With engineering experience and reputation garnered on The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album and elsewhere,  Alan Parsons hired himself out as independent producer/engineer in the early 1970's, working with major acts such as Ambrosia, Al Stewart and Pink Floyd.  By mid-decade he'd enlisted manager Eric Woolfson and arranger Andrew Powell in a massive concept album project based on Poe's tales of horror, and to be promoted under his own name, unconnected with a major group.  Although Parsons and the others were unknown outside music circles, a deal was cut and no less than graphics house Hipgnosis (famous for the Pink Floyd covers) was contracted to do the double-fold album design.  A full orchestra was hired and what resulted was a milestone in progressive or classical rock music.  Augmented by everything from the synthesizers of the day to a choir (and even a vocal introduction by Orson Welles), many of Poe's visions were rendered in what I'll call the tone poem manner of Ottorino Respighi (of "Pines of Rome" fame), including "The Raven", "A Dream Within A Dream", "The Fall Of The House Of Usher" and "The Tell-tale Heart".  These pieces are among the finest of what at the time was called "head music", to be contemplated at length rather than danced to in three minutes.

 

6/15/2008