document_title: War for the Planet of the Apes

question_text: who plays winter in war for the planet of the apes

text: War for the Planet of the Apes

text: Plot[edit]

text: Two years have passed[9] since the human-hating bonobo Koba attacked the human survivors in San Francisco. Since then, Caesar and his tribe of intelligent apes have been forced against a rogue U.S. military faction known as Alpha-Omega. Led by a ruthless Colonel, Alpha-Omega employs many apes formerly loyal to Koba, derogatorily called "donkeys".

text: An Alpha-Omega platoon launches an attack on an ape outpost, but it fails and four soldiers, including one named Preacher and a "donkey" gorilla named Red, are captured. Caesar releases the soldiers, hoping the display of mercy will show the Colonel that the apes are not savages; Red escapes by injuring the albino gorilla Winter. Later, Caesar's eldest son Blue Eyes and lieutenant Rocket return from a long journey. Blue Eyes reports that they found a place across the desert that is ideal for the apes. Despite an uneasy Winter asserting that the apes should leave immediately, Caesar decides they need to prepare first. That night, the Colonel leads a team of soldiers in infiltrating the apes' home, where he kills Blue Eyes and Caesar's wife Cornelia. Upon discovering this, Caesar attempts to prevent the Colonel's escape but fails. Afterward, the apes are unable to find Winter, who they believe betrayed them out of fear.

text: In the morning, the tribe gathers to journey to safety. Leaving his youngest son, Cornelius, in the care of Blue Eyes' wife Lake, Caesar departs to exact revenge while serving as the decoy for the other apes. Accompanied by Rocket, his orangutan adviser Maurice, and his gorilla lieutenant Luca, the apes enter a seemingly abandoned village, where they come upon a soldier who deserted the Colonel's army. Caesar kills him in self-defense. They then discover a mute girl, who Maurice befriends and adopts, giving her a small rag doll. They then find Winter at a beachside military camp, having become a "donkey". They confront Winter, who tells Caesar that the Colonel departed for the border, to meet more soldiers. Winter then attempts to call out for help, but the other apes restrain him, and Caesar accidentally suffocates him. While following the military, the apes discover soldiers who have been shot and left for dead. Their examination of a surviving soldier reveals that he is mute like the girl. Caesar then kills him in an act of mercy.

text: Later, the apes give chase after a hooded figure who stole one of their horses and are surprised to discover he is an intelligent ape from another zoo, named Bad Ape. While camping with Bad Ape, they discover that he knows where the border is and he hesitantly agrees to lead them there. The group reaches the border, where they see a quarantine facility. While attempting to get a closer look, Luca is killed protecting Caesar from some soldiers. An angered Caesar decides to proceed alone rather than continue to endanger his allies. While there, however, Caesar learns that Alpha-Omega captured his tribe and are forcing them to build a wall without food or water. Caesar is then captured by Red, who brings him to the Colonel. He is forced to work with the other apes, and when he inspires them to stop working, the Colonel threatens to kill Caesar to get the apes to continue.

text: Caesar deduces that the Colonel is barricading the facility to fend off other military forces who are against him for killing his own soldiers. The Colonel informs Caesar that the Simian Flu virus had mutated, and the human carriers subsequently became mute and devolved into a primitive state. He then has Caesar tortured with starvation to force the other apes to work. The mute girl, named Nova by Maurice, sneaks into the facility to give Caesar food, water, and her rag doll. To prevent her from being discovered, Rocket allows himself to be captured as a diversion. The next day, the Colonel comes to see if Caesar is still alive, and confiscates the doll upon discovering it. Together, Caesar and Rocket are able to work out a means of escape via an underground tunnel leading out of the facility. Though the plan is successful, Caesar remains behind to confront the Colonel as the facility comes under attack by the army of dissenting soldiers. However, he finds the Colonel infected by the virus via contact with Nova's doll. Caesar chooses not to kill the Colonel, instead watching him commit suicide.

