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Ammonia Avenue

Ammonia Avenue is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in February 1984 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 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 the Billboard Hot 100 and "Since the Last Goodbye" was a minor hit.

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.

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. 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.

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.