I’ve been a die hard Alan Parsons Project for years. I Robot was one of the first records I purchased, and remains one of my favorites of that era. But as long as I’ve been collecting, I’ve passed up more copies of this record than I have total records in my collection.

The consistent low ratings I’ve seen in comparison to other records in the APP discography—as well as the album art, which was a rare miss by Hipgnosis—assured me there was nothing to miss.

But listening to it now, I realize that even at their worst, the Alan Parsons Project is still more inventive and infectious than most of their peers.

Like all Alan Parsons records, this is a concept heavy pop record written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, featuring a host of guest vocalists. Eve explores the plight of womanhood through the ages, putting on misogyny as a lens in a few tracks that were sorely misunderstood.

Fittingly, it also features the group’s first two female-led tracks in “Don’t Hold Back” (sung by Clare Torrey, the vocalist in Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky,” and “If I Could Change Your Mind.” As strong as the concept is, it isn’t enough to save some of the more conventional songs from sounding boring.

However, some of the Project’s best songs are found on this disc. “Damned If I Do,” an urgent disco-tinged rocker opens the B-side with a full string section, blasts of horns, a manic bassline, a wicked guitar solo, and frequent collaborator Lenny Zakatek offering his gritty lead vocals. Opening instrumental “Lucifer” is one of their best overtures, blending elements from new wave, neo-classical, and horror movie soundtracks. Its wordlessness and avant-garde flavors weren’t enough to keep it from becoming a major hit. “I’d Rather Be A Man” rides a menacing synth arpeggio straight to hell. The other instrumental, “Secret Garden” pairs wordless Beach Boys vocalizations with prog rock and chamber pop.

Even when the group isn’t at the top of their game, this record is more enjoyable than not. Zakatek’s other tune, “You Lie Down With Dogs,” is grooving, venom-tongued pop song that is as catchy as their poppiest tunes. “Don’t Hold Back” mixes folk rock, disco, and prog in a way that lands somewhere near an alternate universe version of Fleetwood Mac. “If I Could Change Your Mind” is a pretty conventional break up tune that easily could have been sung by Carly Simon or the Carpenters, but it’s affecting and emotive, and its unusual chord progression gives it an uneasiness that fits with the lyrics’ emotional tension.

In all, Eve certainly isn’t a masterpiece. But when you look at the heights of Alan Parsons Project’s best peaks (I Robot and Eye in the Sky in particular), it feels almost foolish to expect all of their records to be as perfect. Eve may be flawed, but it is still deeply enjoyable.