Alan Parsons was very skilled at creating extremely complex mixes that were clearer than other extremely complex mixes, but they don't stand up when compared to mixes built efficiently from a minimum of layers preserving as much of the natural room ambience as possible. This is the reason that many classical and popular recordings from the early days of stereo have more life and presence than recordings done decades later with more advanced technology. The ear and brain is tolerant of synthesized ambiences and close miked sound layered on top of wide miked spreads, but when we hear 100% natural ambiences captured and presented in a perfectly balanced way, it makes the hair on the back our neck stand up. That's why binaural recordings, which are the most bare bones style of engineering possible, smoke most multitrack recordings.
Digital recording technology has eliminated generation loss and allowed for an almost infinite number of tracks to be stacked up, but it hasn't replaced the virtues of simple, well planned out miking and restraint in creating a soundstage.
If you value good sound from complex mixes, Alan Parsons is a master. But if you value lifelike sound, he doesn't rate very high. That's why the Alan Parsons Project was a studio band and not a live band. Without all the studio tricks, they weren't able to create the sound.