Customer Reviews

Cats: Original Cast Recording (1981 Original London Cast)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Are you unsure about which recording to buy? Please, let my track-by-track analysis assist you in making the right decision for you.

1. Overture: TIE. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the two overtures, at least none that I can tell. They're both fine recordings.

2. Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats: LONDON. Unquestionably, the London recording is the better of the two. The Broadway recording is weak and not as precise as the London recording.

3. The Naming of Cats: TIE. This track is completely spoken. If, other than accents, there is any noticeable difference between the two recordings, it has eluded me.

4. The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball: LONDON. Both casts are fine during the chorus efforts. However, the London Munkstrap sounds much more keen in his solos, as opposed to the Broadway Munkstrap who just sounds indifferent.

5. The Old Gumbie Cat: LONDON. This is no contest. The London version contains lines that were deleted from the Broadway version. To me, the Broadway recording always seems incomplete.

6. The Rum Tug Tugger: LONDON. The London Tugger is much more subdued. While it is understood that this is supposed to be a fun piece, and the Broadway Tugger is certainly fun, his constant squealing and weird timing are something I still haven't gotten used to.

7. Grizabella: LONDON. I don't know how else to say this. The Broadway version is puny. The London version isn't.

8. Bustopher Jones: BROADWAY. While the British recording is fine, and probably more technically precise, I find the voice of the Broadway Bustopher to be absolutely charming.

9. Mungojerrie and Rumpletezer: LONDON. The London and Broadway recordings of this track differ immensely. I prefer the London version, which is sung by the characters Mungojerrie and Rumpletezer, themselves, as opposed to the Broadway version, which is sung solely by the character Munkstrap. Also, the London recording just has this sly aura about it that the Broadway recording, in its differing style, fails to capture.

10. Old Deuteronomy: BROADWAY. I can't explain it; the Broadway version is just more emotionally uplifting and magical.

11. The Jellicle Ball: TIE

12. Grizabella, the Glamour Cat: TIE. This piece is really too short to gage either way.

13. Memory: LONDON. What we've all been waiting for. While there's nothing wrong with the Broadway version of this track. `Memory' is never sung more dutifully and emotionally charged then when sung by Elaine Paige. At least that's what my chorus instructor thinks.

14. The Moments of Happiness: BROADWAY. Truthfully, I don't care for either of the recordings very much. However, I've always felt that Ken Page, Broadway's Deuteronomy, had the better singing voice.

15. Gus: the Theater Cat: LONDON. I feel very passionately about this one. The London version of `Gus' is very humble, and for that I shall reward it. However, the Broadway version borders on disrespectful, given the subject matter, and that I cannot forgive.

16. Growltigers Last Stand: NO COMMENT

17. Skimbleshanks: the Railway Cat: LONDON. London is better for tons of reasons: more solos, better sounding Skimbleshanks, and jazzier opening chords. The Broadway versions habit of having the company sing all the verses together grows tiring very quickly.

18. Macavity: the Mystery Cat: TIE. One version can't be better than the other; they're both too dull.

19. Mr. Mistoffoleese: LONDON. I think the chorus of this song is best sung by the company, as in London, rather than by an individual, as in the Broadway recording.

20. Journey to the Heavyside Layer: TIE. There's no noticeable difference.

21. The Ad-Dressing of Cats: BROADWAY. It's all about Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy.

Personally, I found the London recording more satisfying as a whole. I hope you will, too.

In many ways Cats was a turning point for Andrew Lloyd Webber. At the beginning of the 80-is he was already a hugely successful musical theatre composer, thanks to his work with the lyricist Tim Rice on "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita". In the early 1980-is he decided to part ways with Rice and many people predicted him a quick downfall, even more so when he decided to use T. S. Eliot's book of children's poetry called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" as a basis for his next musical. He used then a relatively unknown musical director Trevor Nunn and Gillian Lynne as a choreographer. Cats was imagined as a mixture of pop songs and ballet; by that time an unseen combination for a musical, so it is no wonder that Webber and his producer Cameron Mackintosh had trouble finding financial backup. The show opened in London and became a phenomenon in its own right. It closed in London after exactly 21 years of running in May 2001. The same thing happened when the show came to Broadway in 1982; it closed after 18 years of running, in 2000. Cats thus became the longest running musical in the history of both West End and Broadway.

