Jesus Christ Superstar Original London Concept Recording

I had this on 8-track in 1972, 8-tracks would play repeatedly over and over all night until the cartridge was white hot. I could sing the thing from start to finish, even today. It is excedingly tuneful. I am befuddled by the crap Webber created afterwards, I guess that is the cost of success, it screws up creative energy. JCS has 'honest-to-God' rock basslines, it has full-throated melodies, it even has clever lyrics. "Heaven on Their Minds" is a good rock song with thoughtful lyrics (for rock, anyway) and an excellent singing performance. "What's the Buzz" and its sister "The Arrest" got hooks and counterpoint, what's not to like? This is true of much of this album. Songs start out doing one thing and then characters chime in with something else. That's a big plus I loved about this album. It is melodically complex. Different character sing in diff voices with diff melodic themes. "This Jesus Must Die" is a great ensemble singing performance by the Sanhedrin choir or whatever you'd call it, leading into "Hosanna" with its catchy plays on the word 'hosanna', more good contributions from the Sanhedrin choir. Yeah some tunes on this album are not really rock, I'm speaking of "Pilate's Dream" and "Pilate And Christ" (Pilate just doesn't rock; I would have thought Romans were rocking but Webber disagreed), but this was a stage play and actually the vocals save these less compelling songs, the singing crew apparently was pumped up for the orginal recording, in the context of the whole vision of JCS the non-rock tunes are not out of line, they make sense, but I suppose these non-rock tunes were unfortunate harbingers of the lame route Webber would follow in his pandering Broadway efforts in the years to come. "The Temple" is a great tune, musically and lyrically, it gets its point acrossed effectively, The songs Webber entrusted to Yvonne Elliman, "Everything's Alright" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him", are just great. They are just fabulous. And what I especially love is that they are not just star-turns, they are part of the dramatic developement of the story, (this is a well-known story...) and other singers answer Ms. Magdalene in ending verses and there is counterpoint. Jesus Christ, how come all songs don't have counterpoint? Bach did it 300+ years ago and he'll live forever. I suppose most musicians are simpletons, there are few geniuses. I thought Webber was a genius in 1972 but subsequent events cast doubt on this presumptuous adolescent worship. "Peter's Denial" Yvonne shines too. "The Last Supper" is a good tune. Even in 1972 I thought it was kind of dismissive towards the 12 disciples, like they were building their resumes like MBAs or software engineers with a personal agenda, but nevertheless it is a good tune. The ultimate test of a tune is if you sing it yourself and it is still compelling. "Gethsemane(I Only Want To Say)" is also a good tune, with hooks, maybe the original recording with its passionate vocals bring out the good in all these non-singleworthy show tunes, Webber should thank his lucky stars for the original cast, the Deep Purple guy was stunning, as good or better than "Magic Carpet Ride". Musically, "King Herod's Song" was always kind the odd-man-out, but I always liked the clever lyrics. In the movie they made later I did not approve of the campy production, the movie did not improve on anything in the musical, this show is due for a remake movie some day. I saw the show in a revival in London in 1978 and it shined then, but the movie was disappointing, except some of the Judas stuff was done well. "Trial Before Pilate(Including 39 Lashes)" could have been boring or gruesome like "The Passion" but it plays out okay, it fits in. It's definitely a show tune of some sort, but 'Pilate' and 'Jesus' sing in a fast cadence and it all fits in. Counterpoint, the superior weapon of good tunemasters. "Crucifixion" was actually a compelling piece of musical exploration, IMHO. But I don't favor the outgoing music "John Nineteen Forty-One", it is kind of a so-what tune. "Superstar" is a great song, the signature of this show, with yet more clever lyics (What is Tim Rice up to these days?), the verse and the chorus shine, in the stage production this one gets the heart pumping. Obviously I love this show, and in general I don't love shows, but I know this one by heart. It will live forever for me, maybe it was the moment, the late 60's-early 70's, when I was young and impressionable, but I believe that period was a 'moment' when heartfelt music was written and I dare anyone to say that nowadays in 2005 heartfelt music is being written, because I don't hear it. The key word is is HEARTFELT. Hello? Does anybody hear me? Does anybody understand that 'concept' anymore? What are you people doing? What is this culture doing?

