Customer Reviews

Chess (1986 London Concept Cast - 1985 RCA/BMG Release)

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After his collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita) ended, Tim Rice would make one more piece of musical theatre before going to work for Disney. A collaboration with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (both of Abba), Chess would go through a lot of changes over the years in its London and Broadway productions, and beyond. A definitive version will be forthcoming in Sweden in not too long a time, and will hopefully spawn more productions as it goes.

But, what's at hand doesn't even go into the saga of Chess. This is the original concept album, a double LP created to popularize the music. This had worked twice before with Rice and Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and it worked again with Chess. The London production went well, the Broadway one (anecdotes place the blame on awful direction) not so well, but still had some degree of success. So what was it about the Chess concept album that worked?

The sound of the show, for one thing. Chess is a wonderfully pop musical, with a unique 1980s tone that sets it up as a cold war love story. That is not to say that it is weak--just that there are a lot of very cool elements of '80s pop (hence Abba). And it makes a middle-aged white guy rapping sound cool in "One Night in Bangkok," a dance hit particularly in the UK. Andersson and Ulvaeus prove that they have a very diverse range in the nicely through-composed score, setting up certain themes for the various situations that the characters find themselves in throughout the show. As is to be expected, guitars, bass, synths, and percussion make up the orchestra on the album, and complete the total-pop sound of the piece.

The lyrics help a lot. As a fan of Tim Rice, I must admit that he continued the top form he had in Evita here, creating lyrics with a rapier wit. The libretto here is very honest as well, creating a group of characters who seem genuinely real in their faults. It is a tale about politics of nations and affairs of the heart that uses chess as a centerpiece, and whether in fun bits like the entire opening ceremony or the serious argument between Florence and the Russian, Rice's lyrics are perfectly fitting. They are also well-tailored to the reuse of themes throughout, creating a nice consistency in the piece.

And the cast certainly didn't hurt. Even though he's played by a Swede trying to sing in English with a Russian accent, the Russian (Tommy Körberg--Jean Valjean in the Swedish Les Misérables) is performed marvellously, and does a great job with his show-stopper "Anthem." His character is convincingly split between a chess obsession and his personal life, and becomes quite compelling.

In true form, the Russian's foil is just as good. The American (Murray Head--Judas in the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album) is a rather creepy character, but Murray Head's distinctive voice gives a great edge to his performance, and he gets the coolest song in the show ("One Night in Bangkok") plus a great showstopper that almost makes him sympathetic ("Pity the Child"). His performance on this album is excellent, and it's a shame that playing the role on stage in London killed his voice as it did.

The female lead, Florence (Elaine Paige--original London Evita, Grizabella in the Cats video), is also incredible. She gets two great solos ("Nobody's Side" and "Heaven Help My Heart") as well as an incredibly witty song performed in contrast with the Russian's wife, Svetlana (Barbara Dickson), in "I Know Him So Well." However, I found one moment in the album to simply be a perfect bit of vocal acting--in "The Deal (No Deal)," Florence's lines "Are you sick? Are you mad? You still don't understand why I loathe you, why I left you?" are delivered in a way that...wow.

The rest of the performances are great, too. Björn Skifs gets to have fun in the role of the Arbiter, in one of the VERY pop sections of the Opening Ceremony, and for a few other bits in Act I. Denis Quilley is a great Molokov, who has a lot of behind-the-scenes bits, though no big individual parts. Likewise, Barbara Dickson's part of Svetlana might be a bit small on the album, but it is still performed with some style.

So, let's see. It has a great '80s pop score (no Abba fan should miss it), ultra-clever lyrics (no Tim Rice fan should miss it), and some great performances no musical theatre fan should pass up. It doesn't contain the complete show--that is why it is a concept album, not a cast recording. I rather enjoy concept albums--they're a great way to get a musical's score out there and known. It's good that such an excellent one was made for Chess, which is under-recorded otherwise. A shame that the whole score wasn't recorded, but this is a good tideover until something more comes to Broadway. So, if you like the Cold War, '80s pop, Abba, Tim Rice, Elaine Paige, Murray Head, or Tommy Körberg, you owe yourself this sweet little double-disc.

