Alan Parsons Project-Tales of Mystery & Imagination

[JKL2000]

Spun this in the car the last couple of days. I only have a 20 minute commute to work now, but at least it's in a car so I can blast it!

I was really enjoying the special features of the Deluxe 2CD edition of this. I really like the demo version of The Raven (bouncier and more of a real song somehow, though I like the final version, and also the demo of the unused song, "Edgar." Seems like a pretty good song that maybe should have been on the album. Also, the Orson Welles radio spot and the album intro on the 1987 remix. Haven't listened to the whole remixed album yet, so can't really comment on that.

I hadn't listened to the whole album in quite a while, and had sort of forgotten how long The Fall of the House of Usher is (16 minutes). I kind of feel this doesn't QUITE work, but it has some good points.

I have a funny memory from 9th grade. A friend told me about the record and we listened to some of together. We were taking a Poe elective class, so he told the teacher about it, and the teacher said to bring it in, and he set up a record player so we could play some for the class. My friend put on "The Cask of Amontillado" and as soon as the "ooo-ooo" backing vocals started the teacher totally cracked up. They really do sound pretty cheesy. At that point, the whole thing just became embarassing, and my friend put away the record after that song. This was about 1978 - in fact, the first "punk" most of us had seen was in this very class, sitting silently in the back, brooding, the whole semester. Also, at some point an "imported" French punk joined the class, having just arrived in the US.

One thing I never much cared for about the album is the cover art - that landscape in the background looks so Southwestern - it just doesn't fit in with ANYTHING Poe. I can't understand why they couldn't come up with something better overall. I like the magnetic tape aspect, but not the rest. Oh, also, The Gold Bug is a bit of a lame instrumental. I enjoy it, but it never really goes anywhere.

[JKL2000]

Wikipedia says: According to the album's liner notes, "The Raven" was the first rock song ever to feature a digital vocoder. But wouldn't Frampton have beaten him to it, since Frampton Comes Alive came out in January 1976? I don't know if the studio version of Show Me the Way used vocoder, but the live version certainly did.

[trurl]

Wikipedia says: According to the album's liner notes, "The Raven" was the first rock song ever to feature a digital vocoder. But wouldn't Frampton have beaten him to it, since Frampton Comes Alive came out in January 1976? I don't know if the studio version of Show Me the Way used vocoder, but the live version certainly did.

That wasn't a vocoder- a vocoder is an electronic device and Frampton used a talk box which runs an audio signal through a tube into your mouth which then modulates it. It's a similar effect but achieved val real-world acoustics.

I sincerely doubt what APP used was a digital device though- I imagine it was an analog electronic vocoder.

[ItalProgRules]

My second favorite APP after I, Robot.

I had a teacher who made us listen to Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" on a record player for some reason that escapes me now.

I just remembering asking him if we could listen to YES's "America" if I brought it in, and getting a dirty look.

[JKL2000]

That wasn't a vocoder- a vocoder is an electronic device and Frampton used a talk box which runs an audio signal through a tube into your mouth which then modulates it. It's a similar effect but achieved val real-world acoustics.

I sincerely doubt what APP used was a digital device though- I imagine it was an analog electronic vocoder.

Thanks for the clarification. Point: Parsons!

[SteveSly]

One of my favorite Parsons albums. I agree that "Fall Of The House Of Usher" does not quite work (probably could have been shorter), but overall this is a great one.

Steve Sly

[Yaman Aksu]

Among APP albums I'd listened to in their entirety (which are probably only 1. Tales of Mystery, 2. Friendly Card, 3. Gaudi and maybe 4. Eye In The Sky) this one (Tales of Mystery) probably ranks the highest, but I'd have to revisit Eye In The Sky to decide. (I've omitted other APP albums here since I either heard them only in part or didn't hear). Speaking of vocoder (or vocoder-like sounds), I'd put in a vote for Mike Oldfield's song Five Miles Out from 1982. Actually, although Tales of Mystery was released in 1976, it has many sound similarities to 80s albums like the 1982 album that Five Miles Out comes from (which is the album called Five Miles Out, duh).

[ChrisXymphonia]

FYI: the instrumental The Gold Bug isn't on this album but on the 1980 album Turn Of A Friendly Card.

Parsons received quite a bit of flak when he remixed / fixed the album upon its first release in 1987 on cd but I think that version is simply sublime. If I listen to the original I really miss the Welles intro and his words at the beginning of Usher.

[JKL2000]

FYI: the instrumental The Gold Bug isn't on this album but on the 1980 album Turn Of A Friendly Card.

Oops, I was listening to Turn... in the car just before this. Makes sense to get confused since it's a Poe story.

[trurl]

My APP ranking goes:

1) I, Robot
2) Pyramid
3) Tales of M&M's
4) PPPPptttttttttttt

[Trane]

My APP ranking goes:

1) I, Robot
2) Pyramid
3) Tales of M&M's
4) PPPPptttttttttttt

Not in the same order (mine would be your 3, 1, 2, and 4), but that about it

[everythingtoexcess]

Great album, although I haven't listened to the whole thing in years. I periodically get To One In Paradise stuck in my head for no reason at all. I also agree that the 1987 remix was a huge improvement.

