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| What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: babelijucy 06:54 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| I'm really surprised that no one has offered up the Original Broadway Cast Recording as a favorite. I grew up with it, right alongside the concept album, and I think the voices are tremendous (Jeff Fenholt's Jesus has such a warm, clear voice, and yet when need be, he screams with the best of 'em). And Ben Vereen is a jagged, electrifying Judas. Plus, you've got Dennen and Elliman and some pretty lush orchestrations. I guess the only downside is the truncated score - it's really a highlights album. But I love it. | |
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| re: The original brown and embossed gold album (CD version) from 1970 ... | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 11:47 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| ... before it was a show | |
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| Agree | |
| Posted by: SamIAm 06:42 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The original brown and embossed gold album (CD version) from 1970 ... - NewtonUK 11:47 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| This is, by far, the best recording, as far as I am concerned. | |
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| I agree! .... | |
| Posted by: jdm 05:47 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The original brown and embossed gold album (CD version) from 1970 ... - NewtonUK 11:47 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Drove my parents crazy playing that album. Of course like always, I "directed" that show in my head and NO production came close to MY brilliance! :-) Jim |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: FIG 10:02 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| The Madrid production of 1975 with Camilo Sexto has a fantastic album. And his Getsemani is really fantastic. | |
| Link | Camilo Sexto's Getsemani |
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| that was awesome | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 12:34 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - FIG 10:02 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I would never have listened to that on my own... what a great performance. | |
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| re: that was awesome | |
| Posted by: FIG 12:58 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: that was awesome - Chazwaza 12:34 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Listen to the whole recording, it is really good. And I think it is available in most platforms. Camilo Sexto was a very famous Spanish pop star in the 70s (he is still around) and was the instigator and force behind the production in Madrid. In Spain, like other countries, the movie had been a big scandal with protests from religious groups. So having an stage production was really a big risk. Tedy Bautista played Judas and also did the arrangements and produced the album. |
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| Link | Jesucristo Superstar (Jesus Christ Superstar) Original Spanish Cast Recording |
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| Isn't it amazing .... | |
| Posted by: jdm 05:50 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: that was awesome - FIG 12:58 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| that the original Broadway production was condemned by Christian groups everywhere. My Catholic HS had a field trip to see it, and the Bishop of our Diocese put my HS on warning. Now, every revival since, busloads of Christian groups flock to see it. Jim |
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| re: Isn't it amazing .... | |
| Posted by: Thom915 09:31 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: Isn't it amazing .... - jdm 05:50 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Well, the Archbishop of Boston condemned the recording of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and it had to be explained to him by young Jimmy Boyd. | |
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| the movie? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 03:28 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| It's one of the consistently best sung productions, with Ted Neely and Carl Anderson, and Yvonne Elliman being absolutely amazing. I like the orchestrations too. It also really hits the rock notes where they need to be without losing that 70s rock flavor (unlike many modern revivals who confuse this score of 60s/early 70s rock with the rock of the 80s/90s/00s, which is quite different... including NBC's concert with all the completely out of place and unjustified headbanging choreography). | |
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| YES!! Thank you! | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 05:39 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 05:38 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: the movie? - Chazwaza 03:28 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Chaz, thank you for articulating what I find so lacking in modern (80s, 90s, 2000s) productions of Superstar -- they get the sound wrong. The story may be timeless, but the score is very much a product of its time. And, as you said, when they lose that late 60s/early 70s rock sound in favor of a tinny 80s/90s hard rock sound the score loses its authenticity and its richness -- at least to my ears. It's why I, too, favor the movie soundtrack and the 1970 recording. In fact, it's the combination of the two that works so well for me. On some tracks, like the thrilling overture, I think the movie soundtrack is the best. On others, I think the 1970 gets the richer, more satisfying sound (see: Everything's Alright). I love this mash-up someone made of the Everything's Alright visuals from the film with the audio from the 1970 recording. I think the 1970 recording of this particular song just had more... groove to it and a better melding of the rhythm section with the full traditional orchestra, whereas the movie soundtrack version almost lets the orchestra overwhelm everything on this song. |
