Customer Reviews

Jesus Christ Superstar: The Album - 1992 Australian Cast Recording Highlights

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

 

 

With a collection of many English-language Jesus Christ Superstar recordings and one Spanish-language version, I'd have to say that this disc is, hands down, the freshest, most powerful, best-sung, and best-orchestrated JCS out there. My only quibble is that it's a highlights album and not a full recording.

In past versions, the antihero Judas has frequently been sung by far more powerful voices than Jesus, who seems often to be performed by inferior singers who have trouble summoning any kind of passion (pun intended) for the role, not to mention the trouble many of them have with hitting the high notes. The show's impact is greatly diminished by a Jesus who can't stand up to Judas vocally and dramatically. (I've always thought Ted Neely's movie Jesus sounded like he had just woken up and badly needed a cup of coffee.)

John Farnham's Jesus seems finally to be able to stand up to his foil Judas, sung here by the equally phenomental Jon Stevens. The best example of Farnham's talents is 'Gethsemane,' where some unexpected and delicious key changes give the song a new and amazing energy.

King Herod is played by a tattooed and shaved motorcycle-gang type named Angry Anderson, who finally retires the campy-drag-queen Herod that ceased to be funny sometime in the mid 70s.

The new orchestrations on this record are long overdue, the songs' arrangements not having been changed much since the concept album. All the songs have been made over to some extent, but the best of the new arrangements are for 'Everything's Alright' (with a lovely ending far better than the traditional fade-out), 'Pilate's Dream,' and 'King Herod's Song.' All of these new arrangements are sure to appall and dismay stodgy theatre traditionalists.

This Australian cast disc and Michael Lorant and the Indigo Girls' 'Jesus Christ Super-Star: A Resurrection' (which I also highly recommend) are my favorite recordings of my favorite show, and I'm glad amazon.com is making this gem more easily available to American JCS fans (mine was ordered from England).

I remember when "Jesus Christ Superstar" debuted back in the early seventies what a furor it created, everyone thinking it was blasphemous and sacrilegious. My Mom, God rest her soul, forbade me to play the soundtrack in the house. Being a devout Catholic (yet of the old school), she couldn't comprehend what Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were trying to do. Three decades later, one can fully appreciate the mastery of this breathtaking musical accomplishment. This Australian studio version, recorded WAY back in 1992, showcases the tremendously powerful lyrics, imagery and musical diversity of Webber and Rice. It also has the added advantage of John Farnham, whose vocalization of Jesus, is utterly fantastic. His performance of "The Last Supper" and "I Only Want to Say" alone are worth the price of this CD. Blessed with one of the finest voices in modern music, John evokes the anger, the confusion, the passion, the kindness, and the sheer power of Jesus in ways a lot of singers have only begun to feel. The "modernized" arrangements work well, and the musicianship is incredible. Kate Ceberano's Mary Magdalene is impassioned and vocally perfect. Her reading of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" expresses the confusion Mary feels in her love for Christ. It's nothing like she's ever experienced before, and although this song became commercialized by Helen Reddy, it's true meaning is solely represented in the show's context. Unfortunately, Jon Stevens' Judas is a little too overwrought for my tastes, and his vocals seem one dimensional, without the peaks and valleys Judas should have in his own mixed emotions. His "destiny" to fulfill God's plan for Jesus is lost in Waters' one-tone delivery.
But, oh my, does the CD cook once we hit "The Temple." With the chanting sellers offering their wares, and with Farnham's expression of Jesus' anger, it is truly mesmerizing. "The Last Supper" in which the Apostles drink themselves into a sleep, leaving Jesus alone to face his inevitable fate, is a showcase of the CD. It leads into Farnham's heart-wrenching delivery of "I Only Want to Say," in my opinion the show's most powerful song. John gives me goosebumps in eliciting Christ's "Agony in the Garden." Angry Anderson's interpretation of Herod is appropriately nasty, sardonic, accompanied by what would appear to be a heavy metal band counterplaying the song's inherent ragtime feel. "The Trial Before Pilate", with its seemingly eternal 39 lashes, is likewise brutal and overpowering. As Judas sums up the show with "Superstar," we can see how the questions Judas asks could be considered blasphemic or sacrilegious. But they are merely the questions of a man who had the opportunity to follow in Christ's footsteps, but was lost in his own insecurity and jealousy. Whether he was predestined or not, Judas had a choice, and even though Jesus knew what that choice would be, it was still Judas' own kiss that betrayed Christ.
This is a great CD for any one who has never been exposed to the majesty of this work; for those of us who have grown up with several different interpretations, John Farnham has set a standard for Jesus that will take some doing to overpower!

