TIMELINE
1975
The Alan Parsons Project was created and a record deal signed with 20th Century Records.
1977
Clive Davis signed the APP for what became a 10 album record deal.
I Robot was released which coincided with the cinema releases of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.
1978
Pyramid released and received a Grammy nomination for best engineered recording.
Alan nominated for Grammy for Best Engineer of the Year.
Eric and Alan (and their families) moved to live in Monaco.
1979
Eve released and was Grammy nominated for Best Engineered recording.
Nominated for a Grammy award for Best Album or Original Score written for a Motion Picture or Television for the film Ice Castles which featured “Voyager” and part of “What Goes Up” from Pyramid.
EMI Electrola Manufacturing plant in Germany had every press in the factory making APP albums for a period of time.
Pat Benatar releases a cover version of “Don’t Let it Show”.
1980
The Turn of a Friendly Card released.
Phillips invent the audio CD.
Companies at Hardware electronic shows often used APP albums to demonstrate new CD players coming onto the market.
Eric & Alan (and their families) return to the UK.
1981
Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Recording for The Turn of a Friendly Card.
Eric met John Harvey Jones (Chairman of ICI) who would later invite him to the ICI plant which gave rise to the inspiration for Ammonia Avenue.
1983
The Best of The Alan Parsons Project compilation album was released.
1984
Ammonia Avenue released.
APP albums were released on CD for the first time.
“Sirius” starts to be used by the NBA as the background introduction music for the Chicago Bulls
1985
Vulture Culture released.
“Don’t Answer Me” music video was nominated in the first annual MTV awards.
1986
Stereotomy released. Grammy nominated for Best Album package and Best Instrumental performance for “Where’s the Walrus?”.
1987
Gaudi released.
Tales of Mystery was re-mastered and released on CD for the first time.
Spanish fans started singing “La Sagrada, Barcelona” in the style of the track on the Gaudi album on the terraces of football stadiums.
“Closer to Heaven” was used in an episode of Miami Vice.
1988
Limelight, Best of The Alan Parsons Project Volume 2 released.
1990
Freudiana album released – the last album Eric and Alan worked on together. The Freudiana musical was premiered in Vienna in Austria. It marked a new direction for Eric into musical theatre.
1996
The APP was featured in a Simpsons episode 3F21 “Homerpaloooza”.
Bonnie Tyler cover version of “Limelight” (Stereotomy) was used as the official Olympic theme song in Germany.
1997
“What Goes Up” (Pyramid) was used in the film Donnie Brasco.
“Sirius” (Eye in the Sky) was used in the Disney film Flubber.
1998
A long standing fan of the APP, Mike Myers (as Austin Powers in the film The Spy Who Shagged Me) name-checked the Alan Parsons Project.
2000
“Sirius” from Eye in the Sky was used in an IMAX documentary film about Michael Jordan.
2001
P Diddy chose “Sirius” as the backbone to the title track of his multi-platinum selling album The Saga Continues.
2006
New APP re-mastered compilation released
2007
Re-mastered expanded editions of I Robot, Eye in the Sky and Vulture Culture are released with never before heard bonus material including previous unreleased tracks and demo recordings.
Deluxe 30th anniversary edition of Tales of Mystery and Imagination released.
2008
Re-mastered expanded editions of Pyramid, Eve, The Turn of a Friendly Card, Ammonia Avenue, Stereotomy and Gaudi are released.
“Sirius” is featured in the film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Kanye West samples Ammonia Avenue in his “Heartless” track
2009
Eric Woolfson recorded and released his last album The Alan Parsons Project That Never Was.
Eric Woolfson passed away on 2nd December aged 64 after a long battle with cancer.
2011
Lil Wayne feat. Drake and Jadakiss’s “It’s Good” samples the APP track “The Cask of Amontillado” from Tales of Mystery and Imagination in Tha Carter IV album.
2012
Slaughterhouse sample “Eye in the Sky” in “Juggernauts”.
2013
All APP albums are re-released on vinyl.
35th anniversary Deluxe Legacy edition of I Robot is released, re-mastered with 14 bonus track.
“Sirius” is used in the trailer for the Anchorman 2 trailer.
2014
Release of APP box set with all 10 albums plus the never before released “Sicilian Defence” album.
2015
Release of Deluxe Turn of a Friendly Card
2016
Release of 40th Anniversary Tales of Mystery Box Set & Blu-ray
2017
Release of Eye in the Sky Box Set & Blu-ray
2018
First Grammy win for the Surround Sound of the Eye in the Sky Blu-ray
2020
Release of Ammonia Avenue Box Set & Blu-ray