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| Link | Everything's Alright from the Film (w/ 1970 audio) |
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| re: the movie? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:26 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: the movie? - Chazwaza 03:28 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I think the original concept album and the movie soundtrack album are the two best recordings overall. I would say each one has some pluses and minuses as compared to the other -- for example, I think Murray Head does a little too much screaming as compared to Carl Andersen, but on the other hand, some of the soloists on the soundtrack recording do a little too much back phrasing for my taste. But other than that and a few other minor quibbles, the soundtrack is quite an excellent recording -- with the original score adapted by Andre Previn! | |
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| re: the movie? | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 04:49 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: the movie? - Michael_Portantiere 12:26 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| ...but on the other hand, some of the soloists on the soundtrack recording do a little too much back phrasing for my taste. | |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: Dr._L 03:07 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| I think it speaks to the power of this show that the JCS London cast recording received a Grammy nomination as Best Album in 1972. The following year the JCS Broadway cast recording received a nomination as Best Album in 1973. I don't know if we can elevate one recording as "best." | |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: dlevy 03:43 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - Dr._L 03:07 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Most people today forget that there was even a London cast recording (highlights) with Paul Nicholas as Jesus, Stephen Tate as Judas, and Dana Gillespie as Mary. I don't believe it's ever been released on CD, most likely because it is really not very good. I'm shocked to learn it received a Grammy nod (although it wasn't as Best Album - it was in the Best Pop Vocal Group category. (They lost to The Carpenters.) Interestingly enough, the Album of the Year that year was Carole King's Tapestry, which more or less found its way to Broadway eventually with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The Broadway JCS album was nominated for Album of the Year the following year (losing to George Harrison's A Concert for Bangladesh). |
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| Link | Jesus Christ Superstar |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: Dr._L 10:07 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - dlevy 03:43 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Here’s the Web link citing the London original cast recording listed as a 1972 Best Album Grammy nominee | |
| Link | List of Grammy Award Best Album nominees |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: dlevy 01:29 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - Dr._L 10:07 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| And if you follow the link cited as the source for that information, you will find that it matches what I said, and Jesus Christ Superstar is listed under Best Pop Vocal Group, not Album of the year. | |
| Link | Awards and Shows: 14th Annual Grammy Awards |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 04:18 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - dlevy 01:29 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
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| Every contemporary article I can find lists the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar as a nominee for Album of the Year in 1972, not just "Best Pop, Folk & Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus" (as Billboard listed that category). It's simply missing from that page for some reason. At a quick glance, it looks like every other category listed has at least five nominees, but that one has four. It's a mistake there. As discussed in my post below, what was nominated that year was the original recording, not the cast recording of the London production, which wouldn't open till five months after the Grammy were given. |
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| London production did not open till August 9, 1972. More info in post. | |
| Last Edit: AlanScott 12:25 am EDT 04/05/18 | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 12:23 am EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - Dr._L 10:07 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| The recording that was nominated for Album of the Year in 1972 was the original album that preceded the stage productions. It was called the "original cast" album in press releases on the nominations, which is probably the source of some of the confusion. It seems to have been released just a bit too late (at least in the U.S.) in 1970 to have been eligible for the 1971 awards so it was instead eligible for the 1972 awards. Back then —and perhaps still? I don't know — the Grammys year was from October 16 of a year to October 15 of the following year. Similarly, even though the Broadway production opened in 1971 (on October 12), and the cast recording was probably issued promptly, it was not eligible for the 1972 awards. It was eligible for the 1973 awards. The West End production did not open till August 9, 1972, so it's clear that the cast recording of the production was not nominated for Album of the Year in 1972. I'm not sure if the cast recording was issued in time for it to be eligible for the 1973 awards, but it was not nominated. Can't find any specific info about when the recording was issued. |
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| re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? | |
