The Alternative Jesus Christ Superstar (MP3s)

(39 Jesus-based MP3s after the jump)

After several years of threats, I finally devoted most of a radio show to an alternative version of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing each track in order using various versions of Andrew Lloyd Weber's bombastic masterwork which I've collected over the years. Here's the entire MP3 of it, extracted from my December 13th show archive: download MP3 (78 megs).

If you're not up for 78 megs of download, follow the jump for the individual tracks contained in the mix, plus a whole lot more. If you have any other versions not listed here, please e-mail me about them at ken at wfmu dot org .

I had hoped that this show and blog post would finally get this out of my system for good. But it is not to be. As Peter said, "the more you try to get Jesus out of your system, the more Jesus you get into your system." Maybe it wasn't Peter who said that. No matter.

Jesus Christ Superstar was the first record I really fell in love with, back in the summer of 1971 when a bunk mate at summer camp played the JCS eight track non-stop. I then forgot all about it for the better part of 25 years. I rediscovered it 5 or 6 years ago, when I moved the turntable into my family's kitchen, pulled out the original 2 LP set starring Ian Gillan, and found that it was a great way to talk to my two young children about Judeo-Christian myth/theology and that funky western civilization.

My musical plan was smashed to bits when my daughter heard The Crucifixion, which promptly sent the normally joyful five year old into a two hour "I Don't Want To Die" crying and screaming jag. I filed the LP back in the wall for a few years. Until my ten year old son discovered it and started playing it even more relentlessly than my bunkmate had in 1971. Which led to my search for alternate versions, if only to preserve my sanity. Finally, I got the little bugger an iPod and locked him in a closet. But by then it was too late. The Jesus-based collection had begun and still shows no signs of abating.

For the record, the best version is the Dutch one. The Japanese version is the wackiest one, although that's due mostly to the Mishima-esque Japanese Judas. If the Japanese version had a better Pilate, it would rank up there with the Dutch one. Coming in a close third is the great Brazilian version, which is also marred by a sub-standard Pilate, and then the 1973 New York City Spanish language version by Camilo Sesto - gratuitous slithery synthesizers and disco beats abound. The funniest rendition of all is the filmstrip-like Superstar Medley by Jan Brenner, Ltd, below. For versions that rock, check out Pegboy, Cows, Rats of Unusual Size and the Afghan Whigs.

But enough blather. Dig in, track by track:

Overture: People Like Us   |   Jan Brenner, Ltd (Superstar Medley)

Heaven On Their Minds: Sam Taylor   |   Pegboy   |   Japanese Cast   |   Brazilian Cast

What's The Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying: Philip Seymour Hoffman   |   The Waistcoats   |   Robin Kahn

Everything's Alright: Russian Cast

This Jesus Must Die: German Cast

Hosanna: French Cast

Simon Zealots / Poor Jerusalem: The Pipelines (Italy)

Pilate's Dream: Tournesol1982 (from youtube)   |   Brazilian Cast

The Temple: Afghan Whigs   |   Ward 69

Everything's Alright reprise:  Dutch Cast (actually another full version of the song)

I Don't Know How To Love Him:  Swedish Cast   |   DuncanHD (Harmonica Solo)

Damned For All Time / Blood Money:  Scratch Acid   

The Last Supper:  Nick the Bard

Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say): Terry Wallace (moog)

The Arrest:  Japanese Cast

Peter's Denial:  The Fabulous Planktones   |   Brazilian Cast

Pilate And Christ:  Japanese Cast

King Herod's Song: Japanese Cast   |   NYC Spanish Version (attached to Pilate and Christ, above)

Judas' Death:  Japanese Cast

Trial Before Pilate / The 39 Lashes:  Cows   |   Dutch Cast   |   Unknown Homoerotic 2000 Version (watch it at youtube)

Superstar: Laibach   |   Rats of Unusual Size

Crucifixion:  Four At Once

John Nineteen Forty One:  Rebew Dyoll Werdna

Thanks to Vicki, John from Oslo, Monica, Dave the Spazz, Mike Lupica, Tony Coulter and Kenny G for the suggestions and submissions. Many of the best foreign versions are available through Footlights Records.

Comments

[Jeffersonic]

Florida's waiting for you Ken.....biding its time.....waiting.....patiently.

[me]

The requested URL /KF/2006/12/jcs/alternative_jesus_christ_superstar.mp3 was not found on this server.

