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. |