| Posted by: JohnPopa 03:50 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - dlevy 03:43 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| There's an early 90's recording with Paul Nicholas and he's not good, but I always assumed he must've been better in the original production, given the acclaim he and it received. When I finally heard that original, I thought 'oh, no, he always sounded that bad.' | |
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| This doesn't answer your question... | |
| Posted by: GabbyGerard 11:12 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
| In reply to: What's the best Jesus Christ Superstar recording? - ianx73 10:36 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| ...but it's a damn shame that the 2012 Broadway revival wasn't recorded. It was probably the best sung production of JCS that I've seen. And though the 2000 production was more of a mixed bag, Tony Vincent's Judas was vocally thrilling. | |
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| This answers your question... | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 12:23 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:22 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: This doesn't answer your question... - GabbyGerard 11:12 pm EDT 04/03/18 | |
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| IMO, nothing beats the original concept album. One can rate individual performers over the years, but I don't think anything betters the fierce combination of Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen, plus the array of fantastic musicians, soloists and vocal groups. It's a landmark album in general for its era, but it's also a landmark performance. | |
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| re: This answers your question... | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 03:01 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: This answers your question... - Chromolume 12:22 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| "IMO, nothing beats the original concept album. One can rate individual performers over the years, but I don't think anything betters the fierce combination of Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen, plus the array of fantastic musicians, soloists and vocal groups. It's a landmark album in general for its era, but it's also a landmark performance." Yes, and I think both Elliman and Dennen give considerably better performances on the concept album than the film soundtrack. (I don't know the original Broadway cast album very well, so I won't comment on that.) I only wish Murray Head did a LITTLE less screaming, but I guess a little too much is better than not enough :-) |
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| re: This answers your question... | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 12:46 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: This answers your question... - Chromolume 12:22 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Agreed. The Australian one is good too. I was in the 2000 one and it sucks we didn't record. | |
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| re: This answers your question... | |
| Posted by: D2025 02:54 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: This answers your question... - KingSpeed 12:46 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I absolutely loved the 2000 revival. I think it's one of the most under-rated revivals of the past few decades. I could not understand the hate for that production. I thought Tony Vincent and Carter were fantastic. One of my favorite shows of the 2000s. Hope it was just as much fun performing in it. | |
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| Thanks! | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 06:09 pm EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: This answers your question... - D2025 02:54 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I had a blast doing it. We got HORRIBLE reviews but we had our fans too. People have asked here what it's like to perform in a "flop" show. The reviews didn't bother me at all because I was on Broadway, my dream! I guess it would've been cool to run longer but we did run 5.5 months and that was the longest run I had ever done so it wasn't like I was aching for more. I was satisfied. | |
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| Tony Vincent, eh?... | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 09:29 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: This answers your question... - D2025 02:54 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Yes. That Judas was thrilling. Acting AND singing. I think the show itself became over-dominated by the s&m paraphernalia during the “passion” torture section. It unbalanced what works best as a not-reality-based staging so the music and the emotions come to the fore. The Magdalen in that production was excellent too. She sang “I don’t know how to love him” with an exhausted Jesus cradled, sleeping, in her lap. A very tender touch which reinforced the gentleness of the song. |
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| Anyone see the OBC? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 01:52 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: This answers your question... - KingSpeed 12:46 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| Odd to picture Anita Morris in it. She doesn't seem like the type. | |
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| re: Anyone see the OBC? | |
| Posted by: 88keys 09:06 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: Anyone see the OBC? - bobby2 01:52 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I did see the original production before it closed but alas not the original cast. However, it was my first Broadway show at 12 and I was hooked. | |
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| re: Anyone see the OBC? | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 09:39 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Anyone see the OBC? - 88keys 09:06 am EDT 04/04/18 | |
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| I did see the original cast. It's too long ago for me to give you any specific impressions, but I do remember it being a very dynamic evening. | |
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