I Robot (album)
Encyclopedia
I Robot is a progressive rock
album
recorded by The Alan Parsons Project
, engineered by Alan Parsons
and Eric Woolfson
in 1977. It was released by Arista Records in 1977 and re-released on CD
in 1984 and 2007. It was intended to be based on the I, Robot
stories written by Isaac Asimov
, and Woolfson actually spoke with Asimov, who was enthusiastic about the idea. As the rights already had been granted to a TV/movie company, the album's title was altered slightly by removing the comma, and the theme and lyrics were made to be more generically about robots rather than specific to the Asimov universe.
The cover inlay reads: "I ROBOT...THE STORY OF THE RISE OF THE MACHINE AND THE DECLINE OF MAN, WHICH PARADOXICALLY COINCIDED WITH HIS DISCOVERY OF THE WHEEL...AND A WARNING THAT HIS BRIEF DOMINANCE OF THIS PLANET WILL PROBABLY END, BECAUSE MAN TRIED TO CREATE ROBOT IN HIS OWN IMAGE."
The title of the final track, "Genesis Ch.1 v.32," follows this theme by implying a continuation to the story of Creation, since the first chapter of Genesis only has 31 verses.
The album cover photo of the band members is of the criss-crossing escalator tubes in the circular Terminal 1 building of Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris.
releases.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
(MFSL) released the album on standard vinyl (MFSL 1-084), UHQR vinyl (MFQR 1-084), and on aluminum CD (MFCD-1-804). Classic Records has released the album in analog form on 180 Gram Vinyl, as well as digitally on HDAD (24bit/192 kHz & 24bit/96 kHz DVD-Audio).
In 2007, as part of a larger campaign, Sony released a remastered version along with bonus tracks on CD.
"Dark Side of the Moon" and "Animals" albums, with a more commercial pop
oriented sound.
Don't Let It Show was covered by Pat Benatar
for her In the Heat of the Night LP. Gail Godwin
describes it as "much more sentimental than the usual Alan Parsons."
I Robot was remastered and reissued in 2007 with the following bonus tracks:
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
recorded by The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
, engineered by Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
and Eric Woolfson
Eric Woolfson
Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
in 1977. It was released by Arista Records in 1977 and re-released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1984 and 2007. It was intended to be based on the I, Robot
I, Robot
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are...
stories written by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, and Woolfson actually spoke with Asimov, who was enthusiastic about the idea. As the rights already had been granted to a TV/movie company, the album's title was altered slightly by removing the comma, and the theme and lyrics were made to be more generically about robots rather than specific to the Asimov universe.
The cover inlay reads: "I ROBOT...THE STORY OF THE RISE OF THE MACHINE AND THE DECLINE OF MAN, WHICH PARADOXICALLY COINCIDED WITH HIS DISCOVERY OF THE WHEEL...AND A WARNING THAT HIS BRIEF DOMINANCE OF THIS PLANET WILL PROBABLY END, BECAUSE MAN TRIED TO CREATE ROBOT IN HIS OWN IMAGE."
The title of the final track, "Genesis Ch.1 v.32," follows this theme by implying a continuation to the story of Creation, since the first chapter of Genesis only has 31 verses.
The album cover photo of the band members is of the criss-crossing escalator tubes in the circular Terminal 1 building of Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris.
Reissues and Remastering
I Robot has been reissued multiple times in various formats since its initial release on vinyl, including numerous audiophileAudiophile
An audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
releases.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
(MFSL) released the album on standard vinyl (MFSL 1-084), UHQR vinyl (MFQR 1-084), and on aluminum CD (MFCD-1-804). Classic Records has released the album in analog form on 180 Gram Vinyl, as well as digitally on HDAD (24bit/192 kHz & 24bit/96 kHz DVD-Audio).
In 2007, as part of a larger campaign, Sony released a remastered version along with bonus tracks on CD.
Musical style
This album has strong influences from soul, funk and disco music, especially in tracks like "I Robot", "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "The Voice", mixed with some influences from early electro and synth-pop music. It also sounds very close to Pink Floyd'sPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
"Dark Side of the Moon" and "Animals" albums, with a more commercial pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
oriented sound.
