The Alan Parsons Project/I Robot, Super Deluxe Box Set

Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson first met in Abbey Road’s canteen, Parsons an engineer at the famous studio, Woolfson a songwriter/composer; the duo would form The Alan Parsons Project. I Robot is the second release from the pair who never toured their group during the Project’s lifetime but enjoyed monumental global success, hit songs and a sure solid presence in the world of pop-prog.

Now we get a super deluxe box set of the 1977 album’s release, with pretty much anything and everything you’d ever need.

In the usual manner with TAPP releases, here we have guest vocalists, like Steve Harley, Allan Clarke, and Jack Harris, as well session musicians, including Parsons’ regular player, guitarist Ian Bairnson, and drummer Stuart Tosh along. Woolfson plays keyboards. Mostly we are familiar with the mega hits from this album, the biggest being “I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You,” and  . Interspersed through the ten original tracks are a few spacey, synth sweeping instrumentals and a big chorus-infused ender “Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32.”

For me, a big Hollies fan and even bigger Allan Clarke fan, “Breakdown,” on the first side, featuring Clarke’s distinctive vocals is the best tune here.

But as mentioned, there is more…lots more than just a 2025 remix of the original album. In the full set there is a booklet, a Blue-ray remix of the album, engineered by Parsons himself, and a full 80 (yes you read that right) 80 tracks in all. These include snippets of isolated instruments from individual songs, demos, studio ‘count ins’ outtakes, etc. It’s a deep dive of stuff that, frankly I’m not sure even the most ardent Alan Parsons Project completist needs.

But therein lies the rub with The Alan Parsons Project’s I Robot, Super Deluxe Box Set and lots of these sometimes costly  repacked/remixed/redone releases: are they worth what you pay for them? Is the stuff you get, which might seem like a treasure trove, merely just filler to justify the set’s existence and price?

I don’t have the answer to what is and what is not worth your hard-earned dollar or crypto, lowly scribe as I am. You decide if this is one robot worth having.