ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - I ROBOT (ULTRADISC ONE STEP) (180GM) BOX SET

Ultimate analog version  of 1977 audiophile standard!

180-gram Ultradisc One-Step Pressing

1/4" / 15 ips analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Limited to 10,000 numbered copies

One-step lacquer plating for highest quality sound

Audiophiles don't need 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 UltraDisc One-Step 180-gram box set and the question becomes irrelevant.

Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, I Robot comes to life like never before on this numbered, limited-edition reissue. Boasting a nearly undetectable noise floor, 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 definitive edition is designed to demonstrate the full-range capabilities of the world's best stereo systems.

Put simply, there's more music, more information, more detail, more nuance, more of everything you want. Mobile Fidelity's transcendent UD1S edition invites you to 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 LP is a demonstration record for the ages — the likes of which are no longer being made. This is the very reason you own and invest in high-end audio gear.

The beautiful presentation of the numbered, limited-edition UD1S I Robot pressing speaks to the music's merit. Housed in a deluxe box, the reissue features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics. Aurally and visually, it is made for discerning listeners who prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything about this conceptual landmark. Parsons' most iconic record deserves nothing less.

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 extremely relevant in the 21st century. Indeed, Parsons' pinnacle creation dovetailed with the ascendency of Star Wars, which itself is experiencing a rebirth in an age of self-driving cars, smart devices, and mindless automation. Lyrically, songs such as "The Voice" call into question human behavior-and their relationship to increasing robotic supremacy-in everyday life. Parsons musically reflects the associated paranoia, dichotomy, and transformation via shifting sci-fi arrangements steeped in drama and moodiness.

The absorbing tunes on I Robot 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 that 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 a frightening track that presages the climactic "Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32."