There are a surprising number of other artists who have recording Alan Parsons Project songs - those which I know about are listed below. If you know of any others then please mail me and let me know! (See index page for contact details).

There are only three of these, as far as I know. The first is The Alan Parsons Songbook (although it is also known as The Musical World of Alan Parsons). This album was performed by The Alex Bollard Assembly with help from Ed Starink - the vocalist for all of the tracks is Edward Reekers. This is a reasonably high quality collection and makes for good listening.

The same cannot be said for The Songs Of Alan Parsons. At a glance, this would seem to be the same collection as above - it features the same set of songs, and very similar packaging. However, it has been performed by an entirely different group of `artists'. Unfortunately, the singers don't seem to understand what they are saying, and this leads to numerous mistakes...

The Music Of Alan Parsons Project falls somewhere between the above two albums. It only features instrumental tracks (all performed on synthesizers) so there is obviously no problem with vocals... However, the tracks don't seem as polished as the Starink performed instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, and there seem to be a few poorly chosen synth sounds.

This section is ordered by track. The numbering within the lists is not intended to express my preferences. My comments, however, are!

Apollo

1. Solar Quest produced an "official" (i.e. released under Alan Parsons' name) 12" single featuring four mixes of the instrumental plus the original. The four mixes are Apollo (La Luna Mix), Apollo Deep Bass Mix (One Great Two Step), Apollo Hard Mix (Lunartek) and Apollo Ambient Mix (Moon Boots). The mixes all seem very similar (and somewhat drawn out) to me...

Closer To Heaven

1. A cover of the musical version of Closer To Heaven appears on the compilation album Shades Of Night.

Day After Day

1. The Blue Diamonds cover this song on their cover album "Right Back"

Don't Answer Me

1. Mariel Marquis covers this song in a very upbeat way on her album, "Starry Eyes." You can visit her web page here where, at the time of writing, you can download an MP3 file containing this song.
2. B-Course, who also cover Eye In The Sky (see below) work their electro-magic on this track too.
3. Bernhard Brink & Ireen Sheer give a German rendition of the song, entitled Kein Wort Zuviel.
4. Jürgen Renfordt & Denise also perform Kein Wort Zuviel.
5. Leila White, apparently very big in Japan, provides a very listenable version of the song. It does sound rather strangely as though it has been crossed with the theme from The Love Boat though...
6. Lenny Valentino has performed this live in an unbelievably downbeat fashion.

Don't Let It Show

1. Pat Benatar featured a version of the song on her 1979 album "In The Heat Of The Night". It's a far simpler version than the Project original - lacking any orchestration and replacing the instrumental finish with a repeat of the chorus. Quite nice though, all the same.
2. Another version of the song featured in an Argentinian cigarette commercial (LM Brand), performed by Cutini.
3. The Mexican singer Mimi had a big hit with Finge Que No (Pretend It's Not), a Spanish version of the song.
4. The Blue Diamonds cover this song on their cover album "Right Back"
5. Laura Miller follows in the footsteps of Mimi (above) with a great performance of Finge Que No.
6. A mostly in-tune version of the song is given by The Birdhouses.

Eagle Will Rise Again, The

1. Björn Skifs, a Swedish artist, covered this song with the lyrics being translated into Swedish. The name of the album on which this track appears is not known, and it is believed that it was also released as a single.
2. Amy Shreve, a harpist, covers the track on her album I Am His And He Is Mine.

Eye In The Sky

1. Pedro Javier González performs an instrumental version of the song with a number of guitars. This one is well worth hearing.
2. Fausto Papetti gives a very "easy-listening" saxophone rendition on the album "My One and Only Love."
3. B-Course provide a stomping synth and vocals version of the song. Very good.
4. Brain Püker give yet another perspective on the song. Eye in the Sky goes punk. It works better than you might imagine!
5. Moon Socket performs the track using one guitar and only slightly more chords.
6. Gino Marinello gives an instrumental rendition of the track.
7. Phillipe L'Auran also performs an instrumental version of Old And Wise.
8. Eye In The Sky 2001 charted in Greece. It's the original Sirius/Eye In The Sky combination with loops and a heavy beat.
9. Gáz gives a Portuguese(?) rendition: Um Mundo Só Pra Nós.
10. I Rebus slur their way through the song.
11. Just Another Snake Cult provide a punk metal take on the song.
12. German organ maestro Klaus Wunderlich features Eye In The Sky in a couple of medleys which also include Lucifer and Sirius.
13. LST bring us back to the world of punk.
14. Duke University's a capella society, The Pitchforks have performed a version of Eye In The Sky.
15. The University of Illinois also have an a capella society. And The Other Guys have also tackled Eye In The Sky.
16. Occy performs the song with only a guitar for backing.
17. Riddle Me This provide one of my favourite versions of the song in a solid rock style.
18. Trim have produced a number of dance versions of the song.
19. The Filarmonica Sestrese perform a medley of Eye In The Sky and Old And Wise which is not nearly as good as it should be.
20. Noa has produced a very good version of the song.