text: The escaping apes are caught in the crossfire between the two armies while Red watches uncertainly. Caesar attempts to blow up a large fuel tank to take out the Alpha-Omega forces from behind, but he is shot with a crossbow by Preacher. Red then uses a grenade launcher to kill Preacher and save Caesar's life before he is shot dead by a soldier. Caesar succeeds in blowing up the tank and escapes the facility as it is consumed in a cascade of explosions, which then triggers an avalanche that wipes out the dissenting soldiers. The apes, carrying Nova, all survive by climbing nearby trees. They then cross the desert to find an oasis. While the other apes celebrate their new home, Maurice discovers Caesar's fatal wound. He promises to tell Cornelius who his father was and what he did for the apes. Caesar then dies peacefully while Maurice mourns his death and the other apes look on.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Apes[edit]

text:
Andy Serkis as Caesar, an intelligent common chimpanzee who is leader to a tribe of genetically enhanced apes.[10]
Steve Zahn as "Bad Ape", a common chimpanzee who lived in a zoo before the Simian Flu outbreak, and was a hermit before joining Caesar's group.[11][12]
Karin Konoval as Maurice, a Bornean orangutan who is Caesar's adviser.[10]
Terry Notary as Rocket, a common chimpanzee who is Caesar's brother-figure.[13]
Ty Olsson as Red, a Western lowland gorilla who was once a follower of Koba, now serving the Colonel to defeat Caesar. Olsson previously played Chief Hamill in Rise.[14]
Michael Adamthwaite as Luca, a Western lowland gorilla in Caesar's tribe. Luca was previously played by Scott Lang in Dawn.[15]
Toby Kebbell as Koba, a bonobo who had previously waged war against the humans in Dawn; he now appears in Caesar's hallucinations.
Judy Greer as Cornelia, Caesar's wife.[10]
Sara Canning as Lake, a common chimpanzee in Caesar's tribe, who is also Blue Eyes' mate and later Cornelius's caretaker.[16]
Max Lloyd-Jones as Blue Eyes, Caesar and Cornelia's oldest son.[17]
Devyn Dalton as Cornelius, Caesar and Cornelia's youngest son, and Blue Eyes' younger brother. Dalton previously played Cornelia in Rise.
Aleks Paunovic as Winter, an albino Western lowland gorilla in Caesar's tribe who sided with the Colonel out of fear.[18]

text: Humans[edit]

text:
Amiah Miller as Nova, a mute orphan whom Maurice befriends and cares for.[19][20]
Woody Harrelson as The Colonel, the leader of the paramilitary organization Alpha-Omega, who is obsessed with wiping out Caesar and his tribe to preserve humans as the dominant species.[21][22] His full name was revealed in the film's screenplay as Colonel J. Wesley McCullough.[23]
Gabriel Chavarria as Preacher, a human soldier working under the Colonel in Alpha-Omega.[24]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: After seeing his cut of Dawn, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment signed Matt Reeves to return as director for a third installment of the reboot series. In January 2014, the studio announced the third film, with Reeves returning to direct and co-write along with Bomback, and Peter Chernin, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver serving as producers.[25][26] During an interview in mid-November 2014 with MTV, Andy Serkis said they did not know the next film's setting. "...It could be five years after the event. It could be the night after the events of where we left 'Dawn.'"[27] In May 2015, the title was first given as War of the Planet of the Apes.[28] By October 2015, it had been retitled as War for the Planet of the Apes.[11]

text: When director Reeves and screenwriter Bomback came on board to helm Dawn, the film already had a release date, which led to an accelerated production schedule. However, with the third installment, Fox wanted to give the duo plenty of time to write and make the film. Taking advantage of this, the two bonded with each other more than before.[29]

text: In interviews for Dawn, Reeves talked about the inevitable war Caesar would have with the humans: "As this story continues, we know that war is not avoided by the end of Dawn. That is going to take us into the world of what he is grappling with. Where he is going to be thrust into circumstances that he never, ever wanted to deal with, and was hoping he could avoid. And now he is right in the middle of it. The things that happen in that story test him in huge ways, in the ways in which his relationship with Koba haunts him deeply. It’s going to be an epic story. I think you’ve probably read that I sort of described it where in the first film was very much about his rise from humble beginnings to being a revolutionary. The second movie was about having to rise to the challenge of being a great leader in the most difficult of times. This is going to be the story that is going to cement his status as a seminal figure in ape history, and sort of leads to an almost biblical status. He is going to become like a mythic ape figure, like Moses."[30]

