Alan Parsons and Universal prepping new box set of APP debut

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.