Games People Play

1. The Space Age House Remix of the song is very well done.

Genesis Ch.1 V.32

1. This instrumental was also included as part of the Synthesizer Greatest series of albums. The albums were produced and performed by Ed Starink who later reused the instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, described above.

Gold Bug, The

1. This instrumental was also included as part of the Synthesizer Greatest series of albums. The albums were produced and performed by Ed Starink who later reused the instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, described above.

Hyper-Gamma-Spaces

1. Pink Project, an Italian disco group, gave us Hyper-Gamma-Oxygene, a mix of Hyper-Gamma-Spaces and Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene (Part IV).

In The Lap Of The Gods

1. Fonky Family, a French rap group, use In The Lap Of The Gods as a backing track for Sans Faire Couler Le Sang.

I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You

1. Maresca (featuring Jackie) gives a fantastic dance version which appears on the inaccurately titled "80's Hits Dance Party..."
2. Rhythm Method give a more vanilla rendition of the song.

La Sagrada Familia

1. Henry Maske, the German boxer, has put his name to a number of compilation albums. One features a cover of the musical version of La Sagrada Familia. It appears to use Gaudi's original backing track, with a shakuhachi in place of the vocals.

Limelight

1. Bonnie Tyler brought out a version of the song, produced by Stephen Powers (who has also produced the likes of Babylon Zoo and Blur) and as the official theme song for the German TV company ZDF's coverage of the 1996 Olympic games. While Bonnie's performance is good, the song itself has been butchered with several lines and verses missing....
2. Sergio Denis, an Argentinian singer, performed the song on a 1991 album. It's a Spanish version titled Luz de Calcio.
3. The Italian collection Concerto Grosso Sacro e Profano features an instrumental version of this song.
4. Louise Pitre covers the track on the album All Of My Life Has Led To This.
5. John Cashmore who performs the song on the Gaudi cast CD has also performed the song on solo albums.

Lucifer

1. Temple of Light released a Lucifer single in 1996. This feature three mixes - Lucifer (radio edit), Lucifer (big club mix) and Lucifer (fantasy mix) - as well as the non-APP track Inferno. I rather like these mixes - they're similar in style to the Apollo mixes (above), but somehow seem better... perhaps because they've retained a little more of the original music.
2. Trance Atlantic Air Waves (Michel Cretu of Enigma's latest project) released an album "The Energy Of Sound" in 1998 which features another cover version of the instrumental. Excellent stuff - particularly if, like me, you enjoy the music of Enigma.
3. Cosmic Baby produced a somewhat more clinical selection of covers on their single.
4. Another cover features on the compilation set Atmospheric Synthesizer Spectacular.
5. This instrumental was also included as part of the Synthesizer Greatest series of albums. The albums were produced and performed by Ed Starink who later reused the instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, described above.
6. Ed Starink, ever the recycler, also used Lucifer as part of his Star Voyager medley. The medley features: Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield) / Equinoxe IV (Jean Michel Jarre) / I Hear You Now (Jon & Vangelis) / Lucifer / Axel F (Harold Faltermeyer) / The Model (Kraftwerk)
7. Another generic synthesizer cover is provided by The Galaxy Sound Orchestra.