text: Toby Kebbell, who portrayed Koba in Dawn, had expressed interest in reprising his role or performing as other characters.[31] Plans to include Koba in a larger role in the film were abandoned early, with Bomback saying, "If you stayed until the very end of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, you hear Koba’s breathing. We did that to give us a tiny crack of a possibility that we could revive Koba if we wanted to. Very early on in spitballing, we realized there was nothing more to do with Koba – certainly nothing that would exceed what he had done in the last story. But we knew we wanted to keep him alive as an idea. In playing out the reality of what happened at the end of the last film, Caesar would be traumatized by having to kill his brother. That would have resonance, and we wanted to make sure that did not get lost. So the answer was that we could go inside Caesar’s mind at this point and revisit Koba that way."[32]

text: Casting[edit]

text: In August 2015, Deadline reported that Gabriel Chavarria had been cast as one of the humans in the film.[33] In September 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Woody Harrelson had been cast as the film's antagonist, and that Chavarria's role was supporting.[21] In October 2015, TheWrap reported that Steve Zahn was cast as a new ape in the film.[11] It was also announced that actress Amiah Miller was cast as one of the film's humans, with Judy Greer and Karin Konoval reprising their roles as Cornelia and Maurice,[10][19] while Aleks Paunovic and Sara Canning were cast as new apes.[18][16]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film began on October 14, 2015 in the Lower Mainland in Vancouver, under the working title Hidden Fortress.[34][35] Filming was expected to take place there until early March 2016.[36] Parts of the film were expected to shoot for up to five days in the Kananaskis in late January and early February.[37] In March, Serkis confirmed that he had finished shooting his portions.[38]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: As with Rise and Dawn, the visual effects for War were created by Weta Digital; the apes were created with a mixture of motion-capture and CGI key-frame animation, as they were performed in motion-capture technology and animated in CGI.

text: Influences[edit]

text: At New York Comic-Con 2016, Reeves explained that he and Bomback were influenced by many films before writing. He said, "One of the first things that Mark and I did because we had just finished Dawn was that we decided to watch a million movies. We decided to do what people fantasize what Hollywood screenwriters get to do but no one actually does. We got Fox to give us a theater and we watched movie after movie. We watched every Planet of the Apes movie, war movies, westerns, Empire Strikes Back... We just thought, 'We have to pretend we have all the time in the world,' even though we had limited time. We got really inspired."[39]

text: Additionally, during production, Reeves and Bomback sought broader inspirations from films like The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Great Escape. Feeling that there was a need to imbue Biblical themes and elements, they also watched Biblical epics like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments. The influences and inspirations were made evident in the relationship between Caesar and Woody Harrelson's Colonel, a military leader with pretensions toward godhood. Reeves has compared their relationship to the dynamic between Alec Guinness's British Commander and Sessue Hayakawa's prison camp Colonel in Bridge on the River Kwai. Another comparison is in Caesar's journey to find the Colonel, flanked by a posse of close friends – a situation Reeves explicitly tied to Clint Eastwood's war-weary soldier in The Outlaw Josey Wales.[29] Influences from the film Apocalypse Now, notably Harrelson's character and his Alpha-Omega faction being similar to Colonel Kurtz's renegade army, were also noted by several journalists.[40][41][42] Harrelson has also acknowledged the similarities and inspiration.[43]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
War for the Planet of the Apes

Soundtrack album by Michael Giacchino

Released
July 7, 2017 (Digital)
July 21, 2017 (Physical)

Recorded
2017

Genre
Film score

Label
Sony Masterworks

Michael Giacchino film scores chronology

Spider-Man: Homecoming
(2017)Spider-Man: Homecoming2017
War for the Planet of the Apes
(2017)
Coco
(2017)Coco2017

text: On October 17, 2015, it was confirmed that Michael Giacchino, the composer and writer of the soundtrack for Dawn, would return to compose War's score.[44] The soundtrack was digitally released to iTunes and Amazon on July 7, 2017,[45] and in its physical form by Sony Masterworks on July 21, 2017.