I have hundreds of cast recordings, and most of the Superstar ones, and I'd definitely have to say that this is *the* best Superstar recording I have ever heard, and is one of my top three favorite cast recordings. The cast is incredible, and this might seem strange considering many of the singers are popular Australian rock/pop stars, i.e. John Farnham (Jesus), Kate Ceberano (Mary Magdalene), Angry Anderson (King Herod), etc. All of them are incredible, especially Farnham (who is by *far* the best-voiced Jesus I have ever heard), Jon Stevens (who plays Judas, and though he is not quite as good as Carl Anderson, is still amazing), and especially Russell Morris (who's "Simon Zealots" is undoubtledly my favorite track, and in my opinion, is alone worth the price of the CD). Other favorites include "Heaven On Their Mind", "Everything's Alright," "Hosanna", "Gethsemane", "Herod's Song" , "Gethsemane", and "Superstar". The orchestrations are not like typical theater cast recordings...they are very fresh and "rock-ish". This is the epitome of a rock musical, but even those who are used to the beautiful ballads of Les Miserables and Phantom fame, will still love this Jesus Christ Superstar recording. My only complaint is that Anthony Warlow, Australia's musical theater king who possesses the most beautful voice on earth, had to withdrawal from the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, due to an illness (for which he has fully recovered). If Warlow had been Pontius Pilate as planned, I'm sure this would be my absolute favorite cast recording. But other than that, this CD is amazing, and a must have for any "Superstar" or musical theater fan, and is worth every penny!

I have collected almost every English version of JCS and this is the version I listen to the most. The raw power and energy of this cast is without equal. However, this should be considered a concert version. If you are a theatre purist then this is not the album for you, but if you are a collector or want a JCS cast that just plain rocks then pick this one up.

I'm a huge fan of Jesus Christ Superstar, and I have heard many renditions, most of which have similar orchestrations with very few changes. Ever since the 2000 movie starring Glenn Carter came out, the shows that followed have gotten worse and worse because they were made to be just like Gale Edward's production (which sucked in my opinion).

And then I found this- the 92 Aussie Version. This was one of the greatest recordings of JCS ever. The orchestrations are updated; you can hear more 'rock' in it; the drums and electric gutiars are more audibal, and everything has a new feel to it. The only thing I have to critizie is that some of the songs (like Everything's Alright) have lost their dramatic edge. Instead of the orchestra swelling after Jesus says his bit, it just reverts to the same music that played through the whole song.

And the singers are stellar- John Farnham (Jesus) has a great rock voice. He doesn't rip off of other people who have played Jesus, making a new type entirly his own, which I haven't heard for a long time. Although he can make it up to the High G in Gethsemane, his shout of 'Why Should I Die?' worked just as well; to top it off, he added a soulful 'Why' after that. In some places I prefer Darryl Lovegrove, the man who succeeded John Farnham after the 92 tour, but overall I enjoyed Farnham's proformance.
John Stevens is also excellent as Judas. He has a lot of emoation in his voice (it also sounds very rockish). But, sadly he can't compare with the great Carl Anderson, or the amazing John English, the original Aussie Judas. He rips a lot off of Andersons proformance. But overall, John Stevens is great as Judas.
The women who performs Mary (I can't remember her name) does a fairly good job, although she doesn't have the range that Yvonne Eliman does.
I don't care what anyone says- Pontious Pilate is good.
Angry Anderson does an excellent job playing Herod- I love the new heavy-metal approach to the song; he doesn't amuse me very much like Mark Haldow did (from the New Zealand Cast that featured the same music), but I enjoyed it all the same.
Simon Zealots is the best I've heard in a while. He ditchs the insane Larry Marshall act (which was funny, but it did get annyoing), and the flamboyent Tony Vincet act (which sucked horribly).

Overall, I highly suggest this recording to JCS fans old and new.

