Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Vinyl)
Arista Records (1977)

2 reviews for Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (Vinyl)
Arista Records (1977)

1. 

   5 out of 5

   AMG – September 18, 2015

   A unique, compelling album and the one record that truly captures mind and spirit of the Alan Parsons Project. Alan Parsons delivered a detailed blueprint for his Project on their 1975 debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, but it was on its 1977 follow-up, I Robot, that the outfit reached its true potential. Borrowing not just its title but concept from Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi Robot trilogy, this album explores many of the philosophies regarding artificial intelligence -- will it overtake man, what does it mean to be man, what responsibilities do mechanical beings have to their creators, and so on and so forth -- with enough knotty intelligence to make it a seminal text of late-'70s geeks, and while it is also true that appreciating I Robot does require a love of either sci-fi or art rock, it is also true that sci-fi art rock never came any better than this. Compare it to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, released just a year after this and demonstrating some clear influence from Parsons: that flirts voraciously with camp, but this, for all of its pomp and circumstance, for all of its overblown arrangements, this is music that's played deadly serious. Even when the vocal choirs pile up at the end of "Breakdown" or when the Project delves into some tight, glossy white funk on "The Voice," complete with punctuations from robotic voices and whining slide guitars, there isn't much sense of fun, but there is a sense of mystery and a sense of drama that can be very absorbing if you're prepared to give yourself over to it. The most fascinating thing about the album is that the music is restless, shifting from mood to mood within the course of a song, but unlike some art pop there is attention paid to hooks -- most notably, of course, on the hit "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You," a tense, paranoid neo-disco rocker that was the APP's breakthrough. It's also the closest thing to a concise pop song here -- other tunes have plenty of hooks, but they change their tempo and feel quickly, which is what makes this an art rock album instead of a pop album. And while that may not snare in listeners who love the hit (they should turn to Eye in the Sky instead, the Project's one true pop album), that sense of melody when married to the artistic restlessness and geeky sensibility makes for a unique, compelling album and the one record that truly captures mind and spirit of the Alan Parsons Project.
2. 

   5 out of 5

   Geoff – September 18, 2015

   Pink Floyd's sound engineer, Alan Parsons oversees the hand-picked top musicians and singers, and his meticulous production techniques means the LP sounds glorious! The first two Alan Parsons Project are my favourites -- 'I Robot' & 'Tales of Mystery and Imagination' are both masterpieces! This was the second record from the man who learnt so much working with Pink Floyd, as sound engineer at EMI Studios. The album employed many technical advances, such as the EMS Synthi-A ‘suitcase’ synth sequencer (heard on 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'), a portable electronic pipe organ, an analogue keyboard instrument called the Projectron (predecessor to ’80s digital samplers), and more. Beginning with the eerie electronic instrumental title track, the album then hits with a triple shot of power pop -- the funky "I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You" (why has Glenn Hughes never covered this song?), emotive "Some Other Time" and catchy "Breakdown" (featuring Allan Clarke of the Hollies). Parsons oversees the hand-picked top musicians and singers, and his meticulous production techniques means the LP sounds glorious! Listen to "Don’t Let It Show" and try not to get a lump in your throat... but then there is Side 2... Tracks segue into another and the atmosphere comes to an almighty choral conclusion with "Genesis CH.1. V.32". Fantastic!