text: Release[edit]

text: The film was initially set for a July 29, 2016, release. However, in January 2015, Fox postponed the film's release date to about a year later on July 14, 2017.[46][5]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: Special behind-the-scenes footage for the film was aired on TV on November 22, 2015, as part of a contest announcement presented by director Matt Reeves and Andy Serkis.[47] The footage aired during The Walking Dead on AMC.[48][49] The announcement allowed winners to wear a performance-capture suit and appear in a scene as an ape.[50] The announcement was released on 20th Century Fox's official YouTube page later the same day.[51]

text: At a New York Comic Con special event on October 6, Reeves, Serkis and producer Dylan Clark debuted an exclusive look at the film.[52]

text: Serkis has also mentioned that the film would be accompanied by a video game, for which he performed motion capture.[53] Titled Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier, the game was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in fall 2017.[54]

text: Home media[edit]

text: War for the Planet of the Apes was released on Digital HD on October 10, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD on October 24, 2017 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[55]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: War for the Planet of the Apes grossed $146.9 million in the United States and Canada and $343.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $490.7 million, against a production budget of $150 million.[4]

text: In North America, the film was projected to gross $50–60 million in its opening weekend,[56] however, given its acclaimed status and strong word-of-mouth, rival studios believed the film had the potential to debut as high as $70–80 million.[3][57][58] War was closely monitored by analysts while the summer was witnessing a decline in ticket sales, a situation that they blamed on franchise fatigue for an overabundance of sequels and reboots (such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Transformers: The Last Knight and The Mummy). However, box office analysts noted that well-reviewed films have tended to perform in-line with estimates (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming).[59][60][61] The film grossed $5 million from Thursday night previews at 3,021 theaters, up 22% from the $4.1 million earned by its predecessor, and $22.1 million on its first day. It went on to debut to $56.3 million, topping the box office, albeit with a 22% drop from Dawn's $72.6 million debut.[62][63] In its second weekend, the film grossed $20.9 million (a drop of 62.9%, more than the 50.4% fall Dawn saw), finishing 4th at the box office.[64] In its third weekend, the film made $10.5 million (dropping another 49.9%), finishing 6th at the box office. It was lower than the third weeks of both Rise ($16.1 million) and Dawn ($16.8 million).[65]

text: Outside North America, War for the Planet of the Apes received a scattered release in a span of three months (July–September). The film began its release in about a third of the marketplace on July 14, albeit only in two major markets, and was projected to have an opening of $50–60 million, with the potential to go higher if smaller Asian markets over-perform, as they have for recent tent poles.[3] The film ended up having an international debut of $44.2 million, including $9.27 million in the United Kingdom.[66]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: War for the Planet of the Apes received praise for the cast's performances (particularly Serkis), Reeves's direction, visual effects, musical score, cinematography and its morally complex storyline.[67] On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 296 reviews, with a rating average of 8.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "War for the Planet of the Apes combines breathtaking special effects and a powerful, poignant narrative to conclude this rebooted trilogy on a powerful – and truly blockbuster – note."[68] On review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[69] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its two immediate predecessors.[62]

text: Scott Collura of IGN awarded the film a score of 9.5 out of 10, saying: "War for the Planet of the Apes is an excellent closing act to this rebooted trilogy, but also one that does enough world-building that the series can potentially continue from here – and it’s a rare case where, after three movies, we’re left wanting more."[70] A.O. Scott of The New York Times said of the film, "“War for the Planet of the Apes,” directed by Matt Reeves, is the grimmest episode so far, and also the strongest, a superb example — rare in this era of sloppily constructed, commercially hedged cinematic universes — of clear thinking wedded to inventive technique in popular filmmaking," and lauded Andy Serkis's performance in the film, stating that "Andy Serkis’s performance as Caesar is one of the marvels of modern screen acting."[71]

text: Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, and said that Serkis performed "with a resonant power and depth of feeling that's nearly Shakespearean. Oscar, get busy: Serkis deserves the gold," and went on to say that "War for the Planet of the Apes – No. 9 in the simian cinema canon – is the best of the Apes films since the 1968 original."[72] Eric Kohn of Indiewire gave the film a B+ rating, and praised Matt Reeves's directing, saying "It’s a given that an expensive 21st century sci-fi movie with talking animals, exploding tanks, and jarring machine guns would look and sound great, but Reeves applies these effects with such a measured strategy that they’re always working in service of a greater narrative agenda." Kohn went on to applaud the visuals and musical score, stating that "The breathlessly paced montage of flying bullets and angry monkeys raining down on terrified men, aided by Michael Giacchino’s vibrant score, is a strong indicator of the next-level craftsmanship that distinguishes these movies from so many cacophonous Hollywood spectacles; not only is the action easy to follow, but you care for the motion-captured characters at the center of it, while the humans cower in fear."[73]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