Songs
Three singles were released from this album: "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You;" "Don't Let it Show;" and "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)." The LP track "Breakdown" went into heavy rotation on AOR stations and continues to be played on classic rock radio.Don't Let It Show was covered by Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
for her In the Heat of the Night LP. Gail Godwin
Gail Godwin
Gail Kathleen Godwin is an American novelist and short story writer. She has published one non-fiction work, two collections of short stories, and eleven novels, three of which have been nominated for the National Book Award and five of which have made the New York Times Bestseller List.Godwin was...
describes it as "much more sentimental than the usual Alan Parsons."
Track listing
All tracks written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson; except "Total Eclipse" written by Andrew PowellAndrew Powell
Andrew Powell - musical composer, arranger and performer - was born 18 April 1949 in London, England of Welsh parents.- Early life :He began taking piano lessons at the age of four and later attended Kings College School, Wimbledon by which time he was also learning the viola, violin and orchestral...
- "I Robot" (instrumental) – 6:02
- "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" (lead vocal: Lenny ZakatekLenny ZakatekLenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
) – 3:22 - "Some Other Time" (lead vocals: Peter Straker & Jaki Whitren) – 4:06
- "Breakdown" (lead vocal: Allan ClarkeAllan Clarke (singer)Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...
) – 3:50 - "Don't Let It Show" (lead vocal: Dave TownsendDave TownsendDave Townsend was a vocalist for The Alan Parsons Project in 1977 on the album I Robot and in 1979 on the album Eve. Very little is known about his biographical data, as he was in no major bands.He most notably wrote tracks for:...
) – 4:24 - "The Voice" (lead vocal: Steve HarleySteve HarleySteve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
) – 5:24 - "Nucleus" (instrumental) – 3:31
- "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" (lead vocal: Jack HarrisJack Harris (musician)Jack Harris was an English vocalist for the British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project. He sang lead vocals on "Day After Day " on the album, I Robot , and the single "Pyramania" taken from the Grammy nominated Pyramid...
) – 3:49 - "Total Eclipse" (instrumental) – 3:09
- "Genesis Ch.1. V.32" (instrumental) – 3:28
I Robot was remastered and reissued in 2007 with the following bonus tracks:
- "Boules" (I Robot experiment) – 1:59
- "Breakdown" (early demo of backing riff) – 2:09
- "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" (backing track rough mix) – 3:28
- "Day After Day" (early stage rough mix) – 3:40
- "The Naked Robot" – 10:19
Personnel
- David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
– bass, acoustic guitars - Stuart ToshStuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
– drums, percussion - Ian BairnsonIan BairnsonIan Bairnson is a Scottish musician, famous for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best known as a guitarist...
– electric and acoustic guitars - Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
, Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
, Duncan Mackay – keyboards - B.J. Cole – steel guitar
- John Leach – cimbalom and kanteleKanteleA kantele or kannel is a traditional plucked string instrument of the zither family native to Finland, Estonia, and Karelia. It is related to the Russian gusli, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kanklės. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic psalteries...
- Lenny ZakatekLenny ZakatekLenny Zakatek also known as "The Voice" is a pop and rock singer and musician who has lived in London since the age of thirteen...
, Allan ClarkeAllan Clarke (singer)Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...
, Steve HarleySteve HarleySteve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
, Jack HarrisJack Harris (musician)Jack Harris was an English vocalist for the British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project. He sang lead vocals on "Day After Day " on the album, I Robot , and the single "Pyramania" taken from the Grammy nominated Pyramid...
, Peter Straker, Jaki Whitren, Steve Davies and Dave TownsendDave TownsendDave Townsend was a vocalist for The Alan Parsons Project in 1977 on the album I Robot and in 1979 on the album Eve. Very little is known about his biographical data, as he was in no major bands.He most notably wrote tracks for:...
– vocals - Produced and engineered by Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
9 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
30 | |
| Canada | 11 |