Album
Tales Of Mystery And Imagination
1976 · Rock
54 collectors on Gatefold own this

Tales Of Mystery And Imagination is a Rock album by The Alan Parsons Project, originally released in 1976. On Gatefold: 320 pressings tracked, owned by 54 collectors.
About
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album's avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe — attracted a small audience. The title of the album is taken from a popular title for Poe's macabre tales of the same name, Tales of Mystery & Imagination, first published in 1908 and many times since under this name. Critical reaction to the album was often mixed; for example, Rolling Stone's Billy Altman concluded that it mostly failed at reproducing Poe's tension and macabre fear, ending by claiming that "devotees of Gothic literature will have to wait for someone with more of the macabre in their blood for a truer musical reading of Poe's often terrifying works". This album was released in the U.K. originally with a different name. Simply called The Alan Parsons Project, it was successful enough to achieve gold status but later that year the same album was released under the name of Tales of Mystery and Imagination. "The Raven" features actor Leonard Whiting on lead vocals, with Alan Parsons performing vocals through an EMI vocoder. According to the album's liner notes, "The Raven" was the first rock song ever to feature a digital vocoder. The Prelude of "The Fall of the House of Usher", although uncredited, is based on the opera fragment "La chute de la maison Usher" by Claude Debussy which was composed in 1908-1917. Tales of Mystery and Imagination peaked at #38 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether" peaked at #37 on the Pop Singles chart. The original version of the album was available for several years on vinyl and cassette, but was not immediately available on CD. This was due in part to Parsons' desire to rework some tracks. In 1987, Parsons completely remixed the album, including additional guitar passages and narration (by Orson Welles) as well as updating the production style to include heavy reverb and the gated drum sound of the 80s. The CD notes that Welles never met Parsons or Eric Woolfson, but sent a tape to them of the performance shortly after the album was manufactured in 1976. In 1994 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) released the original 1976 version on CD (UDCD-606), making the original available digitally for the first time. In 2007, a Deluxe Edition released by Universal Music included both the 1976 and the 1987 versions remastered by Alan Parsons during 2006 with eight additional bonus tracks.
via Last.fm
The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
Side A
- A1A Dream Within A Dream3:40
- A2The Raven4:00
- A3The Tell-Tale Heart4:37
- A4The Cask Of Amontillado4:27
- A5(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether4:14
Side B
- B2To One In Paradise4:29
Sound DNA
- Rock
- Prog Rock
- cavernous
- eerie
- theatrical
The first studio album of the group. A significant remix of the album was released in 1987.
This album sold steadily in the years following its release, and has been repackaged and reissued numerous times. An approximate timeline:
The album was originally issued in 1976 on in the UK, and in the US, featuring an elaborate sleeve designed by Hipgnosis and Colin Elgie, which included an 8-page booklet. The pictures were taken at St. Pancras Station in London. Some subsequent issues, as well as ones in other territories, reduced the sleeve to a regular gatefold or less.
Releases which mention can be no earlier than 1978.
Releases which have entirely different artwork, using an illustration by Clyde Terry depicting Alan being "mummified", are from approximately 1979-1982.
Began US distribution of the label starting January 1979.
Releases on, most non-US pressings using a stripped-down version of the original artwork, are reissues from no earlier than spring 1982, when PolyGram took over managerial and operational control of 20th Century-Fox Records. These were issued after had acquired the catalog of / and took complete control, reducing it to an imprint for used mostly for back-catalog items and reissuing titles previously on.
In 1987, with album sales rapidly shifting to the CD format, the duo decided to remix the album to update it for the then-new format. The 1987 remix differs in that some elements have been re-recorded, as well as having certain production hallmarks of the mid-1980s which contrast considerably with the original 1976 recording. The remix uses a modified version of the original artwork, and was issued worldwide on the label. The original 1976 mix was unavailable on CD until 1994, when it was finally issued by.
In 2007, issued a deluxe edition, containing both versions of the album as well as a few bonus tracks.
In 2016, a 40th anniversary edition was issued, as well as a 5.1 remix on Blu-Ray.
"A Dream Within A Dream" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" were recorded at Abbey Road (opens in a new tab), August 1975.
"The Raven" was recorded at Mama Jo's Studio (opens in a new tab), North Hollywood, 1975.
"The Casc Of Amontillado" and "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether" were recorded at Abbey Road, September 1975.
"The Fall Of The House Of Usher":
'Prelude', 'Intermezzo' and 'Fall' were recorded at, London on October 10, 1975.
'Arrival' and 'Pavane' were recorded at Abbey Road in August and November 1975.
'Arrival': Thunder and Storm effects were recorded outside Abbey Road Studio Two during a freak storm, using a binaural "Dummy" recording head.
"To One In Paradise" was recorded at Abbey Road Studio Two, August 1975.
Original 1976 version
An Analogue Recording on 2-inch 24-track - mixed to a 15ips stereo analogue non-Dolby 1/4 inch master.
The original analogue stereo master tape was used for the CD mastering of this version.
1987 Remix
Partially re-recorded and remixed at The Grange Studio (opens in a new tab), Kent, England.
The original analogue 24-track multitracks were transferred to Sony Digital 3324 format for overdubs and mixing.
Mixed to Sony 1630 Digital Stereo U-Matic format.
The Sony 1630 Digital stereo master tape was used for the CD mastering of this version.
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Alan ParsonsEFFECTS , SYNTHESIZER GUITAR KEYBOARDS
- Andrew PowellARRANGED BY ARRANGED BY , CONDUCTOR ARRANGED BY , CONDUCTOR , KEYBOARDS
- Arthur BrownVOCALS LEAD VOCALS
- Billy LyallKEYBOARDS ELECTRIC PIANO , GLOCKENSPIEL GLOCKENSPIEL, ELECTRIC PIANO
- Burleigh DrummondDRUMS
- Christopher NorthKEYBOARDS
- Daryl Runswick6-STRING BASS ACOUSTIC BASS BASS
- David KatzCONCERTMASTER CONDUCTOR
- David PackGUITAR ELECTRIC GUITAR
- David PatonBACKING VOCALS BASS BASS GUITAR
- David SnellHARP
- Eric WoolfsonARRANGED BY , CONDUCTOR BACKING VOCALS KEYBOARDS
- Francis MonkmanKEYBOARDS ORGAN
- Hugo D'AltonMANDOLIN
- Ian BairnsonELECTRIC GUITAR GUITAR ACOUSTIC GUITAR
- Jack HarrisBACKING VOCALS VOCALS
- Jack RothsteinCONCERTMASTER
- Jane PowellBACKING VOCALS VOCALS
54 collectors on Gatefold own this · 320 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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