A landmark release in prog rock history, The Alan Parsons Project’s debut album, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination, remains not only one of the most ambitious releases from prog’s mid-70s golden age, but also one of the finest examples of a musician putting literature to music.
Released in 1976, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination saw Alan Parsons and long-time collaborator Eric Woolfson bring to life some of the most enduring works by pioneering gothic poet and short-story writer Edgar Allan Poe. Working with a host of musicians, among them legendary God Of Hellfire, Arthur Brown, Hollies singer and guitarist Terry Sylvester, the bands Ambrosia and Pilot, plus keyboardist Francis Monkman (of cult 70s outfit Curved Air), they also managed to snag narration by legendary actor, director, writer and producer Orson Welles – a man with no little experience in bringing works of literature to life in the studio.
For its 40th anniversary, Tales… is being celebrated with a multi-disc box set, made with the full co-operation of Alan Parsons and the family of the late Eric Woolfson. As well as boasting over 70 minutes’ worth of previously unreleased bonus material, the 3CD+Blu-ray+2LP box set also includes the original 1976 album mix (half-speed mastered for vinyl at Abbey Road by leading half-speed mastering expert Miles Showell), Alan Parsons’ 1987 remix, and, for the first time ever, a high-definition 5.1 surround sound mix on Blu-ray, mastered in 2016 by Parsons himself. Rounded out with a 60-page coffee-table book boasting rare photos and new interviews, a poster, replica 1976 press kit and “taped man” sticker, this lavish package does full justice to the legacy of Parsons’ and Woolfson’s stunning work.
“The Tales album is my favourite,” Alan Parsons says today. “Always has been, always will be. It broke new territory all round.”