(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether

the Edgar Allan Poe short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether January 2014 August 2024 (The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether (The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether Single Art.jpg single the Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination A Dream Within a Dream July 1976 September 1975 Abbey Road Studios 4:12 (LP) 3:20 (single) 20th Century (US) Charisma (UK) Alan Parsons Eric Woolfson Alan Parsons The Raven 1976 "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" is a song by the Alan Parsons Project. It first appeared on their debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe. The single reached number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1976-09-18/ Billboard Hot 100 Billboard 18 September 1976 and number 62 in Canada.https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?IdNumber=7377&app=rpm RPM Weekly Library and Archives Canada 25 September 1976 John Miles provided the song's lead vocals. Background As with the other songs on the album, "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" is based on a story by American author Edgar Allan Poe,https://www.the-alan-parsons-project.com/tales-of-mystery-and-imagination Tales of Mystery and Imagination The Alan Parsons Project Official Website After the band agreed to write a concept album around the work of Poe, Parsons suggested the idea of writing a song around Poe's "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" short story.Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe Box Set 2016 Liner Notes 0600753726679 Universal Music Group 35 Europe In September 1975, the band recorded the song at Abbey Road Studios in London. The song's ending features an applause track and an interpolation of "The Raven", another track included on Tales of Mystery and Imagination. For the 1987 reissue of Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Parsons overdubbed a cathedral organ on "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether". The song does not appear on either The Best of the Alan Parsons Project or The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Volume 2, as the band moved from 20th Century Records to Arista after the release of Tales of Mystery and Imagination. It appears on the American version of the 1997 2 CD Definitive Collection. Critical reception Billboard characterised "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" as a "strangely inviting single" that "cooks with an unusual lighthearted ominous quality."10 July 1976 Top Single Picks https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1976/Billboard%201976-07-10.pdf 1 December 2025 Billboard 64 World Radio History Cashbox described the song "a dynamic and driving cut, with the drums, at times, accenting individual words. They also thought that the vocals and "almost symphonic" arrangement were "top notch".10 July 1976 Single Reviews Picks of the Week https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1976/Cash-Box-1976-07-10.pdf 1 December 2025 Cashbox 16 World Radio History Record World felt that the song "held up well" with the "elegant" vocals of John Miles.10 July 1976 Hits of the Week https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/RW-1976-07-10.pdf 1 December 2025 Record World 1 World Radio History Personnel John Miles — lead vocals, guitars Jack Harris — backing vocals Ian Bairnson — guitars David Paton — bass guitar Eric Woolfson — keyboards Billy Lyall — piano Alan Parsons — cathedral organ (1987 reissue version), recorders Stuart Tosh — drums, percussion Abbey Road Effects Library – crowd noises Charts Charts (1976)PeakpositionCanada RPM 62 7377 1 December 2025 trueBillboardhot100 37 Alan Parsons true 1 December 2025 References Category:1975 songs Category:1976 debut singles Category:Music based on works by Edgar Allan Poe Category:The Alan Parsons Project songs Category:Songs written by Alan Parsons Category:Songs written by Eric Woolfson Category:20th Century Fox Records singles Category:Charisma Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Alan Parsons Category:Songs about fictional male characters Category:Music based on short fiction