The Alan Parsons Project - Stereotomy (Descanse em paz Eric...)

[puckering1]

Great song great video !

[mmcpr34]

I first came across this track for the first time in June/July 2005 after I was given a John Miles Anthology CD by my nephew and I played on BCR radio's 3rd RSL in July/August 2005. This was the time I revisted John Miles's music which I had admired since 1970s. Great track & video which pushed limits of technology of the time in the 80s. Matloub Husayn Ali Khan.

[one2onefan]

Top notch video and a superb song from the masterminds of progressive rock.Thanks for sharing this video!!

[searchme45]

the song is great. the real meaning of stereotomy is the merging or cutting of stones using a diamond edge blade to mirror or match another as in brick or block work.Eric thought it sounded rockin rollish?..it was the one word "stereotomy"that is taken from "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe. It refers to the cutting of existing solid shapes into different forms

[redD4Dworld]

@themoshmenace It is Great!

[franknwalters]

the song is poor , there's no doubt they (Alan Parsons & Eric Woolfson) wrote better songs than this ...

but the video is very , very good ...

[pinkwaters100]

the meaning behind the video is obvious.....stereotomy, hello. look at the synchronisity involved with the dancers. theyre acting in perfect wstereotomy

[gvbezoff]

@pinkwaters100 Actually, the meaning of the title is as follows: The word "stereotomy" is taken from "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe. It refers to the cutting of existing solid shapes into different forms; it is used as a metaphor for the way that famous people (singers, actors. etc.) are often 'shaped' by the demands of fame.

[TheDCD1]

Pretty trippy video. Great song, too.

[stevecouncil]

The video's purpose was to show how computers could be used in a music video. In the early 80's, this was pushing the limits of what technology had to offer.

[Noelegy]

I remember hearing this song for the first time while I was out of school sick with bronchitis. I thought I was having a fever dream. LOVE APP.

[fogggygyrl]

I <3 Alan Parsons Project.

[gmjunkyard]

It was meant to be visually entertaining while listening to the music. It was not meant to tell a story or make sense. The music is more important than the video.

[goonerash]

who are those people coming out of the volcano...???

[McBangus]

I LOVE this video because of it's sheer strangeness. I personally don't think the song would be much with out the video. It's the video that bends your mind & that was obviously Alan's intent as has always been with his music, and for something that came out in the 80s this video was so far ahead of its time. It still bends my mind every time I watch it & that's why I love i so much. Show me ANYTHING that's come out in this century that was this unintentionally powerful.

[A11YourBas3]

I am a huge fan of Alan Parson Project's music, but most of the music videos I've seen from them are a bit retarded, including this one. WTF were they thinking?

[agoodcupoftea]

i know, right? i imagined spies in the enemy's lair for this & am sorely dissapointed in this video.

[maxwelljrdn]

this video is quite strange, but i still doubt thats what made this entire album a flop, but if you want a creepy video, check APP's "Prime Time" video, and Genesis "Land of Confusion", both are very creepy

[azzorroww]

@A11YourBas3

well they being the band no the record company made this one if you want better ap videos look  at the fan related videos to eric and alans songs there pretty damn good, i would say though stereotomys video was pretty good its all about expressional movement its out there but its fun not to be taken seriously to the songs meaning seven minutes is to long though respecting radio programmers of the day this was a strong album with great singles potential

[FergusonTO35]

Awesome song by APP, as always. Better not watch this video if you have epilepsy, though.

[A11YourBas3]

The album version is over 7 minutes long! Stereotomy Two is the better version of this track.

[McBangus]

heeheehe

[chrisporter61]

I remember this song from early 1986....never did hit the top 40 but should have...and whoever put together and edited this video,,,PURE GENIUS!!! LOVE IT

[aussiek67]

Whole album is amazing & I've seen them play live & a few songs from this incl. Stereotomy. Ian Bairson was born to play guitar. Most underrated guitarist of the modern day from the 70's to now & easily top 10 best of all time guitarists.See him play live then come back & let us know, if you havent seen him or the whole AP gang. Video was ahead of its time for sure.

[statelybird3]

Never seen this video either---at least I don't remember seeing it on MTV back then.

[drfulmore07]

At 1:57-2:04 I think Michael Jackson saw this video and used that idea for the "Smooth Criminal" video.

[completeberd]

This is a good song, but the accompanying video is mediocre.

[AlienRelics]

Ah, the video toaster... I miss my Amiga computer.

[sewalk927]

This was done about 8 years before the Toaster was available. But the equipment used then cost several 10's of thousands of dollars which is what made the $5,000 Toaster so amazing.

[juam37]

Great!

[FractAlkemist]

Dont watch this when high

[FergusonTO35]

Agreed. You likely wouldn't survive.

[Hyperionalis]

I agree with you. One of the best things about the Project was its musical versatility. Even on the same album you have songs of a profoundly different feel, such as this one and its "poppy" feel and "Light of the World" with its more melancholy message.

[judyb1169]

Holy Cow! I loved this song!!!

[statelybird3]

Me too---I haven't heard this song literally since it came out---it's never played on the radio here in Detroit at all---I used to like anything by the APP----this used to be one of my most underrated jams around 1986!

