Review:
Tales of Mystery And Imagination
By H.D.
For three weeks I've played this album almost constantly and probably the
greatest compliment I can pay it is that it has lost little of the charm
the first couple of spins brought.
Don't be put off by the pretentious title. Despite the fact that the
concept tackles the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe, the weighty lyrical
content is balanced with thoughtful, melodic pop music. Producer Alan
Parsons must take a large share of the credit for resisting the temptation
of turning the work into a self-indulgent insight into Poe's life. This
he has done by borrowing the talents of many of the artists he's produced
-- Pilot, John Miles, Terry Sylvester, and an American band called
Ambrosia.
Production-wise, it's the work of a master-craftsman, sensitively brought
to life, one eye avoiding over-kill, the other adding effect intelligently
where needed. Parsons, indeed, has called upon the influences of the
famed groups he has engineered, particularly the Beatles and Pink Floyd.
The opening segment of side two, "The Fall Of The House Of Usher," has so
many of the ethereal characteristics of a Floyd work, while other tracks,
particularly "The Cask of Amontillado" (which sounds incredibly like
"She's Leaving Home"), certainly have Beatlish connotations, both in sound
and structure.
The role of John Miles in the proceedings is pleasantly surprising. His
superb contribution on "The Cask Of Amontillado" and "(The System Of)
Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" are the album's highlights and will
force many a re-assessment of his value as a singer by those who, like me,
virtually ignored him because of his stupid, clumsy image.
Another eye-opener is the gutsy work of Pilot's Ian Bairnson. In fact,
from the opening prompting bass line of "A Dream Within A Dream" (not
unlike "Tubular Bells") to the dramatic Arthur Brown vocals on "Tell Tale
Heart" to the closing moving vocals of Terry Sylvester on "To One In
Paradise," "Tales Of Mystery And Imagination" consistently comes across
as an excellently-produced, skilfully played piece that, hopefully, will
find a place in the hearts of many pop music lovers.
As for Edgar Allan Poe fans, the lyrics, written by Parsons and Eric
Woolfson, his manger and instigator of the Project, are modified from the
original Poe lines to suit the needs of rock and will obviously give the
music an added meaning. But really, one of the best aspects of the album
is that it isn't necessary that listeners should be students of Poe's work
to appreciate just how artistically fine the entire piece is. It works on
all levels, from literary to musical.
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