on "great women in history", but evolved into a wider concept.[2] The album name was the same as Eric Woolfson's mother-in-law.[3]

Eve
Studio album by
the Alan Parsons Project
ReleasedSeptember 1979
RecordedDecember 1978–June 1979
StudioSuper Bear Studios
Genre
Length39:23
LabelArista
ProducerAlan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Pyramid
(1978) 		Eve
(1979) 		The Turn of a Friendly Card
(1980)
Singles from Eve
  1. "Lucifer"
    Released: August 1979[1]
  2. "Damned If I Do"
    Released: September 1979
  3. "You Won't Be There"
    Released: January 1980 (US)
  4. "You Lie Down with Dogs"
    Released: March 1980 (US)

Eve is the Alan Parsons Project's first album with singer Chris Rainbow. The album's opening instrumental "Lucifer" was a major hit in Europe, and "Damned If I Do" reached the US Top 40, peaking at No. 27, and reaching No. 16 in Canada.[4] "Lucifer" also is used as title track for the German political TV show Monitor.

Morse code

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The album features a few instances of morse code, with the first occurring at the beginning of the album. Parsons extracted the morse code from shortwave radio without knowing the contents of the message. He recalled that someone did translate the message for him but said that "there was nothing particularly interesting embedded in there." The name "Eve" is repeated on keyboard in morse code during this song.[5]

Cover art

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The gatefold cover art for Eve by Hipgnosis features three women wearing veils (two on the front, one on the reverse), with their faces partially in shadow. The shadows and veils partially conceal disfiguring scars and sores (the lesions were not real, however[6]). Controversy over the disfiguring of the models' faces brought comment from Eric Woolfson, "The cover seemed a mis-match to me. It was a brilliant cover from Hipgnosis, but it didn't reflect my thinking at all, or relate to what is made clear on the Record."[3]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Christgau's Record GuideD[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [9]
Rolling Stone     [10]
Smash Hits8/10[11]

The Globe and Mail wrote that, "like its trio of predecessors, Eve has occasional moments of melodic splendor punctuated by lengthy periods of accompaniment for riding elevators."[12]

Bonus tracks detail

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Elsie's theme from "The Sicilian Defence" (the project that never was) was from an experimental album entitled "The Sicilian Defence". Recorded at the same time as Eve, the album was not released at the time.[3] "Lucifer (Demo)" was recorded in a beachfront apartment in Monaco.[3]

Track listing

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All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one
No.TitleLead VocalsLength
1."Lucifer"(Instrumental)5:09
2."You Lie Down with Dogs"Lenny Zakatek3:47
3."I'd Rather Be a Man"David Paton3:53
4."You Won't Be There"Dave Townsend3:34
5."Winding Me Up"Chris Rainbow4:04
Total length:20:27
Side two
No.TitleLead VocalsLength
1."Damned If I Do"Zakatek4:50
2."Don't Hold Back"Clare Torry3:37
3."Secret Garden"Rainbow4:41
4."If I Could Change Your Mind"Lesley Duncan5:49
Total length:18:57

Eve was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:

  1. "Elsie's Theme from 'The Sicilian Defence' (the Project that never was)"
  2. "Lucifer" (demo)
  3. "Secret Garden" (early rough mix)
  4. "Damned If I Do" (rough mix)
  5. "Don't Hold Back" (vocal rehearsal rough mix)
  6. "Lucifer" (early rough mix)
  7. "If I Could Change Your Mind" (rough mix)

Personnel

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Two of the lead singers on the album, Clare Torry and Lesley Duncan, previously performed on Alan Parsons' signature engineering work, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Platinum 100,000^
Germany (BVMI)[29] Gold 400,000[28]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 617.
  2. ^ a b Official Alan Parsons Project web site, page title "Eve | The Alan Parsons Project"
  3. ^ a b c d Alan Parsons Project Arista Years Paper Sleeve Collection (2008) - Eve (Liner notes)
  4. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 23, 1980" (PDF).
  5. ^ Carter, RJ (16 April 2010). "Alan Parsons: The Artist and Scientist of Sound Recording". Critical Blast. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Interview: Alan Parsons: The Artist and Scientist of Sound Recording". BlogSpot. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. ^ AllMusic review
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 512.
  10. ^ Rolling Stone review
  11. ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (20 September – 3 October 1979): 25.
  12. ^ Niester, Alan (22 September 1979). "Eve The Alan Parsons Project". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9462a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  23. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1979. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1979 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Music Canada.
  28. ^ "The German Hit: Alan's Eve". Billboard. 22 September 1979. p. 75.
  29. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Eve')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  30. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  31. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Eve". Recording Industry Association of America.
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