AUDIOPHILE Alan Parsons Project I Robot JAPAN NM MFSL

$ 28

$ 28 Sold For

Jun 21, 2011 Sold Date

Jun 14, 2011 Start Date

$ 10 Start price

6 Number Of Bids

USA Country Of Seller

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Description

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Artist: The Alan Parsons Project

Title: I Robot

Label: MFSL Inc. under Arista Records

Year: 1977

Catalog#: MFSL 1-084

Cover condition: VG+ (light wear on corners & bottom right seam)

Record condition: NM

Pressed in Japan

Alan Parsons delivered a detailed blueprint for his Project on their 1975 debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, but it was on its 1977 follow-up, I Robot, that the outfit reached its true potential. 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. Compare it to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, released just a year after this and demonstrating some clear influence from Parsons: that flirts voraciously with camp, but this, for all of its pomp and circumstance, for all of its overblown arrangements, this is music that's played deadly serious. Even when the vocal choirs pile up at the end of "Breakdown" or when the Project delves into some tight, glossy white funk on "The Voice," complete with punctuations from robotic voices and whining slide guitars, there isn't much sense of fun, but there is a sense of mystery and a sense of drama that can be very absorbing if you're prepared to give yourself over to it. The most fascinating thing about the album is that the music is restless, shifting from mood to mood within the course of a song, but unlike some art pop there is attention paid to hooks -- most notably, of course, on the hit "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You," a tense, paranoid neo-disco rocker that was the APP's breakthrough. It's also the closest thing to a concise pop song here -- other tunes have plenty of hooks, but they change their tempo and feel quickly, which is what makes this an art rock album instead of a pop album. And while that may not snare in listeners who love the hit (they should turn to Eye in the Sky instead, the Project's one true pop album), that sense of melody when married to the artistic restlessness and geeky sensibility makes for a unique, compelling album and the one record that truly captures mind and spirit of the Alan Parsons Project (excerpt from allmusic.com).

ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING: As part of the company's resolve to provide the most accurate sonic reproductions possible, all Mobile Fidelity product is mastered directly from the original master tape as opposed to production copies often used for mass reproduction. This ensures a more complete and exacting transfer of the original musical data. In the case of the Original Master Recording™ (OMR) LP, the use of the master tape is combined with a unique procedure known as "half-speed" mastering, which literally slows down the cutting system involved in mastering vinyl so that musical information can be transferred from the source tape to the lacquer with greater precision. To this advanced mastering technique, Mobile Fidelity adds substantial refinements in the vinyl compound itself and improves methods of plating the lacquer. The result is a significant improvement in overall quality.

This record was apart of a large Audiophile collection owned by a Grand Master Champion Chess player named Robert Theodore Houser. He's records are in amazing condition. Many of them have only been listen to once while being record to tape. We will be continuing to auction off his collection in the next few months so please continue to check our listings or email us at recordgratitude@gmail.com to be added to our email list.

Gratitude Records Ratings:

SS (Still Sealed): Unopened records, still in the original shrink-wrap. In original manufactured condition unless noted differently.

M (Mint): The record and sleeve are in perfect condition. The record may have been played but will show no signs of deterioration.

NM (Near Mint): A very clean record. Near mind condition except for slight superficial scuffs. Sleeves with this rating may have small defects but will not have significant creases or splits.

VG+ (Very Good Plus): A well-cared-for-record that is noticeably less then perfect, but defects are not visually or audibly distracting. Record surfaces may have slight scuffs or light scratches, but are still primarily clean. Sleeves may have some creases or minor ring wear, but will not be split.

VG (Very Good): A used, reasonable copy to play. Many of the defects found in a VG+ copy will be more pronounced in VG condition. Surface noise and sleeves may look worn, but the record is still a decent copy.

VG- (Very Good Minus): A well-worn record that is still playable. A record in this condition will have audible distractions and may have visible groove wear. Slleves may have all manner of defects, but are still intact.

F (Fair): This grade is for beat-up records. We only sell records in this condition that are extremely rare and sought-after.

All records are cleaned with a VPI record cleaner. We gladly accept Paypal. If you have any questions, please email us at recordgratitude@gmail.com.

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