[ronmac]

Parsons received quite a bit of flak when he remixed / fixed the album upon its first release in 1987 on cd but I think that version is simply sublime. If I listen to the original I really miss the Welles intro and his words at the beginning of Usher.

QFT

[BobM]

Love the orchestral piece on this album. That stands out over time. Parsons always also had amazing sound quality to his albums.

[Progtopia]

I have a funny memory from 9th grade. A friend told me about the record and we listened to some of together. We were taking a Poe elective class, so he told the teacher about it, and the teacher said to bring it in, and he set up a record player so we could play some for the class. My friend put on "The Cask of Amontillado" and as soon as the "ooo-ooo" backing vocals started the teacher totally cracked up. They really do sound pretty cheesy. At that point, the whole thing just became embarassing, and my friend put away the record after that song.

Heck, my 11th grade English teacher played parts of Tales in class when we were studying Poe. I already knew about the album by then anyway, but she was probably out of the age demographic of the usual prog-rock listener, so that was nice.

[taliesin]

Parsons received quite a bit of flak when he remixed / fixed the album upon its first release in 1987 on cd but I think that version is simply sublime. If I listen to the original I really miss the Welles intro and his words at the beginning of Usher.

My feelings are completely the opposite - I find Welles' bits terribly cheesy and the weedly-weedly guitar solo he added to one song (The Raven?) completely out of place.

So it's good that this has both versions to keep us all happy .

[ThomasKDye]

I find Welles' bits terribly cheesy

Cheesy? He's just quoting Poe himself, isn't he?

Like you say, to each their own... I think his recitation gives the album some interesting, introspective gravity.

[Tangram]

I have the delux box and I wasn't happy with the new drum sounds. I felt the original sounds of the drums fit better with the overall mood of the album. The 1987 drums were too "bright" and out of place in most spots. I liked the orchestral piece a lot as Andrew Powell always did a great job. I enjoyed the Orsen Welles sections too.. I'm happy to have both versions but I rarely listen to the remix.

[notallwhowander]

All I have is the remixed CD, and do enjoy it quite a bit. I thought about the deluxe version, but never moved to get it. I like the Welles stuff. I can understand people thinking it a bit much, but Poe is a bit much (just a bit much in a way I like).

[JKL2000]

My feelings are completely the opposite - I find Welles' bits terribly cheesy and the weedly-weedly guitar solo he added to one song (The Raven?) completely out of place.

Come on, the very fact that they got Orson Welles to cut loose on the axe again was cause for celebration!

[taliesin]

Cheesy? He's just quoting Poe himself, isn't he?

Like you say, to each their own... I think his recitation gives the album some interesting, introspective gravity.

No the Poe quotes they chose are fine, it just comes across to me as Welles doing a parody of himself. I always picture him doing those awful wine ads when I hear it.

Come on, the very fact that they got Orson Welles to cut loose on the axe again was cause for celebration!

Yeah he shreds on that bad boy! What is this, the grammar police?

[AndreProgrunner]

Turn of a friendly card is hands down one of my favorite albums...themed with risking and gambling.

[FrippWire]

I recently bought a small vinyl LP collection for resale purposes and this was in the collection. I already own it on CD but I jumped at the chance to have it on vinyl in my own collection. It makes my list of APP desert island discs.

[Trane]

Spun this in the car the last couple of days. I only have a 20 minute commute to work now, but at least it's in a car so I can blast it!

I was really enjoying the special features of the Deluxe 2CD edition of this. I really like the demo version of The Raven (bouncier and more of a real song somehow, though I like the final version, and also the demo of the unused song, "Edgar." Seems like a pretty good song that maybe should have been on the album. Also, the Orson Welles radio spot and the album intro on the 1987 remix. Haven't listened to the whole remixed album yet, so can't really comment on that.

I hadn't listened to the whole album in quite a while, and had sort of forgotten how long The Fall of the House of Usher is (16 minutes). I kind of feel this doesn't QUITE work, but it has some good points.

I just borrowed this Deluxe edition from my library system, and I listened to it last night on my return to muy Dutch pad

I'm appalled at how bad this sounds, especially disc 1... what did they (Parsons??) do to the remmaster?? (or is it a remix??)... I certainly couldn't "blare it ou" without catching a headache... and there were stuff i could barely hear, stuff that I remembered when I heard this album (I owned it as a vinyl, until the late 80's)...

The second disc is a tad better... Problem is that if you want to listen just to the album, neither disc will do, because they're filled with the same bonus (mostly crap, AFAIAC)...

Should i ever ever want to own this album again, I'll probably look out for 90's Cd version.

[ca1ore]

On of my faves, no question. Cries out for surround treatment though!

Never liked the remix/remaster though, my go to version is the original MoFi mix version.