The Time Machine (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = The Time Machine
Type = Album
Artist = Alan Parsons


Released = September 28 1999
Recorded =
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 51:50
Label = Miramar
Producer =
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:spdfylo2xppb link]
Last album = "On Air"
(1996)
This album = "The Time Machine"
(1999)
Next album = "A Valid Path"
(2004)

"The Time Machine" is the third solo album produced and engineered by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project. (The themes of time, time travel, and memory of the past had been suggested by Parsons as subject matter for the second Alan Parsons Project album, but writing partner Eric Woolfson favored a purely futuristic theme of robotic beings eventually displacing the human race, which eventually resulted in the album I Robot.) "Temporalia" features a narration by Prof. Frank Close on the idea of the universe itself acting as a sort of time machine, whilst "Press Rewind" ponders what we might do if we were able to reverse time, and change decisions we have made.

The track "The Call Of The Wild" is notable for featuring the vocal talent of Máire Brennan from Clannad. The track list here is from the American release; on the Japanese release, the instrumentals here called 'The Time Machine' are named 'H.G. Force' (a reference to H.G. Wells) and a bonus track titled 'Beginnings' is also included.

Track listing

#"The Time Machine" " ["H.G. Force (Part 1)" in bonus track european version] " (instrumental) – 4:54
#"Temporalia" " [with the voice of prof. Frank Close] " (instrumental) – 1:00
#"Out Of The Blue" (lead vocal Tony Hadley backing vocal Chris Rainbow) – 4:54
#"Call Up" (lead vocal Neil Lockwood) – 5:13
#"Ignorance Is Bliss" (lead vocal Colin Blunstone backing vocal Chris Rainbow) – 6:45
#"Rubber Universe" (instrumental) – 3:52
#"The Call Of The Wild" (lead vocal Máire Brennan) – 5:22
#"No Future In The Past" (lead vocal Neil Lockwood additional vocals Chris Rainbow, Stuart Elliott) – 4:46
#"Press Rewind" (lead vocal Graham Dye) – 4:20
#"The Very Last Time" (lead vocal Beverley Craven backing vocal Ian Bairnson) – 3:42
#"Far Ago And Long Away" (instrumental) – 5:51
#"The Time Machine (Part 2)" " ["H.G. Force (Part 2)" in bonus track European version] " (instrumental) – 2:14"bonus track"
#"Beginnings" (instrumental) - 4:31
#"Dr. Evil Edit" (lead vocal Mike Myers) - 4:31

The title track is heavily influenced by the techno style of Robert Miles, indicating a change in style that would be continued in the next album, "A Valid Path". There is also a bonus track, the "Dr. Evil Edit" featuring the voice of Mike Myers from the second Austin Powers movie, , in which The Alan Parsons Project is mentioned.

Lyrics

The lyrics in this album, like many other albums of Alan Parsons and Alan Parsons Project, are around a central theme, in this case H.G. Wells novel The Time Machine, but touches other themes related to relativity and time traveling:

* "The Time Machine": Instrumental intro about the time machine.

* "Temporalia": Instrumental track, it has prof. Frank Close explanation about time and space relativity, this is an extract of "Equinox - The rubber Universe".

* "Out Of The Blue": Lyrics related to time traveler from our earth's future.

* "Call Up": About traveling to the past and bring back all the great people in history, to help change the world.

* "Ignorance Is Bliss": talks about our time, and how sad people is in comparison to ancient and simpler times, and the possibility of change for good to a simple way of life.

* "Rubber Universe": Instrumental related the universe expansion.

* "The Call Of The Wild": Talks about in a future when mankind will be one without any separation (ethnics, faith, nations, etc). The melody of this song is a variation of a traditional Irish folk song "She Moves Through the Fair".

* "No Future In The Past": Talks about avoid repeating past's mistakes.

* "Press Rewind": The possibility to go back in time and start all over again, doing the same again or changing something for better.

* "The Very Last Time": A song about people that has gone and never seen again (alive or not). The song was actually written about the author's dead dog.

* "Far Ago And Long Away": Instrumental making a word play, since in relativity "space" = "time" so "far away" = "far ago" and "long ago" = "long away".

* "The Time Machine (Part 2)": Instrumental outro about the time machine.