Review:
I Robot
The Alan Parsons Project: "I Robot" (Arista)
Although Clive Davis, the head of Arista, may exaggerate the value of
producer Alan Parsons and his various recording projects, it is
nevertheless true that Parsons, first with last year's release, "Edgar
Allen Poe: Tales Of Mystery And Imagination," and now with "I Robot," is
undertaking some of the most ambitious music-making in contemporary rock.
The musicians who form the backbone for the album are Stuart Tosh (drums),
Ian Bairnson (guitar) and David Paton (bass), all of whom, of course,
played together in Pilot, a vastly underrated band. Again, the concept
weaves around a theme that has captured the imagination of Parsons and his
co-writer, Eric Woolfson: the development of the robot and its role a and
domination in the world of the future; and again the blatant indulgence
in dealing with such a cultish subject is controlled admirably when mixed
with a variation of musical styles that reflects Parsons' background as a
producer.
And then there is a superb production that exploits the full
possibilities of stereo recording. The material is of a consistently high
standard without winning any awards for much originality. They almost
seem to have been written to suit the singer, as the tracks sung by Steve
Harley ("The Voice") and Allan Clarke ("Breakdown"), two of the best on the
album, show. The best track on the entire album, however, is undoubtedly
"Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)," sung, I think, by Peter Straker.
It's a smooth, hypnotic number, very much in the mould of "I'm Not in
Love," right down to the over-dubbed "aah"s in the background, and the
steel guitar of B. J. Cole wafting neatly in the background. "I Robot," I
think, surpasses "Tales Of Mystery And Imagination" slightly in
production and performance, and confirms that Parson's (sic) musical and
production ideals deserve a wide audience. It would be criminal to
neglect such a fine set. -- H.D.
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