"Breakdown's" mysterious exclusion aside, I Robot is represented with four of that album's strongest tracks including the breakthrough hit "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" and the spacey instrumental title track. From the Edgar Allen Poe concept album Tales Of Mystery And Imagination we get "The System Of Dr. Tarr & Professor Feather," "To One In Paradise" and the classic rock radio staple "The Raven." Parsons' third album Pyramid gets similar treatment here with the inclusion of "What Goes Up," "The Eagle Will Rise Again" and the instrumental "In The Lap Of The Gods."

Fans of Parsons' latter, more pop oriented works will also be happy to know that hits like "Eye In The Sky" and "Games People Play" from Turn Of A Friendly Card show up as well. Turning to those longer album tracks, the entire "Turn Of A Friendly Card Suite," which was that album's original centerpiece is also here. There is also one brand new, previously unreleased track, "No Answers, Only Questions."

It's interesting to take note of all of the various vocalists and musicians used on Alan Parsons Project recordings over the course of it's career. These include everyone from the rock group Ambrosia to vocalists like Colin Blunstone and John Miles. But the thing which unifies the group's work is again the pristine quality of the recordings themselves.
On this collection, this is maintained in all of it's original, meticulous, virgin quality. Most telling is how crisp these recordings still sound some twenty to thirty years later.

Whether you are a fan of APP's earlier, more prog-rock oriented offerings, or the more commercially driven pop of the bands albums in the eighties, The Essential Alan Parsons Project is the most complete representation of this album rock staple's work to date. Bravo to Arista Legacy for getting it right.