Editing The Alan Parsons Project (section)

== Sound ==
The band's sound is described as [[progressive rock]],<ref name="APP15">{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Rich|title=Alan Parsons Project: "I think we were part of the punk rebellion"|url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2015-11-25/alan-parsons-project-i-think-we-were-part-of-the-punk-rebellion|website=[[Team Rock]]|date=25 November 2015 |access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="PopMatters">{{Cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/176701-the-alan-parsons-project-i-robot-legacy-edition-2495706730.html |title=The Alan Parsons Project: I Robot (Legacy Edition) |last=Houle |first=Zachary |date=3 December 2013 |website=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=12 January 2020}}</ref> [[art rock]],<ref name="PopMatters"/><ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=The Alan Parsons Project {{!}} Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-alan-parsons-project-mn0001176481/biography|access-date=18 July 2020|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> [[progressive pop]],<ref name="APP15"/> and [[soft rock]].<ref>{{cite book |first= Joe |last= Stuessy |title= Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development |year= 1990 |publisher= [[Prentice Hall]] |page= [https://archive.org/details/rockrollitshisto00stue_0/page/380 380] |isbn= 0-13-782426-2 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/rockrollitshisto00stue_0/page/380 }}</ref> "[[Sirius (instrumental)|Sirius]]" is their best-known and most-frequently heard of all Parsons/Woolfson  songs. It was used as entrance music by various American sports teams, notably by the [[Chicago Bulls]] during their 1990s [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] [[dynasty (sports)|dynasty]]. It was also used as the entrance theme for [[Ricky Steamboat]] in pro wrestling of the mid-1980s. In addition, "Sirius" is played in a variety of TV shows and movies including the [[BBC]] series [[Record Breakers]], the episode "Vanishing Act" of ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'' and the 2009 film ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)|Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]''.

Vocal duties were shared by guests to complement each song. In later years, Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits, including "Time", "Eye in the Sky", and "Don't Answer Me". The record company pressured Parsons to use Woolfson more, but Parsons preferred to use polished proficient singers; Woolfson admitted he was not in that category. In addition to Woolfson, vocalists [[Chris Rainbow]], [[Lenny Zakatek]], [[John Miles (musician)|John Miles]], [[David Paton]], and [[Colin Blunstone]] are regulars.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Other singers, such as [[Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown]], Steve Harley, [[Gary Brooker]], [[Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera|Dave Terry a.k.a. Elmer Gantry]], [[Vitamin Z]]'s Geoff Barradale, and [[Marmalade (band)|Marmalade]]'s Dean Ford, recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons sang lead on one song ("[[The Raven (song)|The Raven]]") through a [[vocoder]] and backing on a few others, including "To One in Paradise". Both of those songs appeared on ''[[Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Alan Parsons Project album)|Tales of Mystery and Imagination]]'' (1976). Parsons also sings a prominent counter melody on "Time".

A variety of session musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly,  contributing to the recognizable style of a song despite the varied singer line-up. With Parsons and Woolfson, the studio band consisted of the group [[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]], with [[Ian Bairnson]] (guitar), [[David Paton]] (bass) and [[Stuart Tosh]] (drums).<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Pilot's keyboardist [[Billy Lyall]] contributed. From ''[[Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project album)|Pyramid]]'' (1978) onward, Tosh was replaced by [[Stuart Elliott (drummer)|Stuart Elliott]] of [[Cockney Rebel]]. Bairnson played on all albums, and Paton stayed almost until the end. [[Andrew Powell]] appeared as arranger of orchestra (and often choirs) on all albums except ''[[Vulture Culture]]'' (1985); he was composing the [[film score|score]] of [[Richard Donner]]'s film ''[[Ladyhawke (film)|Ladyhawke]]'' (1985). This score was partly in the APP style, recorded by most of the APP regulars, and produced and engineered by Parsons. Powell composed some material for the first two Project albums. For ''Vulture Culture'' and later, Richard Cottle played as a regular contributor on synthesizers and saxophone.
[[File:Alan Parsons Live Project.jpg|alt=|thumb|275x275px|Alan Parsons Live Project, Congress Centrum, Ulm Germany in 2017]]
The Alan Parsons Project played live only once under that name during its original incarnation because Woolfson and Parsons held the roles of writing and production, and because of the technical difficulties of re-producing on stage the complex instrumentation used in the studio. In the 1990s, musical production evolved with the technology of digital samplers. The one occasion the band was introduced as 'the Alan Parsons Project' in a live performance was at The Night of the Proms in October 1990. The concerts featured all Project regulars except Woolfson, present behind the scenes, while Parsons stayed at the mixer except for the last song, when he played acoustic guitar.

Since 1993, '''Alan Parsons''' continues to perform live as the '''Alan Parsons Live Project''' to be distinct from the Alan Parsons Project. The current line up consists of lead singer [[P.J. Olsson]], guitarist [[Jeffrey Kollman]], drummer Danny Thompson, keyboardist [[Tom Brooks (music producer)|Tom Brooks]], bass guitarist [[Guy Erez]], vocalist and saxophonist Todd Cooper, and guitarist and vocalist Dan Tracey. In 2013, Alan Parsons Live Project played in [[Colombia]] with a full choir and orchestra (the [[Medellin]] Philharmonic) as 'Alan Parsons Symphonic Project'. A 2-CD live set and a DVD version of this concert were released in May 2016.