Vulture Culture

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Vulture Culture is the eighth studio album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1984 via Arista label.

Overview

The first side of the LP (CD tracks 1–4) consists entirely of four-minute pop songs, and the second side varies widely, from the subdued funk of the title track to the bouncing "Hawkeye".

At the beginning of 1985, the lead single "Let's Talk About Me" reached the Top 40 in Germany (where the album was No. 1), in Switzerland (where Vulture Culture was No. 2) and in the Netherlands. The song features voice-over commentary from Lee Abrams, credited on the album as "Mr. Laser Beam" (an anagram of his name).

Originally, the album was intended to be the second LP of a double album, with Ammonia Avenue being the first. After the discs were split into separate albums, Vulture Culture was given a more modern (for the time) studio treatment with harder-hitting drums and dynamics. "Sooner or Later" was described by Parsons himself as "the third attempt to try and get another hit with the "Eye in the Sky"-esque chugging guitar line – "Prime Time" from Ammonia Avenue was the second, which I thought was a little more successful in that respect."

In the charts, Vulture Culture was a success in continental Europe, often reaching the Top 10, and in Oceania; whereas it was less successful in North America. It was the last album to be certified Gold.

The song "Hawkeye" is an instrumental but does contain a line from Monica, a woman working at the canteen in Abbey Road Studios. The line she says is: "Only what's on the menu".

This is the only Project album that does not feature the orchestration of Andrew Powell.

Vulture Culture was the last Project album recorded on analogue equipment, and as with the previous two, mixed directly to the digital master tape.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, except where noted.

Side One

1. "Let's Talk About Me" (lead vocal David Paton) – 4:29
2. "Separate Lives" (lead vocal Eric Woolfson) – 4:59
3. "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" (lead vocal Chris Rainbow) – 4:31
4. "Sooner Or Later" (lead vocal Eric Woolfson) – 4:25

Side Two

1. "Vulture Culture" (lead vocal Lenny Zakatek) – 5:22
2. "Hawkeye" (instrumental) – 3:49
3. "Somebody Out There" (lead vocal Colin Blunstone) – 4:55
4. "The Same Old Sun" (lead vocal Eric Woolfson) – 5:25

Vulture Culture was remastered and reissued in 2007 with the following bonus tracks:

9. "No Answers Only Questions (final version)" (Woolfson) – 2:12
10. "Separate Lives (alternative mix)" – 4:18
11. "Hawkeye (demo)" – 3:18
12. "The Naked Vulture" – 10:43
13. "No Answers Only Questions (the first attempt)" (Woolfson) – 2:56

Personnel

• Ian Bairnson – guitar
• Colin Blunstone – vocals
• Richard Cottle – synthesizer, keyboards, saxophone
• Stuart Elliott – percussion, drums
• Mr. Laser Beam – vocals, speech/speaker/speaking part
• Alan Parsons – keyboards, programming, vocals
• David Paton – bass, guitar, vocals
• Chris Rainbow – vocals
• Eric Woolfson – piano, keyboards, vocals
• Lenny Zakatek – vocals

Cultural references

• The album name was referenced in Donkey Kong Country as the first level in Vine Valley, the 3rd area in the game.
• The cover of the album pictures an Ouroboros, with a vulture's head instead of a serpent, which was made to symbolise greed.
• The album title became the name of an art movement started in the later 2000's. A short film on the subject is being made.

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1985	The Billboard 200	46
1985	UK Albums Chart	40
1985	Canada	25
1985	Norway	9