Golden Trailer Awards
June 6, 2017
Best Motion/Title Graphics
War for the Planet of the Apes: 20th Century Fox, Wild Card
Nominated
[74][75]

Best Summer 2017 Blockbuster TV Spot

Hollywood Film Awards
November 5, 2017
Hollywood Visual Effects Award
Dan Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, and Erik Winquist
Won
[76][77]

Hollywood Post Alliance
November 16, 2017
Outstanding Visual Effects - Feature Film
Dan Barrett, Anders Langlands, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Luke Millar, Erik Winquist, and Weta Digital
Won
[78][79]

Teen Choice Awards
August 13, 2017
Choice Movie: Summer
20th Century Fox
Nominated

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
December 8, 2017
Best Motion Capture Performance
Andy Serkis
Won
[80]

Best Motion Capture Performance
Steve Zahn
Nominated

San Francisco Film Critics Circle
December 10, 2017
Best Actor
Andy Serkis
Won
[81][82]

Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated

San Diego Film Critics Society
December 11, 2017
Best Visual Effects
War for the Planet of the Apes
Won
[83]

Chicago Film Critics Association
December 12, 2017
Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated
[84]

Seattle Film Critics Society
December 18, 2017
Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated
[85][86]

Best Visual Effects
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Dan Barrett, and Joel Whist
Won

Utah Film Critics Association
Best Actor
Andy Serkis
Won
[87]

Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society
December 19, 2017
Best Animated / Visual Effect Performance
Andy Serkis
Won
[88][89][90]

Best Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated

Best Action / War
War for the Planet of the Apes
Nominated

Best Blockbuster
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Won

Phoenix Film Critics Society
Best Visual Effects
War for the Planet of the Apes
Won
[91]

North Carolina Film Critics Association
December 29, 2017
Best Special Effects
War for the Planet of the Apes
Won
[92]

Columbus Film Critics Association
January 4, 2018
Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
Woody Harrelson
Runner-up
[93]

Golden Tomato Awards
January 3, 2018
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie 2017
War for the Planet of the Apes
2nd Place
[94]

Houston Film Critics Society
January 6, 2018
Best Actor
Andy Serkis
Nominated
[95][96]

Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino

Best Visual Effects
War for the Planet of the Apes

Critics' Choice Movie Awards
January 11, 2018
Best Action Movie
War for the Planet of the Apes
Nominated
[97]

Best Visual Effects
Won

Georgia Film Critics Association
January 12, 2018
Best Actor
Andy Serkis
Nominated
[98]

Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Awards
January 21, 2018
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
War for the Planet of the Apes
Nominated
[99][100]

Art Directors Guild
January 27, 2018
Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film
James Chinlund
Nominated
[101]

Annie Awards
February 3, 2018
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Daniel Barrett, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo, Emile Ghorayeb, Luisma Lavin Peredo, and Alessandro Bonora
Won
[102]

Satellite Awards
February 10, 2018
Best Film Editing
William Hoy
Won
[103]

Best Original Score
Michael Giacchino
Nominated

Best Sound
War for the Planet of the Apes
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Nominated

Visual Effects Society Awards
February 13, 2018
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Joe Letteri, Ryan Stafford, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joel Whist
Won
[104]

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
Eteuati Tema, Aidan Martin, Florian Fernandez, Mathias Larserud for "Bad Ape"
Nominated

Dennis Yoo, Ludovic Chailloleau, Douglas McHale, Tim Forbes for "Caesar"
Won

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Chris McLaughlin, Ryan Salcombe, Seungjin Woo, Francesco Dell'Anna for "Hidden Fortress"
Nominated

Phillip Leonhardt, Paul Harris, Jeremy Fort, Thomas Lo for "Prison Camp"
Nominated

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
David Caeiro Cebrian, Johnathan Nixon, Chet Leavai, Gary Boyle
Won

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
Christoph Salzmann, Robin Hollander, Ben Morgan, Ben Warner
Won

British Academy Film Awards
February 18, 2018
Best Special Visual Effects
Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, and Joel Whist
Nominated
[6]

