Ammonia Avenue

Ammonia Avenue is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released on 7 December 1983 by Arista Records. The Phil Spector-influenced "Don't Answer Me" was the album's lead single, and reached the Top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, as well as the fourth position on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single also reached the Top 20 in several countries[3] and represents the last big hit for the Alan Parsons Project. "Prime Time" was a follow-up release that fared well in the top 40, reaching No. 34. "You Don't Believe" was the first single in November 1983, reaching #54 on Billboard Hot 100 and "Since The Last Goodbye" was a minor hit.

Ammonia Avenue
Studio album by
The Alan Parsons Project
ReleasedDecember 7, 1983
RecordedMid 1982 – Late 1983
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London, England
Genre
Length40:22
LabelArista
ProducerAlan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Eye in the Sky
(1982)		 Ammonia Avenue
(1983)		 Vulture Culture
(1984)
Singles from Ammonia Avenue
  1. "Don't Answer Me"
    Released: March 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Ammonia Avenue is one of the band's biggest-selling albums, carrying an RIAA certification of gold and reaching the Top 10 in a number of countries.[4]

Background and release

The title of the album was inspired by Eric Woolfson's visit to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham, England, where the first thing he saw was a street with miles of pipes, no people, no trees and a sign that read 'Ammonia Avenue', whose portrait was used for the front cover. The album focuses on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective.[5] This album was the second of three recorded on analogue equipment and mixed directly to the digital master tape.

"You Don't Believe" had already been released as both a single and a new song on 1983's The Best of the Alan Parsons Project compilation.

Promotion

Music videos for "Don't Answer Me" and "Prime Time" were produced in 1984, the former with art and animation by MW Kaluta. The latter video is inspired by John Collier's story "Evening Primrose" and features two mannequins, a female and a male one, coming to life and falling in love with each other. About halfway through the video, a street sign for "Ammonia Ave." appears - a reference to the album title.

Reissue

Ammonia Avenue was remastered and reissued in 2008 with bonus tracks, and in 2020 as well, on Blu-Ray audio format, including a high-definition remaster in stereo and multichannel sound, and the two promotional videos of the album as a bonus.[6]

Track listing

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

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Prime Time"Eric Woolfson5:03
2."Let Me Go Home"Lenny Zakatek3:20
3."One Good Reason"Eric Woolfson3:36
4."Since the Last Goodbye"Chris Rainbow4:34
5."Don't Answer Me"Eric Woolfson4:11
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Dancing on a Highwire"Colin Blunstone4:22
2."You Don't Believe"Lenny Zakatek4:26
3."Pipeline"instrumental3:56
4."Ammonia Avenue"Eric Woolfson6:30
2008 Bonus Tracks
  1. "Don't Answer Me" (Early Rough Mix)
  2. "You Don't Believe" (Demo)
  3. "Since the Last Goodbye" (Chris Rainbow Vocal Overdubs)
  4. "Since the Last Goodbye" (Eric Guide Vocal – Rough Mix)
  5. "You Don't Believe" (Instrumental Tribute to The Shadows)
  6. "Dancing on a Highwire/Spotlight" (Work in Progress)
  7. "Ammonia Avenue Part 1" (Eric Demo Vocal – Rough Mix)
  8. "Ammonia Avenue" (Orchestral Overdub)

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1984) Peak
Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 16
Canada 29
France 18
Netherlands[8] 1
Norway 5
Spanish Albums Chart 2
UK Albums Chart 24
USA (Billboard 200) 14

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[10] Platinum 500,800[11]
Germany (BVMI)[12] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[13] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "allmusic ((( Ammonia Avenue > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  2. "Ammonia Avenue : Alan Parsons Project : Review : Rolling Stone". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Woolfson, Eric. "Albums, Back Catalogue". Archived from the original (– Scholar search) on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
  6. "Ammonia Avenue Deluxe Box Set". The Alan Parsons Project. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. https://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=a&date=19840317&year=1984
  9. "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Ammonia Avenue". Music Canada.
  10. "French album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Ammonia Avenue" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  11. https://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Albums_Tout_Temps.php?debut=550
  12. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Ammonia Avenue')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  13. "Dutch album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Ammonia Avenue" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Ammonia Avenue in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  14. "American album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Ammonia Avenue". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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