Before I had bought 'Chess' three years ago, I had only ever heard one other musical with such diverse musical types and that was Lloyd Webber's 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'; both of these musicals, incidentally, have been written by the brilliant lyricist, Tim Rice. The composers, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (the male half of ABBA) have combined a variety of styles of music (eg 1980's Pop, and Classical) in creating this - the most original musical I have heard. Yet, it is well known that Rice had devised the idea of 'Chess' long before he even approached Andersson and Ulvaeus to compose the music for it, consequently a lot of the credit must go to Rice.

This album is a concept recording, consequently the plot is difficult to follow at times, but that would have to be the only fault with this album. Set during the middle of the Cold War, 'Chess' focuses on three central characters; Florence played by the amazing Elaine Paige, the Russian (a reluctant protagonist, which makes him realistic) played by Tommy Korberg, and the American (the antagonist) played by Murray Head. Listeners are subject to the conflicts, controversies and, put simply, the darker (and more entertaining) side of the game of chess. Who would have thought that using chess as the subject matter of a musical would create an entertaining story for an audience? It is because of the use of such unexpected subject matter that makes this musical incredibly original and thus appealing.

Nearly all of the events which occur in 'Chess' are linked to the character of the Russian. Listeners are first introduced to the Russian in the song "The Russian and Molokov" where we see a tactical, yet cynical chess champion who has a bit of a temper, but is very focussed on the game of chess. While Tommy Korberg plays the Russian with great dramatic flair he doesn't have a terribly strong voice. But he still plays the character brilliantly, bringing dimension to the Russian as the focussed chess player ('Where I want to be'), the patriotic countryman ('Anthem'), and the gentle lover (Mountain Duet). Yet listeners will also notice that the Russian is extremely self-centred as he pushes aside his lover, Florence, and his wife, Svetlana (played by Barbara Dickson), in order to focus on winning the chess championship ('Argument' and 'Endgame'). This fault of the Russian makes him a more realistic character. The song, 'Anthem' is one of the most inspirational and emotive songs I have ever heard, but while the music is superb, it is Tim Rice's lyrics which create this paramount effect on the audience.

The character of Florence is portrayed as strong yet feminine, and is brilliantly performed by Elaine Paige. Paige, the star of 'Cats' and 'Evita', uses her exquisite, powerful, well-ranged voice to create a character who has endured a lot of suffering in her lifetime. That is; she lost her father at an early age, and she has tolerated the American's intolerable personality for seven years. Despite this suffering, Florence is probably one of the most 'normal' characters in the musical. She is polite and compromising ('A Model of Decorum and Tranquillity'), and a loyal lover ('Heaven Help my Heart', a beautiful song), but her true strength of character is found when she stands up to both the Russian ('Argument') and the American ('The American and Florence' and 'The Deal {No Deal}'). One of the most powerful songs sung by Florence is 'I Know Him So Well', a duet with the Russians wife, Svetlana. Paige and Dickson perform this song with gentle passion as they sing about the man they both love, the Russian. This song captures the listeners' emotions in the music and the lyrics are just brilliant, which is a credit to Ulvaeus and Andersson, and Rice. Another duet performed beautifully by Paige is 'You and I' with the Russian. I think the creators added this song in order to give the musical a happier ending, because 'Chess' once you think about it, is a really quite depressing musical, yet still magnificent.

Probably the most colourful character in 'Chess' is the American. The American is portrayed as a spiteful, trouble-making, conniving, money hungry, frivolous, and selfish chess champion by Murray Head (who played Judas in the Original Concept Recording of 'Jesus Christ Superstar', in which the lyrics were again written by Tim Rice). In the songs 'Merano', 'The American and Florence', 'Florence Quits' and 'The Deal (No Deal)', listeners are subject to these negative aspects of the American's character. Yet, the creators have evoked sympathy for the loathed antagonist in the song 'Pity the Child', where the American sings about his sad childhood and why he is the way he is. Another entertaining song of the American's is 'One Night in Bangkok' where the American introduces the setting to the second act in a very 1980's pop kind of way!!!!

'Chess' involves a lot of very well performed chorus numbers including 'Merano', 'Opening Ceremony', 'The Story of Chess' and the very intense 'Endgame'. All of these songs are different and powerful listening.