Golden Reel Awards
February 18, 2018
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue / ADR
Supervising Sound Editors: Douglas Murray, Will Files; Supervising Dialogue Editor: R.J. Kizer; Vocal Editors: Kim Foscato, P.K. Hooker, Doug Jackson, Lindsay Alvarez; ADR Editors: Laura Graham, and Jim Brookshire
Won
[105][106]

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Effects / Foley
Supervising Sound Editors: Douglas Murray, Will Files; Sound Effects Editors: David Grimaldi, Jack Whittaker, Ken McGill, P.K. Hooker, Doug Jackson, Lindsay Alvarez; Foley Editors: John Morris, Matthew Harrison, Thom Brennan, Willard Overstreet; Foley Artists: Dan O'Connell, and John T. Cucci
Nominated

International Film Music Critics Association Awards
February 22, 2018
Score of the Year
Michael Giacchino
Nominated
[107][108]

Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film
Michael Giacchino
Won

Film Music Composition of the Year
"End Credits" from War for the Planet of the Apes by Michael Giacchino
Won

Academy Awards
March 4, 2018
Best Visual Effects
Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, and Joel Whist
Nominated
[109]

Saturn Awards
June 2018
Best Science Fiction Film
Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Pending
[110]

Best Director
Matt Reeves
Pending

Best Actor
Andy Serkis
Pending

Best Special Effects
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Joel Whist
Pending

text: Future[edit]

text: In October 2016, it was reported that a fourth Planet of the Apes film was being discussed.[111][112]


document_title: Alan Parsons

question_text: who did the song he ain heavy he my brother

root

text: Alan Parsons

text: Career[edit]

text: In October 1967, at the age of 18, Parsons went to work as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios, where he earned his first credit on the LP Abbey Road. He became a regular there, engineering such projects as Paul McCartney's Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway, five albums by the Hollies, and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, for which he received his first Grammy Award nomination. He was known for doing more than what would normally be considered the scope of a recording engineer's duties.[citation needed] He considered himself to be a recording director, likening his contribution to recordings to what Stanley Kubrick contributed to film.[citation needed] This is apparent in his work with Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat", where Parsons added the saxophone part and transformed the original folk concept into the jazz-influenced ballad that put Al Stewart onto the charts.[citation needed] It is also heard in Parsons' influence on the Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "The Air That I Breathe", sharp departures from their popular 1960s hits "Stay", "Just One Look", "Stop! Stop! Stop!" or "Bus Stop".[citation needed] Parsons was also known to have swapped shifts during the engineering of Dark Side of the Moon so he could work entirely on the project.[citation needed]

tag: p

text: Parsons also produced three albums by Pilot, a Scottish pop rock band consisting of Ian Bairnson on guitar, Stuart Tosh on drums, and David Paton on lead vocals, guitars, bass and William (Billy) Lyall, on piano and keys. Their hits included "January" and "Magic".

text: He also mixed the debut album by the American band Ambrosia and produced their second album Somewhere I've Never Travelled. Parsons was nominated for a Grammy Award for both of these albums.[2]

text: In 1975, he declined Pink Floyd's invitation to come back and work on the follow-up for "Dark Side," Wish You Were Here, and instead initiated the Alan Parsons Project with producer and songwriter (and occasional singer) Eric Woolfson, whom he had met at Abbey Road. The Project consisted of a revolving group of studio musicians and vocalists, most notably the members of Pilot and (on the first album) the members of Ambrosia. Unlike most rock groups, the Alan Parsons Project never performed live during its heyday, although it did release several music videos. Its only live performance during its original incarnation was in 1990, with Woolfson present but behind the scenes. After releasing ten albums, the last in 1987, the Project terminated in 1990 after Parsons and Woolfson split, with the Project's intended 11th album released that year as a Woolfson solo album. Parsons continued to release work in his own name and in collaboration with other musicians. Parsons and his band now regularly tour many parts of the world.

text: Although an accomplished vocalist, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist and flautist, Parsons only sang infrequent and incidental parts on his albums, such as the background vocals on "Time". While his keyboard playing was very audible on the Alan Parsons Project albums, very few recordings feature his flute. During the late 1990s, Parsons' career travelled an interesting full circle. Having started out in the music industry at the Abbey Road Studios in London as an assistant engineer in the late 1960s, he briefly returned to run the studio in its entirety. He reportedly managed to combine this role with the demands of a hectic performing and recording schedule. Parsons also continued with his selective production work for other bands.

