TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION

Oddly enough, Alan Parsons was the first band that brought me into the prog world, so I have him and this album partly to thank. I always view this album as the Parson's version of Darkside of the Moon, as he had such an influence on that album it most definitely carried over here. While this album should be considred prog, there are a lot of elements from normal rock, pop, and classical as well, giving this a rather diverse feel.

The album opens with 'A Dream Within a Dream,' which begins with some spoken words and builds up to a Floydian-like atmosphere.

This segues into 'The Raven,' which makes decent use of orchestral sounds to give it a symphonic feel.

'The Tell-tale Heart' is a pretty decent rocker with some driving bass along with some frantic vocals.

'The Cask of Amontillado' has a glaringly obvious Beatles sound to it, which is never a bad thing. The orchestral segments in here are great as always. '(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether' is a fun tune, if slightly structurally simple.

'The Fall of the House of the Usher' is a 15-minute long suite in a undeniably symphonic symphonic style. The opening prelude is absolutely beautiful and mysterious. It is something that could have heard during the modern classical period. Two more rocking tracks are separated by a short prelude, before the tense conclusion.

The album ends with 'To One In Paradise,' which just kind of flows through you with the calm vocals and instrumentals.

Overall, this is a great album to start with (as I did), but is often quite predictable, which may leave the seasoned prog listener a tad cold.

5/10