The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project’s debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Edgar Allan Poe, is returning in a new 50th Anniversary Edition. Originally released in 1976, the album reimagined the works of Edgar Allan Poe through progressive rock, orchestration and studio experimentation. The new edition adds a 2026 Dolby Atmos mix, the existing 2016 5.1 surround mix, and newly remastered high-resolution stereo versions. The release is scheduled for December 11, 2026.
A New Dolby Atmos Mix by Alan Parsons
The headline feature of the anniversary edition is a new 2026 Dolby Atmos mix created by Alan Parsons from the original multitrack masters. It will be presented alongside the 2016 5.1 surround mix, allowing listeners to compare two generations of multichannel presentation built from the same source material.
The Blu-ray Audio disc also includes a 24-bit/96kHz stereo remaster of the original 1976 album and a 24-bit/48kHz stereo remaster of the 1987 remix version. Both stereo versions were remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.
Also included is Work In Progress, a collection of demos, rough mixes and unfinished material that documents the album’s production process.
Rather than functioning as a simple Atmos reissue, the Blu-ray effectively traces the album’s sonic history across four distinct eras: the original 1976 stereo mix, the 1987 remix, the 2016 5.1 version and the new 2026 Dolby Atmos presentation.
Turning Edgar Allan Poe Into Sound
Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Edgar Allan Poe was the first studio album created by Alan Parsons and composer-musician Eric Woolfson under The Alan Parsons Project name.
The album draws directly from Poe’s stories and poetry, including The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado and The Fall of the House of Usher, translating their gothic atmosphere into a mix of rock, orchestration, narration and studio effects.
Arthur Brown provided vocals on The Tell-Tale Heart, while John Miles appeared on The Cask of Amontillado and (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether. Terry Sylvester of The Hollies sang To One in Paradise, with members of Ambrosia and Pilot also contributing to the sessions.
Before forming The Alan Parsons Project, Parsons had already worked as an assistant engineer on later Beatles recordings and as an engineer on Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. That studio background became central to Tales of Mystery and Imagination, where production techniques, effects and spatial layering were used as compositional tools in their own right.
Original Mix and 1987 Remix Together
The album was extensively remixed in 1987, with changes to balances, effects and instrumentation that gave the later version a noticeably different sonic character.
The 50th Anniversary Edition does not choose between the two. Instead, it includes both the original 1976 version and the 1987 remix, making it possible to compare how the album’s presentation changed over time.
With the addition of 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mixes, the release also gives listeners the opportunity to hear the same material in both stereo and immersive formats.
That approach is especially relevant for an album that has always relied heavily on atmosphere, layering, sound effects and orchestral scale. The new Atmos mix therefore has the potential to reveal the structure of the production in a different way rather than simply adding more channels.
3LP, 3CD and Picture Disc Editions
The 50th Anniversary Edition will also be released as a 3LP Bookpack, 3CD Bookpack and Picture Disc, in addition to the standalone Blu-ray Audio.
The 3LP version is pressed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl. LP1 contains the original 1976 album, LP2 the 1987 remix, and LP3 the Work In Progress material.
The latter includes early piano takes, demos, Eric Woolfson guide vocals, orchestral takes and rough mixes, with some material being released for the first time.
The Blu-ray includes a 16-page booklet with lyrics and commentary from Alan Parsons.
Official store pricing is listed at £25 for the Blu-ray, £39 for the 3CD set, £115 for the 3LP edition and £34 for the Picture Disc, with additional bundles also available.
In the U.S., the Blu-ray Audio edition is currently listed for preorder at $29.98 through Acoustic Sounds.
Key Formats
- 2026 Dolby Atmos Mix
- 2016 5.1 Surround Sound Mix
- 1976 Original Album: 24-bit/96kHz Stereo Remaster
- 1987 Remix Album: 24-bit/48kHz Stereo Remaster
- Work In Progress
- 180g 3LP Bookpack
- 3CD Bookpack
- Picture Disc
- Release date: December 11, 2026
Fifty years after its original release, Tales of Mystery and Imagination is returning as more than a conventional anniversary reissue. By bringing together the original stereo mix, the later remix, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos in one package, the new edition offers a rare opportunity to hear how one of progressive rock’s most studio-driven albums has evolved across different recording and playback formats.
