Alan Parsons Project The Raven

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Debut Album Release, 1976

The Alan Parsons Project released their debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, in 1976. The progressive rock album heavily relied on Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, composed by Eric Woolfson, who later explained that the album was "a concept album based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe." The album's opening track, "The Raven," is a seven-minute musical interpretation of Poe's famous poem, featuring the haunting words: "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain / Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before."

The album also includes other Poe-inspired tracks, such as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The album's music is characterized by its lush orchestration and complex arrangements, and it has been praised for its innovative use of sound effects and tape loops.