Edgar Allen Poe (Audio CD)

Price, Vincent and Rathbone, Basil (2000). Edgar Allen Poe Audio Collection. Caedmon; Unabridged edition 
ISBN: 0694524190 / 978-0694524198  

Summary:  Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone, two masters of classic horror, read poems and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe.  

Additional Comments:  Poe's rhythmic and haunting gothic poetry may confuse readers with the antiquated and formal language of the 1800's.  Yet, when read aloud, the poetry turns into music and the meaning is more accessible. 

Vincent Price, whose voice teens might recognize as the deep, spooky narrator in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, and Basil Rathbone both have bass voices that convey the sinister, dark mood of Poe's writing.  Yet, they also both use a range of pitches and cadences, which is particularly effective in Basil Rathbone's reading of  "The Bells" because it describes the sound and the mood of bells in various contexts, some light and happy and some full of terror. Click on the links below to view YouTube videos that complement the readings.

Vincent Price reading "The Raven"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FID1CiB4bcU

Basil Rathbone reading "The Bells"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0889pnbURtY

Basil Rathbone reading "Annabel Lee"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJhvKEMhn20

Basil Rathbone reading "The Tell-Tale-Heart"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHUNY_NXsU