Stereotomy

The word "stereotomy" is taken from "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe.{{cite web |title=Review: The Alan Parsons Project, Stereotomy |url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-02-16/entertainment/0200120188_1_stereotomy-alan-parsons-project-i-robot |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=20 December 2021 |author=Bill Henderson |date=16 February 1986 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301143837/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-02-16/entertainment/0200120188_1_stereotomy-alan-parsons-project-i-robot |archive-date=1 March 2017 |url-status=dead}} It refers to the cutting of solid shapes into different forms, and is used as a metaphor for the way that famous people (singers, actors, etc.) are 'shaped' by the demands of fame. The short track "Chinese Whispers" also references "Rue Morgue" in that although an instrumental, it features Eric Woolfson’s daughters Sally and Lorna reciting a sequence of words from the story.

Richard Cottle, who first worked with the Alan Parsons project on Vulture Culture, reprised his role as the band's dedicated session synthesiser player. His keyboard rig consisted of a PPG Wave 2.3, Emulator II, Fairlight CMI, Yamaha DX7, and two Sequential Prophet 5 synthesisers that were retrofitted with MIDI capabilities. Cottle primarily used the PPG Wave as his master keyboard and used the Prophet and DX7 for chordal pads. Parsons's TX Rack, which was positioned in the control room, also connected to some of Cottles instruments, included the DX7. The Friend Chip SRC synchronizer was relied on to overcome the latency associated with MIDI by delaying the feed to various instruments. Cottle's keyboards mixes, which were treated with audio effects such as reverb, were sent directly to the mixing console.{{cite magazine|last=Elen |first=Richard |date=May 1986 |title=The Alan Parsons Project |magazine=Sound on Sound |volume=1 |issue=7 |pages=36–39 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/the-alan-parsons-project/1565# |access-date=21 December 2024|via=Muzines}}

At the time of release, Parsons said, "Stereotomy is really our best album in years." However, he and Woolfson noted that the record suffered a lack of record label support.{{Cite journal|last=Aikin|first=Jim|last2=Doerschuk|first2=Bob|date=August 1986|title=The Essence of Studio Rock|journal=Keyboard Magazine}}

The original vinyl packaging was different from all the reissues: it featured more elaborate artwork of the paper sleeve supplied with a special color-filter oversleeve. When inserted, the over-sleeve filtered some of the colors of the artwork, allowing four different variations (two per side). In the reissues, only one variant remained. The artwork was nominated for Best Album Package at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Miles Davis's album Tutu, designed by art director Eiko Ishioka.

Stereotomy generally received negative reviews from music critics. Music Week wrote that with the exception of "Real World" and "Light of the World", the album failed to live up to the potential of the band's previous work, resulting in an album that they found to be "frustratingly commercial, meandering and sadly disappointing."{{Cite magazine |date=4 January 1986 |title=LP Reviews |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-01-04.pdf |access-date=23 June 2025 |magazine=Music Week |page=10 |via=World Radio History}} In his review of the album, J. D. Considine of Musician wrote simply: "Unnecessary surgery."{{cite magazine|first=J.D.|last=Considine |author-link=J. D. Considine|date=April 1986 |title=Stereotomy|magazine=Musician |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Musician/1980/1986/Musician-1986-04.pdf |access-date=23 June 2025 |page=92 |via=World Radio History}} AllMusic felt that the album "came up short" and was only partially salvaged by some of the instrumental compositions, which created "some musical buoyancy among the blandness of the other tracks."

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

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Lead Vocals

| title1 = Stereotomy

| extra1 = John Miles up to 5:11, Eric Woolfson 5:11 to 5:50

| length1 = 7:18

| title2 = Beaujolais

| extra2 = Chris Rainbow

| length2 = 4:27

| title3 = Urbania

| extra3 = (Instrumental)

| length3 = 4:59

| title4 = Limelight

| extra4 = Gary Brooker

| length4 = 4:39

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Lead Vocals

| title1 = In the Real World

| extra1 = Miles

| length1 = 4:20

| title2 = Where's the Walrus?

| extra2 = (Instrumental)

| length2 = 7:31

| title3 = Light of the World

| extra3 = Graham Dye, backing vocal Steven Dye

| length3 = 6:19

| title4 = Chinese Whispers

| extra4 = (Instrumental, spoken word by Sally and Lorna Woolfson)

| length4 = 1:01

| title5 = Stereotomy Two

| extra5 = Miles

| length5 = 1:21

}}

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

10. "Light of the World" (backing track) – 6:14

11. "Rumour Goin' Round" (demo) – 5:01

12. "Stereotomy" (Eric Woolfson guide vocal) – 6:37

13. "Stereotomy Two" (backing rough mix) – 1:23

The track "Chinese Whispers" is based on the game of Chinese whispers. It has some snippets of dialogue heavily overlaid on top of each other. The words are taken from Edgar Allan Poe's work Murders in the Rue Morgue:

"...The larger links of the chain run thus – Chantilly, Orion, Dr. Nichol, Epicurus, Stereotomy, the street stones, the fruiterer."

The titles of "Urbania" and "Where's the Walrus?" can be attributed to Lee Abrams, a (then) radio programmer for WLUP Radio (Chicago, IL) and friend of Parsons and Woolfson. Eric Woolfson remembers:

"He was really quite inspirational in this album [Stereotomy] in telling us what we'd been doing wrong, in his view, on the previous albums... 'Urbania' was one of the words he came out with during the course of a long conversation. Another title he's responsible for... is 'Where's the Walrus,' the other instrumental, 'cause he was really giving us a hard time, I must tell you: 'Your guitar sounds are too soft, and your whole approach is, you know, slack, and your lyrics—there’s no great lyrics anymore! I mean, where's the walrus? I don't hear the walrus!' Referring, of course, to John Lennon's `I am the Walrus’..."

Abrams is frequently credited on Project recordings as "Mr. Laser Beam" ("laser beam" being an anagram of Lee Abrams).

• Eric Woolfson – pianos, keyboards, vocals
• Alan Parsons – additional keyboards, producer
• Ian Bairnson – guitars, guitar synth
• David Paton – bass
• Stuart Elliott – drums and percussion
• Richard Cottle – synths and saxes
• The Philharmonia Orchestra, leader – Christoffer Warren-Green
• Orchestra arranged and conducted by Andrew Powell
• Sally Woolfson – voices on "Chinese Whispers"
• Lorna Woolfson – voices on "Chinese Whispers"
• Vocals: John Miles, Chris Rainbow, Gary Brooker, Graham Dye, Steven Dye, Eric Woolfson

A copy of Stereotomy can (very) briefly be seen in The Big Lebowski when Maude tells The Dude to look through her LPs.

"Limelight" was used by NBC Sports for a music video of the 1986 New York Mets during the postgame show of the 1986 World Series after the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 to win the World Championship.

in 1989 "Stereotomy", "Where's the Walrus?", and "Chinese Whispers" were used as background music in Cuando Llega El Amor starring Lucero, and Omar Fierro.

"Limelight" was used CBC Sports for the closing montage of the 1992 Grey Cup where the

Calgary Stampeders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-10. Doug Flutie led

Calgary to their first Grey Cup title in 21 years.

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Category:The Alan Parsons Project albums

Category:1980s concept albums

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