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Alan Parsons and Universal prepping new box set of APP debut

By Paul Sinclair

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Alan Parsons has confirmed on that Universal Music will, this summer, reissue the Alan Parsons Project debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination Edgar Allan Poe, as a 40th anniversary multi-disc box set.

Parsons posted the following message about the 1976 album on his Facebook page:

“Who would have thought I’d be talking about anything I worked on 40 years after it happened? OK. So the Beatles were a part of everyone’s history, but in 2013, when Dark Side Of The Moon had its 40th birthday, I was reminded how important that record would be to my future. It was 3 short years after Dark Side was released that Eric Woolfson (also my manager at the time) and I assembled an album on which the star was intended to be Edgar Allan Poe – I thought I would be a line of small print as producer and co-writer but that changed as the APP identity was born upon the release of Tales. I am proud to be still flying the flag supporting this album in the live arena along with the many more albums that ensued under the banner of The Alan Parsons Project.

It’s a great thrill to tell you that this summer, Universal will be releasing the album in a 40th anniversary multi-disc box set including a 4-sided vinyl set at 45rpm (amazing quality), 3 CDs – one of which is all-new bonus material and a 5.1 surround mix on Blu-ray . The surround version will be a totally new mix which I hope to complete within the next few weeks.“

So reading between the lines, their will be a deluxe 2LP 45 RPM vinyl set as a separate product, and a four-disc box set which comprises 3CD+blu-ray audio (featuring the surround sound mix). A standard 33RPM vinyl LP, a two-CD deluxe and perhaps standalone blu-ray audio are also quite likely formats.

More news on this when we have it.

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27 thoughts on “Alan Parsons and Universal prepping new box set of APP debut”

  3. This is exactly what I had expected (though I really hope they keep the vinyl out of this set). AP did a new remaster of “Turn of a Friendly Card” for the 2CD edition last year so I hope the same goes for this. As others have said the 2007 deluxe was much too compressed (oddly enough the rest of the reissues had better dynamics). As for the bonus tracks, I think they sometimes didn’t choose the right things because of the time constraints. Some of the new bonus tracks on TOFC were better than the ones released 2008.

  5. The 1994 MFSL is identical to the original release and sounds fantastic.
    I am curious about a surround release on blu-ray but I am getting tired about all the vinyl releases. I grew up with cassettes and vinyl but I am more happy with digital releases :)

  9. The APP remasters from a few years ago were rather thin on bonus tracks, only fillers as far as I’m concern with guide vocals and alternate versions, nothing really exciting, I hope for some truly new/unreleased tracks for this re-re-releaase.

  10. Well, isn’t it the 3rd time that this album will be reissue in less than 10 years ???
    I already bought the 2007 reissue, so i’ll wait and see if there is really an interest in this…

  11. crossfingers the Bluray standalone or plus CDs
    (After The Division Bell of PF, I don’t want more useless vinyl just to get a Bluray)

  13. I would go for a CD/Bluray box but won’t be buying a multi-disc set that includes vinyl. That is how it reads unfortunately. If that is the case, a standalone Bluray for the 5.1 will do.

  14. Paul… it says the box will include the 2LP (45rpm) + 3CD + Bluray all together.
    “…box set including a 4-sided vinyl set at 45rpm (amazing quality), 3 CDs – one of which is all-new bonus material and a 5.1 surround mix on Blu-ray . “

    1. I know it reads a bit like that, but I very much doubt they’ll put that vinyl in with the other stuff. We’ll have to wait and see… but my money is on them being separate.

      1. Are you sure these companies do have a habbit of making totally irrational box sets (Paul McCartny’s recent greatest hits announcement with nothing new and plenty of nothing hitty), the original release of Aqualung by Jethro Tull, the rather stupid Tusk Box.

        I hope you are wrong becuase I am not buying if i have to stiff for overexpensive Vinyl which should have a separate box, extras from the CD box should be placed on separate vinyl discs.

        I dont like Vinyl but people do and they shoudl get teh same material on vinyl as teh digital brigade. personally i hope the 5.1 disc is a separate release, thats teh important bit for me.

        1. I’m not sure, because there are no real ‘facts’ yet. But you hope I’m *right*, not wrong, because my feeling is that vinyl (especially 45RPM vinyl) will be separate :)

          1. Unfortunately you are wrong. I won’t be buying this box set then. Stupid that Universal don’t get they are hurting sales by making it so expensive.

  15. The previous Deluxe Edition had both mixes, so I assume this one will, as well. It’s unlikely it will sound as good as the MFSL gold disc, however.

    1. The remaster with both versions by Paraons sounded like crap. Hopefully this isn’t just a repackage of those discs with the new stuff.

      1. The 1987 version was remastereed for the box set in 2013. It sounds fine to me but I only had the 1976 lp to compare it to, which is obviously very different.

        The 1976 version is much neglected in CD reissues so I hope they mix/master a decent version for this set. The 1987 version, as far as I know, has not been issued on LP. I hope they don’t make it the LP in this set.

        As for a 2 LP 45 RPM version, the fall of the house of usher takes up 16 mins approx. of side 2 leaving 4.38 mins for the last track – will this be reflected on disc 2 of the 2 LP set?

  17. I would really like it if this set included BOTH album mixes. I have the complete albums set that came out a few years back, which has the ’87 remix of this album. Knowing that this included the original would definitely make it a must-have.

    I’m also assuming (perhaps foolishly) that the dynamics of this record will be fully maintained by Parsons.

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