I Robot (1977)
The Alan Parsons Project followed up their debut with another concept album that goes two for two on no-skip records.
I Robot takes the literary inspiration from Tales of Mystery and Imagination and trades ghosts for gears—this time channeling Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi world and running it through sleek, sharp-edged progressive rock. It’s not a direct adaptation of Asimov’s I, Robot (legal reasons, long story), but it carries the same core ideas: the rise of artificial intelligence, the blurred line between machine and man, and the consequences of playing God.
The record plays like the internal monologue of a sentient machine waking up, step by step. From its title track—an instrumental opener pulsing with synthetic life—to the closing fade-out of Genesis Ch. 1 V.32, the album maps out the emotional evolution of The Machine as it becomes self-aware, questions its creators, and ultimately breaks free. Each song captures a distinct moment in that arc, often using a different vocal lead to match the emotional tone or perspective.
I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You hits early and hard, a funky, rebellious anthem that channels the robot’s disdain for human hypocrisy. Some Other Time slows things down, full of melancholy and longing, like the first glimmer of existential dread creeping in. Breakdown and The Voice lean into more atmospheric territory, blending analog synths and vocodered vocals that sound like the Machine is trying to learn how to speak its truth.
Musically, this is Parsons and Woolfson in full control of the studio. The production is lush and ahead of its time, with layers of vocal harmonies, ambient transitions, and sound design that adds genuine sci-fi texture—never gimmicky, always purposeful. It’s progressive rock, but not in the noodly solo-heavy way. It’s sleek, cinematic, and fully dialed-in to the concept.
I Robot is one of those albums that grows the more you revisit it. You can let it play as a vibe-heavy sci-fi soundtrack, or really dive in and follow the thread—it works both ways. And nearly 50 years later, it somehow sounds even more relevant.
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Highlight Songs:
I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You
Some Other Time
Breakdown
Day After Day
Genesis Ch. 1 V.32
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
Absolutely own it. This album works best played all the way through. If you’re the weirdo that skips through good movies just to watch the scenes that you like without all of the build up and fall out then sure be weird and do that. But if you are a righteous and cool individual, you will buy this and play it front to back over and over again.
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Overall Rating
4.5 Stars
