I Robot (DVD Audio)
Artist(s):
The Alan Parsons Project
Label: Classic Compact Disc
Publisher(s):
Classic Compact Disc
Studio: Classic Compact Disc
Manufacturer: Classic Compact Disc
Binding: DVD Audio
List Price: CDN$ 30.99
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Track Listing
1.
I Robot
2.
I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You
3.
Some Other Time
4.
Breakdown
5.
Don't Let It Show
6.
Voice
7.
Nucleus
8.
Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)
9.
Total Eclipse
10.
Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The second of former Beatles/Pink Floyd engineer Parsons' long string of prog-rock concept albums was also his commercial breakthrough, spawning an unlikely but catchy hit in "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You." In addition to that tune are other Project faves such as "Breakdown," "Don't Let It Show," and "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On." The ambitiously elaborate 1977 album--according to the liner notes, a meditation on "the rise of the machine and the decline of man"--boasts the sonic wizardry and immaculate musicianship that would become the Project's trademark through the '80s, and features an array of guest vocalists, including Hollies frontman Allan Clarke and Cockney Rebel leader Steve Harley. --Scott Schinder
Customer Reviews
Fantasting pop/rock compositions -- a joy to rediscover
The Alan Parsons Project really came at the wrong time. When the music industry was desperate to sign up punk bands who could barely play a few chords, here was a collective of skilled musicians, sublimating their own identities in support of a producer with prog-rock leanings. And by the time CD technology arrived, the Alan Parsons Project had already cut most of their best work, and the problem was that, when it came to replacing our favourite LPs with the CD version, APP albums weren't typically top of our list.
So I will be the first to admit that I've neglected APP over the years. It is over 20 years since I heard this album and, having just bought it on CD, it is sheer joy to hear so many high-quality tracks that I'd had nagging in the back of my mind over the years and I'd been unable to place. I'd previously bought an APP compilation on CD, but classics such as 'Some Other Time' and 'The Voice' seem to have been excluded from all his 'Best of' collections.
This CD is AAD and not remastered, but it sounds pretty good, all the same. (Parsons gave its predecessor, 'Tales of Mystery', a thorough re-working for CD, not only remastering it but also getting Ian Bairnson to lay down new guitar tracks.)
When 'Tales of Mystery' came out in 1976, there was a certain amount of hype about it, much of it related to Parsons' work on DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. The album even got favourably reviewed by Derek Jewell on Radio 3's 'Sounds Interesting'. But some buyers, myself included, were disappointed at the time, because of the 'difficult' side two, which was largely classical. It therefore came as a great relief that the follow-up 'I Robot' wasted none of its tracks on classical pretensions.
I first heard the single 'I wouldn't want to be like you' when visiting the US for the first time. I was spending up to eight hours a day on a Trekamerica minibus, going from NY to LA, fed an unbroken diet of pop radio, which at the time seemed to revolve around endless repetitions of 'Easy' by the Commodores, 'Nobody does it better' by Carly Simon, and the disco version of the 'Star Wars' theme. Suddenly, towards the end of the holiday, stations started playing 'I wouldn't want to be like you', and it was both a relief and a joy to discover that APP had cut a second album and made a decent single. I just had to buy the LP as soon as I returned to Britain.
This album is rather more consistent than its predecessor. Gone as vocalists are Arthur Brown and John Miles, but in their place are a strong team headed by Lenny Zakatek and a remarkably ego-free Steve Harley.
In summary, the only thing preventing this from being a 5-star rating is that it's not remastered. Strongly recommended nevertheless -- you'll be surprised how many tunes you remember! This team will only have achieved the long-term recognition they deserve as composers when a student on 'Pop Idol' chooses to sing 'Some Other Time'!
"Freedom, Freedomn, take the wall away"
I Robot, artistically, sports one of my favorite album covers and, musically, is one of my favorite Alan Parson Project records--although it is way below my all-time favorite: Ammonia Avenue. There are a lot of instrumental tracks on this one. Besides the brilliant 6:06 title track and the last song "Genesis CH. I V. 32," which you can hum along to, the other instrumentals, "Nucleus" and "Total Eclipse," seem to be just to provide mood. Of the non-instrumentals, most are some of the Project's finest. "Don't Let It Show" may be a little too Air Supply-ish, but the rest are gems. My favorite is the beautiful "Some Other Time." It ends with a powerful piano which is refreshing since the Project often ended some of their nicest, simplest tracks with way over-the-top orchestration (case in point: "Silence and I" on the Eye in the Sky LP). Unfortunately, the orchestra finds its way at the end of the otherwise cool, rockin' "Breakdown." The quasi-gospel singing just doesn't seem to fit. Another favorite of mine is the very pleasant "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)."