[judyb1169]

Agreed! :)

[aperezNWO]

For the reasons that I don't know, AAP and Pink Floyd videos uses to praise the Nature Forces (volcanoes, water, etc).. any way! their work is amazing..

[McBangus]

The video is so trippy and amazing, the switches between stop-motion and full-motion play with your head and it's a freaky feeling. I don't think there was any deeper message than that. I love this!

[stevecouncil]

The video has little purpose other than to show off what was possible with PC's back in the day. I remember being amazed when this came out.

[Pinkhamsterino]

this is the kinda video you get if the band doesn't want to be in the video (unless godley & creme are directing -- hope they didn't do this one). love the song.

[wheresmycoffee007]

This album was my first CD. It's 20 years later and I still enjoy it every bit as much as I did then!

[ssweeps1]

LOVE IT!

[crystoyu]

The song is realy cool but the video is a little weird....I dont't get his message.

[Blondiegreeneyes72]

weird video but i love the song

[nt654321]

Awesome song!!!

[stevecouncil]

I was amazed when I first saw this video. It pushed the limits of computer technology at the time.  Think about it.

[Naanad]

I have the 3-D LP album with cover intact. As a little girl this song meant a lot to me, and looking back at the lyrics might explain my odd perspective on life with this being one of several very odd 70's songs that I started my life out on.

[VenetaTownMayor]

This song and album were released in 1985. And their best one, IMO.

[Naanad]

I completely agree. It's an amazing song and the lyrics blend well with the music.

[Warhead3000]

Love the song but it was the mid 80;s

[taturanabr]

i do also... with the plastic 3d cover.... one of the best album covers ever...

[BIGROCKER620]

Love this song...Prob my fave APP, among many...Those were the days...When they ruled MTV...Remember MTV??? LOL I was glued 24 hours a day...

[SubwayExplorer]

I looooooooooove this song, but this video is só awful... it's a disgrease to the beautiful song.

but this is not the first time i see the combination of a beautiful song and a trashy vid.

[sanjosemailman]

iwas impressed with the song, but the video was awful.....when the song first came out, i bought the record...then i saw the video...and i could not understand how someone as brillian as alan parsons would allow such a terrible video to be made.

[dmail9]

this video messed with my head when I was a teenager. Not great at all by today's standards but it showed me then what it felt like to see something totally different and experimental.

[bil56]

Great song and wierd video. Yes, back then there wasn't the technology we have today. That is when it was expected to have a video for every song you did! Thank goodness it didn't control the APP! They are great without them. Other groups just were not that good or a flash in the pan groups with good videos and lousy music.

[progress67]

I was looking at the ALP section in the record store and it took me back to the 80's!! What a great retro track....

[rokirovka1972]

I bet I'm the only person who remembers that Stereotomy made the MTV Top 20 Video Countdown for a single week, at #20.

God bless YouTube.

[sewalk927]

This video is awesome. So it doesn't make any sense and most of the effects look dated and corny. That isn't the point. This was done _without_ a NLE computer system. It was probably done with a Paintbox and A/B roll editing editing equipment. I think someone was just showing off the state of the art in video animation and editing of the early 80's. Simply amazing to those of us who edited video before AVID was even an idea.

[rafalweb]

I can always count on youtube to find crap I haven't seen in decades but have thought about......I wanted to find this song for the longest time. The video is hell on the eyes. But great song.

[GreekGuy9999]

This really is an awful video. Really. What gives with the waves in the background..and the fire and all the other random images. Ranks up there with Squeeze's "Hits of the Year" and Hall and Oates' "Adult Education". UGGGH!

[BobCubTAC]

Hey, I LIKED the Adult Education vid! o.0

[malicedoom]

Also:

"The word 'stereotomy' is taken from the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. It refers to the cutting of existing solid shapes into different forms; it is used as a metaphor for the way that famous people (singers, actors. etc.) are often 'shaped' by the demands of fame."

[malicedoom]

I thought this was a strange ass video back in 1985 and my opinion on that has not changed in 23 years. :)

[chameleonday]

I remember there was a special edition of the album that featured a red and green vinyl outersleeve, symbolic of 3D glasses.

[chameleonday]

One edition of the album had some neat packaging with a red and green vinyl (symbolic of 3D glasses) outer sleeve protector.

[Tre404]

Holy, crap, who would have ever thought we'd EVER see "Stereotomy" again?? Awesome! Some years back I found this cassette still sealed, with the original red Arista case, and still haven't played it. By the way... what's a stereotomy? Is that when The Good Guys or Best Buy come and repossess your car radio for nonpayment?

[chameleonday]

I think stereotomy refers to getting along

in a relationship like the left and right channel do in stereo sound.

[mantra3000]

I absolutely admire Zbegniew's work in any video I see of him. Absolute wonder...

[sokratine89]

Awesome. That video was down for a few months, I'm so happy to find it back here.

[Domedsand]

I remember this as a 16 year old in February 1986. Classic song.

[geboner]

i remember it back then as well as a 19year old living in canadaigua new york during a nasty ass winter! good tune!!