Artist: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Album: Alan Parsons Project
Genre: Prog-rock, Concept
Release Date: 1975
Label: Mercury
Rating: *****
A concept album based on Poe's literature, including songs based on his poems with lyrics constructed around quotes from his writings. Alan Parson's Project's interesting style of prog-rock (of which I refer to as "production prog") holds more focus on synthesizers and deep well-thought out layers of sound than fancy high brow instrumentation. However they maintain conceptual motives and a certain "artiness" to the whole affair. But, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" is first and foremost an album of striking mood, that of down, right ice cold terror. No other album has ever made me more afraid to be alone listening to than this, with disturbing psychotic vocals (as on "Tell Tale Heart") and booming sudden musical crescendos and decrescendos (as on the classically driven 5-part instrumental overture, "Fall of the House of Usher"). Although Alan Parsons Project does utilize a number of expected cliches, such as thunder sound effects and a spoken word intro by Orson Welles, all of these are effective--and only further build the mood. And unlike lots of early synth work, nothing sounds very dated here (one would expect the altered vocals of "The Raven" to annoy, but they are indeed quite timelessly disturbing). Highly, highly recommended.
- A Dream within a Dream ****
- The Raven *****
- The Tell-Tale Heart *****
- The Cask of Amontillado ****
- (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather *****
- Fall of the House of Usher (Overture) *****
- To One in Paradise ***
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