A quote inside the gatefold of the vinyl release reveals the concept of I Robot: "The story of the rise of the machine and the decline of man..." I like this idea, but I don't see it developed in these songs. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios between December 1976 and March 1977, I Robot is probably the most disco-sounding album the Alan Parsons Project made, especially with the tracks "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" and "The Voice." If you have one or two other APP albums and are thinking of expanding your collection, I definitely recommend I Robot. Some of the best tracks on this album are as good as the best on Eye in the Sky, etc. I only wish there were some unreleased tracks to add to these CDs.
I, Parsons
An instant classic, 1977's "I Robot" was the first big commercial breakthrough for The Alan Parsons Project. A themed album about Man's relation to machines & vice versa, it's a winning combination of both the Project's art-rock & pop sensibilities, and, being released in 1977, it even has a great *disco* feel to some of the tracks, like the funky hit "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You," "The Voice," and the marvelous instrumental title track. More incredible music continues on other fine tracks like "Some Other Time," "Don't Let It Show," and the beautiful "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)." And there's more great instrumental pieces in the breathtaking "Nucleus," the ominous "Total Eclipse," and the powerful "Genesis Ch.1 V.32." Great vocals abound from the likes of Allan Clarke, Steve Harley, Lenny Zakatek, the English Chorale & others, the songwriting by Parsons & Eric Woolfson is solid, and the group's musical chemistry is nothing short of supreme. The album's production work is simply amazing, and Andrew Powell's impressive orchestrations are the icing on the cake. One of the best recorded unions of prog & pop, the Alan Parsons Project's "I Robot" is an astonishing work.
Early Progressive Experience
"I Robot" was quite possibly one of my first experiences with a true prog rock concept album. Alan Parsons fit into the scene with other progressive (and) rock outfits (King Crimson, Moody Blues, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Yes, Supertramp) of the time... but they were never center stage like some of the others. They just quietly went about making great music. "I Robot" featured great sound production - even for 1977. This entire album sounds amazing with headphones turned on high. So many little sounds, lush orchestra arrangements, and the faint background choir. Upbeat tunes with hits "Breakdown" and "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You", "Some Other Time" and "The Voice". Slower tunes that maybe you'll get into and maybe you won't... "Nucleus", "Total Eclipse" and the depressing final cut "Genesis". The instrumental opener "I Robot" is a combination of experimentation, synthesizers and a steady rock beat... it's great. If you like this one, check out other classics of the late 1970's from Parson's; "Turn Of A Friendly Card", "Eve", and "Pyramid". If you own nothing and want a good overview of the band, try their "Definitive Collection" (1997) or "Works" (2002)... both extensive 2-cd sets.
Yay, i'm Number 50!
The Alan Parson Project is generally thought of as a 'progressive rock' band: i.e, Yes, King Crimson, et. al. However, this, their second recording, is very straight-forward, and the music is highly accessible, with a few of the bizzare orchestral numbers as an exception. In fact, some of the tracks, like "I Wouldn't Want to be Like You" and "Breakdown" were pretty moderate disco hits, and I still hear them on local radio stations from time to time.
I first heard this album about 6 years ago. I was a very big Pink Floyd fan, and i'd read somewhere about how Alan Parsons was an engineer on such ground-breaking albums like the Beatles "Abbey Road" and Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Discovering that he was also a successful musical force as well, I bought this and another of his albums, "Pyramid". What really blew me away was the title track to this album, with fades in very slowly with a synth drone, and gradually crescendoes into a sort of funky groove, replete with just tons of instruments and sound effects. Parson's background in sound engineering paid off very well: this is a disc that definetly needs to be heard with a good-quality speaker system.
I can't really go on too much about the songs....some of them really do resemble Pink Floyd, though. It's almost ironic that one tune "Day After Day (The Show Must Goes On)" would share a title with a track from Floyd's "The Wall" (sans the 'day after day' part). However, this music is for the most part, wholely original, and deserves at least a listening from people who not only enjoy good quality music, but good quality sound as well. I've yet to hear the DVD audio (or supposedly mixed?) but I find it sounds great just in standard CD audio (i've even heard the vinyl copy, and it sounds great too!)
Final words? Nah....the music 'speaks for itself'....(insert laughter here)
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