Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
" 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 inspired by the opera fragment "La chute de la maison Usher" by Claude Debussy
which was composed in 1908-1917.
On "The Raven", notes from both "I Robot" and "Breakdown
" from the I Robot album can be heard. "To One In Paradise" has musical similarities to "Siren Song" on Alan Parsons' 1993 solo debut Try Anything Once
.
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".
The original version of the album was available for several years on vinyl and cassette
, but was not immediately available on CD
. 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 reverb
snare drum sound, which was popular in the 1980s. 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.
s "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".
Orson Welles' narration appears on the 1987 Remix only, at the beginning of "A Dream Within a Dream" and "Prelude".
Disc 2: Tracks 1-11, Original Album in 1987 Remix
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
, 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
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
stories and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
— 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
Tales of Mystery & Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a popular title for works of the American author, essayist and poet Edgar Allan Poe and was the first complete collection of his works specifically restricting itself to his suspenseful and related tales. Poe's works received their widest audience posthumously...
, first published in 1908 and many times since under this name.
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.
Song information
"The RavenThe Raven (song)
"The Raven" is a 1976 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The song is based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. It is well-known as being one of the first rock songs to use a vocoder, developed by EMI, to distort vocals. It is also one of...
" features actor Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
on lead vocals, with Alan Parsons performing vocals through an EMI vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
. According to the album's liner notes, "The Raven
The Raven (song)
"The Raven" is a 1976 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The song is based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. It is well-known as being one of the first rock songs to use a vocoder, developed by EMI, to distort vocals. It is also one of...
" was the first rock song ever to feature a digital vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
.
The Prelude of "The Fall of the House of Usher", although uncredited, is inspired by the opera fragment "La chute de la maison Usher" by Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
which was composed in 1908-1917.
On "The Raven", notes from both "I Robot" and "Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown may refer to:*Breakdown , failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated*Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components...
" from the I Robot album can be heard. "To One In Paradise" has musical similarities to "Siren Song" on Alan Parsons' 1993 solo debut Try Anything Once
Try Anything Once
Try Anything Once is the first solo album created by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project.This album features vocals by Ambrosia's David Pack, Duran Duran backing singer Jacqui Copland, Former Mindbender and 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman...
.
Reception
Critical reaction to the album was often mixed; for example, Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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".
Release history
Simply called The Alan Parsons Project, it was successful enough to achieve gold status. The identity of The Alan Parsons Project as an artist was cemented on the second album, I Robot in 1977.The original version of the album was available for several years on vinyl and cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, but was not immediately available on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. In 1987, Parsons completely remixed the album, including additional guitar passages and narration (by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
) as well as updating the production style to include heavy reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
and the gated reverb
Gated reverb
Gated reverb is an audio processing technique that is applied to recordings of drums to make the drums sound powerful and "punchy," while keeping the overall mix clean and transparent-sounding...
snare drum sound, which was popular in the 1980s. The CD notes that Welles never met Parsons or Eric Woolfson
Eric Woolfson
Eric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
, but sent a tape to them of the performance shortly after the album was manufactured in 1976. In 1994 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
(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
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
during 2006 with eight additional bonus tracks.
Legacy
In July, 2010, the album was named as one of Classic Rock magazineClassic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
s "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".
Track listing
- "A Dream Within A Dream" [instrumental] – 4:14
- "The RavenThe Raven (song)"The Raven" is a 1976 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The song is based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. It is well-known as being one of the first rock songs to use a vocoder, developed by EMI, to distort vocals. It is also one of...
" – 3:57 (ft. Leonard WhitingLeonard WhitingLeonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
on lead vocals, Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
lead vocal through an EMI vocoder) - "The Tell-Tale Heart" – 4:38 (ft. Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
) - "The Cask of Amontillado" – 4:33 (ft. John MilesJohn Miles (musician)John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
) - "(The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether"The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" is a 1976 single by The Alan Parsons Project which first appeared on their album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The single reached number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 62 in Canada...
" – 4:20 (ft. John MilesJohn Miles (musician)John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
and Jack Harris)Jack Harris (musician)Jack Harris was an English vocalist for the British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project. He sang lead vocals on "Day After Day " on the album, I Robot , and the single "Pyramania" taken from the Grammy nominated Pyramid... - "The Fall of the House of Usher [instrumental] - 16:10
- "Prelude" – 7:02
- "Arrival" – 2:39
- "Intermezzo" – 1:00
- "Pavane" – 4:36
- "Fall" – 0:51
- "To One in Paradise" – 4:46 (ft. Terry SylvesterTerry SylvesterTerry Sylvester , was the guitarist/singer with The Escorts, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Hollies...
on lead vocals, backing vocals by Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
)
Orson Welles' narration appears on the 1987 Remix only, at the beginning of "A Dream Within a Dream" and "Prelude".