So you may wonder what it's all about. It's quite simple really. Many people say that Cats hasn't got a story. It's certainly true that the plot is very simple and that's part of the appeal for the audiences. We are presented with a group of special cats, known as Jellicle cats. They meet once a year to decide who among them is worthy to get a chance to be reborn and start a new life. Since we meet them at that precise night, each of them tells us about their lives and habits through the musical numbers. There is one character among them, Grizabella the Glamour Cat, once of great beauty, but now an ugly and dilapidated thing, because at some point in her life, she decided to leave the others in her tribe and get to know the outside world; a move which eventually led her to prostitution. Because of that she is repeatedly rejected by other cats when she tries to make an entrance and compete as a candidate for a new life, determined to change her life style and pursue a happy life style she once knew. So besides the fact that we meet all kinds of different characters that often have characteristics very similar to human ones, Cats at the same time is a wonderful story of redemption and forgiveness. Besides the story the audiences loved the excellent choreography and dancing together with beautiful and distinctive feline makeup each character of Cats had. It is a show that is suited for the young and the old.

It is surprising that the longest musical in history can boast with only two recordings, the London and the Broadway one. The London recording in question here certainly has its merits after all these years, yet because the show was somewhat changed with time, it can't be considered definite. That honor would go to Cats DVD that was filmed in London in 1997. The song interpretation, orchestrations and the cast are spotless there. The lyrics are included in the booklet.

This recording here is almost complete, with only a short narrative song missing. It is remastered, so the sound quality is excellent. There are many great songs a listener will enjoy. Some of them are: "Old Gumbie Cat", about a nice and warm house cat; "Rum Tum Tugger", a naughty and never satisfied cat played by Paul Nicholas; "Bustopher Jones", an aristocrat among cats, "Skimbleshanks: The railway cat" and many more. Of course, by far the best known of all the songs and melodies from Cats is "Memory", which, I dare to say is among the top five songs Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever written and one of the best known and most beautiful songs ever to be found in musical theatre. It is preformed by Grizabella character, here played by the one and only first lady of the British musical theatre, Elaine Paige. Ms. Paige made her name several years prior to Cats, with her portrayal of Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita. She joined the ensemble of Cats at the last minute as a replacement for the badly injured Judi Dench, thus confirming her talent and stardom status. Although many people sung the role after Elaine, Betty Buckley including, her rendition is still considered by many to be definite. That is confirmed by the fact that when the show was filmed for TV and DVD, Ms. Paige was called once again to reprise her role after 16 years. Her performance on this CD from 1981 captures the longing and desperation of the character. With time, Ms. Paige's vocal abilities have matured and her best rendition of "Memory" can be heard in that Cats DVD or in her latest compilation entitled "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige", which was released in May this year. That recording of "Memory" is for sure the best to date, because of her voice and the fact that the score is played by the 80-piece orchestra. Among other interesting thing in this recording is Sarah Brightman's debut as Jemima; her voice being very young and full of innocence.

Although this recording may sound a bit dated in some aspects, it's nevertheless a gem and should be heard by everyone who have interest in modern musical theatre. But if you want to experience Cats in all its glory, buy yourself the CATS DVD.

This recording of CATS features the original London cast, headed by Elaine Paige and Brian Blessed. Because it is the first official full-length recording of CATS, this does not always mean that the world-premiere rendition is always the best. The London cast gives a fairly adequate performance of the score, and perform it with a softer-grained approach as compared to their Broadway counterparts. And the lean-textured recording has sounded even better than before with this recent digital remastering.