text: Of all his collaborators, guitarist Ian Bairnson worked with Parsons the longest, including Parsons' post-Woolfson albums, Try Anything Once, On Air, and The Time Machine.

text: In 1998, Parsons became Vice-President of EMI Studios Group including the Abbey Road Studios. He soon left the post, deciding to return to more creative endeavours. Parsons remained as a creative consultant and associate producer for the group.

text: As well as receiving gold and platinum awards from many nations, Parsons has received ten Grammy Award nominations for engineering and production. In 2007 he received a nomination for Best Surround Sound Album for A Valid Path.

text: Beginning in 2001 and extending for four years, Parsons conceived and led a Beatles tribute show called A Walk Down Abbey Road featuring a group of headlining performers such as Todd Rundgren, Ann Wilson of Heart, John Entwistle of the Who, and Jack Bruce of Cream. The show structure included a first set where all musicians assembled to perform each other's hits, and a second set featuring all Beatles songs.

text: Since 1999 he has toured under a revised name, the Alan Parsons Live Project (with Woolfson's permission). The band currently features lead singer P.J. Olsson, guitarist Alastair Greene, drummer Danny Thompson, keyboardist Manny Focarazzo, keyboardist Tom Brooks, bass guitarist Guy Erez, vocalist and saxophonist Todd Cooper, guitarist and vocalist Dan Tracey, along with Parsons on rhythm guitar, keyboards and vocals.[citation needed] This band performed live in Medellín, Colombia in 2013 as Alan Parsons Symphonic Project in a performance recorded for Colombian television and also released on CD (live 2-CD) and DVD (May 2016).

text: In May 2005, Parsons appeared at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, to mix front-of-house sound for Southern California-based Pink Floyd tribute band Which One's Pink? and their performance of The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety.[3]

text: In 2010, Parsons released his single "All Our Yesterdays" through Authentik Artists.[4] Parsons also launched a DVD educational series in 2010 titled The Art and Science of Sound Recording ("ASSR") on music production and the complete audio recording process. The single "All Our Yesterdays" was written and recorded during the making of ASSR. The series, narrated by Billy Bob Thornton, gives detailed tutorials on virtually every aspect of the sound recording process.[5]

text: During 2010, several media reports,[6][7] one of which included a quote from a representative of Parsons,[8] alleged that the song "Need You Now" by country music group Lady Antebellum used the melody and arrangement of "Eye in the Sky."

text: Parsons produced Jake Shimabukuro's album, Grand Ukulele, which was released on 2 October 2012. Also in 2012, he contributed lead vocals and performed keyboards and guitar on the track "Precious Life" by German electronic music duo Lichtmond, and appeared with many other noted progressive-rock musicians on The Prog Collective album by Billy Sherwood, singing lead on "The Technical Divide."

text: Parsons engineered the third solo album by Steven Wilson, The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), released on 25 February 2013.

text: In late 2013, a live album recorded on tour in Germany and Austria with the title LiveSpan was released, accompanied by a single called "Fragile" with Simon Philips on drums.

text: Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, celebrated the 35th anniversary of Eye in the Sky, with the worldwide release of a definitive deluxe collector’s box set, featuring rare and unreleased material, on November 17, 2017.

text: Personal life[edit]

text: Parsons was born in London. He resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife Lisa and her two daughters, Tabitha and Brittni, as well as numerous pets.[1] He has two sons, Jeremy (Jerry) and Daniel, from his previous marriage.

text: Discography[edit]

text: Studio albums[edit]

text:
with The Alan Parsons Project:

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)
I Robot (1977)
Pyramid (1978)
Eve (1979)
The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980)
Eye in the Sky (1982)
Ammonia Avenue (1984)
Vulture Culture (1985)
Stereotomy (1985)
Gaudi (1987)

as a solo artist:

