This album kicks off a string of brilliantly executed studio concoctions attributed to a “band” of session musicians that have secured a place in my heart as one of my three favorite rock acts of all time. This first effort – which was originally intended to be the only one of its kind and, as such, was originally pressed on vinyl under the title of The Alan Parsons Project referring to the album and not the group performing it – sets the style for the remainder of the 1970s for the Project. A group of songs inspired by sundry poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe ranges from chilling (“The Tell Tale Heart”, though a lot of the credit for the spinal shivers still belongs to the source material) to ethereally gorgeous (“To One In Paradise”, the last track). In between there lies mystery (“A Dream Within a Dream”, an instrumental which perfectly balances rock and classical elements, a Parsons
trademark in later years) and a huge, entirely instrumental orchestral suite depicting The Fall of the House of Usher, among other points of interest. The CD liner notes booklet is lavish and incredibly informative, and there’s an added treat in the form of two narrations recorded for the album by Orson Welles but omitted from the original LP release. Very uneven but highly recommended.
- A Dream Within A Dream (4:13)
- The Raven (3:57)
- The Tell-Tale Heart (4:38)
- The Cask of Amontillado (4:33)
- (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether (4:20)
The Fall of the House of Usher:
- Prelude (7:02)
- Arrival (2:39)
- Intermezzo (1:00)
- Pavane (4:36)
- Fall (0:51)
- To One In Paradise (4:46)
Released by: Mercury
Release date: 1976
Total running time: 42:35