Despite bearing the name of Beatles and Pink Floyd engineer Alan Parsons, The Alan Parsons Project was really a collaboration between him and manager/songwriter Erik Woolfson. For the follow-up to their Edgar Allan Poe-themed Tales of Mystery and Imagination, they enlisted the help of several collaborators from Scottish rock band Pilot and a title (if not subject matter for legal reasons) from Isaac Asimov. The synthesizer-heavy disco prog sound fits the futuristic theme better than the more Gothic subject matter. That broader scope also allows them to to include more radio-friendly singles, especially “I Wouldn’t Want to Be like You,” “Some Other Time,” and “Breakdown,” all of which demonstrate Woolfson’s love of musical theater. As cheesy as it may seem, their mastery of showtunes’ inherent drama keeps this from feeling as emotionless as its title character.

– Jeff Treppel