Jesus Christ Superstar (album)

Jesus Christ Superstar

Original UK cover

Studio album by Various artists

Released

September 1970

Recorded

10 October 1969 ("Superstar" single)
1970 in Olympic Studios, London

Genre

Progressive rock, hard rock

Length

86:56

Label

Decca/MCA/Decca Broadway

Producer

Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice chronology

Jesus Christ Superstar
(1970)

Evita
(1976)

Singles from Jesus Christ Superstar

"Superstar"
Released: 21 November 1969
"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
Released: 13 May 1971

Alternative cover

US Edition Cover, May 1971

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

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. It was originally banned by the BBC on grounds of being "sacrilegious."^[2]^[3]

Composition

The album's story is based in large part on the Synoptic Gospels and Fulton J. Sheen's Life of Christ, which compares and calibrates all four Gospels. However, greater emphasis is placed on the interpersonal relationships of the major characters, in particular, Jesus, Judas and Mary Magdalene, relationships that are not described in depth in the Gospels.

"Herod's Song (Try It and See)" is a lyrical rewrite of "Try It and See," previously written by Lloyd Webber and Rice as a proposed UK entry into the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest to be sung by Lulu, then recorded and released as a single by Rita Pavone. The writers had also included it (as "Those Saladin Days") in an aborted show called Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You.

The melody of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" also predates Superstar; it was rewritten from a 1968 Lloyd Webber/Rice collaboration titled "Kansas Morning."

Recording

For the recording, Lloyd Webber and Rice drew personnel from both musical theatre (Murray Head had just left the West End production of Hair) and the British rock scene (Ian Gillan had only recently become the singer of Deep Purple). Many of the primary musicians — guitarists Neil Hubbard and Henry McCullough, bassist Alan Spenner, and drummer Bruce Rowland — came from Joe Cocker's backing group The Grease Band. Saxophonist Chris Mercer had also played with Hubbard in Juicy Lucy.

Release

The first piece of Superstar released was the title song, as a single in November 1969 backed with the instrumental "John Nineteen Forty-One." The full album followed almost a year later.

The album topped the U.S. Billboard Pop Albums in both February and May 1971^[4] and ranked number one in the year-end chart ahead of Carole King's massive hit Tapestry. It also served as a launching pad for numerous stage productions on Broadway and in the West End. The original 1970 boxed-set issue of this 2-record set was packaged in the U.S. with a special thin brown cardboard outer box which contained the 2 vinyl records and a 28-page libretto. The album was listed as the top-selling LP on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart of 1971.^[5] It is also the sixth most successful album of all time in Norway, peaking at No. 3 and staying on the charts for 87 weeks.^[6]

Track listing

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

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Overture"	2:07
2.	"Heaven on Their Minds"	4:23
3.	"What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying"	4:13
4.	"Everything's Alright"	4:36
5.	"This Jesus Must Die"	5:11

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hosanna"	1:30
2.	"Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem"	4:49
3.	"Pilate's Dream"	1:28
4.	"The Temple"	4:43
5.	"Everything's Alright (reprise)"	0:34
6.	"I Don't Know How to Love Him"	3:41
7.	"Damned for All Time/Blood Money"	4:36

Side three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Last Supper"	7:10
2.	"Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)"	5:33
3.	"The Arrest"	3:24
4.	"Peter's Denial"	1:27
5.	"Pilate and Christ"	2:46
6.	"Herod's Song (Try It and See)"	3:02

Side four
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Judas' Death"	4:17
2.	"Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)"	5:13
3.	"Superstar"	4:16
4.	"The Crucifixion"	4:04
5.	"John Nineteen: Forty-One^[7]"	2:10

Credits

Main players

Supporting players

Brian Keith – Annas
John Gustafson – Simon Zealotes
Paul Davis – Peter
Mike d'Abo – King Herod

Other players

Annette Brox – Maid by the Fire
Paul Raven – Priest
Pat Arnold – Background vocals
Tony Ashton – Background vocals
Tim Rice – 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"

Musicians

Neil Hubbard – electric guitar
Henry McCullough – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Chris Mercer – tenor sax
Peter Robinson – piano, electric piano, organ, positive organ
Bruce Rowland – drums, percussion
Alan Spenner – bass guitar

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
Ciclone – Saxophone
Les Condon – trumpet
Keith Christie – trombone
Alan Doggett – principal Conductor, Moog synthesizer
Ian Hamer – trumpet
Ian Herbert – clarinet
Clive Hicks – guitar
Karl 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
Mike Vickers – Moog synthesizer
Brian Warren – flute
Mick Weaver – piano, organ
Andrew Lloyd Webber – piano, organ, Moog synthesizer
Alan Weighall – bass guitar
Kenny Wheeler – trumpet
Strings of the City of London Ensemble

