Since it’s Lent, I decided to look up “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Rhapsody, both the original and the London Revival from 2001. Whoa, there’s a big difference. The original cast sounds really subdued as if they were really tired. One person commented it sounded as they were either on drugs or drunk . You have to check to see if something’s wrong with your volume. The 2001 version is more enthusiastic and, well, just sings a whole lot better., especially Renee Castle’s “Mary Magdalene.” Are there any other Broadway plays soundtracks where the revival soundtrack was superior to the original version? Also, just exactly why would there be a difference between the different versions of JCS, as in the musical environment of the time they were created?
By original, did you mean the concept album that came out before the play was ever performed? The people singing in it had never sung these songs before or ever expected to do so again. The people in the revival were seasoned performers who probably recorded the show during the run of the play. Not so in the original.
I love love love the original album. With Ian Gillan of Deep Purple as JC. It is a true rock album not a Broadway album. The biggest difference is probably with Judas. Murray Head (Anthony from Buffy’s brother) sang it like the white Englishman he is. Later versions had judas played by a black guy (because of the movie and Carl Anderson) and turned his songs more like R&B. it might be shocking to hear the difference.
I rather like the 20th anniversary cast recording with Paul Nicholas as Jesus. There are several points where he takes his voice very deep, sounding as if the weight of his work is on his shoulders.
For example, at the end of “Simon Zealotes,” on “understand what power is/Understand what glory is/Understand at all/Understand at all…” where Ted Neely in the movie took it very high and falsetto-y and rock singer-y. I liked Nicholas’ approach to it better.
Plus, this album has Victor Spinetti–British comic actor and veteran of THREE Beatle movies–as Herod, practically stealing the whole thing for his one number. I love the way he sings, “Hey, aren’t you SCARED of me, Christ?/Mr. Wonderful Ca-Rist?”
Casts are going to vary significantly. I don’t know exactly what the OP is looking for – is the revival “better”? It’ll be different, but whether or not it’s better is a pretty subjective judgement.
Listen to the songs by Thenardier in the London version of Les Miserables and compare it to the New York recording. It’s a sly, slippery tweedy cheater versus a be-stubbled, gross dishonest innkeepr. And bothn are different from Sacha Baron Cohen’s more effete version from the film. Which is “better”? (I love Russel Crowe’s acting, but I’ll take any of the stage Javerts over his screen version, when it comes to singing.)
Nitpick: Musical do not have “soundtracks.” They have “cast recordings.” Only movies have “soundtracks.” Refer to a soundtrack in front of a musicals fanatic and you will be smacked.
Now, as to the original question: I have at least thirty cast recordings od JCS. Some are great (the live double Czech recording is a work of art), some are good, and some are really, really bad. I do like the original concept recording, it being so ground breaking and all.
The version of “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun” in the 1999 Bernadette Peters revival of Annie Get Your Gun is worlds better than the Ethel Merman versions; Peters brings new depth to the song.
I think the 1999 revival version of Kiss Me Kate is slightly better than the 1948 version.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is an unusual case in which two cast recordings were issued during its first run, the first with Chita Rivera in the lead and the second after she was replaced by Vanessa Williams. (The second one also features the great Brian Stokes Mitchell.)
I believe this was done with Hello Dolly, which changed divas every Wednesday, and it’s fairly common to release the recording for successful revivals, but its unusual to have more than one recording during first run.
That is maybe the least scary thing I’ve ever heard.