The Alan Parsons Project Archives

In a recent discussion of the song “The Raven” from The Alan Parsons Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, I promised to revisit the 1976 album. My favorite song on Tales of Mystery and Imagination tells the saga of one of my favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories, “The Cask of Amontillado.”

“The Cask of Amontillado” is narrated by a man taking revenge upon a person named Fortunato for some unnamed insult. The narrator tempts Fortunato to his basement with a cask of the alcoholic beverage Amontillado, a type of sherry. And then begins his plan.

This fan video for The Alan Parsons Project song helps illustrate the disturbing tale, beginning with the wonderful opening haunting line by The Alan Parsons Project that encapsulates Poe’s story: “By the last breath of the four winds that blow / I’ll have revenge upon Fortunado.”

Toby Keith used the idea of “The Cask of Amontillado” in a video for his song “A Little Too Late” from the CD White Trash With Money“ (2006). In the video, Keith uses the same idea that appears in the Poe story of building a tomb of bricks around one’s “enemy.”

Although Keith’s song is not literally about the Poe story, the video, directed by Michael Salomon and featuring actress Krista Allen, gives a humorous twist to the original disturbing ending of the Poe story. Check it out.

“The Cask of Amontillado” has inspired other songs, TV shows, etc., in pop culture, such as an episode of The Simpsons where Mr. Burns tries the tactic on Homer. The twist in the Toby Keith video reportedly copied a 1971 episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery called “The Merciful” (available on Hulu) so it is unclear how much the director was thinking of Edgar Allan Poe and how much of Rod Serling.

Finally, did you know there is a word for building a wall around someone so they die? “Immurement.” Anyway, these immurements made some interesting stories and songs.

What do you think of “The Cask of Amontillado”? Leave your two cents in comments.

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Director’s Guillermo del Toro’s Latest Work: A Simpsons Opening

Super Bowl Songs: “The Raven”

Internet Venom, Toby Keith’s Death, . . . and Grace from Willie Nelson

Movie Tributes on “The Simpsons”

“The Simpsons” Parody of Stanley Kubrick’s Films

Versions of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

In coming up for a song in honor of the Baltimore Ravens making the Super Bowl, my first thought was Gram Parson’s “The Streets of Baltimore.” But Chimesfreedom has already covered that song, so I had to think back to another Parsons and a song I had not heard for many years, “The Raven” by The Alan Parsons Project.

“The Raven” first appeared on Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, the 1976 debut album by The Alan Parsons Project, perhaps best known for their 1982 progressive rock song “Eye in the Sky.” Tales is a compilation of songs inspired by the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The album title was inspired by a 1908 collection of Poe’s stories, Tales of Mystery & Imagination. I was first introduced to the album when I was in college when Dave — one of my roommates who introduced me to a lot of new music at the time — noted my interest in literature and led me to this literary inspired album.

The song “The Raven” comes from Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem “The Raven.” In the 1845 poem, the raven taunts a broken-hearted lover by repeating the line “never-more.” Scholars debate whether or not there was a real “Lenore” in Poe’s life, whether she represented his ailing wife, or whether she represented a lost love.

The above version of the song is a live version but I included it because the video also featured the lyrics. The unusual vocal sound for the song was made with the use of a digital vocoder.

The song is perfect for the Baltimore Ravens. The football team’s name, like The Alan Parsons Project Song, also was inspired by the poem “The Raven.” A fan poll through the Baltimore Sun selected the new name for the former Cleveland Browns because Edgar Allan Poe is one of the favorite sons of Baltimore (although this Salon article argues that the city and the football team have neglected Poe’s legacy and his home). The team’s raven mascot’s name is “Poe” too, and there used to be similar mascots named “Edgar” and “Allan” too before they were retired in 2008. If you like Baltimore’s clever choice of mascot, consider that when Edgar Allan Poe began writing “The Raven,” he considered making the bird an owl, which would mean the Baltimore Owls could have been playing in the Super Bowl.

This Sunday, if the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl, Ray Lewis and the other players will join Poe as Baltimore’s favorite sons. But if the Ravens lose, well, “Quoth the [Baltimore] raven, `Nevermore.'” Well, at least until next season.

{Watch for an upcoming post on my favorite song from Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe.}

What is your favorite Baltimore or Ravens song? Leave your two cents in the comments.