The Turn of a Friendly Card
Encyclopedia
The Turn of a Friendly Card is a progressive rock
album by The Alan Parsons Project
, released in 1980
. The album focuses on gambling
, and loosely tells the tale of a middle-aged man who grows restless and takes a chance by going to a casino and betting all he has, only to lose it all. The original LP had a side-long title piece, which was broken up into five tracks (as were the CD versions except the West German pressing), with the five sub-tracks having their names listed with sub-numberings - a la an outline numbering system. The Turn of a Friendly Card is also notable for spawning the moderate hits "Games People Play
" and "Time
," the latter of which was Eric Woolfson
's first lead vocal appearance.
Note - when it was first released on CD, tracks 6-10 were one track. When first released on vinyl, the track list showed side two as Turn of a Friendly Card parts I, II, III, IV & V with the titles given for each part.
The Turn of a Friendly Card was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
album by The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
, released in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
. The album focuses on gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, and loosely tells the tale of a middle-aged man who grows restless and takes a chance by going to a casino and betting all he has, only to lose it all. The original LP had a side-long title piece, which was broken up into five tracks (as were the CD versions except the West German pressing), with the five sub-tracks having their names listed with sub-numberings - a la an outline numbering system. The Turn of a Friendly Card is also notable for spawning the moderate hits "Games People Play
Games People Play (Alan Parsons Project song)
"Games People Play" is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. It charted at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart. It appears on the album The Turn of a Friendly Card and was sung by Lenny Zakatek....
" and "Time
Time (Alan Parsons Project song)
Time is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. The song charted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart, thus making it one of the group's more successful singles.- History :...
," the latter of which was Eric Woolfson
Eric Woolfson
Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
's first lead vocal appearance.
Original Vinyl Track listing
All tracks written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson- "May Be a Price to Pay" (lead vocal Elmer GantryElmer Gantry’s Velvet OperaElmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as "Velvet Opera", was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch.-History:...
) – 4:58 - "Games People PlayGames People Play (Alan Parsons Project song)"Games People Play" is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. It charted at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart. It appears on the album The Turn of a Friendly Card and was sung by Lenny Zakatek....
" (lead vocal Lenny ZakatekLenny ZakatekLenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
) – 4:22 - "TimeTime (Alan Parsons Project song)Time is a 1980 song by the Alan Parsons Project. The song charted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard pop chart, thus making it one of the group's more successful singles.- History :...
" (lead vocal Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
backing vocal Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
) – 5:04 - "I Don't Wanna Go Home" (lead vocal Lenny ZakatekLenny ZakatekLenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
) – 5:03 - "The Gold Bug" (instrumental) – 4:34
- "The Turn of a Frienly Card Suite" (lead vocal Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
and Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
) - 16:24- "The Turn of a Friendly Card (Part One) " (lead vocal Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
) – 2:44 - "Snake EyesSnake Eyes (song)"The Turn of a Friendly Card: ii. Snake Eyes" is a song by British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project off their 1980 concept album The Turn of a Friendly Card. It charted at #67 on the U.S. Billboard Charts in 1981. It is the second part of a five-part medley that shares the same...
" (lead vocal Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
) – 3:14 - "The Ace of Swords" (instrumental) – 2:57
- "Nothing Left to Lose" (lead vocal Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
) – 4:07 - "The Turn of a Friendly Card (Part Two)" (lead vocal Chris RainbowChris RainbowChris Rainbow is a Scottish rock singer and musician who had two minor hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s....
) – 3:22
- "The Turn of a Friendly Card (Part One) " (lead vocal Chris Rainbow
Note - when it was first released on CD, tracks 6-10 were one track. When first released on vinyl, the track list showed side two as Turn of a Friendly Card parts I, II, III, IV & V with the titles given for each part.
The Turn of a Friendly Card was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:
- "May Be a Price to Pay" (intro/demo)
- "Nothing Left to Lose" (basic backing track)
- "Nothing Left to Lose" (Chris Rainbow overdub compilation)
- "Nothing Left to Lose" (early studio version with Eric's guide vocal)
- "Time" (early studio attempt)
- "Games People Play" (rough mix)
- "The Gold Bug" (demo)
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
13 |
| 1980 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
38 |
| 1981 | Canada | 16 |