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The Turn of a Friendly Card

Summary

The Turn of a Friendly Card is the fifth studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in 1980 by Arista Records. The title piece, which appears on side 2 of the LP, is a 16-minute suite broken up into five tracks. The Turn of a Friendly Card spawned the hits "Games People Play" and "Time", the latter of which was Eric Woolfson's first lead vocal appearance. An edited version of the title piece combining the opening and ending parts of the suite was also released as a single along with an official video.

The Turn of a Friendly Card
Studio album by
the Alan Parsons Project
Released7 November 1980[1]
Recorded1979–1980
StudioAcousti Studio, Paris, France
GenreArt rock, progressive rock
Length40:25
LabelArista
ProducerAlan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Eve
(1979) 		The Turn of a Friendly Card
(1980) 		Eye in the Sky
(1982)
Singles from The Turn of a Friendly Card
  1. "The Turn of a Friendly Card"
    Released: November 1980 (UK)[2]
  2. "Games People Play"
    Released: November 1980 (US)
  3. "The Gold Bug"
    Released: November 1980 (EU)
  4. "Time"
    Released: April 1981
  5. "Snake Eyes"
    Released: October 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

As with the band's previous albums, The Turn of a Friendly Card is a concept album with its theme focused on the gambling industry and the fate of gamblers, with more than one reference to Las Vegas (e.g. "there's a sign in the desert that lies to west" from the title piece). Musically it's a more melodic and accessible album than its predecessors.

Up to this album, all Alan Parsons Project albums had been packaged in gatefold sleeves. Increasing budgetary constraints of record companies made The Turn of a Friendly Card the beginning of all subsequently released Alan Parsons Project albums to be single-sleeve packaged.[5]

The album was recorded in a record short time of two weeks in Paris. Usually the Alan Parsons Project would take many months to record an album.[6]

Track listing edit

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

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."May Be a Price to Pay"Elmer Gantry4:58
2."Games People Play"Lenny Zakatek4:22
3."Time"Eric Woolfson5:04
4."I Don't Wanna Go Home"Zakatek5:03
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."The Gold Bug"Instrumental4:34
2."The Turn of a Friendly Card
  • i. The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 1 (2:44)
  • ii. Snake Eyes (3:14)
  • iii. The Ace of Swords (2:57)
  • iv. Nothing Left to Lose (4:07)
  • v. The Turn of a Friendly Card, Pt. 2 (3:22)"
Chris Rainbow (i, ii, v), Eric Woolfson (iv), none (iii)16:24

Though numbered as a single work, "The Turn of a Friendly Card" is split into five tracks on most compact disc and all digital and streaming releases.

Bonus tracks (2008 remaster) edit

The Turn of a Friendly Card was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:

  • "May Be a Price to Pay" (Intro/demo) 1:32
    1. "Nothing Left to Lose" (Basic backing track) 4:36
    2. "Nothing Left to Lose" (Chris Rainbow overdub compilation) 2:02
    3. "Nothing Left to Lose" (Early studio version with Woolfson's guide vocal) 3:11
    • On this version, Woolfson plays the accordion solo (later played on an actual accordion) on a keyboard with a cheap-sounding accordion preset. His melody is vaguely similar to Alan Civil's horn solo in The Beatles's "For No One".
    2. #"Time" (Early studio attempt) 4:42
    3. "Games People Play" (Rough mix) 4:33
    4. "The Gold Bug" (Demo) 2:50
    • "The Gold Bug" (Demo) was named after an Edgar Allan Poe short story. The main keyboard sound is a Hohner Clavinet with damped strings and a repeat echo. This was also used for the final album version. The short duration of the notes made it difficult to get in tune.[7][8]

    Deluxe Edition (2015) edit

    In 2015, a "deluxe anniversary edition" was released on double CD. This featured a new remaster of the album, the bonus tracks of the 2008 edition on disc 1 and an additional disc including excerpts from Eric Woolfson's songwriting demos, rough mixes and the three single edits. On this new remaster, Parsons corrected a persisting speed mistake which was present in all earlier CD editions, from the very first (1987) up to the 2008 remaster, caused by the original master tape running slow during the CD mastering process and thus altering the pitch of the entire recording.[9]

    "Eric's Songwriting Demos"

    1. "May Be a Price to Pay" 3:26
    2. "Games People Play" 3:06
    3. "Time" 4:06
    4. "I Don't Wanna Go Home" 2:12
    5. "The Turn of a Friendly Card" 3:19
    6. "Snake Eyes" 3:13
    7. "Nothing Left to Lose" 2:46
    8. "TOFC / Snake Eyes / I Don't Wanna Go Home" 4:32

    "Extra Bonus Tracks"

