A classic album held in high esteem for its ambition, vision and adventurous use of then-contemporary recording technology, 1977’s I Robot was the second release from the Alan Parsons Project.
It was planned as a concept album based on the robot stories of Isaac Asimov, but when legal restrictions prohibited the use of the author’s name and story titles, the record became more broadly about issues arising from humanity’s use and development of intelligent machines.
The Alan Parsons Project was never really a band as such; instead it was the songwriting and production duo of Parsons and Eric Woolfson, hiring session players and guest vocalists as needed.
Both boasted impressive CVs – Parsons from his engineering and production work with The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Al Stewart, and Woolfson from over a decade of sessions and songwriting for Marianne Faithfull, the Tremeloes and others, plus artist management.
Stylistically, the album runs the gamut from funk-infused soft rock of I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You and the laid-back, almost Floydian sway of Day After Day (The Show Must Go On) through to the extraordinary synth, choral and orchestral cinematic soundscapes of Total Eclipse and the heady, ambient swell of synth and drum machine vibes of Nucleus – which presaged trip hop by more than a decade.
Kicking off the album are the skittering sequencers, ominous rumblings, infectious funk and choir of I Robot; while at its end we’re treated to powerful instrumental themes, rock band grooves and the further massed voices of Genesis Ch.1 V.32.
Beyond the original album’s 40-odd-minute runtime, this package delivers hours of extra material. Four CDs contain demos, rough mixes, alternative takes and different vocal contributions – for instance, a version of Some Other Time with Jaki Whitren singing the entire song, while it’s a duet on the album.
Individual instruments are isolated, providing numerous versions of almost every song on the album. Separate keyboard, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar solo, horn section and alternative backing tracks are provided just for the song Breakdown alone.
Also included are a 60-page book of the story behind the album with masses of promo materials, remastered 45rpm vinyl, and a Blu-ray containing Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound mixes, alongside interview footage of Woolfson and a promo video for I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You.
Despite numerous reissues in multiple formats over the years, this edition is the most comprehensive dive yet. It’s a fascinating forensic foray into an album that, for many, changed how they thought about recorded music.
I Robot: Super Deluxe Box Set is on sale now via Cooking Vinyl.
