Izdavač: Ostalo
Žanr: Elektronska muzika, Rok
Poreklo: Strani izvođač

Original, made in Western Germany

Knjizica od 24 str.



knjizica 4 Cd 4-/3+

Studio album by The Alan Parsons Project
Released 25 June 1976[1]
Recorded July 1975 – January 1976
Studio
Abbey Road, London
Mama Jo`s, Hollywood
Kingsway Hall, London
Genre
Progressive rockart rocksymphonic rock
Length 40:34 (1976)/42:38 (1987)
Label
Charisma20th Century Fox
Producer Alan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
(1976) I Robot
(1977)
Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Edgar Allan Poe) is the debut studio album by British rock band The Alan Parsons Project. It was released on 25 June 1976 in the United Kingdom by Charisma Records. The lyrical and musical themes of the album, which are retellings of horror stories and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, attracted a cult audience. The title of the album is taken from the title of a collection of Poe`s macabre stories of the same name.

Musicians featured on the album include vocalists Arthur Brown of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown on `The Tell Tale Heart`, John Miles on `The Cask of Amontillado` and `(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether`, and Terry Sylvester of The Hollies on `To One in Paradise`. The complete line-up of bands Ambrosia and Pilot play on the record, along with keyboardist Francis Monkman of Curved Air and Sky.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination peaked at #38 on Billboard`s Pop Albums chart. The song `(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether` peaked at No. 37 on the Pop Singles chart, and No. 62 in Canada.[5]

Composition
`The Raven` features actor Leonard Whiting on lead vocals, with Alan Parsons performing vocals through an EMI vocoder. According to the album`s liner notes, `The Raven` was the first rock song to feature a digital vocoder. The prelude section of `The Fall of the House of Usher`, although uncredited, is taken verbatim from the opera fragment `La chute de la maison Usher` by Claude Debussy which was composed between 1908 and 1917.[6] `The Fall of the House of Usher` is an instrumental suite that runs more than 15 minutes and takes up most of Side 2 of the recording.

Artwork
The album`s cover art was made by Hipgnosis. Storm Thorgerson said that Eric Woolfson and Parsons wanted a `classy` design, including a book of lyrics, lengthy credits, and a chronology of Poe`s life. He described the recurring image of the `taped` man:[7]

Poe was preoccupied with entombment. Many of his characters have been incarcerated in some form or other – in coffins, brick walls, or under floorboards. We came up with the `taped` man – a mummy-like figure who is wrapped, not in bandages, but in 2` recording tape. This motif is partially horror-like, as well as being `entombed`, and the 2` tape appropriately suggests that the album is done by a producer in a studio, as opposed to a band recording material they will play on stage. Although the clients were intrigued by this idea they did not desire a pictorial cover but preferred instead a precise graphic representation. The narrow strip of illustration from George [Hardie] shows a long shadow of the taped man.

The booklet (attached to the inside of the cover) is composed of photos related to the songs, and line drawings that explore the taped man as he thrashes about in his restricted world and strives to unravel himself. The illustrated capital letters continue the idea. The layout and drawings are by Colin Elgie. The sleeve is one of our better attempts at combining photographs and illustration.

Personnel
Track numbers in parentheses.[14][15]

Alan Parsons – EMI vocoder (2), Projectron synthesizer (3, 7, 10), recorder (5), additional vocals (11), synthesizer (3-4 on 1987 remix), cathedral organ (5 on 1987 remix) producer, engineer
Eric Woolfson – keyboards (1-3, 5, 7), backing vocals (2, 4), harpsichord (4), organ (7), additional vocals (11), synthesizer (9 on 1987 remix) executive producer
Andrew Powell – orchestral arrangement (2-4, 6, 8, 10), orchestral conductor (2-4, 6, 8, 10), keyboards (7), organ (9)
Francis Monkman – organ (7), harpsichord (9)
Billy Lyall – keyboards (1, 3), recorder (1), piano (4-5), Fender Rhodes electric piano (11), glockenspiel (11)
Christopher North – keyboards (2)
Orson Welles – narration (1 and 6 on 1987 remix)
Leonard Whiting – lead vocals (2), narration (11)
Arthur Brown – lead vocals (3)
John Miles – lead vocals (4-5), electric guitar (5)
Jack Harris – additional vocals (3, 5)
Terry Sylvester – additional vocals (4), lead vocals (11)
Jane Powell – backing vocals (11)
Smokey Parsons – vocals
Bob Howes & the English Chorale – choir (2-4)
Westminster City School Boys Choir – choir (11)
David Paton – acoustic guitar (1, 11), backing vocals (1), bass guitar (3-5, 7, 11)
Kevin Peek – acoustic guitar (9)
Laurence Juber – acoustic guitar (9)
Ian Bairnson – electric guitar (1, 3-5, 7, 11, 2 on 1987 remix), acoustic guitar (1, 11)
David Pack – electric guitar (2)
Joe Puerta – bass guitar (1-2)
Les Hurdle – bass guitar (6)
Daryl Runswick – double bass (9)
David Katz – violin, orchestra leader (6, 8, 10), orchestra contractor
Jack Rothstein – orchestra leader (6, 8, 10)
David Snell – harp (9)
Hugo D`Alton – mandolin (9)
Stuart Tosh – drums (1-5, 7, 9, 11), timpani (3), backwards cymbals (3)
Burleigh Drummond – drums (2)
John Leach – cimbalom (9), kantele (9)
Dennis Clarke - saxophone, clarinet

Production staff
Gordon Parry – engineer
Tony Richards – assistant engineer
Chris Blair – assistant engineer
Tom Trefethen – assistant engineer
Pat Stapley – assistant engineer
Peter Christopherson – photography
Aubrey Powell – photography
Storm Thorgerson – photography
Sam Emerson – photography
Hipgnosis – design, cover art
Colin Elgie – artwork, graphic design, layout design