Alan Parsons Project

Gaudi

A beautiful, and tragic, tale of a man far ahead of his time

Review Score:

(10/10)
As most of Alan Parsons' albums are, this is a concept album constructed around a central theme. As ALL Alan Parsons albums are, it is also far more than that: it is the tale of a man named Antonio Gaudi. Don't bother; you've probably never heard of him. Antonio Gaudi was an architect who was AT LEAST a century ahead of his time. He did not simply create buildings; his buildings were ART. Go look up La Sagrada Familia, his most famous work, and the inspiration for the first track on the album. You'll see what I mean.

The first track, called "La Sagrada Familia" (which translated from Spanish means "The Sacred (or Holy) Family" is a lush, intricately constructed anthem which is also stirringly beautiful, just like the cathedral which inspired it. It should be Antonio Gaudis' epitaph.

The nearly heart-breaking song "Inside Looking Out" speaks poignantly of the hideous irony and tragedy that befell the genius Gaudi. For all his unmatched talent and vision, he is remembered, when he is remembered at all, not for his fantastic art but as the first man to be hit and killed by a bus. The song makes you know what true bitter irony is.

The second song, "Too Late", tells us of the hardships Antonio Gaudi suffered in trying to find patrons for his works. It also tells of the anger and bitterness Gaudi must have felt when, again and again, his patrons stabbed him in the back. This is an edgy, hard song that captures the mood of betrayal perfectly. It also is, I think, the perfect break-up song.

In "Closer To Heaven", you can get a feel for what it must be like to be a genius driven by visions that cannot be truly realised because the technology, the tools, and the methods don't exist yet. This song is slow and beautiful, and the frustration of a dream limited by the world is a subtle but rich undertone.

There is so much more to this album than I have room to say here. There is not, to my mind, one "candy" song on the entire album. If you have! ever wondered why the brilliant are nearly always desperately unhappy, or what drives them to try to change the world anyway, this album will explain it to you. Listen to the music, and hear the heart of a man, and the spirit of an age.

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