Evita: An Opera Based On The Life Story Of Eva Peron 1919-1952 (1976 Studio Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Paul Jones, Julie Covington, Colm Wilkinson, Tim Rice, Tony Christie, Evita (Related Recordings)

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 1996)
• Original Release Date: December 1976
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Decca U.S.
• ASIN: B000002P4G
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,662 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original Evita...still the best..., October 15, 2000

By	Wayne Rossi (Mount Holly, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The original Evita concept album is the best complete recording of the show that exists. The cast is superb--Julie Covington does a great job in the title role, and Colm Wilkinson (credited here as C.T.) sings the part of Che with a flair that's not yet matched. Covington's voice can be as sweet and as demanding as is needed, and is a beautiful fit with Tim Rice's clever lyrics. Paul Jones is a Juan Peron to complement, if not to match, the leads here. The rest of the cast and ensemble make a background contribution to this great recording.

This isn't the stage version of the show, which changed things around quite a bit. "The Lady's Got Potential" is a particularly fun song that wasn't in the stage versions, though it was taken back for the movie with different lyrics. Also, the insecticide subplot (which only happens in this version) adds a bit of fun comic relief to this otherwise serious work about the life of Eva Peron. The way the songs on this album are played--especially "A New Argentina"--is not what would be done later, but it is brilliant. The album mixes rock and a much more traditional musical style, sometimes in the same song (the rock recitative after the more Broadway-style "Oh What a Circus" and the soft recitative at beginning and end of the very passionate, electric "A New Argentina" are two great examples), to great effect.

Every song on this album is excellent, but there are still those that stand out. "Oh What a Circus" is an excellent song, especially if you want to do an angry sing-along. "Goodnight and Thank You" is an ironic romp through Eva's manipulative ways. I've already mentioned how much fun of a song I think "The Lady's Got Potential" is. The role of Peron's mistress, existing mostly for "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," is a good one nonetheless, and the song is exceptional. "A New Argentina," chronicling Peron's rise to power, is an incredible, stirring song, and the lyrics sometimes seem to blend into the music. Getting onto disc 2, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is excellent--as manipulative of the crowds as Eva's real speeches were. "High Flying, Adored" is when Colm Wilkinson finally gets to stretch his voice in a big tune, and he is on top of his game when singing it. "Rainbow High" and "Rainbow Tour" are a great pair, where Eva begins to slide down from the high she reaches at the end of disc 1 and beginning of disc 2. "And The Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)" is a beautifully witty song, that was not yet sung by Che. Instead, it was done by the head of the Eva Peron Foundation. "Waltz for Eva and Che" is a great song, and well-matched with "She's a Diamond" and "Dice Are Rolling/Eva's Sonnet" in showing Eva's decline. "Eva's Final Broadcast" contains a bit of a reprise of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" that really shows Eva's desperate attempts to cling to her glory. The album concludes nicely with "Montage" and "Lament."

This is the recording of Evita to own. The original London cast is a highlights album with an excellent cast, but it's incomplete, some songs are in incomplete form, and though David Essex is quite good, he just isn't on par with Colm. The original American (Broadway) Cast has an excellent ensemble, but a hopelessly miscast Patti LuPone as Eva, and Mandy Patinkin butchering every song involving Che (which means a lot). True, the OAR has verses of "Oh What a Circus" and "And the Money Kept Rolling In" that the concept album didn't, but Patinkin's handling of the material is so annoying and pretentious that it loses the honesty that makes Che's part great. The movie cast...well, Antonio Banderas's Che and Madonna's Evita lose much of their charm off screen. It's worth WATCHING, yes, but you're better off listening to another recording. And, unless you're set on getting a foreign language version, that means this one.

So...pick it up if you like Evita. Heck, pick it up if you want to hear something that blends a rock style with more of what you'd expect from a musical, with a result that's anything but predictable. Pick it up especially if you like Colm (and if you don't, you should).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

The Original Concept Album for "Evita" is perhaps one of the strongest versions of the piece, and in fact the "best kept secret." Julie Covington, who sings the role of Eva Peron, brings to it a rich gutteral tone- a more believably struggling, working class tone than the other Evitas. Neither shrill nor blaring, Covington possess a haunting sadness. This version of Evita is far more a "rock opera" than the later "pop opera" versions, with heavier guitar usage. Smarter in its sensibilities, this version doesn't patronize the listener with narrations of events- the entire body of the story is told in song. A close listening will reveal several key differences from later versions- including an "insectiside" plotline for narrator/foil Che and quite different lyrics in the final few tracks. This version is definitely an acquired taste, as it differs from the conventions of what Evita has come to be known as. However, it is by all means more poetic and disturbing than the later versions. Purchase this album if you're looking for a better understanding of where the Webber/Rice "Evita" saga began, and especially if you like "Jesus Christ Superstar", as this version of the story shares much.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT ROCK-OPERA, July 1, 2000

By	"tclue" (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

I'm a true EVITA fan. I've a lot of Evita's Cd including the American Cast. Vienna Cast, Korean Cast, Spanish Cast, Movie SoundTrack, Original London Recording to name a few. This London Cast is the true Life Of Eva Peron. Julie Covington have a real nice voice, C.T. Wilkinson and Paul Jones too. You must have to hear her illusions in "Buenos Aires", the real way to succeed in "Goodnight & Thank You" and in the ORIGINAL format of "The Lady's Got Potential". Oh yes, the magic of "Rainbow High" and the charm in "Rainbow Tour" when she says: "THERE YOU ARE I TOLD YOU SO MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHERE WE GO THE WHOLE WORLD OVER JUST THE SAME YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD THEM CALLED OUR NAME AND WHO WOULD UNDERSTIMATE THE ACTRESS NOW". Do yourself a favour, buy this diamond. This is the only CD that contains "Eva's Sonnet" and the complete and beautiful "Lament". If you have any question e-mail me. BUY IT NOW!