Getting Back In The Saddle

As I mentioned in my "other blog," I finally fell off the wagon and missed an entire week of posts. I was out of town almost all of last week and was also out for half the previous week. As a result, I've been struggling to catch up and the blog posting fell off my list of priorities. So, I'm going to try hard to get back in line, straighten the wagon, hop back on the saddle, and try and relearn how not to mix metaphors.

On to business.

This weekend, the touring Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar was in town. Of course, I couldn't miss it. It featured Ted Neeley as Jesus (yes, he's been playing the role for 35 years now) and Corey Glover (of Living Color) as Judas. While Ted's voice was surprisingly strong for his age (he nailed the screaming tones of Gethsemane!). The rest of the production was okay. It wasn't bad, but nothing spectacular. I have always wanted to play Pilate in a stage production of this musical and I thought the Pilate in this production resorted to screaming too much instead of singing.

To celebrate my return to the blog and my weekend of Jesus Christ Superstar, here are two selections from "international" versions of the production from my collection. The first one is from the Japanese production. The Japanese production has a terrible Judas. He screams dischordantly through many of the numbers. Still, I selected Everything's Alright from the Japanese cast recording because it provides a reasonable sampling of the voices of Jesus (Takeshi Kaga), Judas (Minoru Terada), and Mary Magdalene (Hideko Kuno). The sound seems a little more synthesizer-tinged than the original. It appears that this CD is available via an Amazon seller at a very high price here.

The second selection is from the Spanish cast recording from Madrid. What I love about these different versions is how the local musical flavor influences the arrangement. The Spanish version has a stronger chorus of acoustic guitars than the original. Here's an extra energetic and rock version of Simon Zealotes. Note the great use of synthesizers on this song. I also include I Don't Know How To Love Him sung by Angela Carrasco as Mary Magdalene. The Spanish version is also available for a ridiculous price on Amazon here.

1. Everything's Alright - Jesus Christ Superstar Japanese Cast (3.7 MB; 128 kbps MP3)
2. Simon Zealotes - Jesus Christ Superstar Spanish Cast (3.35 MB; 128 kbps MP3)
3. Es Mas Que Amor (I Don't Know How To Love Him) - Jesus Christ Superstar Spanish Cast (3.78 MB; 128 kbps MP3)