Try Anything Once (1993)
On Air (1996)
The Time Machine (1999)
A Valid Path (2004)

tag: ul

text: Full discography[edit]

text:
Date
Title
Label
Charted
Country
Catalog Number

as part of The Alan Parsons Project

May 1976
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Mercury
38
US

June 1977
I Robot
Arista
9
US
SPARTY 1012

June 1978
Pyramid
Arista
26
US

August 1979
Eve
Arista
13
US

November 1980
The Turn of a Friendly Card
Arista
13
US

June 1982
Eye in the Sky
Arista
7
US

1983
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project
Arista
53
US

February 1984
Ammonia Avenue
Arista
15
US

February 1985
Vulture Culture
Arista
46
US

November 1985
Stereotomy
Arista
43
US

January 1987
Gaudi
Arista
57
US

1988
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2
Arista
–
–

1988
The Instrumental Works
Arista
–
–

1990
Freudiana
EMI
–
–

9 October 1989
Pop Classics
Arista
–
–

1995 (6/2004)
Extended Versions: The Encore Collection Live

–
–

15 July 1997
The Definitive Collection

–
–

27 July 1999
Master Hits - The Alan Parsons Project

–
–

2 August 1999
Alan Parsons Project - Greatest Hits Live = Best of Live

–
–

3 August 1999
Eye in the Sky – Encore Collection

–
–

9 May 2000
Alan Parsons Project - Gold Collection
BMG International
–
–

22 August 2002
Works
Audiophile Legends
–
–

23 March 2004
Ultimate

–
–

2006
Days Are Numbers
Arista
–
–
88697016972

2007
the Essential (2 CD Compilation)
Arista / Legacy [9]
–
–
88697043372

2010
The Collection
Sony / Camden[10]

88697808482

as Solo Artist - STUDIO ALBUMS

6 October 1993
Try Anything Once
Arista
122
US

24 Sept 1996
On Air
A&M/Digital Sound
78
US

28 Sept 1999
The Time Machine
Miramar
71
US

24 August 2004
A Valid Path
Artemis
34
US

as Solo Artist - LIVE ALBUMS

27 June 1995
The Very Best Live
RCA
–
–

6 April 2010
Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid
Frontiers

e

Sept 2013
Alan Parsons LiveSpan
MFP

June 2016
Alan Parsons Symphonic Project, Live in Colombia[11]
earMusic

as Solo Artist - SINGLES

15 June 2010
All Our Yesterdays / Alpha Centauri (2010)[12]
Authentik Artists, Inc.

3 April 2014
Fragile / Luciferama[13]
Mfp Music Productions

10 April 2015
Do You Live At All[14]

as Engineer

1969
Abbey Road (The Beatles)

1
UK
US

1970
Atom Heart Mother (Pink Floyd)
Harvest
1
55
UK
US

1973
The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
Harvest
2
1
UK
US

1974
Hollies (The Hollies)
Polydor (UK), Epic (US)
28
US

1975
Another Night (The Hollies)

132
US

1975
Ambrosia (Ambrosia)
20th Century
22
US

1976
Year of the Cat (Al Stewart)

5
US

1978
Time Passages (Al Stewart)

10
US

2013
The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) (Steven Wilson)
Kscope
28
UK

as Producer

1974
From the Album of the Same Name (Pilot)
EMI

1974
The Psychomodo (Cockney Rebel)
EMI

1975
The Best Years of Our Lives (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel)

–
–

1975
Second Flight (Pilot)

1975
Modern Times (Al Stewart)

1976
Rebel (John Miles)

171
US

1976
Year of the Cat (Al Stewart)

5
US

1976
Somewhere I've Never Travelled (Ambrosia)
20th Century
79
US

1978
Time Passages (Al Stewart)

10
US

1979
Lenny Zakatek (Lenny Zakatek)
A&M

US

March 1984
Keats
EMI

1985
Ladyhawke (OST by Andrew Powell)
Atlantic Records

1993
Symphonic Music of Yes
RCA

2012
Grand Ukulele (Jake Shimabukuro)
Mailboat Records

2017
Blackfield V (Blackfield)
Kscope

UK, Israel

as Executive Producer / Mentor

1999
Turning the Tide (Iconic Phare)
Carrera Records
–
–

tag: table

text: Billboard Top 40 hit singles (US)[edit]

text: Canadian singles[edit]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Nominations[edit]

text:
1973 – Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1975 – Ambrosia – Ambrosia – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1976 – Ambrosia – Somewhere I've Never Travelled – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1976 – The Alan Parsons Project – Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1978 – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1979 – Ice Castles – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
1979 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1981 – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1982 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
1986 – The Alan Parsons Project – "Where's The Walrus?" – Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
2007 – Alan Parsons – A Valid Path – Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album