
The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Speakers Corner)
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Released in 1980, The Turn of a Friendly Card is one of The Alan Parsons Project’s most cohesive and emotionally resonant albums, built around the theme of gambling—not just in casinos, but in life and love. It explores human vulnerability, risk, and fate with a subtle narrative arc and a blend of lush soft rock, orchestral grandeur, and polished progressive ambition. The album flows smoothly, its slick production wrapping complex emotions in accessible melodies.
The title suite—split into five parts and closing the album—is a masterpiece of prog-pop storytelling, weaving melancholy, hope, and resignation into an elegant musical tapestry. Tracks like “Games People Play” and “Time” are standouts: the former a driving arena-rock anthem, the latter a poignant, string-laden ballad about loss and mortality. The Turn of a Friendly Card balances introspection with grandeur, making it one of the Project’s most enduring and accessible works.
Reviews
“A bittersweet and beautifully produced album, The Turn of a Friendly Card is perhaps the Project’s most emotionally direct work. Parsons and Woolfson blend lush soundscapes with deeply human themes of regret, chance, and inevitability.” – AllMusic
“This is concept rock at its most elegant. The melodies are deceptively simple, the lyrics gently philosophical, and the production—as always—impeccable. A sonic high-stakes game played with dignity and grace.” – Mojo
“The album’s emotional weight sneaks up on you. 'Time' in particular is devastating—one of the most affecting ballads in the soft-prog canon. It’s an album about chance, and yet it’s carefully, beautifully constructed.” – Classic Rock
“A masterclass in restraint and narrative flow. While it never shouts, The Turn of a Friendly Card speaks volumes about the risks we all take—whether with love, money, or our own identities.” – Record Collector
“Both grand and intimate, this album showcases the Project at the height of its storytelling power. The title suite alone is a mini-epic worthy of the best in symphonic rock.” – The Quietus
Review
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