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TIM RICE AND ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S REVOLUTIONARY ALBUM ‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’ SPECIAL 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS OUT NOW

TIM RICE AND ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S REVOLUTIONARY ALBUM 

 ‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’ 

SPECIAL 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS 

OUT NOW

BUY HERE

ALBUM REMASTERED AT ABBEY ROAD 

FORMATS INCLUDE:

3-CD CELEBRATION BOX SET (INCLUDING 100-PAGE BOOKLET)

2CD DIGIPAK SET

 2LP GATEFOLD EDITION

 2-LP GATEFOLD E-COMMERCE EDITION (REPLICA OF 1970 ORIGINAL)

SD/HD/MFIT VERSIONS IN DELUXE AND STANDARD EDITION

Today mark the 50th anniversary of the 1970 concept double album, Jesus Christ Superstar, a variety of special anniversary edition albums have been released today.  This landmark release, which includes full cooperation from the creators Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, features an array of exclusive demos, commentaries, interviews and much more.  

In 1970, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber released Jesus Christ Superstar as a concept double album. It became a massive global best-seller, topping the US Billboard Top LPs chart in both February and May 1971, as well as ranking at number one in the year-end chart. By 1983, the album had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.

However, the journey to international success was far from straightforward. As unknown names in musical theatre, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber were unable to find a producer willing to stage their ambitious idea for a religious-themed rock opera. Eventually, they persuaded MCA records to let them record the score first. Using a full orchestra, and with the outstanding talents of Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and The Grease Band, they created a masterpiece that revolutionised the form of musical theatre. 

Within a year of its chart success, stage productions of Jesus Christ Superstar began to appear all over the world, leading to record-breaking runs in the West End, a hit Hollywood film, Tony nominations and Olivier Awards. Its influence and impact have not diminished: in 2018 the NBC live production of the show, starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles, resulted in Emmy Award wins for Rice and Lloyd Webber (thereby making them two of the 16 people in history to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony).

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: 

“A musical about Jesus Christ! Back in 1969 the mere thought had theatre producers falling about with laughter.  But somehow Tim Rice and I persuaded MCA to record a single. It came at a time when fusion was all the rage. The Rolling Stones had recorded with the London Bach Choir. Deep Purple’s Jon Lord composed a symphony for rock band and orchestra. So I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I was able to combine a rock band, a symphony orchestra and a gospel choir in what was the first track to be recorded, simply titled Superstar. Overriding everything was that we were telling our story in sound – and sound alone. We had none of the visual elements of theatres and film to fall back on. A cast-iron musical and dramatic structure was the key. Dialogue had no place on a record, so music and lyrics had to carry everything. In truth, we were writing a musical radio play. Ultimately, this gave us one enormous advantage. Audiences came to know our recordings so well that no future director or producer could add musical passages for scene changes or tamper with the construction. The score had become set in stone.”

Tim Rice stated “I have nothing but fond memories of the writing and recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. We were incredibly lucky; we had a record company and a management team who were willing to take huge risks. Not just in terms of belief in our idea but also in terms of providing a budget to fulfil our musical vision which brought together a rock band, a full orchestra and not just one but two separate choirs’. He added ‘I’m incredibly proud and grateful to have been part of it all, perhaps more now at 76 than I was at 25”.


Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and three-time Grammy Award-winner Nile Rodgers has commented on the impact of the musical through his career, stating “Jesus Christ Superstar permeated every part of our lives then. It was a cultural explosion, like an earthquake or asteroid crashing…with Tim, he made a genius work in Jesus Christ Superstar, which was as revolutionary to hippies as Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew was to jazz”. 

The special anniversary editions are a celebration of the original 1970 concept double album and its continued success spanning 50 years. With the new editions all having been re-mastered at Abbey Road, fans have a great selection to choose from. There is a 10×10”  3-CD Celebration Box Set with exclusive unreleased material, as well as a 100-page hard-back booklet. Inside, fans can dive into interviews between Lloyd Webber and Rice, essays from famous figures including Nile Rodgers and Matt Berry, the 1970 lyric book,  memorabilia from Tim Rice’s personal collection and more. Also available are 2-CD Digipak set,  2-LP gatefold edition which have been half-speed mastered, 2-LP gatefold e-commerce edition which comes as a replica of the original 1970 fold-out envelope sleeve. These special anniversary editions are also available in SD/ HD/ MFIT versions in deluxe and standard edition. 

A tribute to an international phenomenon, these special 50th-anniversary editions are the perfect way to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Jesus Christ Superstar. 