Production

Alan O'Duffy – chief engineer

Reissue

Original Concept Recording. 'Jesus Christ Superstar – "A Rock Opera" '. Universal City, CA: MCA Records Inc.[USA], ©1993 (released 24 SEP 1996). Cat. No. MCAD2-11542 [2 CDs], UPC 008811154226
(N.B.: Black title on front and back cover; gold 'angels' logo; gold lettering on the spine. Depending on the retailer, an outer sticker may state that the album was 'Digitally Remastered [Complete on 2 CDs]' and/or 'Original Artwork and Libretto'. This information is not found on the inner packaging.)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart	Position
Australian Kent Music Report^[8]	6
Austrian Albums Chart^[9]	4
Canadian RPM Albums Chart^[10]	1
Dutch Albums Chart^[11]	10
Italian Albums Chart^[12]	16
Norwegian Albums Chart^[13]	3
UK Albums Chart^[14]	23
US Billboard 200^[4]	1
West German Media Control Albums Chart^[15]	11

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)	Position
Australian Albums Chart^[8]	4
Italian Albums Chart^[12]	41
US Billboard Pop Albums^[5]	1

Certifications


Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)^[16]	Gold

References

↑ Jesus Christ Superstar > Album Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
↑ "... the BBC banned it, they banned this record, because they thought it was sacrilegious." – Ted Neeley, in conversation with Norman Jewison
↑ Autobiography of Norman Jewison
1 2 "Allmusic: Jesus Christ Superstar : Charts & Awards : Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
1 2 1971 Year-end Albums – The Billboard Pop Albums. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
↑ "BEST OF ALL TIME – ALBUMS". VG-lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
↑ 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.
1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
↑ "Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera – austriancharts.at". Retrieved 3 May 2013.
↑ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 15, No. 3". RPM. 6 March 1971. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
↑ "dutchcharts.nl Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
1 2 "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1971" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
↑ "norwegiancharts.com Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera" (ASP). Retrieved 1 May 2012.
↑ "Album Search Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
↑ "Album Search: Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Jesus Christ Superstar _Original Cast_". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

jesuschristsuperstar.com: The Album
Jesus Christ Superstar at Discogs (list of releases)
Jesus Christ Superstar Lyrics

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

Billboard Year-End number one albums

1956–1975	1956: Calypso – Harry Belafonte 1957: Music from My Fair Lady – Original Cast 1958: Music from My Fair Lady – Original Cast 1959: The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini 1960: Music from The Sound of Music – Original Cast 1961: Camelot – Original Cast 1962: West Side Story – Soundtrack 1963: West Side Story – Soundtrack 1964: Music from Hello, Dolly! – Original Cast 1965: Music from Mary Poppins – Soundtrack 1966: Whipped Cream & Other Delights – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass 1967: More of the Monkees – The Monkees 1968: Are You Experienced – The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1969: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – Iron Butterfly 1970: Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel 1971: Jesus Christ Superstar – Soundtrack 1972: Harvest – Neil Young 1973: The World Is a Ghetto – War 1974: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John 1975: Greatest Hits – Elton John

1976–2000	1976: Frampton Comes Alive! – Peter Frampton 1977: Rumours – Fleetwood Mac 1978: Saturday Night Fever – Soundtrack 1979: 52nd Street – Billy Joel 1980: The Wall – Pink Floyd 1981: Hi Infidelity – REO Speedwagon 1982: Asia – Asia 1983: Thriller – Michael Jackson 1984: Thriller – Michael Jackson 1985: Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen 1986: Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston 1987: Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi 1988: Faith – George Michael 1989: Don't Be Cruel – Bobby Brown 1990: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 – Janet Jackson 1991: Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey 1992: Ropin' the Wind – Garth Brooks 1993: The Bodyguard – Soundtrack 1994: The Sign – Ace of Base 1995: Cracked Rear View – Hootie & the Blowfish 1996: Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette 1997: Spice – Spice Girls 1998: Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture – James Horner 1999: Millennium – Backstreet Boys 2000: No Strings Attached – NSYNC

2001–present	2001: 1 – The Beatles 2002: The Eminem Show – Eminem 2003: Get Rich or Die Tryin' – 50 Cent 2004: Confessions – Usher 2005: The Massacre – 50 Cent 2006: Some Hearts – Carrie Underwood 2007: Daughtry – Daughtry 2008: As I Am – Alicia Keys 2009: Fearless – Taylor Swift 2010: I Dreamed a Dream – Susan Boyle 2011: 21 – Adele 2012: 21 – Adele 2013: The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake 2014: Frozen – Soundtrack 2015: 1989 – Taylor Swift 2016: 25 – Adele

Jesus Christ Superstar

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Book and Lyrics by Tim Rice

Songs	"Everything's Alright" "This Jesus Must Die" "I Don't Know How to Love Him" "Superstar"

Versions	Concept album Film

Cast recordings	1972 & 1992 Australian cast 1972 Swedish cast 1996 London cast

Related	Superstar

Musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

Musicals	The Likes of Us Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Jesus Christ Superstar Evita Cricket The Wizard of Oz (additional music and lyrics)

Films	Jesus Christ Superstar Evita Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (film)

Albums	Jesus Christ Superstar Evita (1976 concept album) Evita (1996 film soundtrack)

Songs	"Any Dream Will Do" "Close Every Door" "Everything's Alright" "This Jesus Must Die" "I Don't Know How to Love Him" "Superstar" "Oh What a Circus" "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" "You Must Love Me"

Related television	Any Dream Will Do Superstar When Joseph Met Maria

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