Elaine Paige may be acknowledged as a foremost interpreter of Grizabella, but here her performance shows that she neds some time to get into the spirit of the role. She does give a fine rentition of Memory that, despite competition from Betty Buckley, allows her to hold her own. Brian Blessed gives a firm, commanding and sonorous portrayal of Old Deuteronomy. He has a convicting voice that he demonstrates to great effect in his solos, even in his powerful Ad-Dressing of Cats. The lower-level principals don't seem to fare that well. Wayne Sleep as Mr. Mistoffelees and Paul Nicholas as Rum Tum Tugger cope adequately with the demands of the score, but they don't sing their parts with character and hence sound rather stilted. But nevertheless, most of the supporting cast members make up for these disappointments with crisp choral diction, even if their singing is a little laid back. The minor cats feature Myra Sands as a sprightly and no-nonsense Jennyanydots and Susan Jane Tanner as a soothing Jellylorum. Not to mention Bonnie Langford's lively portrayal of Rumpelteazer, and young Sarah Brightman's sweet, innocent and pure Jemima. Perhaps Jeff Shankley could be weak as Munkastrap here. And Stephen Tate makes a cameo appearance as a somewhat weak-voiced Gus: the Theatre Cat and Growltiger. The cast is ably supported by a firm hand in David Firman's direction of the orchestral accompaniments.

It would be worth noting that this version of CATS is interesting in itself as a concept album. This is because the show underwent some extensive revisions for its Broadway premiere before the revisions were incorporated into all CATS productions worldwide. Almost the whole of the T.S. Eliot text is presented in this performance, with less verse cuts than the Broadway recording. In addition, you can also get to savour two draft versions of songs that were re-written. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer is given a jazzy setting which, in context, sounds a little stilted as compared to the jaunty music-hall setting written for Broadway. But, it is still interesting in itself. And so is the Ballad of Billy M'Caw, included during Growltiger's Last Stand. It may be more restrained than the Italian aria, but it still shows the character that Growltiger could have adopted if this song was retained. Other than these two notable drawing-board versions, the early drafts are minor, but still interesting.

On the whole, I find this performance of CATS lacking in some sort of joie de vivre and spirit. Yet, for its historical value, I still recommend it, and makes a good alternative listening experience as compared to the Broadway cast. The packaging in a slimline double-disc jewel case includes a booklet with some production photographs from the London production, a cast list and a poorly-produced libretto in small print. There is also an abridged version of this recording (like the Broadway cast version has) that makes an ideal introduction to this recording in general, and it features the same selections as its Broadway counterpart.

As an aside, this recording of CATS is not wholly complete, because it lacks The Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles due to the need to accomodate space on record.

I thought that the original London cats recording of cats was the best score that they have had.The Broadway cast has its wonderful singers and actors that are very talented especially Betty Buckley who portrays the role very well or so thats what my mom tells me but i think Elaine Paige's version and the way she portrays Grizzabella is so untouched by anyone who has ever graced the stage as Grizzabella and NO ONE, I MEAN NO ONE sings Memory with as much feeling and compassion as Ms.Paige,the cd which i did not like as much as the movie version is still wonderful. I find that Ms.Paiges voice has progressed so much that it makes the song in the movie so much more angelic than on the cd and her TOUCH ME is absolutely flawless the notes are hit with such ease and emotion that it only makes me get goose bumps even more than on the cd so i think that Elaine Paige has very much so sored to new hights.

This recording has slower songs than the modern version of the musical. The songs are also a bit different from the modern version. Compared to the video, this recording seems boring. Yet I like it, because the vocals are good. Rumpleteazer's voice is childish and very nasal, but Demeter's voice is beautiful.