'Chess', though a concept album is a must have for any musical fan. Don't let the fact that its different to the normal type of musical turn you off, Time Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have created a wonderful musical from a rather mundane topic. If the lyrics and the music are not enough to coerce you to listen to this album, then buy it for the powerful vocals of Elaine Paige, Murray Head and Tommy Korberg.

"Chess," which debuted in London's West End in 1986, was perhaps the most anticipated musical of the '80s. With music by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics courtesy of Tim Rice ("Jesus Christ Superstar," "Evita"), an all star cast and big money backing, the show ran for three years in London, then flopped on Broadway, where it debuted in 1988. The show's disastrous New York run was thanks to a heavily re-worked plot, Trevor Nunn's incoherent staging and an absolutely scathing New York Times review from Frank "Butcher of Broadway" Rich. So--aside from all the publicity--is "Chess" any good? The answer is yes, it is very, very good--better than good, in fact. The music is lush, diverse, by turns dramatic and delicate, searing and fragile, yet always possessed by one of the most acute melodic sensibilities ever to compose for the theatre: Benny Andersson. Andersson always referred to Tchaikovsky as his favorite composer, and his score reflects the Russian master's profound understanding of melody. Not since Frederick Loewe composed "Camelot" has such an incandescent, profligately tuneful score appeared on stage. And Anders Eljas' orchestrations color Andersson's music to absolute perfection. Tim Rice supplies perhaps his finest set of lyrics, dispelling the rumor that he is (according to a famous quote) "the world's worst lyricist." From the virtuosic wordplay of "Merano" to the brutal, deft rhymes of "Pity the Child," Rice's libretto is masterful. Perhaps the fact that "Chess" had been his obsession for many years (he had proposed the project to Lloyd Webber in the last '70s, but the composer was more interested in "Cats") contributed to Rice's performance here. Whatever the reason, "Chess" is his finest hour. The performances are, without exception, magnificent. Elaine Paige, Barbara Dickson, Murray Head, Tommy Korberg--all deliver emotive, fully realized renditions on each track. Produced by Andersson and Ulvaeus (who co-produced all of ABBA's songs) and Rice, the original concept recording of "Chess" is much superior to the later Broadway cast recording. This album is worth every penny of the price.

At the initial announcement of this project, it sounded like a Monty Python concoction. A musical about a game that could be about as exciting as watching paint dry for non-intellectuals, set against the Cold War era, written by the lyricist of "JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR" and "EVITA," with music by the two male members of Sweden's greatest disco kitsch group? WHAT could possibly come of this kind of collaboration?

Nothing...but one of the greatest musical achievements of the Eighties, bar none. Quirky, eclectic, powerful, moving...it is everything that the nay-sayers bet that it possibly couldn't be.

I bought the cassette version back in the Eighties for the infectiously danceable single "One Night In Bangkok" (which had the unique distinction of being the first video from a stage musical to be played in heavy rotation on MTV, back when the "M" still stood for "Music.") But from the opening strains of "Merano," I knew I had something in my cassette player that was vastly different and more special than anything on the charts at the time.

And how could I have been so sure? Because here we are, two decades or so later, and I'm still getting the same goosebumps listening to the CD version that I got when I turned the cassette over, to start the whole thing over again for about the NINTH or TENTH time, all those years ago.

I'd always been afraid that without the 'omniprescence' of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice would never find collaborators that would help him achieve the same level of success. And I'm so happy I was wrong.

Now if only I could see, in my lifetime, a production of this musical mounted that is every bit as worthy as the music that it's comprised of.

I purchased Chess when it originally came out in album form, and will admit that I originally bought it only because I wanted a copy of One Night in Bangkok. It took me about five minutes to become completely enthralled with the entire album. From Merano to the Embassy Lament to Nobody's Side, there are several amazing songs in this musical (my personal favorite being Anthem).

The concept cast is phenomenal. The six principal singers are absolutely fantastic. The singers from the Broadway recording do not begin to compare to the cast featured on the concept album. In fact, I was rather disappointed with the version of Chess that finally made it to Broadway (some of the best songs from the concept album didn't make the cut to the final version).

The instant Chess was made available in CD format, I purchased it. It is well worth the cost. The concept album is by far the better of the two versions available.