TRACK LISTINGS

3-CD CELEBRATION BOX SET – RIGID SLIPCASE AND 100-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK  

Includes unreleased material mixed by Nick Davis. The album was remastered by Miles Showell and Nick Davis at Abbey Road in November 2020. Includes a 100-Page Booklet, with extensive notes by Lois Wilson with new interviews from all the main protagonists and memorabilia from Tim Rice’s personal collection.

CD1

  1. Overture
  2. Heaven On Their Minds
  3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying
  4. Everything’s Alright
  5. This Jesus Must Die
  6. Hosanna
  7. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem
  8. Pilate’s Dream
  9. The Temple
  10. Everything’s Alright
  11. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
  12. Damned For All Time – Blood Money

CD2

  1. The Last Supper
  2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
  3. The Arrest
  4. Peter’s Denial
  5. Pilate And Christ
  6. King Herod’s Song 
  7. Judas’ Death
  8. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)
  9. Superstar
  10. Crucifixion
  11. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

CD3: 

  1. Ascending Chords
  2. Damned For All Time / Blood Money – Guide Vocal
  3. King Herod’s Song (Try It And See) – Guide Vocal
  4. I Don’t Know How To Love Him – Tim Rice And Murray Head Vocals
  5. I Don’t Know How To Love Him – Murray Head Vocals
  6. This Jesus Must Die – Scat Vocals 1
  7. What A Party
  8. This Jesus Must Die – Scat Vocals 2
  9. Heaven On Their Minds – Instrumental
  10. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
  11. (Too Much) Heaven On Their Minds – German Single
  12. Strange Thing (Mystifying)
  13. 1970 open-end Interview with the creators Of Jesus Christ Superstar Part One (includes Superstar, Heaven On Their Minds, I Don’t Know How To Love Him)
  14. 1970 open-end Interview with the creators Of Jesus Christ Superstar Part Two (includes Gethsemane, Herod’s Song and Superstar)
  15. John Nineteen Forty-One – Remastered 2021

2- CD DIGIPAK SET

CD1

  1. Overture
  2. Heaven On Their Minds
  3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying
  4. Everything’s Alright
  5. This Jesus Must Die
  6. Hosanna
  7. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem
  8. Pilate’s Dream
  9. The Temple
  10. Everything’s Alright
  11. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
  12. Damned For All Time – Blood Money

CD2

  1. The Last Supper
  2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
  3. The Arrest
  4. Peter’s Denial
  5. Pilate And Christ
  6. King Herod’s Song 
  7. Judas’ Death
  8. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)
  9. Superstar
  10. Crucifixion
  11. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

2-LP GATEFOLD EDITION –  HALF SPEED MASTERED AT ABBEY ROAD BY MILES SHOWELL

LP One 

Side One 

  1. Overture 
  2. Heaven On Their Minds 
  3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying 
  4. Everything’s Alright 
  5. This Jesus Must Die 

Side Two 

  1. Hosanna 
  2. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem 
  3. Pilate’s Dream 
  4. The Temple 
  5. Everything’s Alright 
  6. I Don’t Know How To Love Him 
  7. Damned For All Time – Blood Money 

LP Two  

Side One 

  1. The Last Supper 
  2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) 
  3. The Arrest 
  4. Peter’s Denial 
  5. Pilate And Christ 
  6. King Herod’s Song 

Side Two

  1. Judas’ Death 
  2. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes) 
  3. Superstar 
  4. Crucifixion 
  5. John Nineteen: Forty-one  

2-LP GATEFOLD E-COMMERCE EDITION 

Replica of the 1970 original fold-out envelope sleeve. Half-speed mastered at Abbey Road. EDITION LIMITED TO 3000. 

LP ONE 

Side One 

  1. Overture 
  2. Heaven On Their Minds 
  3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying 
  4. Everything’s Alright 
  5. This Jesus Must Die 

Side Two 

  1. Hosanna 
  2. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem 
  3. Pilate’s Dream 
  4. The Temple 
  5. Everything’s Alright 
  6. I Don’t Know How To Love Him 
  7. Damned For All Time – Blood Money 

LP Two  

Side One 

  1. The Last Supper 
  2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) 
  3. The Arrest 
  4. Peter’s Denial 
  5. Pilate And Christ 
  6. King Herod’s Song 

Side Two

  1. Judas’ Death 
  2. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes) 
  3. Superstar 
  4. Crucifixion 
  5. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

ALSO AVAILABLE IN SD/HD/MFIT VERSIONS IN DELUXE AND STANDARD EDITION

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