I'm going to do a few reviews of the Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera, in three different formats: The original concept album from 1970, the 1973 film, and the 2012 arena tour version. All are excellent in their own way, so I'll take them one at a time.
First, the album. Webber and Tim Rice wrote the music and lyrics for JCS in their early twenties; it was their second collaboration of importance (the first being Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). Unable to get backing to stage it, they instead recorded it as a concept album, getting Ian Gillan of Deep Purple to sing the lead role of Jesus, and Murray Head as Judas. Yvonne Elliman was tapped to sing the role of Mary Magdalene, a role she would later play on stage and in the 1973 movie.
The music is familiar to just about everyone; the famous intro to "Superstar" has been used for TV shows, for example, and anyone who hears the opening three notes can instantly complete the musical phrase. "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was the other single from the album, although it wasn't released until 1971 when Helen Reddy did her own version of it; both versions charted at the same time, which was a rare thing in those days.
This is a rock opera; the music is very much of its time, and yet a good chunk of the music is timeless. The repetitive riff of the opening number, "Heaven on their Minds", is a standout, as that riff just keeps going and going from the first measure until Judas is well into his soliloquy. And the riff is repeated later on during the "Trial Before Pilate", as Jesus is flogged by a Roman soldier keeping excellent time while Pilate counts off the thirty-nine lashes. The odd 5/4 rhythm of "Everything's Alright" sticks in your head for a while afterward, with Mary, Judas and Jesus playing off of each other in a scene that is tense even in music-only format.
But the standout song, and one of my candidates for Best Song Ever, is "Gethsemane". To be honest, though, I'm not a huge fan of Gillan's original version. The improvised high falsetto note that has become the song's signature moment is all Gillan, but the rest of the song just doesn't have the emotional impact that it should. Maybe I'm just missing something in his interpretation, but after he hits the high note, Jesus sounds completely dispassionate about what's about to happen. It's still a fantastic song, but I can see why Gillan's version wasn't ever released as a single despite the song's awesomeness. His version has the high note, but not a lot more than that.
I'm sure that any Deep Purple fans who read this will take me to task, but I'm tough enough to take it. It's music, it's subjective, and since this is my blog, my opinion is the one that matters.
The album is a bit shorter than the movie, which doesn't surprise me. However, the difference involves some quick cuts from song to song, as well as the removal of some non-musical scenes from the movie. One thing I noted was that a familiar line from the "Trial Before Pilate" doesn't actually appear in the original version. The songs "Then We Are Decided" and "Could We Start Again Please" aren't on the original album, either; they appeared in later versions.
Overall, I like the original album. Gillan does an excellent job, and he did set the standard for future performances (especially with "Gethsemane"). I'm not familiar with Murray Head's work outside of this, but he portrays Judas as a man torn by internal conflict and fears very well. Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen (Pilate) will appear in the film as well.
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