This has been my favorite recording of a musical since I first heard it. A child of the 80's, I remember well the Billboard success of "One Night in Bangkok," and "I Know Him So Well" was recorded later by Whitney Houston and her mother. The music on this soundtrack is perhaps best described as ABBA fast-forwarded into the 80's with a marvelous blending of rock guitar and operatic movements. I believe that lovers of ABBA, lovers of the 80's musical movement, and, in some instances, the lovers of the game of chess would appreciate this recording. One of the more notable selections is "The Story of Chess" which tells the interesting story of how the game of chess came to be. Another enjoyable peculiarity of the musical is its unique focus on the settings of the musical: Merano, Italy and Bangkok, Thailand. This is a real winner!

I concur with all the other rave reviews and just had to add my own. This is the first review I have written, but felt I just had to say something about this wonderful production.

OK, I admit that I enjoy the game of chess. I love the band ABBA (I lived in Sweden for a while in the 70's). And I have always thought Tim Rice writes the most inspired lyrics of all time. I was truly disappointed when he and Andrew Lloyd Webber started fueding and stopping collaborating. So, anyway, one day I see this album at the music store called CHESS. It seems a strange name for a musical. I had never heard of it. Then I see that the boys from ABBA wrote the music. Next, I notice that Mr. Rice wrote the lyrics. I figure, hey, a couple of the best composers ever... THE best lyricist ever... it's certainly worth a try. Boy was I right! Please believe me when I say I know music and I refuse to own anything that does not provide me with real talent and interesting ideas. I own hundreds of very nice CD's (not a bad one in the bunch). Believe me when I say that if I could only keep one of them... this would EASILY be it.. no question! It is that good. It is beyond good. Every song in this score is amazing and is performed to perfection by a singers with real talent (see the other reviews). In addition, everyone I share it with feels the same way. I have become a crusader for this musical. I only wish that it would get the credit it deserves and that a decent production of Chess would start to tour. My daughter Lisalyn and I believe we would travel anywhere in the world and would probably give our right arms just to see a decent production of it. (I can't speak for Lisa, but, on further reflection, I may only be willing to relinquish my left arm.)

A little trivia for you musical buffs who wonder why you haven't heard of this before. There is a fine book out on the life of Andrew Lloyd Webber that claims that Mr. Webber used his "considerable" influence in musical theatre circles to help deep-six this musical because of his ongoing feud with Mr. Rice at the time. You know, I also love much of Andrew's work (even some of the silly singing trains in Starlight Express), but he can be a nasty little man sometimes. In my opinion, this musical is far better than anything Mr. Webber has ever done sans Mr. Rice, especially post Phantom. It's too bad Chess never got its day in the sun.

But now you know about it, and if you love musicals, or just love great pop music, BUY THIS ALBUM (Do NOT buy other versions of it... they are not as good as this one.) You won't regret your purchase! Then share the secret with your friends. (Oh yeah, I almost forgot... listen for the "...and my freedom!" climax towards the end of the album. It will absolutely thrill you! Of course you will only know what I am talking about if you buy the CD :).

`Chess' is a musical that should be counted among the best of what the 1980-is had produced: side by side with `Cats', `The Phantom of the Opera', `Les Miserables' or `Miss Saigon'. The score as heard on this concept album, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (formerly of ABBA) and with the exceptional lyrics written by Tim Rice, stand proof to this. And yet, due to various reasons, like the changing of the director half way through London staging; a heavy rewrite for Broadway and a pan review from Frank Ritch (a.k.a. `The Butcher of Broadway'), `Chess' seems to be unjustly neglected.

This concept album is the main reason why the show has so many ardent fans until this day. Tim Rice wanted to write the show with the main plot revolving around chess for years and after his long time partner Andrew Lloyd Webber remained uninterested, he found the new collaborators in Ulvaeus and Andersson. The subject matter follows two international chess players in a championship, a Russian (Tommy Körberg) and an American (Murray Head) and a woman called Florence (Elaine Paige) who is a manager to the American but falls in love with the Russian. The story also draws a parallel between the game of chess and the cold war/real life situations.