2007 Deluxe Edition
Disc 1: Tracks 1-11, Original Album in Original 1976 Mix- "The Raven" (original demo)
- "Edgar" (demo of an unreleased track)
- "Orson Welles Radio Spot"
- "Interview with Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson" (1976)
Disc 2: Tracks 1-11, Original Album in 1987 Remix
- "Eric's Guide Vocal Medley"
- "Orson Welles Dialogue"
- "Sea Lions in the Departure Lounge" (sound effects and experiments)
- "GBH Mix" (unreleased experiments)
Personnel
- Alan ParsonsAlan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
- Organ, Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards, Recorder, Vocals, *Producer, Engineer, Projection - Eric WoolfsonEric WoolfsonEric Norman Woolfson was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and creator of The Alan Parsons Project. He has sold over 50 million albums world-wide....
- Synthesizer, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Executive Producer - Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
- Narrator (1987 version only) - Leonard WhitingLeonard WhitingLeonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
- Vocals, Narrator - Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
- Vocals - John MilesJohn Miles (musician)John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
- Guitar, Vocals - Jack HarrisJack Harris (musician)Jack Harris was an English vocalist for the British progressive rock band, The Alan Parsons Project. He sang lead vocals on "Day After Day " on the album, I Robot , and the single "Pyramania" taken from the Grammy nominated Pyramid...
- Vocals - Francis MonkmanFrancis MonkmanFrancis Monkman is an English rock, classical and film score composer, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Curved Air.-Career:...
- Organ, Keyboards - Kevin Peek - Guitar (Acoustic)
- Terry SylvesterTerry SylvesterTerry Sylvester , was the guitarist/singer with The Escorts, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Hollies...
- Vocals - Laurence Juber - Guitar (Acoustic)
- Andrew PowellAndrew PowellAndrew Powell - musical composer, arranger and performer - was born 18 April 1949 in London, England of Welsh parents.- Early life :He began taking piano lessons at the age of four and later attended Kings College School, Wimbledon by which time he was also learning the viola, violin and orchestral...
- Keyboards, Arranger - David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
- Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr) - Ian BairnsonIan BairnsonIan Bairnson is a Scottish musician, famous for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best known as a guitarist...
- Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric) - Chris Blair - Assistant Engineer
- Peter ChristophersonPeter ChristophersonPeter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
- Photography - David Katz - Violin, Leader, Orchestra Contractor
- Burleigh Drummond - Drums
- English Chorale - Vocals
- Bob Howes - Choir, Chorus
- John Leach - Percussion, Vocals, Cimbalom, Kantele
- David PackDavid PackDavid Robert Pack , is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Producer & Music Director of Global Events. His career began as the front man, vocalist and guitarist with the rock group Ambrosia popular in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...
- Guitar - Smokey Parsons - Vocals
- Joe Puerta - Bass
- Tony Richards - Assistant Engineer
- Jack Rothstein - Leader
- Daryl RunswickDaryl RunswickDaryl Runswick is a classically trained English composer, arranger, musician, producer and educationalist.He started playing bass with leading UK jazz musicians in the mid-60s, including Dick Morrissey and John Dankworth, with whom he would tour and compose for extensively for some 12 years...
- Bass, String Bass - David Snell - Harp
- The English Chorale and Played Ti - Choir, Chorus
- Stuart ToshStuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
- Cymbals, Drums, Vocals, Tympani [Timpani] - Tom Trefethen - Assistant Engineer
- Pat Stapley - Assistant Engineer
- Aubrey Powell - Photography
- Storm ThorgersonStorm ThorgersonStorm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
- Photography - HipgnosisHipgnosisHipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...
- Design, Cover Art - Sam Emerson - Photography
- Colin Elgie - Artwork, Graphic Design, Layout Design
- Billy LyallBilly LyallBilly Lyall was a Scottish musician.Born William Lyall in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lyall was a keyboard player and vocalist with Pilot, and an early member of the Bay City Rollers. He also contributed to The Alan Parsons Project with fellow Pilot members, and released a solo album, Solo Casting in 1976...
- Piano, Drums, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, Recorder, Fender Rhodes - Gordon Parry - Engineer
- Jane Powell - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Les Hurdle - Bass
- Christopher NorthChristopher North (Ambrosia)Christopher Reed North San Francisco California, is the founding Keyboardist for the American Progressive Rock band Ambrosia....
- Keyboards
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
38 |
| 1976 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
56 |
| 1976 | Canada | 81 |
See also
- Edgar Allan Poe and musicEdgar Allan Poe and musicThe influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century.-Classical music:...
- "A Dream Within A DreamA Dream Within a Dream"A Dream Within a Dream" is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The poem is 24 lines, divided into two stanzas. The poem questions the way one can distinguish between reality and fantasy, asking, "Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?"-Analysis:"A Dream...
" - "The RavenThe Raven"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
" - "The Tell-Tale HeartThe Tell-Tale Heart"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by dismembering it and hiding it under the...
" - "The Cask of AmontilladoThe Cask of Amontillado"The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book....
" - "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor FetherThe System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" is a comedic short story written by American author Edgar Allan Poe.-Plot summary:The story follows an unnamed narrator who visits a mental institution in southern France known for a revolutionary new method of treating mental illnesses called the...
" - "The Fall of the House of UsherThe Fall of the House of Usher"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in September 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. It was slightly revised in 1840 for the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque...
"