It’s never a good thing when a new edition of a classic album expands a previous reissue, and fans who already shelled out for a smattering of extra material have to buy the same stuff and then some, with this “some” often being of dubious value. Fortunately, the 50th anniversary re-emergence of THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT‘s “Tales Of Mystery And Imagination” which will be released on December 11th is as far from a money grab as it could be. While the 40-year version of the British ensemble’s debut album wasn’t cheap, because it included – alongside three CDs with the original 1976 album, the platter’s 1987 remix and a collection of work-in-progress tracks – two LPs and a Blu-ray, the new offering comes split between various formats which one may want to combine, yet the availability of separate variants should make them affordable, especially when an aficionado picks a triple-disc mediabook.
However, there’s more: a plethora of previously unheard pieces make this edition irresistible, and a standalone Blu-ray contains Parson’s own 2026 Dolby Atmos 5.1 surround sound mixes. But sure enough, those who purchased a previous box set have a reason to be dissatisfied.
Tales Of Mystery And Imagination
Edgar Allan Poe –
50th Anniversary Edition
CD 1 – Original 1976 Album:
1. A Dream Within A Dream
2. The Raven
3. The Tell-Tale Heart
4. The Cask Of Amontillado
5. (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether
6. The Fall Of The House Of Usher:
i. Prelude
ii. Arrival
iii. Intermezzo
iv. Pavane
v. Fall
7. To One In Paradise
bonus tracks:
8 The Raven (original demo)
9 Edgar (demo of an unreleased track)
10 Orson Welles Radio Spot
11 Interview with Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson (1976)
CD2 – 1987 Remix Album:
1-11 – as on CD 1
bonus tracks:
12. Eric’s guide vocal medley
13. Orson Welles dialogue
14. Sea Lions In The Departure Lounge
15. GBH mix (unreleased experiments)
16. Tales Of Mystery Highlights With Orson Welles Narration Outtake *
CD 3 – Bonus Tracks:
1. Album Launch At Los Angeles Planetarium – Introduction By Warren Duffy
2. A Dream Within A Dream (piano takes)
3. A Dream Within A Dream (recorder takes)
4. A Dream Within A Dream/The Raven (early mix with Eric on vocoder)
5. The Raven (out-take and extended jam)
6. The Tell-Tale Heart (Eric guide vocal)
7. The Cask Of Amontillado (rough mix – piano and backing vocals)
8. The Cask Of Amontillado (Eric and Alan guide vocals)
9. Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether (early rough mix)
10. Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether (vocal take)
11. Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether (Eric’s guide vocal)
12. Prelude (orchestral take 19)
13. Pavane (experimenting & take 1)
14. To One In Paradise (rough mix)
15. Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether (Eric Woolfson Songwriting Diary) *
16. To One in Paradise (Eric Woolfson Songwriting Diary) *
17. Cask of Amontillado (Billy Lyall piano take) *
18. Edgar (Eric Woolfson Poe recording) *
19. Poe Material (Eric Woolfson Songwriting Diary) *
20. Poe Song (Eric Woolfson Songwriting Diary) *
21. Poe Recording (harpsichord & electric guitars) *
22. Intermezzo (orchestra strings take) *
23. Fall (orchestra take) *
24. Fall (orchestra take 2) *
25. Fall (orchestra take 3) *
* previously unreleased
