I Robot (Leagacy Edition)

I have five versions of "I Robot" (40 year-old vinyl, the first CD, the Mobile Fidelity Labs remaster, the "In the Studio" interview version, and this) and I think this is the best. It's balanced even better than the Mobile Fidelity. There's more separation in the instruments. I hate to use fluffy words like "three dimensional", but that's how it feels, like you can locate all the different instruments and vocalists in space.The alternate versions and demos are a great touch, too.

I have a copy of I Robot that I bought new in the 70s. It was the standard issue vinyl record at the time and never sounded that good. Even playing it on my high end hifi. (My high end hifi consists of a belt drive Sota Star with vacuum hold down platter, SME tonearm and Benz phono cartridge fed into a vacuum tube preamp, etc.) So I never played it. I purchased this new pressing of I Robot and have been delighted with the quality of the sound. The grooves are dead quiet. I experience no distortion or scratchiness. I always like the music and now I can enjoy it in high fidelity.

I couldn't wait for the release of this compilation. I Robot was my introduction to Alan Parsons back in 1977 (when my drummer played it for me at rehearsal), and I have been a fan of the Project ever since then. This particular collection is enjoyable for several reasons--the original CD itself (sounding better than ever!), background information, and rough cuts & building blocks of the final masterpiece:First, the CD itself was a welcome arrival to replace my often-played original disc (since my LP and cassette versions were retired long ago!) I won't review the original tracks here, as there are many reviews already out there, and I am biased towards my favorite APP album of all time (although Tales of Mystery and Imagination runs a close second). CD #1 is still a great listen.Next, background information: Several of the tracks on CD #2 include discussions on the making of the album, and even the radio commercial for I Robot. There is also a 16-page booklet included with fascinating details on how the album took shape thematically and musically, as well as historical information about the band members, song lyrics, and graphics.Rough cuts & building blocks: The majority of the second CD contains rough cuts, demos, and experiments that show how the album was created, from the initial background tracks and vocal demos, through the rough mixes, to the finished product on CD #1. As an amateur musician, singer and audio engineer, I am always fascinated in how recordings are created and what goes into the final sound of a particular album. I will spend a lot of time listening to this second CD.Finally, the last track on CD #2, “The Naked Robot," is a remix of several of the instrumental tracks from the album, and is a fascinating listen in its own right.Dislikes: I'm somewhat disappointed to see the set was put together as a cardboard multi-fold package. This is the only flaw in the entire product from my point of view, and not enough to downgrade the product. I'll just have to take care of it!I would recommend this album to any fan of the Alan Parsons Project. If you like this album you will love the Legacy Edition!

A classic album with a nice remastering, interesting bonus features, informative booklet. I was holding out for 5.1 treatment as seen with Eye and Tales and soon Ammonia Ave.For me, I Robot and Tales were masterpieces. But I don’t know if Robot will ever get the 5.1, so with just the original vinyl, I had to buy this set. I’m not disappointed. But for five stars it needs a 5.1 Blu-Ray.

The concept, the execution, the combination of multiple talents, who brought along their experiences and vision to bring about an amazing album as a result. Well done, well done indeed.The "Extended" part of iRobot sheds some interesting light into the project's experimentation and how it became the masterpiece that it is.

Had this as an LP a long time ago, finally got it in CD format, great memories...

I would implore, no beg...Alan Parsons whom we all know to have the expertise to do so, put this out in blue ray format. As long as I could hear the sound, I would sit and thankfully stare at a blank screen, or one that pictured the cover of the CD. I, like everyone else who is a fan of the Alan Parsons Project anxiously awaited for this to be released and I have to say, it's the best version I've heard yet. I own a copy of the gold cd released many years ago and I thought that couldn't be topped, but it has. It was also nice to read the comments in the booklet about the different songs, singers, background vocalists, etc. What I also liked was the extras disc, meaning it wasn't put on the same disc but separately unto itself. I've bought other discs from artists who have re-mixed past releases and added "extra songs," only to find out they weren't that good and detracted from the collection originally put out. Whomever is over Legacy releases, please ask Alan Parsons to continue with his whole catalog. I will continue to buy--and update, until I'm sitting in my chair in the corner of the nursing home. Until this hits $50 in price, I would recommend it to ANYONE who fell in love with, and continues to listen to, this masterpiece.

I am writing this post as I listen to this vinyl pressing on an 80s Sansui system I have setup with a pair of SS-20 Headphones. First, I must say, that this pressing is very, very, clean and quiet. The sonics are also quite good and the highs are crisp. While I realize the price tag for the vinyl copy is pricey, if you have the system to play vinyl, I highly recommend this pressing, it is that good!