I love it, and everyone I've played it to love it as well! Sue Jane Tanner is so much better in this 1981 recording than the video.(A crucial thing considering how Jellylorum is not exactly an extra.) I worship this soundtrack! I received it only yesterday and I've already listened to it at least eleven times. Sarah Brightman, my idol by the way, is absolutely perfect as Jemima. In her early career she was so beautiful and open, just like Jemima should be! And what a voice! Elaine Page is also the definitive Grizabella! Oh, I revere her! And Brian Blessed, of whom I thought I would completely despise, completely surprised me! He was remarkable as Deuteronomy! Absolutely perfect! And oh, I cannot tell you how ecstatic I was to finally hear Growltiger! Gus and Jellylorum made the PERFECT Growltiger and Griddlebone! And the Ballad of Billy M'caw! All those missing verses from all those songs! Just wonderful to finally hear them! And Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer! What can I say? I loved the new tune! It's much too different to compare with the modern one, but it's just as good in every respect! The atmosphere is so different from the modern! The most important thing I have to say about this soundtrack, however, is the fact that they put so much more thought into casting it than in the Broadway! I hate to bash anything that is CATS, but that Broadway soundtrack could have been so much better! Did they purposely look for people who sang out of tune, or nasally like, or did not fit the part? I waited a year to find the London recording, and it was worth it! -I'm still buying the Broadway, of course- The London soundtrack is just wonderful-stunning-overwhelming... If you don't purchase it, well, you are a BIG fool! :)

the overture: Same
Prolouge, Jellice songs for jellice cats: London verison is a bit better.
Naming of cats: Both suck. I hate 'em.
Invitation to the jellice ball: Same
Old Gumbie Cat: London, it sounds good british.
Rum Tum Tugger: For sure not Broadway.
Grizabella: The Glamour cat; london verison better.
Bustopher Jones: London
Mungojerrie & Rumpelteazer: I like the London verison because it sounds better than being sung by Mistoffelees.
Old Deuteronomy: Broadway.
The Jellice Ball: London.
Grizabella: ????

The Moments of Happiness: Ken Page just sounds better than Brian Blessed.
Gus The theatere cat: London
Growltigers Last Stand: Broadway
Skimbleshanks: London
Macavity: THEY SUCK!
Mr. Mistoffelees: London, has more chorus.
Memory: Betty Buckley & Elaine Paige? Betty.
The Journey to the Heaviside Layer: London
Ad-ressing of cats: Ken Page is more powerful.

This is the original London cast album of "Cats" from 1981, which was eventually brought to the US. The newer American Broadway cast album isn't nearly as good as this original. Also substandard are the various one-CD "highlights" versions.

If you want to own the score from "Cats", this is your best bet.

All right. The first time I saw "CATS", it was the movie...so when I found out that Elaine Paige had also done the Original London Cast, I was interested. La Paige never lets her fans down. I was, however, completely disappointed at "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer"...I mean, it's a catchy tune, but after listening to the video version with Jo Gibb and Drew Varley...no. It's horrendous. "Growltiger's Last Stand including The Ballad of Billy McCaw" isn't in the film, I hear because Sir John Mills was blind, but it was nice to hear the song...it's actually sad in some parts. Anyhoo, if you want the BEST cast of "CATS" that exists, buy the movie or the DVD, and wait for the RUG to release its film CD. The guy I talked to said that there wasn't any reason why it hadn't been released yet, it just...hadn't...but he said it would be out sometime soon. The Original Broadway Cast is also good; however, being the Elaine Paige fan I am, I'll always prefer her rendition of "Memory" over Betty Buckley's, despite Betty's Tony. Why'd I give this CD 5 stars then if it's not the best version? Solely because of La Paige. She makes listening to this version worthwhile all the other little discrepancies one can have. Here's my point of view: Elaine was the original, Betty won the Tony...but when the time for the movie came, Andrew Lloyd Webber went out and found the BEST person to play Grizabella...so in the end, Betty Buckley wasn't the best despite her Tony-it was and always will be Elaine Paige. Long live Grizabella!

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I received this CD as a gift from a very dear friend (Thank You, Eric!!!). I can honestly say that I have listened to it every day!!! Brian Blessed, Elaine Paige and Paul Nicholas give outstanding performances. I'm not too crazy about the OLC version of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser - a bit stiff and too serious for my taste. Overall, a wonderful recording, and a must have for the serious CATS fanatic!