TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION

Prog rock perfection from an unlikely source. "Tales" is not only an outstanding prog rock album but one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Whether or not you are a fan of their other work, this one deserves a listen. All the tracks hold up very well and have stood the test of time. Some may take issue with the length of "Fall of the House of Usher", but this is the centerpiece of the album and rightfully so. It is a piece that could have been included in any number of horror/suspense films to great effect.

Now, a word of warning. In 1987, Parsons took it upon himself to 'resurrect' the recording by re-recording the entire drum track as well as some guitar and vocal tracks. This resulted in a blasphemous rework (in my humble opinion) of this classic album. The updated drum tracks took away the eerie, organic feel that the original drum tracks lent to the recording. The additional guitar leads and new vocals added nothing. Even the original Orson Welles voiceover for 'A Dream Within A Dream' felt cheesy and forced.

So do yourself a favor and track down a copy of the ORIGINAL release of this album. To my knowledge, the only CD version of the original recording is the MFSL gold disc version. Unfortunately you will probably have to resort to Ebay to secure a copy of this CD, and last time I checked copies were going for over $50. I am not sure if Itunes has the original version of this album or the 'updated' version from 1987.