APP "Tales Of Mystery and Imagination" album

The Alan Parsons Project

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Deluxe Edition)

This ground-breaking album was originally released by 20th Century Records in 1976. The theme of this album is inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe. It was first released on CD in 1987, but during the remastering process, some changes were made to the album. Later, Mobile Fidelity released the original version on CD, but that version was harder to find.

On April 30, 2007, Universal Music released the 2-CD Deluxe Edition. This edition would satisfy the debate between fans who liked the remaster (with improvements and restored portions), and those who were purists and wanted only the original version. The Deluxe Edition not only had both versions, but also a host of extra features!

DISC ONE: ORIGINAL 1976 VERSION

A Dream Within A Dream instrumental (3:41)

The Raven vocal: Alan Parsons (EMI vocoder), Leonard Whiting (3:58)

The Tell-tale Heart vocal: Arthur Brown (4:42)

The Cask of Amontillado vocal: John Miles (4:28)

(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether vocal: John Miles (4:14)

The Fall of the House of Usher instrumental

I Prelude (5:52)

II Arrival (2:41)

III Intermezzo (1:03)

IV Pavane (4:34)

V Fall (0:52)

To One In Paradise vocal: Terry Sylvester (4:29)

Bonus Tracks:

The Raven [Original Demo] (3:26)

Edgar [Demo of an unreleased track] (3:03)

Orson Welles Radio Spot (1:01)

Interview with Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson [1976] (8:33)

DISC TWO: 1987 REMIX VERSION

A Dream Within A Dream instrumental (4:13) [with narration by Orson Welles]

The Raven vocal: Alan Parsons (EMI vocoder), Leonard Whiting (3:57) [new guitar solo: Ian Bairnson]

The Tell-Tale Heart vocal: Arthur Brown (4:39)

The Cask of Amontillado vocal: John Miles (4:33) [new snyths: Alan Parsons]

(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether vocal: John Miles (4:21) [new "Cathedral Organ": Alan Parsons]

The Fall of the House of Usher instrumental

I Prelude (7:01)

II Arrival (2:34)

III Intermezzo (0:59)

IV Pavane (4:36) [new synth: Eric Woolfson]

V Fall (0:51)

To One In Paradise vocal: Terry Sylvester (4:44)

Bonus Tracks:

Eric's Guide Vocal Medley (9:23)

Orson Welles Dialogue (3:05)

Sea Lions In The Departure Lounge - Sound Effects and Experiments (2:38)

GBH Mix - Unreleased Experiments (5:22)

Personnel:

Bass: David Paton, Joe Puerta

String Bass: Darryl Runswick

Drums: Stuart Tosh, Burleigh Drummond

Guitars: Ian Bairnson, David Paton, David Pack, Alan Parsons

Keyboards: Billy Lyall, Christopher North, Eric Woolfson, Andrew Powell, Francis Monkman, Alan Parsons

Cimbalom and Kantele: John Leach

Vocals: John Miles, Arthur Brown, Alan Parsons, Terry Sylvester, Leonard Whiting, Jack Harris, Eric Woolfson, Jane Powell, Smokey Parsons, David Paton, Stuart Tosh, and The English Chorale.

TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION

BONUS MATERIAL NOTES

by Eric Woolfson & Alan Parsons

January 2007

The Raven (Original Demo) EW "Before I had even met Alan, I had gone in the studio to attempt several demos which could eventually comprise an Edgar Allan Poe "Project". This attempt was made in the early 70s."

Edgar (Demo of an unreleased track) EW "I had hoped to include this song as part of the Project's first recording, but was dissuaded by a record company executive who pointed out that the word 'Goblin' had a sexual connotation in America that was certainly unkown to me. I think people were much more sensitive in those days."

GBH Mix (unreleased experiments ) AP "While recording the album, we were concerned that somebody else might steal the idea of an Edgar Allan Poe theme, so we kept it secret from all the session players, vocalists and Abbey Road staff. Obviously the real titles would have given the Poe concept away, so we chose deliberately confusing titles that only had meaning to Eric and myself. For example 'The Cask Of Amontillado' became 'Bristol Cream', 'The Raven' became 'The Raver', and although it never made it to this album, 'The Murders In The Rue Morgue' became 'GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm) In A French Street'. Arthur Brown saw through the veil, but with the lyrics he was given it was understandable. The Bonnie And Clydesque ragtime track was an early attempt at 'Tarr and Fether', but bears no resemblance to the final version. Other snippets include out of context extracts from 'Usher' and 'A Dream Within A Dream'."