Also, check out:
-The Motion Picture (1973) with Ted Neely, Carl Anderson Yvonnie Eliman, Barry Dennon and Bob Bingom- one of the best casts ever.
-New Zealand Cast (1994) with Darryl Lovegrove, Jay Lag^aia, Marget Urlich, Frankie Stevens and Mark Haldow- the cast that succeeded the Aussie 92 Cast, using the same orchestrations as this one.
-Original Cast Recording (1970) with Ian Gillian, Murray Head, Yvonnie Eliman, and Barry Dennon- the first and one of the best.
-The Original Broadyway Cast (1971) with Jeff Fenholt, Ben Vareen, Yvonnie Eliman, Bob Bingom, and Barry Dennon- although the orchestrations are sped up, this is a must-buy; the first ever staged production.

Easily the most alive and exciting Jesus Christ Superstar ever. The music and vocals are absolutely astounding and both were updated in a completely fresh and non-offensive manner. My only regret is that there is not a complete version of this cast anywhere. We used this version as a temlpate for a production my Alma Matter put on 4 years ago. Order this disc if you are a fan of musicals, Jesus, or rock music in general.

I went to see the production that this recording comes from in 1992, at the age of twelve. I still have the memory of King Herod's song with tap dancers in shimmering silver sequined mini dresses with bright green lights and strobes. I loved it so much that my parents bought me this CD. I still have it now, at the age of 25, and I'm still impressed with it. I've heard other versions of JCS and seen several performances both amateur and professional, and none come up to it's standard in my opinion. The performers involved, John Farnham, Kate Cebrano, Russell Morris, John Waters, et al may not be widely known outside of Australia, but they're very highly regarded here, and that's the rest of the world's loss. This is a highlights album, so it doesn't have everything from the show, notably missing is This Jesus Must Die, which has David Gould, as Caiaphas. He has the deepest voice I've ever heard and really makes his presence felt in Hosanna. Now I wouldn't necessarily proclaim this to be the definitive version, as I've not heard every version that's around, its certainly a very good version and well worth a listen.

THIS CD IS AWSOME! MY FAVORITE SONG IS KING HEROD'S SONG. IT'S TOO COOL! I REALLY LIKE THE ECHOE DIGITAL LOUD SOUNDS. EVEN IN THE MOST BORING SONGS IN JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, THIS CD PUT TONS OF ROCK AND SPECIAL EFFECTS INTO THEM! REALLY, NO JCS CD ON EARTH IS BETTER THAN THIS ONE! IF YOU LIKE JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, YOU GOT TO GET THIS CD! SURE, IT DOSN'T HAVE "THIS JESUS MUST DIE" OR "WHAT'S THE BUZZ" BUT KING HEROD'S SONG MAKES UP FOR ALL OF IT!

This is a very interesting version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The first time I heard this CD, I was absolutely appalled. "How could they do that to JCSS?!", I exclaimed. But as I listened to it (for some reason it is one of those soundtracks that even if you don't like it, you just keep listening) I really started to like some of it. First of all, be warned, if you do not like the idea of the music of JCSS being changed to be very modern 80's style, do not get this. The entire soundtrack has been updated to 80's style rock music and uses a lot of synthesysors, distorted guitars and electric pianos. John Farnham as Jesus has an extremely excellent voice, but at first I was concerned because he doesn't do a lot of the things most Jesus' have done and takes a lot of risks with the music, most of the time coming out good, for example, "Gethsemane". He did an excellent job with bringing a whole new twist to the muisc instead of copying all the other Jesus'. But some of the time not coming out pleasant, for instance, "Poor Jerusalem" should not have been sung an octave higher and that loud. Jon Stevens as Judas also did an excellent job with his role and really has a good voice too. He really brought a lot to it. John Waters as Pilate didn't do much to bring conviction to his role. The bad parts are first of all Herod's Song. This is the worst track and the worst version of that song I have heard. I still can't listen to all of it. The alteration of Simon Zealotes' song to an 80's dance type workout song was totally wrong. But otherwise, the recording is fairly good when you get used to it. Lots of the additional orchestrations are very good, but some aren't too. I guess that's what you get when you do things like that. Not good to buy if you are just getting into JCSS, but good if you already are into it and are looking for something new.

When I first bought this cd I didn't like it. It's a far cry from the other recordings I had listened to. However, the more I listened to it the more I fell in love with it. It's hard to find a recording with a bad performance of Judas, but Jon Stevens in my opinion is the best. He is amazing in Heaven On Their Minds. You can almost feel his desperation in the song. John Farnham is great as Jesus. He has a wonderful voice. I was listening to Everything's Alright and his part in that song is absolutely breathtaking, which surprised me because I really dislike that song, but because of his part I listen to it all the time. Although I like the more traditional version of King Herod's Song, I highly recommend this version.