Mammagamma

1. The Italian collection "Concerto Grosso Sacro e Profano" features a cover of this instrumental.
2. Another cover of this track features on the compilation set Atmospheric Synthesizer Spectacular.
3. A version of the track appears on the 1997 compilation album Electronic Film Music/The Best of....
4. Pink Project, an Italian disco group, produced Disco Project, which is a mix of Sirius, Mammagamma and Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall. A slightly odd combination, you might think - but well worth listening to if you get the chance!
5. This instrumental was also included as part of the Synthesizer Greatest series of albums. The albums were produced and performed by Ed Starink who later reused the instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, described above.
6. A generic synthesizer cover is provided by The Galaxy Sound Orchestra.
7. There are one or two novel touches in the Pink Noise cover, but othewise it is almost indistinguishable from numerous other synth covers...
8. Guisy Consoli & Max B give an interesting rendition with a hard dance feel.
9. Project D give yet another synthesizer rendition with a few flourishes now and again to keep things marginally interesting.
10. X-Treme use Mammagamma as the basis for their song "Your Love Is Coming Down Over Me." A nice slice of eurodance (well, I like it anyway!).
11. We're back in the world of cheap synthesizers with Interface.
12. 4 Fx have taken Mammagamma as the starting point for their track "Touchez Moi."
13. Henry Vandor adds to the flood of adequate synthesizer covers...

The Nirvana Principle

1. Czech musical star Daniel Hulka presides over a performance of the Nirvana Principle (aka Prolog).

Nothing Left To Lose

1. Thomas Kagermann provides a German language rendition of the song with Ist Deine Welt Noch Genau?. The lyrics do not appear to match those of the original.

Old And Wise

1. Pianist Jan Vayne provides a leisurely instrumental rendition. Probably the best interpretation of this song I've heard.
2. Colin Blunstone reprises one of his finest Project moments on his album "Colin Blunstone Sings His Greatest Hits". It is very similar in feel to the APP original.
3. Herman van Veen covers the song on his 1992 album "You Take My Breath Away - Herman van Veen sings Pop Classics". It's an interesting vocal performance, but I rather like it.
4. Flautist Thijs van Leer performs an instrumental version on the album "Introspection 92." Worth a listen.
5. Philippe L Auran plays the song on "Golden Piano Melodies." I haven't heard this, but I can only assume that it's a piano based performance!
6. Alex Bollard gives a decent enough guitar reworking on the album "Golden Guitar Melodies."
7. Mark Hartman and the London Studio Orchestra give a reasonable performance of the song, combining orchestra and electric guitar.
8. Anita Meyer gives an excellent vocal rendition.
9. Rick Silanskas covers the track on his album, Portrait of Love.
10. Jadis feature the track on their album, Medium Rare.
11. Wally Mix have a number of great dance remixes of the track available for download.
12. The Band Of The Royal Netherlands Air Force have covered the song. The vocalist seems to have some problems with a few of the words.
13. Larry Foster arranged an instrumental version of the track for the Landesblas Orchester on the album Ross Roy.
14. Dana Winner gives a nice performance with a baroque feel.
15. El Torro's rendition is liable to cause drowsiness.
16. Dutch a capella group Intermezzop do the song justice.
17. Margot Werner performs a German version of the song: Wenn Der Abend Kommt.
18. A Piano Moods album also features the song - but the performance cannot compete with that of Jan Vayne (above).
19. The Filarmonica Sestrese perform a medley of Eye In The Sky and Old And Wise which is not nearly as good as it should be.

Pipeline

1. This instrumental was also included as part of the Synthesizer Greatest series of albums. The albums were produced and performed by Ed Starink who later reused the instrumentals on The Alan Parsons Songbook, described above.

Sirius

1. Pink Project, an Italian disco group, produced Disco Project, which is a mix of Sirius, Mammagamma and Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall. A slightly odd combination, you might think - but well worth listening to if you get the chance!
2. P Diddy raps over the track on The Saga Continues.

Time

1. Mr Bungle has performed the song live.

The Turn Of A Friendly Card

1. Chinese singer Qi Qin turns in a fantastic performance of The Turn Of A Friendly Card. It sounds as though it should have been part of the Gambler musical!

Work Song

1. Czech musical star Daniel Hulka presides over a performance of Work Song (aka Megapolis).

You're On Your Own

1. Heidi Brühl gives a performance much like the original.
2. As does Jasna Ivir.

You Won't Be There

1. La Gente De Rana feature a Spanish language cover of the track, entitled Dime Donde Estas, on their 1993 album, El #10.

For different interpretations of Project songs, you can also try...

• Andrew Powell and the Philharmonia Orchestra Play the Best of the Alan Parsons Project
• Eric Woolfson's musical Gaudi: Original and Main releases
• Eric Woolfson's musical Gambler
• Alan Parsons Live: European and US releases

And it's not a cover at all but...

• Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland by Grandaddy