Jesus Christ Superstar: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album

I hadn't heard or even thought of "Jesus Christ Superstar" for a long time, but came across the film on cable and watched it out of curiosity. By the end of the first song, I was hooked (again). I'd forgotten how good it was. I'll review the movie separately under the item listing for the DVD, but I will report that I ended up watching it repeatedly (HD cable on demand allowed me to watch it at my convenience). It actually seemed to get better with each successive viewing, and so did the soundtrack. Both the music and the film have held up extremely well considering how old they are. In fact, I think that JCS is Andrew Lloyd Webber's very best work and while I have enjoyed "Phantom of the Opera", it's not as good.

Since the only recording I had was on LP and packed away in a box somewhere, I needed to get it on CD or as a download. I started checking around on Amazon to see what was available and what other people recommended, and soon discovered that fans of this music have *very* strong opinions. There simply is no overwhelming consensus, but both the original studio recording (it was released as a studio recording before any stage performance had been given, let alone recorded) and this film soundtrack have fairly widespread support. Having watched the film so many times, I wanted the soundtrack, in spite of some negative reviews about the sound quality (mostly fair) and some reviewers who don't care for the performance. I purchased it as a download, since it was about half the price of the CDs and I could get it immediately.

First, I'll discuss the performance. If you don't like the film, or if you don't like the singers in the film, then you won't like the soundtrack. But it's hard to imagine why listeners would not like the singers. Carl Anderson as Judas is outstanding and so is Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. I found that Ted Neeley's performance as Jesus, which at first seemed a bit weak and underpowered, was actually nuanced, thoughtful, and built up through the movie, as is appropriate for his role. When he finally gets angry, you really pay attention. Having said that, some people really dislike Neely in the role and you may be one of them, so if you haven't seen the film, listen to his tracks before you make a decision. I also liked Barry Dennen as Pilate, and Josh Mostel as Herod.

Now for the audio quality. Many reviewers complained about the remastering, and I agree that there are some problems, but none of them is a deal-breaker. A frequent complaint about the CD is the gap between each track, which also exists on the download version. However, you can get rid of it in iTunes by setting the "stop time" of each track to match the instant that the music stops, and then selecting "gapless play" for all of the tracks. It takes a little time, but it does a pretty good job of getting rid of the gaps, which are very annoying. This music was supposed to be heard in one continuous flow, not as segments or songs with silence in between.

Another complaint that people have is that the sound was remastered and remixed poorly, and I agree that it's not nearly as well done as the remastered soundtrack that you'll hear while watching the film. I have no idea why they didn't just use the same mix for the CD, but they didn't, and it was a big mistake. There are noticeable changes in volume level between tracks, which makes it necessary to raise or lower the volume control. This doesn't occur during the film. The vocals tend to be a bit too "forward" at the expense of a fuller instrumental background, another problem that doesn't affect the film. There is also some very annoying high-pitched distortion at the very beginning of "Everything's Alright", which, while it only last a few measures, is also absent in the film version. Finally, this is not a totally complete soundtrack of all the music from the film. There is an all-instrumental interlude that takes place before the track "Judas' Death" that doesn't appear here, and it's very good music (reminiscent of a passage from Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky"). It could easily have been included and it should have been.

Still, even with these reservations about the sound quality, I strongly recommend this version. I'm also ordering the CDs of the original version, since that was the one I first heard years ago and it is indispensible. I decided against any of the later versions, though they also have their adherents. I think it says something about the power of this music that there are so many performances available, and that each of them has its supporters.

This is a good translation onto CD from the movie. If you are expecting the solid, powerful vocals present on the rock opera album, you won't get it here. They are not weak by any means, just 'different'. But it does make for good comparison between the two albums. There are aspects of the Judas I like on this album and some I like on the other. Same with Jesus. It is good to see how two different singers approach the characters.

I fell in love with this music when I first heard it in 1973. In the past, I have purchased the vinyl LP and cassette tape. Now that I have the CD, I can listen to Ted Neeley's awesome voice hit all the high notes; Carl Anderson agonize over his decision to believe or betray; and Yvonne Elliman's confusion without worrying that the tape will break at the worst possible time or worse still, simply wear out.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a major part of my audio life. I listen to it with wonder whenever I can, as often as I can. I highly recommend this soundtrack to anyone who enjoys extremely excellent music and wants to be transported by the experience.

The soundtrack from the movie is so much better than the soundtrack from the theatre cast. I think this one is more fun and more energetic. It's become a tradition in our house every easter vigil.

Hope this helped.

As a young teenager I had this double album and had memorized all the songs. I have not heard the music since the mid seventies and wanted to hear it all again. While listening to it, I found new meaning in the lyrics that did not occur to me in the past. I thought the music and lyrics to be refreshing, uplifting, and still good old rock 'n roll.