The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Five Discs

It is time for me to pay homage to another celebrated horror writer. It would be impossible to imagine how literature, let alone fictional horror, would have evolved in the 20th century without the influence of Edgar Allan Poe. Much like H.P. Lovecraft, those who lived during Poe's time were unable to grasp the true nature of the genius he possessed, and the enormous influence that he would have on countless aspiring authors for decades to come. Ironically, during his lifetime Poe was widely regarded for his literary criticism, rather than for his contributions to literature and poetry. For those of us alive today, Poe is best remembered for his short stories and poetry. However, he is also credited for inventing the genre of detective-fiction, acknowledged as a major contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction, one of the first American short story authors, and the first well known American writer who attempted to make his living solely as a professional writer. Needless to say, Poe was a major catalyst for American literature in the 20th century, and undoubtedly for centuries to come.

Basil Rathbone

Vincent Price

It would be hard to imagine more fitting narrators for Poe's classic horror tales than Price and Rathbone, two superb, classically trained actors who became household names starring in movies of suspense and mystery. Poe's work is especially well-suited to audio, and these remastered, archival Caedmon recordings, originally released on phonograph records, showcase the two actors at their finest. Both Price and Rathbone perfectly convey the prototypical Poe narrator trying to come to grips with the horror he has experienced. In "Berenice," Price's voice sounds refined yet deeply troubled as he struggles to explain the insidious, neurotic obsession taking over his life. "The Cask of Amontillado" finds Rathbone chuckling with evil pleasure at the well-planned murder of one who has slighted him. Among the remaining featured tales are "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Raven," "Annabel Lee," "The Black Cat" and "The Pit and the Pendulum." I can't recommend this audio collection enough, especially for Poe enthusiasts.

Disc One - Basil Rathbone
1. To-
2. Alone
3. The City In The Sea
4. The Fall of the House of Usher
5. The Haunted Palace
6. The Pit and the Pendelum

Disc Two - Basil Rathbone
1. The Mask of the Red Death
2. The Tell-Tale Heart
3. The Black Cat

Disc Three - Basil Rathbone
1. The Raven
2. The Facts of the Case of M. Valdemar
3. The Cask of Amontillado
4. The Bells
5. Annabel Lee
6. Eldorado

Disc Four - Vincent Price
1. Ligeia
2. The Imp of the Perverse
3. Morella

Disc Five - Vincent Price
1. Berenice
2. The Gold Bug

Download: The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Disc One
Download: The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Disc Two
Download: The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Disc Three
Download: The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Disc Four
Download: The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection - Disc Five

Michael J. Lewis - Theatre Of Blood: Original Score (Official Promo Release) (1973 - 192kbps)

Although "Theatre Of Blood" happens to be a campy horror-comedy, this score happens to be one of my favorites from a horror film of any type. The composer, Michael J. Lewis, released his complete original score as a promotional release in 1973. I couldn't find any information regarding the number of physical copies he produced, but needless to say the promotional vinyl release this rip originates from is extremely rare. La La Land recently released a remastered version of the score on CD, with the slightly altered title of "Theater of Blood". While the sound quality of the La La Land release is undoubtedly superior to that of this rip, I still find this version to be superior, if only for one reason. The promo release contains each cue as an individual track, with 24 total tracks, while the La La Land version combines several of the cues, and amounts to only 25 tracks. In my opinion they made some poor decisions with their choice of combinations also, which detracts from the mood Lewis managed to establish on each of the individual tracks.

Theatre of Blood sees the legendary Vincent Price in the role of Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart, a psychopathic Shakespearean actor who fakes his own suicide in order to take revenge on the critics who snubbed him. Price's character manipulates his targets into unwittingly playing the role of various victims that appear in each of his performances of Shakespeare's plays. He then proceeds to dispatch them in an inventive yet extremely brutal manner. Theatre of Blood was considered one of the goriest horror-comedies of its era, and remains considerably gory even by today's standards. This may be the campiest film Price ever starred in. He even sports an afro at one point in the film. Price has often claimed the film to be his favorite though, as it gave him the opportunity to recite famous Shakespearean lines. Due to his reputation as an actor who devoted his career to horror films, he was never seriously considered for a role in any adaption of Shakespeare's work.

I should point out that many of the tracks contained on this release aren't exactly in the spirit of our ongoing Nightmare Before Christmas event. As with the film, much of the music heard on Lewis' score isn't strictly rooted in horror, as Lewis captures a diverse range of moods throughout his score, which frequently changes in tone as a result. Lewis captures the spirit of adventure with a few tracks, particularly "The Trojan Trail", which features a distinct military beat. He also shows a more romantic side on "Master of the Killing Phrase" and "Cymbeline" and "Edwina's Theme", all of which are beautiful tracks, dominated by sweeping strings, and highlighted by beautiful piano melodies. As the title alludes to, "Where Are My Doggy Woggies" has a comedic feel to it, and actually sounds downright downright goofy at the onset, before gradually transitioning to its suspenseful conclusion. I'm sure that some of you are thinking, why I is he posting this when so many of the tracks stand in sharp contrast to the ongoing dark theme? The answer to this is: because the remaining tracks are deliciously dark enough to warrant their inclusion in our Nightmare Before Christmas event. While they may not even make up the majority of the tracks which comprise this score, I believe they are strong enough to dominate the overall mood of the album, almost reducing the contrasting themes they share the album with to an afterthought.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: N/A (Promotional Release)
Catalog #: CD 156-192
Original Format: Vinyl
Digital Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Main Theme
2. Ides Of March
3. Oh Pardon Me, Thou Bleeding Piece Of Earth
4. Friends, Romans, Countrymen
5. The Dragon Wing Of Night
6. The Trojan Trail
7. Master Of The Killing Phrase
8. Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun
9. Cymbeline
10. Sexy Lips & Swinging Hips
11. A Pound Of Flesh
12. To Be Or Not To Be
13. Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent
14. Here Clarence Comes
15. Drown In A Butt Of Wine
16. Partita Of Blood
17. Alive In Triumph
18. Fugato
19. I'm So Glad You've Come
20. Flame With Ash Highlights
21. Edwina's Theme
22. Where Are My Doggy Woggies
23. Come Fire, Consume This Pretty World
24. He Did Know How To Make An Exit

Download: Michael J. Lewis - Theatre of Blood: Original Motion Picture Score (Official Promo Release)
Download Size: 73MB