Jesus Christ Superstar (album)

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Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar cover
Studio album by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice
Released October 1970
Genre Rock
Length 86:56
Label Decca Records/MCA Records
Producer Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Professional reviews
Alternate cover
1996 Edition Cover
1996 Edition Cover

Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The album musical is a musical dramatisation of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem and ending with the Crucifixion.

The album's story is based on the Gospel according to John. However, greater emphasis is placed on the interpersonal relationships of the major characters, in particular, Jesus, Judas and Mary Magdalene.

The album reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1971 and served as a launching pad for numerous stage productions on Broadway and in the West End.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All compositions written by Tim Rice (lyrics and book) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (music).

[edit] Side one

  1. "Overture" – 3:56
  2. "Heaven on Their Minds" – 4:21
  3. "What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying" – 4:13
  4. "Everything's Alright" – 5:14
  5. "This Jesus Must Die" – 3:33

[edit] Side two

  1. "Hosanna" – 2:08
  2. "Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem" – 4:47
  3. "Pilate's Dream" – 1:26
  4. "The Temple" – 4:40
  5. "Everything's Alright" – 0:30
  6. "I Don't Know How to Love Him" – 4:07
  7. "Damned for All Time/Blood Money" – 5:07

[edit] Side three

  1. "The Last Supper" – 7:06
  2. "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" – 5:32
  3. "The Arrest" – 3:20
  4. "Peter's Denial" – 1:27
  5. "Pilate and Christ" – 2:43
  6. "King Herod's Song (Try it and See)" – 3:00

[edit] Side four

  1. "Judas' Death" – 4:14
  2. "Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)" – 5:12
  3. "Superstar" – 4:15
  4. "Crucifixion" – 4:01
  5. "John Nineteen: Forty-One"[1] – 2:04



[edit] Credits

[edit] Main Players

[edit] Supporting Players

  • Annette Brox - Maid by the Fire
  • Paul Raven - Priest
  • Pat Arnold - Background vocals
  • Tony Ashton - Background vocals
  • Peter Barnfeather - Background vocals
  • Madeline Bell - Background vocals
  • Brian Bennett - Background vocals
  • Lesley Duncan - Background vocals
  • Kay Garner - Background vocals
  • Barbara Kay - Background vocals
  • Neil Lancaster - Background vocals
  • Alan M. O'Duffy - Background vocals
  • Terry Saunders - Background vocals


  • Choir conducted by Geoffrey Mitchell
  • Children's choir conducted by Alan Doggett on "Overture"
  • The Trinidad Singers, under the leadership of Horace James, on "Superstar"

[edit] Musicians

[edit] Other musicians

  • Harold Beckett - trumpet
  • Anthony Brooke - bassoon
  • James Browne - horns
  • Jim Buck, Sr. - horns
  • Jim Buck, Jr. - horns
  • John Burdon - horns
  • Joseph Castaldini - bassoon
  • Norman Cave - piano
  • Jeff Clyne - bass guitar
  • Les Condon - trumpet
  • Alan Doggett - principal Conductor
  • Ian Hamer - trumpet
  • Ian Herbert - clarinet
  • Clive Hicks - guitar
  • Carl Jenkins - piano
  • Frank Jones - trombone
  • Bill LeSage - drums
  • John Marshall - drums
  • Andrew McGavin - horns
  • Anthony Moore - trombone
  • Douglas Moore - horns
  • Peter Morgan - bass guitar
  • Chris Spedding - guitar
  • Louis Stewart - guitar
  • Chris Taylor - flute
  • Steve Vaughan - guitar
  • Brian Warren - flute
  • Mick Weaver - piano, organ
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber - piano, organ
  • Alan Weighall - bass guitar
  • Kenny Wheeler - trumpet
  • Keith Christie - trombone
  • Strings of the City of London Ensemble

[edit] Chart positions

Album Year Chart Position
Jesus Christ Superstar 1971 Billboard 200 1
Preceded by
All Things Must Pass by George Harrison
Billboard 200 number-one album
February 20 - February 26, 1971
Succeeded by
Pearl by Janis Joplin
Preceded by
Pearl by Janis Joplin
Billboard 200 number-one album
May 1 - May 14, 1971
Succeeded by
4 Way Street by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

[edit] References

  1. ^ Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid.

[edit] See also

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