The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot

Numbered, Limited Edition Hybrid SACD from Mobile Fidelity!

Perfectionism, Innovation, Complexities, and Reference-Grade Production Make Alan Parsons Project's Conceptual I Robot a Timeless Classic: Sci-Fi Arrangements Steeped In Drama and Moodiness

More Music, More Information, More Detail, More Nuance, More Everything: Mobile Fidelity Hybrid SACD the Definitive-Sounding Digital Version of 1977 Audiophile Standard

A Demonstration Disc for the Ages: Immaculate Highs and Lows, Supreme Spaciousness, See-Through Transparency, 3D Imaging, Wider Grooves on System-Testing Disc

Audiophiles needn't any introduction to the Alan Parsons Project's I Robot. Engineered by Parsons after he performed the same duties on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the 1977 record reigns as a disc whose taut bass, crisp highs, clean production, and seemingly limitless dynamic range are matched only by the sensational prog-rock fare helmed by the keyboardist. Not surprisingly, it's been issued myriad times. Can it be improved? Relish Mobile Fidelity's stupendous-sounding hybrid SACD and the question becomes irrelevant.

I Robot comes to life like never before on this numbered limited-edition reissue. Boasting immaculate highs and lows, generous spaciousness, and see-through transparency that takes you into the studio with Parsons and creative partner Eric Woolfson at Abbey Road, this superlative edition has been lovingly restored by Mobile Fidelity engineers with the intention of demonstrating the full-range capabilities of the world's best stereo systems. Put simply, there's more music, more information, more detail, more nuance, more everything.

Savor reference-grade soundstages, immersive smoothness, sought-after instrumental separation, three-dimensional imaging, and consummate tonal balances. Able to be played back at high volumes without compromise or fatigue, this SACD is a demonstration disc for the ages – the likes of which are no longer being made. Longtime fans can finally rest assured knowing they don't have to pony up hundreds of dollars for older pressings – including three prior Mobile Fidelity versions on LP and CD. This is the very reason you own and invest in high-end audio gear.

Inspired by and loosely based around the Isaac Asimov stories of the same name, I Robot delves into themes of artificial intelligence and technological dominance that make the record increasingly relevant in the 21st century. Lyrically, songs such as "The Voice" call into question human behavior – and their relationship to increasing robotic supremacy – in everyday life. Sonically, Parsons reflects the associated paranoia, dichotomy, and transformation via shifting sci-fi arrangements steeped in drama and moodiness.

I Robot's absorbing tunes also continue to fascinate due to their perfectionism and innovation. Borrowing from Pink Floyd's strategies, Parsons utilizes a looped sequence on the title track to create new downbeats. "Some Other Time" employs two different lead vocalists and yet gives the illusion only one is involved. Captivating strings, a piccolo trumpet, and bona fide pipe organ grace "Don't Let It Show." The origins of "Nucleus" stem from a unique analog keyboard concoction dubbed "the Projectron," devised by Parsons and electronic engineer Keith Johnson. Andrew Powell's orchestral and choral arrangements top it all off, with "Total Eclipse" arriving as an aptly frightening track that presages the climactic "Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32."

Does man or machine win in the end? Decide with Parsons as you get lost in Mobile Fidelity's definitive SACD.

"Borrowing not just its title but concept from Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi Robot trilogy, this album explores many of the philosophies regarding artificial intelligence -- will it overtake man, what does it mean to be man, what responsibilities do mechanical beings have to their creators, and so on and so forth -- with enough knotty intelligence to make it a seminal text of late-'70s geeks, and while it is also true that appreciating I Robot does require a love of either sci-fi or art rock, it is also true that sci-fi art rock never came any better than this." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

Features:

• • Super Audio CD
• • SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• • This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• • Numbered, Limited Edition

Selections:
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. The Voice
7. Nucleus
8. Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)
9. Total Eclipse
10. Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32