This concept album was recorded in 1984, two years before the original London production took place. As the authors noted in the accompanying booklet, it was a work in progress and thusly the story is not quite readable here from the musical numbers alone. Despite that fact (which is amended by the synopsis included in the booklet), this album remains a winner. The score (played here by the London Symphonic Orchestra) itself makes an intriguing mixture of the famous ABBA sound, the classical; the rock and the pop enhanced by the orchestral solo passages and the strong choral parts. The lush orchestrations add an epic touch to it and on the whole it is melodic and hummable, packed with great tunes. Some of the songs achieved huge success outside the musical: `I know him so well', a duet between Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson, held the number one spot on the UK singles charts for 4 weeks in February 1985 and won Ivor Novello Award as the Best Selling Single; Murray Head's `One night in Bangkok' became one of the biggest dance hits of its time, often heard today. Some other notable tunes include `The Anthem' (Russian's deliberation on his homeland); the soaring rock songs `Where I want to be' and `Pity the child' (in the former, the Russian reflects upon his life under the spotlight; in the latter, the American ponders about his own unhappy childhood) or the gentle `Heaven help my heart' (in which Florence weighs up her relationship with the Russian).

A special reference must be made to Tim Rice's excellent lyrics. With `Chess' he managed to keep up to the high standards he set himself in `Jesus Christ Superstar' and Evita'. Again in this case he shows he is a lyrical wizard, with his familiar cynical touch. `The story of chess', in which he gives a history of the game in a couple of crafty verses, is a pure masterpiece. The same can be said of the song `I know him so well', where the two women reexamine their relationship with the same man. As a whole, `Chess' owes a lot of its appeal to Tim Rice's written word.

The cast on this album ranks the high standard of the material. The principal parts (sung by Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg and Murray Head) are delivered in a strong and impeccable fashion.

This 2-disc edition comes with a booklet containing a note from the authors, a text about chess, a full synopsis and a libretto, together with the photos of the principal singers.

Anyone interested in the modern musical theatre should find `Chess' to be a great score with great lyrics, which should be enough to satisfy any aficionado.

So, I bought this LP (as in record...I'm dating myself) when it first came out in 1986. I got it because of the "One Night In Bangkok" frenzy. Being an ignorant kid, I had no idea that this was a musical soundtrack; I thought Murray Head was a pop singer (I can feel people voting no on my review right now out of sheer outrage at my stupidity). Don't worry, I ended up okay.

What a treat I was in for as I explored the story, voices, and instruments of this gorgeous body of work. I listened to this album constantly. "Merano" is lively, funny, and rousing. "Bangkok" is cool and catchy. "I Know Him So Well" is a perfect blend of the bewitching voices of the two female leads. "Heaven Help My Heart"...the vocals and chords just bring tears to your eyes...so lovely.

The lyrics come with it so you can read along with the songs and learn about the history of the game of chess and former chess champions. Hey, you never know; I once won a game of Trivial Pursuit on the basis of a chess question which I answered correctly due to my obsession with this album. Fine. My name is Jennifer and I'm a geek.

It took me a while to get into "Chess." But after comparing this recording with the delicate, miscast American version, I realized how great this recording is.

Elaine Paige gives a spectacular performance as Florence. She has the kind of pop/belt voice that fits the role perfectly, unlike Judy Kuhn of the American version, whose voice sounds far to classical for the modern music. Furthermore, Elaine Paige's acting is better than Kuhn's. She puts way more emotion, heart, and meat into the role. Her performance is worth the price.

Tommy Korberg is awesome as the Russian with a smooth voice that can be both soft and powerful. His rendition of "Anthem" is truly moving and one of my favorite ballads. But he does a remarkable on all of his songs, especially "Where I Want to Be" and "You and I." He is another performer who far excedes his American counterpart - in this case, David Carroll.

I know that alot of people love Murray Head, but I think he is terrible. He doesn't sing, he screams and it's no wonder that he killed his untrained voice doing this show.

The supporting cast, ensemble, and orchestra are awesome. Most of the music is great, ranging from opera to 80's rock/pop. It's mostly the 80's rock that I'm not a big fan just because I'm not into that kind of music.

The biggest fault lies within the story, which is uneven, confusing and strangely muddled. Many subplots are started and then you never hear of them again. For example, the story is heavy enough without the involvement with Florence and her father. It's not crucial to the plot and it can be left out so that more important areas of the plot can be reinforced, such as the relationship between the characters.

However, since you don't have to worry about the story on the album, this is still a worthwhile CD despite its flaws. If you're into rock musicals such as "Rent," "Miss Saigon," and "Wicked," then Chess is derfinitely for you.