Customer Reviews

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: London Palladium Cast Recording (1991 London Revival Cast)

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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is Andrew Lloyd Webber's first staged musical work and his first staged collaboration with his best lyricist Tim Rice. The very first musical they wrote together, called `The likes of us', didn't reach the stage at that time and was put there for a single special performance in 2005, luckily, captured on CD and also available here at Amazon.

With `Joseph', it all began when in 1967 Lloyd Webber and his friend Rice were commissioned by the head of music at Colet Court School, London, to write a religious concert for the school choir. Joseph was first presented in 1968 and, after further performances at St Paul's Cathedral and the Roundhouse in London, and the Edinburgh Festival, opened in the West End in 1973. It wasn't much of a success, however, until Lloyd Webber bought back the rights to it in the early 90-is, reworked it and put on stage a very successful production that has been put in many other countries in the world and filmed for a special DVD.

The plot takes motives from a well known biblical Old Testament story of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, patriarch of Israel, and the coat of many colours that Jacob gave to Joseph as a sign that he is the special one among his sons. Joseph's older brothers became jealous and sold Joseph to be a slave in Egypt, telling their father that he's been killed by a passing goat. After being imprisoned by his equally jealous master, Joseph helps the pharaoh in solving his enigmatic dreams and becomes his first adviser who saves Egypt from the great famine. Back in Canaan, Joseph's brothers and father are starving and so the brothers go to Egypt where food is in abundance. Joseph recognizes them, but not vice versa. After he learns them a lesson because of their past behaviour, Joseph is reunited with his brothers and father in Egypt.

This is one of those Lloyd Webber shows that are aimed at everybody, the young and the old (just like `Cats' or `Starlight Express'. The songs are mostly pop and a merry note can be found in most of them. Also, this show is supposed to be fun, so there are numerous musical styles in it. For example, there is a country song that the brothers sing; at the other point they sing a French chanson with the French accents. The pharaoh sings like Elvis and one song is in a calypso tone. Overall, it's a nice whole of diverse songs and singing styles. Tim Rice has written his funniest lyrics, blending beautifully with the score. The most notable songs are "Any dream will do" and "Close every door" sung by Joseph and the big number "Jacob and sons" .

This London cast recording features Jason Donovan, the Australian pop singer as Joseph and Linzi Hateley as a female narrator. Donovan's voice isn't as strong as that of the American Joseph Donny Osmond, but his voice has the boyish charm that Osmond lacks. Hately's soprano follows the speedy tempo of her songs with ease. She hits all the high notes without problem and remains one of the best Joseph narrators to date. The children choirs add a special touch to the songs.

This is a remastered and improved release of the 1991 original CD. This means that it has resolved the main problem of the past, i.e. the bad sound. Now we hear everything with crystal clarity. The CD comes in a nice slipcase, with a separate libretto and a booklet with new production pictures. All this is a significant and welcome improvement.

The flashy production of Joseph can be seen at the DVD of the same name with Donny Osmond playing the lead. Joseph remains a part of Webber-Rice trilogy that cannot be overlooked.

This is a great CD if you are doing this musical for your school play. I liked this CD because it had some great music and had pictures of this musical, and a packet full of lyrics to the show. The guy who's palying joseph(Jason Donovan) had a stict londen voice which sounded good but it didn't sound as good as Donny Osmand or Michael Damian. Also to me, the people singing the Joseph megamix seemed not exciting and dead compared to the other CDs of Joseph. Still, if you would like the original Londen new cast of Joseph, buy it!

Of the recordings of JOSEPH I've heard, I consider this to be the most wonderful and characterful recording of this Lord Lloyd-Webber musical. Osmond offers us all a rich portrayal of the eponymous dream-teller, filled with presence, but Donovan captures more subtleties of the character. Donovan conveys more wide-eyed and youthful innocence in his portrayal of Joseph and turns in a wonderful performance, capped by his renditions of the beguiling Any Dream Will Do and the pathos of Close Every Door. Donovan is well-partnered by Linzi Hateley as a charismatic and winning Narrator. Yes, I know you'll argue that the late-lamented Laurie Beechman virtually owns the role with her superior lung-power but Hateley engages the listener and makes the role her own. The superb line-up includes David Easter in an overripe performance of the Elvis-styled Pharaoh, and one can hear the little touches of humour he brings to his portrayal. The ensemble features a strong line-up of Brothers, and Nicolas Colicos as Reuben and Johnny Amboi as Judah make the most of their solos in One More Angel and in the Benjamin Calypso. Philip Cox gives a wonderful solo in Those Canaan Days (though Jeff Blumenkrantz is probably more memorable). To have it remastered makes it better than ever, especially with an improved libretto booklet despite some errors. Highly recommended to those who want their first recording of Joseph.

Highly enjoyable version, although my personal preference is the Canadian version with Donny Osmond. The narrator in the London version is top notch as are the other cast members - well worth the money for all this listening pleasure

A brilliantly produced fun-filled musical encompassing a wide variety of musical styles and highly catchy tunes supporting a well-known and loved story.

Will definately please.

Amazon is amazing. It only takes 2 weeks to ship a CD from the US to downunder and there is never any damage.

we have loved "joseph" for a long time. this video is wonderful fun! donny osmond is great...and hot!! buy this. sing along!!

I love Jason Donovan's version of Any Dream Will Do. It's timeless. Needless to say, the London Revival Cast is my preference and recommendation to anyone who's interested.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice make a dream team. Gotta have this in your collection!

There are actually 3 recorded versions of this production of Joseph, and the listener's choice basically comes down to which "Joseph" lead they like. Donny Osmond appears on the Canadian recording (and the video, made later with a different cast), soap actor Michael Damian leads the U.S. cast recording, and this present CD features British pop star Jason Donovan. All 3 discs are virtually identical in terms of instrumental tracks, and feature slight variations by individual cast members regarding vocal style, interpretation, etc. I would recommend this British cast recording as the best of the three. Jason Donovan best personifies the young handsome dreamer, with a vocal innocence and charm that the other 2 recordings do not quite deliver. Donny Osmond is an excellent singer of course, but I could not quite separate his real-life persona from the Joseph character. And Michael Damian, although he looks the part, has a breathy, smooth voice that is often overshadowed by the other cast members. In order of preference then, I would rate these as 1) Jason Donovan, 2) Donny Osmond, 3) Michael Damian. But any of the 3 are still a fun souvenir of this lighthearted musical.

Years ago, my family went on a vacation to Utah, and saw "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" done by the Utah Shakespeare festival. And then 9 years later, my summer stock theatre company in Blacksburg decided to put that very play on. I bought this CD in preparation for my audition, and after accepting the part I tried out for, I STILL can't get enough of it. The seven fat cows song is a great number. When you hear the songs in this show, it's hard not to snap your fingers. I would also like to add that "Benjamin Calypso," would be a great song for Harry Belafonte to cover, if he's still performing.