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88 of 89 found the following review helpful:
 The Original Classic Recording Sep 18, 2003
By Martin A Hogan
"Marty From SF"
This double CD is by far the best of the number of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' recordings to date. It is the original. Gillan as Jesus and Head as Judas still send out the chilling and emotional vocals that started the entire phenomenom. Of course, another highlight is Yvonne Elliman, a soon to be superstar. Her renditions are priceless. The chorus and orchestration are exactly what you heard when this set came out in the early seventies on the radio. Don't mess with an original unless you plan on improving it. This is the first and this is the best.
56 of 57 found the following review helpful:
The Original Superstar And Still The Best Oct 08, 2003
By Carlos Rodriguez
There are atleast 10 to 15 recordings of this great Rock Opera circulating the world perhaps more but this is the original and still the best. The cast in this recording is absolutely wonderful especially Ian Gillan as Jesus and Murray Head as Judas, they are both superb and their voices are incredible. I had the rare opportunity to see a production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with Ted Neely as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas from the original 1973, film and they were both fantastic. This recording is a marvel to listen to and the 76 piece orchestra that they used in the studio is also fantastic. This is the absolute best recording of this Opera and it also makes for a great Rock album as well. I'm not too much into religion at all but you don't have to be to realize that this is a superb album full of great songs and a great classical score provided by a top orchestra as the London Symphony. There is even one song that topped the U.S. charts in 1970, before this legendary Rock Opera made its debut on Broadway in 1971. "Superstar", was release as a single and it climbed the Pop and Rock charts of the United States and England so by the time this production premiered on Broadway people already knew about JCS in a way. Don't be fooled by the other recordings of this production this is the original and still the best. I doubt very seriously that another recording of this material will ever top this one. This double album rocks with awesome power and this classic reocording has already proven to be timeless. So if you want to listen to JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the way is was meant to be than get this one the original and still the best.
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Gold Dust May 22, 1999
By David V. Bowen
For me, this 70's version of JCS remains definitive. It must be said that it doesn't include a few pieces of the score (apparently added after the original concept album) such as "Could we start again please?" and several lines from "Trial by Pilate". Nevertheless, Ian Gillan and Murry Head's tremendous vocal range easily make up for this. If you don't own a copy of JCS, don't let the age of this recording put you off. Finally, Audiophile companies often offer remastered versions of CDs on gold discs for twice the cost of the regular CD, but, in reality, rarely deliver any substantial improvement in sound quality. Happily, this remastered version of JCS is indeed an improvement and dedicated fans of the musical won't be disappointed if they buy this set for the sonics alone.
61 of 68 found the following review helpful:
The original concept album is still the best version of JCS Nov 24, 2002
By Lawrance M. Bernabo
Believe it or not, I first heard this recording of "Jesus Christ Superstar" when it was played for us in my freshman English class in high school (I think our student teacher was trying to show he was cool, because there was no assignment to go with spending two days listening to the album). I also recall trying to remember how the theme for the title song went so I could keep it in my mind and thinking that this really was an opera because the two main characters are both dead at the end, certainly a traditional ending in many operas. Of course, in addition to the music there was the controversy over this two-album studio production. The public firestorm and focused on two key issues: First, there was the uproar over the fact that rock music was being used to tell a religious story; you have to remember that this was a time when having a folk mass or service was seen as being cutting-edge long-haired radicalism in Christianity. But Andrew Lloyd Webber's music involves much more than rock, although certainly the guitar that opens the "Overture" is a definitive statement. "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a traditional pop ballad, as Helen Reddy proved with her cover that hit the charts, while "John Nineteen Forty-One" is a classical piece played entirely by strings. "King Herod's Song" stands out as one of those stylistic pastiches that Lloyd Webber loves (as we would later see in "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera"). More importantly, it seems to me that the rock music is used strategically. Certainly Judas has songs that are more rock oriented (e.g., "Heaven on Their Minds," "Damned for All Time") when compared to those for sung by Jesus (e.g., "Gethsemane"), which makes sense in terms of character dynamics. Rock music is also used selectively within songs, most particularly "Everything's Alright," where the pop chorus by Mary Magdalene and the other women finds a dramatic counterpoint in the rock style versus of Judas and Jesus. The whole controversy on this score is certainly moot now because within a few years many denominations offered new liturgies with "modern" music, which certainly did not go as far as rock music, but certainly shifted the music to the 20th century and away from classical music in the mode of Bach. Second, there was a charge that "Jesus Christ Superstar" presented a secular version of Jesus as man, rather than as divine (a similar charge was leveled against Zefferelli's television mini-series "Jesus of Nazareth"). It is certainly true that Jesus does not perform any miracles during the story being told, but then there are not any miracles recorded in the Gospels for the last week of the life of Jesus, which is the time frame of this rock opera: It begins Friday night in Bethany and ends pretty much one week later as the body of Jesus is lain in the tomb. Miracles aside, the Tim Rice libretto is as faithful to the Gospels as any other dramatic account of these events I have ever seen, whatever the religious beliefs of Rice and Lloyd Webber (which were hotly debated at the time). Some took the show to task for ending with the "Crucifixion" rather than the Resurrection, but I find it powerful to ask audiences to make a judgment on the divinity of Jesus on the basis of how he lived and died (Note: I was in production of the show in which we actually did the Ascension at the end as the music ended). I would also point the end music of "John Nineteen Forty-One" and have people go back and pay attention to what lyrics that same music is used for in "Gethsemane" as a way of assessing what is ultimately being emphasized in this rock opera. Ironically, "Jesus Christ Superstar" created a resurgence of interest in both Jesus and Christianity among youth. The concept album, as it came to be known, was turned into a Broadway show that offered outlandishness that made "Hair" look like a Medieval mystery play. It might be insightful for you to compare the concept album of "Evita" with the Broadway version to ponder what would have happened if someone had enforced a similar revision on "Jesus Christ Superstar" (the production I was in had to find creative ways, such as having banners unfurl with quotations from Scripture, to deal with the problems of songs that fade out). Purely from a listening standpoint my preference remains for the original concept album with Murray Head and Ian Gillian as Judas and Jesus. I know part of this is the residue of the excitement that was generated when this came out, but I happen to thing everything is alright with that.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
The origional is the best by far!!!! Nov 30, 1998
By Steven D. Sinagra
I am a huge fan of all the versions of JCS but the origional is the best. I feel it captures the esscence of what Weber and Rice were trying to create. The main thing I love about this CD is the vintage sound. It really captures that early 70's sound. Those fuzz guitars and moog synthesizers just send chills down my spine. Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is by far the best Jesus. I know this will upset fans of Ted Neely, but He has a way to make you feel the part. His voice is just amazing.This is the best version of Gethsemane Ive heard. I also feel that Murray Head does the part of Judas justice. Other highlights are Yvonne Elliman as Mary and Barry Dennen as Pilate. I highly recommend this gold master disc for the best reproduction of this classic recording yet.
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