I Robot (album)

I Robot is a progressive rock album recorded by The Alan Parsons Project, engineered by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson in 1976. It was released under the Arista Label in 1977 and re-released on CD in 1984, and again in 2007. It is based on the robot stories written by Isaac Asimov. In its original conception, the album was to follow the themes and concepts presented in the robot stories. The Alan Parsons Project were not able to obtain the rights, so the album's concept was altered slightly (although the name was kept.) ^[1]

The last song on the disc, "Genesis Ch.1 v.32", is actually not in the Bible. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, has 31 verses, then starts chapter 2. The context of the album - robots taking over man's place - may have something to do with it. The first chapter is about God creating the world, man, etc., so this may be a reference to God not making or making robots.

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 HE TRIED TO CREATE ROBOT IN HIS OWN IMAGE."

The twenty-seventh verse in the first chapter of Genesis reads: "And God created man to his own image: to the image of God He created them: male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27).

[edit] Track listing

Instrumental tracks are marked with an asterisk. Bonus tracks appearing on the 30th Anniversary release are denoted with a double asterisk **.

"I Robot"* – 6:02
"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" – 3:22
"Some Other Time" – 4:06
"Breakdown" – 3:50
"Don't Let It Show" – 4:24
"The Voice" – 5:24
"Nucleus"* – 3:31
"Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" – 3:49
"Total Eclipse"* – 3:09
"Genesis Ch.1 v.32"* – 3:28
"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

[edit] Personnel

David Paton: bass, acoustic guitars
Stuart Tosh: drums, percussion
Ian Bairnson: electric and acoustic guitars
Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons, Duncan Makay: keyboards
B.J. Cole: steel guitar
John Leach: cimbalom and kantele
Lenny Zakatek, Allan Clarke, Steve Harley, Jack Harris, Peter Straker and Jaki Whitren, Dave Townsend: vocals
Produced and engineered by Alan Parsons

[edit] Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1977	The Billboard 200	9
1977	UK Albums Chart	30

v • d • e The Alan Parsons Project
Alan Parsons \| Eric Woolfson \| Andrew Powell \| Ian Bairnson \| Richard Cottle
Discography
Studio Albums: Tales of Mystery and Imagination \| I Robot \| Pyramid \| Eve \| The Turn of a Friendly Card \| Eye in the Sky \| Ammonia Avenue \| Vulture Culture \| Stereotomy \| Gaudi
Compilations: The Best of the Alan Parsons Project \| The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 \| The Essential Alan Parsons Project
Singles: "(The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" \| "The Raven" \| "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" \| "Don't Let It Show" \| "What Goes Up" \| "Damned If I Do" \| "Games People Play" \| "Time" \| "Snake Eyes" \| "Eye in the Sky" \| "Psychobabble" \| "You Don't Believe" \| "Don't Answer Me" \| "Prime Time" \| "Let's Talk About Me" \| "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" \| "Stereotomy"