Sea Lions in the Departure Lounge(experiment with sound effects) EW "One of the fondly remembered features of the recording of this album and contrary to what one might expect, was the humor involved in the sessions. We had hours of amusement playing with sound effects and this example has survived. It consists of a rough mix of a section of 'The Fall Of The House of Usher' where the traveller approaches the menacing and mysterious building, knocks on the door and enters an airport departure lounge inhabited by sea-lions and sheep!"

Eric's Guide Vocal Medley EW "As the writer, I always sang a version of the songs in order to play the material to other artists and for them to learn. It was only years later that I finally pressed Alan tolet me sing lead vocals. This is an edited collection from the archives of my rough guide vocals, including a vocoder version of 'The Raven' and a contribution from Alan in the middle of 'Amontillado'."

Orson Welles Radio Spot AP "Welles was given a script for narration and radio spots. He had not heard any music at this point. We took his dialogue and the music from the album and played around with it. One of the results was this radio commercial which was used in the US advertising campaign."

Orson Welles Radio Spot AP "This is the full content of Welles' tape (without music), parts of which were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album, the re-released and remixed version in 1987 and the radio spots. There is a segment that was not included anywhere on the previously heard narration or the radio spots."

Interview with Alan and Eric 1976 AP "Warren Duffy who had worked in radio for many years and who had been a long-standing associate of The Beach Boys, assembled this promotional Q & A session with Eric and myself just before the album's original release. He also MC'd the 'Laserium' album launch at tge Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles."

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The Raven (Original Demo)	EW "Before I had even met Alan, I had gone in the studio to attempt several demos which could eventually comprise an Edgar Allan Poe "Project". This attempt was made in the early 70s."

Edgar (Demo of an unreleased track)	EW "I had hoped to include this song as part of the Project's first recording, but was dissuaded by a record company executive who pointed out that the word 'Goblin' had a sexual connotation in America that was certainly unkown to me. I think people were much more sensitive in those days."

GBH Mix (unreleased experiments )	AP "While recording the album, we were concerned that somebody else might steal the idea of an Edgar Allan Poe theme, so we kept it secret from all the session players, vocalists and Abbey Road staff. Obviously the real titles would have given the Poe concept away, so we chose deliberately confusing titles that only had meaning to Eric and myself. For example 'The Cask Of Amontillado' became 'Bristol Cream', 'The Raven' became 'The Raver', and although it never made it to this album, 'The Murders In The Rue Morgue' became 'GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm) In A French Street'. Arthur Brown saw through the veil, but with the lyrics he was given it was understandable. The Bonnie And Clydesque ragtime track was an early attempt at 'Tarr and Fether', but bears no resemblance to the final version. Other snippets include out of context extracts from 'Usher' and 'A Dream Within A Dream'."

Sea Lions in the Departure Lounge(experiment with sound effects)	EW "One of the fondly remembered features of the recording of this album and contrary to what one might expect, was the humor involved in the sessions. We had hours of amusement playing with sound effects and this example has survived. It consists of a rough mix of a section of 'The Fall Of The House of Usher' where the traveller approaches the menacing and mysterious building, knocks on the door and enters an airport departure lounge inhabited by sea-lions and sheep!"

Eric's Guide Vocal Medley	EW "As the writer, I always sang a version of the songs in order to play the material to other artists and for them to learn. It was only years later that I finally pressed Alan tolet me sing lead vocals. This is an edited collection from the archives of my rough guide vocals, including a vocoder version of 'The Raven' and a contribution from Alan in the middle of 'Amontillado'."

Orson Welles Radio Spot	AP "Welles was given a script for narration and radio spots. He had not heard any music at this point. We took his dialogue and the music from the album and played around with it. One of the results was this radio commercial which was used in the US advertising campaign."

Orson Welles Radio Spot	AP "This is the full content of Welles' tape (without music), parts of which were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album, the re-released and remixed version in 1987 and the radio spots. There is a segment that was not included anywhere on the previously heard narration or the radio spots."

Interview with Alan and Eric 1976	AP "Warren Duffy who had worked in radio for many years and who had been a long-standing associate of The Beach Boys, assembled this promotional Q & A session with Eric and myself just before the album's original release. He also MC'd the 'Laserium' album launch at tge Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles."