I Robot – The man behind the recording
of “Dark Side of the Moon” is none other than Alan Parsons. If you want
to hear what is his definitive recording and a bit of the Dark Side then
this is it. I ROBOT was produced and engineered by Alan at Abbey Road
Studios and is an audiophile’s dream recording. Transferred on an
all-tube cutting system from the original 1/4″ analog master tapes at
Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Alan Parsons’ second, and probably
best, album is a wild mix of late 70’s beat-driven pop, electronic prog
instrumentals and full-bodied choral parts. The line-up is similar to
the first Project album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, with Parsons
and Eric Woolfson again splitting the song-writing duties. Being an Alan
Parsons album, it naturally has a grand concept connecting the songs;
in this case, “the story of the rise of the machine and the decline of
man…and a warning that his brief dominance of this planet will probably
end, because man tried to create robot in his own image.” As with all
Project albums, it’s nice to have some idea moving the songs along, but
it’s not necessary to reflect too much on these themes to enjoy the
music.
Parsons and Woolfson employ many styles on I, Robot, including ethereal
synthetic passages that almost border on “new age” (except that they’re
interesting), funky rhythmic playing and singing, and soft-rock pop
numbers that occasionally became radio singles (such as “I Wouldn’t Want
to Be Like You” did here). On later albums, the singles-orientated
approach would nearly ruin the band as Parsons strove harder and harder
for commercial success; here, however, the simpler tracks are actually
quite effective at establishing the despondent mood necessary for an
album that deals with the end of humankind. On that note, the last two
tracks, “Total Eclipse” and “Genesis Ch.1 V.32” are appropriately
morbid, with the former sounding like it came straight off the
orchestral chaos section of the 2001 soundtrack.
This is my favorite Parsons album and easily the best recommendation to
those interested in exploring the group. It’s one of the Project’s
darkest and least cheesy works; there’s a good chance that fans of
synthesizer instrumentals or symphonic rock will eat it up. review by Jon Fry
| EC1021 | The Alan Parsons Project – I Robot [MFSL MFCD 804] |
| Label: | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab |
| Catalog#: | MFCD 804 |
| Format: | CD (Remastered ) |
| Made in: | USA |
| Released: | 1984 ((P)1977 Arista Records, Inc.) |
| Barcode: | **** |
| Style: | Progressive Rock |
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The Alan Parsons Project – I Robot
============================================================================
1. I Robot — 6:01
2. I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You — 3:22
3. Some Other Time — 4:05
4. Breakdown — 3:52
5. Don’t Let It Show — 4:24
6. The Voice — 5:24
7. Nucleus — 3:22
8. Day after Day (The Show Must Go On) — 3:56
9. Total Eclipse — 3:12
10. Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32 — 3:24
Total Time 41:02
Notes▼
Produced by Alan ParsonsExecutive Producer: Eric WoolfsonEngineered by Alan Parsons
Assistant Engineers: Pat Stapley, Chris Blair
All tracks written by Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons except “Total Eclipse” which was written by Andrew Powell
The album was recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios, London, between December 1976 and March 1977.
Recorded in studios 2 and 3 at Abbey Road, London, England.
Consoles: EMI 16 track & EMI-Neve 24 track with Necam computer mixer.
Microphones: Neumann condensers and AKG dynamics.
Tape machines: Studer A-80.
Cover Design and Photography: Hipgnosis
Robot Design: George Hardie
Illustration: Richard Manning
All songs (C) 1976 American Woolfsongs, Inc. (BMI)
Administered by Irving Music, Inc.
Produced and distributed by MFSL, Inc. under license from Arista Records, Inc.
(P) 1977 Arista Records, Inc.
Manufactured by Sanyo Japan
(Cover) Printed in Japan
Credits▼
Orchestra and Choir arranged and conducted by Andrew Powell
Orchestral Contractor: David Katz
Choirmaster: Bob HowesBass – David Paton
Drums and Percussion: Stuart Tosh
Electric Guitars: Ian Bairnson
Acoustic Guitars: Ian Bairnson, David Paton, Alan Parsons
Keyboards: Eric Woolfson, Duncan MacKay, Alan Parsons
Steel Guitar: B.J. Cole
“Projectron” and Vocoder: Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons
Cimbalom and Kantele: John Leach
Vocals:
– Allan Clarke (Track 4)
– Steve Harley (Track 6)
– Jack Harris (Track 8)
– Peter Straker and Jaki Whitren (Track 3)
– Dave Townsend (Track 5)
– Lenny Zakatek (Track 2)
Additional Vocals:
Hillary Western, Smokey Parsons, David Paton, Stuart Tosh, Ian Bairnson, Tony Rivers, John Perry, Stuart Calver, Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons, The English Chorale and the new Philharmonia Chorus
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