As usual for these classic rock reviews, I don't want to comment on the album proper. If you're new to Alan Parsons Project (APP) hop on over to Youtube and have a listen. These comments are solely about the double-disc Legacy Edition released in 2013.Firstly I have been a fan of APP since the initial releases of this music. I've owned "I Robot" on vinyl, and prior to this two times on CD. The last version I bought was the single disc "Remastered 30th Anniversary Edition" from 2007 (which was part of a complete reissue of the Parsons/Woolfson catalog.)So what of this new release, now with two discs? What of the sound? What of the package itself?Firstly you should know that this is not another remaster. The album proper (as released on vinyl) has not been reworked again - this is the exact same release as the 2007 disc. Those thinking they may have been getting something new will, therefore, be disappointed. On the other hand, the 2007 remaster is excellent, showing none of the tell-tale signs of the "loudness wars". It really does sound terrific.So for anything new we must look at the second disc, and the package itself.The second disc is an assortment of things, some new, some not. The 2007 release included five bonus tracks which were tucked on the end of the original running order. Personally speaking I much prefer this new edition, which has the album proper on one disc, and the extra's on a separate one. All five extra tracks from the earlier release are duplicated here, along with 9 new additions.The bonus tracks on all of the APP reissues have been very hit and miss, imo. Some are embarrassingly bad and smack of barrel scraping, while others have been fascinating. Of the 9 new additions, 4 are spoken word (US Radio Commercial, Extract 1, Extract 2, and Extract 3). The Extracts are essentially press release type snippets of conversation. Along with these, 2 are incomplete items. For example, track 3 is a snippet of vocal from Hilary Western (operatic voice) with dialog between her and Parsons. Track 10 is the choral track (alone) from Breakdown. Track 11 is a rough take of "Don't Let it Show" with Wollfson singing some vocal, and filling in with "la la la" for missing lines.What does this amount to? Well, if you have the 2007 disc already, you'll know what to expect. Do you want more of the same kind of thing or not? Nothing here is "essential". In fact, this isn't the kind of disc you're going to play very often - it's too fragmented, and bitty. At the same time though, if you're interested in the foundations upon which this excellent album was made, if you want know all the nuts and bolts, then it's quite interesting. One thing for sure - it's much more acceptable here than the 2007 release, since it's a separate disc. Don't want to hear all this - you don't have to. A perfect solution.Total time of disc 2 is around 39 minutes (10 minutes of which is "Naked Robot", which was included in the earlier release.) You're getting approximately 15 minutes of "new" extras here.That really leaves only the packaging. The 2007 release came in a standard jewel case. The booklet was relatively thin, at only 8 pages. The main draw was a three page article from Jerry Ewing of Classic Rock magazine. The new edition has improved things immeasurably. We now have a 20 page booklet. The liner notes were written by Alan Parsons, and run for five pages of text. He gives a bit of insight into the individual tracks of the album proper - it's a good read. Along with that we get the full lyrics this time, which is nice to have. And of course - there are lots of pictures which expand on the 2007 booklet. The only loss is a) The text from the gatefold of the original album is now missing (it was in the centre of the 2007 booklet); b) The Woolfson notes. Of the latter - the 2007 booklet article had several quotes from Woolfson which are now missing. The new booklet is very much Parson's view on the album.Last, but not least, this is a three panel digipack with new artwork. The original front cover artwork is included beneath the disc trays. The booklet is tucked inside a pocket in the centre panel, and was very difficult to get out (do they test any of this stuff?!?Only you can say if this new set is worth the price or not. Sonically, if you have the 2007 version, you gain nothing. The package here is nice though, and having the album proper on its own disc is far better than the earlier release (but those into MP3's won't benefit from that). Personally I'm happy - but then any excuse to listen to this album is always welcome.The album proper is a classic, imo. Worthy of a five. So these comments reflect that. Just know what you're getting. Enjoy!

Nowadays I find that modern vinyl pressings are of an inferior quality, often having imperfections which are audibly very obvious.This pressing however is the exception. It truly is superb and the benchmark for what all pressings should be like. I look forward to trying others produced by this manufacturer.With regards to the content, classic Alan Parsons Project! A must for all lovers of Prog Rock!

Lovely record..thanks amazon...super service. Great music and I cant wait to read the booklet on a dark wintery evening.. really ahead of its time!

The first thing that hit me when I first listened to this remaster was the superb sound quality. Hard to believe it was recorded 40 odd years ago.

Another excellent pressing from "Music On Vinyl".