[Elliot Harmon]

How can a post like this exist without even mentioning the Indigo Girls version?

[Station Manager Ken]

I fixed that first broken link.

I wear it as a badge of honor that I was not even aware of the Indigo Girls version.

-ken

[puffer]

Ken, I believe El Vez incorporated 39 Lashes into one of his epic rock 'n' roll pastiches. Garcialand maybe. (My music is still mostly packed away so I can't check explicitly. Not a straight-up cover but a worthy footnote certainly.

[Jonny]

What about the Mr. Show parody, "Jeepers-Creepers Semi-Star"?

[zoe]

I am still kicking myself for not buying the of JCS in Hungarian when I saw it at Footlight Records.

[Lee]

And don't forget about the Indigo Girls backed "Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection" featuring a mostly Atlanta cast.

[noahl]

Ken, your kid isn't alone. When my dad would pull out the brown and gold album I'd be screaming "no side four, no side four!" That hideous tapping and the poor man saying "I'm thirsty" over and over had me pretty worked up, too.

[Parq]

Like Ken, I first tumbled to album-rock via JC Sup - in my case, the messenger was a high school buddy with the album on cassette. For reasons to detailed to go into here, it was one of those rare albums that really, literally changed my life. Thanks to Ken, that's all been reduced to rubble. The next time I'm asked to explain WFMU, I think I'll save myself a lot of trouble and point the asker to the archive file of Ken's 12/13/06 show.

[omnidrew]

The JCS LP was an early imprint on me as well. For the past 5 years, I've been in the chorus in a 20-piece Minneapolis concert version of JCS -- every year at First Avenue on Good Friday. Our Jesus is Katy Thomasberg - I'm now in the band Felonious Bosch with her. (Burning her a copy of your mix right now...)

My comment is -- have you heard the version of "John 19:41" on the original 7-inch of "Superstar"? Webber & Lloyd must have run out of ideas, cause there's a strange piece of music on there after the soothing strings that makes absolutely no sense -- no motifs in common with anything else on the whole album. Let me know if you want a copy.

[Diego]

I have a Czech cast version of JCS. Some years ago I was holidaying in Prague with my brother, and we found this CD of the Lloyd Webber rock opera sung in Czech language laying around the house. I liked it so much that I saw fit to buy a blank chrome tape and make a copy (just don't ask me why I did that when I could have bought the CD). Later I converted the tape to mp3 and, luckily enough, it didn't sound as bad as I'd have thought.

One of the most stunning things about it is that the singer who plays Mary Magdalene has exactly the same voice as Yvonne Elliman. Oh, and I still enjoy singing "Proc ten shon, ptam se co je povidej" instead of "What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happening".

Let me know if you're interested! Thank you for the mix!

[Zaprowsdower]

If I'm not mistaken, the Jesus in the Japanese version is Shigekatsu Katsuda...better known as Takeshi Kaga; "Chairman Kaga" from the show Iron Chef!

[martinf]

I have a medley from a school choir from Hannover/Germany, that you can download here: http://rapidshare.com/files/8168399/humboldtschule.zip.html. It's titled "Jesus Christ Superstar (Nazareth Your Famous Son, Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say), But If I Die, I Don't Know How To Love Him, Superstar)"

[peej]

ab
so
lutely
effing
brilliant
very, very, nice work.

[Lazarus]

Awesome work!

By the way, do you have the full JCSMoogerstar? I'd love to trade for it...

[Schwartzmusic]

The 1992 Australian Cast is still me all time favorite or the 25 soundtracks of Superstar that I own - highly recommended!

[Tom]

THE BEST funky hammond medley version is by a guy called Klaus Wunderlich, a staple of the New Zealand bargin bins. Also anyone heard the mormon apocolyptic musical 'Time is running out (for the planet earth)' gold.

[daan]

and what about tenacious D's heaven on their minds,
pure genius i tell you

[Kip W]

Hearing the Jan Brenner version really makes me wish that there'd been one where all the voices were multi-tracked by Tiny Tim.

[Jim Fourniadis]

Proud to be included. My band the Rats of Unusual Size, used to rock this every easter.

[Graham Gibby]

Hrm... I did this same (though less varied) thing on KFJC, Los Altos Hills, CA in 2004. http://www.kfjc.org/music/playlist.php?i=8929
Nice to see how far it can go.
-G Squared

[Juan]

I am looking the version of the Drunks with guns 7", it has "Superstar" and "Crucifixion", any clue? Juan