Customer Reviews

Jesus Christ Superstar (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Argh!! A short six months after I shell out 30 plus bucks for the import from Japan, I see this in stores and on Amazon.com! Any JCS fan should have this one; includes one of the best Judas performances (Ben Vereen) and a very good Jesus (Fenholt) as well.

The "Gethsemane" on this disc is my favorite of them all. Pilate is played by the Barry Dennen. Although he played the role on the Concept Album and the Original Motion Picture, he is at his best on this disc. "Pilate's Dream" is a most haunting version, and he is at his most desperate in "Trial Before Pilate". It is sad that so few of the songs from the show are on this disc, I would have loved to hear Vereen and Fenholt play off of each other on "The Last Supper".

Most of the songs are at a slightly faster clip than on other versions, and the orchestrations are rocking. An interesting approach. Standout songs are: Heaven on Their Minds, Pilate's Dream, Gethsemane, Judas' Death, Trial Before Pilate, and Superstar. 5 Stars!

I'm glad Amazon has seen fit to move this to the top of the JCS list so that others are now finding it. This is NOT just now available - I first ordered it from Amazon at least two years ago for over $30 based solely on the cover picture because it looked like my old album that I got for Christmas in 1972. I wore that thing out over the years and had never been able to find it again until I happened on it at the very bottom of a list of about 30 different JCS items on Amazon. It had absolutely no reviews, so for all I knew it was in Japanese! Took a chance on it despite the price and, sure enough, it was the one I grew up on, just cleaner sounding digitally recorded on CD - and, of course, only the exterior CD text was in Japanese. I was at first disappointed in it when I received it that Christmas thinking my mother had screwed up because it wasn't the familir brown cover with the two angels that everyone else had. But I came to love it and, years later when I couldn't find it, replaced it with the one all my friends had, but lo and behold, I didn't like that one nearly as well as my original Broadway cast album. This one IS Superstar to me, though I'm sure a lot of JCS purists wouldn't agree. I just like the whole feel of the album better. I love Vereen and Elliman (including her version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him", despite what someone else's earlier review said about it) and this version of "Herod's Song" is far and away better than the many other versions I've heard.

Decca Brodway has finally come out with there long-awaited re-re-mastering of the original brodway cast album of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, after delaying its release several times.
I must say, opun listining to this album, I was Very suprised at the great job Decca had done.
I also have this album on LP and needless to say, they had there work cut out for them. The original release had recorded Vocals and music on the same channel at the same time with the result that the first broadway recording LP [was not good].
However, Decca has remastered that recording and put it on CD.
this recording sounds 300% better the only downside is that the recording is not complete (it wasent originaly.)
Ben Vereen is by far one of the best actors to play Judas, his voice is just perfect and so is his acting. NEVER BORING!
As for Jeff Fenholt, well his voice is really good, Especially in Gethsemane, but his demenor is just soooo borrrring, but he does not hurt the album as a whole, and his falsetto is the best I have ever heard on an album of Superstar.
Berry Dennen is also one of the best Pilates, second only to David Durt (1996 london recording).
Yvonne Elliman is wonderful as usual.
This album has wonderful linear notes and pictures.
Yes it is true that the original Brodway production was Over-done and tacky, but that does not change the fact that this is a great album.

Before I knew about this album I owned just the 1970 London concept album. Then I bought this one. It is unbelieveable! Ben Vereen plays one of the best Judas' next to Carl Anderson and Jeff Fenholt plays a brilliant Jesus (and he sounds a lot like the later Ted Neeley who would potray Jesus in the movie). Other than that the rest of the cast are the people in the movie. It also sounds like a broadway show in the early 70's. Overall this is a great album and I am happy it's now on CD.

Being a JCS fan from the very beginning with the concept album and having seen the show in its original Broadway production three times I do love this album very much; when it was originally issued on vinyl I practically wore it out....I always thought that these tracks were the best of the best of JCS. "Pilates Dream" is Barry Dennon's best recording of it (and he did three--the original, this one, and the movie). Always been a sad thing that they didn't release the entire score. This is worthwile to have if you like JCS. I had been hoping that the CD issue might have had the entire score; I seem to remember that when originally recorded they recorded everything but decided just to put out one disc instead of two.

What can't be said about this production? It was the first big production of JCS in the US with a phenomenal cast. Ben Vereen as Judas and Jeff Fenholt (Replaced Ozzy with Black Sabbath) as Jesus. For the most part...the remaining cast members were the same that Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson stared with in the movie of the same title directed by Norman Jewison. This was the first and best cast team of this production in the US. I may be biased...because this was the cast I first was introduced to in 1971 when I visited NYC for the first time. This was my 2nd "official" Broadway production I saw...both in the same week...the first if you care to know was A Chorus Line. Anyway...buy this CD if for any other reason...Ben Vereen. His performance of Judas is simply breath taking.

This version of Jesus Christ Superstar is the definitive version with regards to musicianship. Although lacking the vocal power of Ian Gillian from the original album, the flow of this album resonates cleaner and has more emotive content. I have loved this version since its release in the 70's.

The CD was delivered in a timely manner and the quality and condition of the product were both more than satisfactory.

I ordered 2 of the CD's, one for myself and one for a very close friend. They both arrived in exactly condition and in an extremely timely manner. Although this is an older released musical piece, it brought back fond memories and allowed me to recapture moments from my past that were very uplifting.

I always thought the concept album had a garage-bandy sound to it, and a thin production sound typical of the era (like "Tommy"). The Broadway album is comparatively fuller (still 70's sounding) but makes much better use of the orchestra, and better mixed as well. The string swells sweep you away, the cymbal crashes give you chills. Jeff Fenholt couldn't front Deep Purple, but he makes an excellent Jesus, earnest and conflicted. Murray Head holds nothing to the passion and soul of the great Ben Vereen. Yvonne Elliman is slightly more mature in the role of Mary Magdalene on Broadway and clearly more comfortable, and Barry Dennen seethes and conflagrates as Pilate much more than on the concept album. Overall, more emotion comes through, which figures since they actually performed it in front of live audiences. In a way, the Broadway album is the definitive version because it is from the first performing cast of JCS, not a crew hired for a one-off.
It's a shame the full song list isn't included on the Broadway album, but the highlights really are the best parts, and the song "Could We Start Again", not on the concept album, is Webber & Rice at the top of their show-ballad game.