    2. "May Be a Price to Pay (Early version – Eric Guide Vocal & Unused Guitar Solo)" 5:03
    3. "Games People Play (Early Version – Eric Guide vocal)" 4:32
    4. "Time (Orchestra & Chris Rainbow Backing vocals)" 4:19
    5. "The Gold Bug (Early Reference Version)" 5:08
    6. "The Turn of a Friendly Card Part One (Early Backing Track)" 2:18
    7. "Snake Eyes (Early Version – Eric Guide Vocal)" 3:20
    8. "The Ace of Swords (Early Version With Synth "Orchestration")" 3:03
    9. "The Ace of Swords (Early Version With Piano on Melody)" 2:40
    10. "The Turn of a Friendly Card Part Two (Eric Guide Vocal And Extended Guitar Solo)" 3:32

    "Single Edits"

    2. "Games People Play" 3:35
    3. "The Turn of a Friendly Card" 3:44
    4. "Snake Eyes" 2:26

    Box Set (2023) edit

    In 2023, a four-disc box set was released featuring the material from the 2-CD plus five additional songwriting diaries of unused songs("La La La Lah", "Next Year", "Someone Else", "Taking It All Away" and "To Those Of You Out There"), two more studio bonus tracks ("The Gold Bug - Chris Rainbow Backing Vocals" and "The Gold Bug - Clavinet With No Delay") and a Blu-Ray disc including a new 5.1 surround mix of the album plus four promo videos.[10][11] The Blu-Ray was also made available separately.[12]

    Personnel edit

    Produced and engineered by Alan Parsons
    Executive producer: Eric Woolfson
    Mastering consultant: Chris Blair
    Sleeve concept: Lol Creme and Kevin Godley

    Additional instrumentation edit

    "The Gold Bug", which references the same-titled short story by Edgar Allan Poe, includes a whistling part by Parsons (in the style of Ennio Morricone's early themes for Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western films, such as A Fistful of Dollars) and wordless vocals by Rainbow, while the main theme is played on an alto saxophone. The saxophone player, originally credited as Mel Collins, is instead credited on the liner notes for the remastered edition as "A session player in Paris whose name escapes us"; this refers to the fact that the saxophone part is a composite of several separate takes.[dubious – discuss][13] Similarly, the accordion part on "Nothing Left to Lose" is credited in the liner notes to "An unidentified Parisian session player". Also on "The Gold Bug", the newer liner notes credit a "Harmonized Rotating Triangle" to drummer Stuart Elliott. This refers to the phasing sound effects heard throughout the rhythm-free introduction to the piece.

    Charts edit

    Certifications and sales edit

    ‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›
    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    Canada (Music Canada)[29] 2× Platinum 200,000^
    Germany (BVMI)[30] Gold 250,000^
    Netherlands (NVPI)[31] Gold 50,000^
    New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Gold 7,500^
    United States (RIAA)[33] Platinum 1,000,000^
    Summaries
    Worldwide — 2,000,000[34]

    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

    Covers edit

    The album's title track was covered by German funeral doom metal band Ahab for their album The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" in 2015.

    Notes edit

    1. ^ "Alan Parsons albums".
    2. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 616.
    3. ^ The Turn of a Friendly Card at AllMusic
    4. ^ "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone.
    5. ^ The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card CD album remaster liner notes (2008)
    6. ^ The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card. CD album remaster liner notes (2008)
    7. ^ The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card. CD album remaster liner notes (2008)
    8. ^ "The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980) | The Alan Parsons Project". www.the-alan-parsons-project.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
    9. ^ Alan Parsons' notes within the 2015 edition booklet
    10. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project / The Turn of a Friendly Card deluxe edition – SuperDeluxeEdition". 13 December 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
    11. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project: The Turn Of A Friendly Card, 3CD/Blu Ray Limited Edition Box Set". www.cherryred.co.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
    12. ^ ""The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn Of A Friendly Card" erscheint als einfache Blu-ray Disc-Edition mit 5.1 Surround-Mix". AREA DVD (in German). 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
    13. ^ Liner notes on The Turn of a Friendly Card remastered CD booklet
    14. ^ 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.
    15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    16. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0287". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
    17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    20. ^ "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    21. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
    22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    23. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    24. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    25. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1981". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    26. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    27. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
    28. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981 – December 26, 1981" (PDF).
    29. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Music Canada.
    30. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Alan Parsons Project; 'The Turn of a Friendly Card')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
    31. ^ "Dutch album certifications – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Turn of a Friendly Card in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1982 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
    32. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Recorded Music NZ.
    33. ^ "American album certifications – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card". Recording Industry Association of America.
    34. ^ "The Alan Parson Project. Phenomenon". Billboard. 25 July 1981. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

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