This recording preceded the Original Cast Recording and the Original Soundtrack Recording. Those two recordings are quite impressive. Each has much to recommend it. Yet, this the Original Concept Recording has a power that is echoed by all that have come after, but (IMO) have not equalled the OCR. Real rock musicians, playing rock instrumentation, for a ‘real rock opera’. Nothing says that this ‘concept’ should have worked, but the resultant recording speaks volumes, for itself. Play at maximum volume through a hi-fi stereophonic sound system. Do not skimp on the quality of the components. If you utilize headphones, then I suggest going old-school, e.g., no earbuds, no cheap-o on-the-ear featherweights. Try to use closed-back cans with 40-50mm drivers. To achieve true hi-fi to audiophile reproduction requires good-to-great headphones that can produce a broad spectrum of near-audiophile sound at volumes that will not endanger your hearing. Good quality, high class, old school cans were what was utilized to record, engineer, mix, and master this original concept recording of J.C. Superstar. The concept, the compositions, the cast, the recording itself are incredible. If you have any true regard for this piece of art, then do yourself a very big favor and obtain the Original Concept Recording. Everything else flows from this source.

Jesus Christ Superstar was one of those moments in childhood, like the Mets winning the series in 1969, that have stayed with me all my life. I remember kids in the schoolyard whitling the theme song, and me thinking, what is that?Jesus Christ Superstar is thge story of the Passion, told in the form of a rock opera. It opens ,{after the overture} with a solitary Judas{a marvelous Murray Head} singing Heaven on their minds, a story which encapsulates the journey up until that moment."...all your followers are blind, too much heaven on their minds,..it was beautiful but now its sour/yes its all gone sour/Listen Jesus to the warning I give,/Just remember that I want us to live..."The apostles are introduced woith Whats the buzz,tell me whats happening?Mary Magdalen{a career making perfromance for Yvonne Eillmen} with everything's allright.The Role of Jesus is sung by fromer Deep Purple lead singer Ian gillain,who is the best of all the Jesus' I have heard,by a long shot. His Jesus has the pathos of someone who is frightened of what He knows He must do, yet accepts it. the Gethsemani scene is possibly the most powerful in the production. Jeus pleading with God to spare him"Can you tell me now that I will not be killed in vain/show me just a little of YOUR omnipresent brain/show me there's a reason for your wanting me to die/you're far too keen on where and how but not so hot on why!/"The apostles are full of themselves previous to this {and the spiritus, as it were} singing " always hoped that I'd be an apostle/knew that I would make it if I tried/then when we retire we can write the Gospels so they'll still talk about us when we've died/"Hero shows up with a show stopping contemptuous number" prove to me that your divine/change my water into wine/...prove to me that you're no fool/walk across my swimming pool/if you do that for me,I'll let you go free/C'mon king of the jews/."The title track is sung by Judas after he has died,and is actuall a song of retrospection"if you'd come today you would have reached the whole nation?israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication/' the album ends with jeus being laid in the tomb of Joesph of arimthea.the resurrection as in marks Gospel, being a matter of faith.30 years later it is still overwhelming in its power,poetic and fierce. the cast is perfect, the recording clean and clear. this is one of my favorite recordings, for many reeasons. It is a seminal album of the 1960's. and, i think it is a recording of deep faith. Brilliant!

sono molto soddisfatto delll'acquistom era proprio quello che cercavo; la voce di Jan Gillan è molto più suggestiva e ricca, e tuttro il sound è davvero fantastico. per gli appassionati di JCS, una chicca da non perdere!

This 1970's musical still has a very special quality that so many (more recent) ones lack.

It was a great album to get a better picture of play. Should be remastered however. But I enjoyed this version better Than the movie one! This origional concept is wonderful to listen to, and as we learned the play to perform, it was a great study!

映画や四季の舞台を観ているからかも知れないけれど、目を閉じてこのＣＤを聴くと、舞台以上のドラマを想像できる。 奇跡的なアルバムだと思う。 このアルバムの質を他のサントラに期待してはいけないと思う。 イアン・ギランの金切り声はとても癖があるけれど、苦手でないならこのアルバムがお薦め。 ↓これと比べて演奏がアコースティックな感じで、とてもドラマティックだね。 Jesus Christ Superstar (1996) / Revival Cast

Grande, la versione con un giovane Ian Gillian nel ruolo di Gesù è una chicca veramente imperdibile per gli appassionati. Tutto il cast però è veramente speciale, anche perché buona parte compare nel film (forse più noto dell'Opera). Amazon da parte sua è stata precisa e puntuale nella consegna.