Jesus Christ Superstar (1996 London Cast)
Jesus Christ has been very good toAndrew Lloyd Webber. Indeed, the Rock of Ages inspired one of the greatest stories ever sold and launched composer Lloyd Webber to musical theater superstardom; lyricistTim Ricehasn't done too bad for himself, either. This Lloyd Webber-supervised "definitive" recording (undertaken in London in 1996) was finally released in America to coincide with the show's 2000 American revival on Broadway. Though oft touted by its creators as the first rock opera (a claim that might raise the hackles of fans of Pete Townshend's andthe Who'sTommy), Lloyd Webber's "rock" sensibilities often had a decided Brill Building bent that's dated about as well as Don Kirshner's leisure suits. Perhaps not surprisingly, thisSuperstarredux leans more on the over-the-top operatics that characterize the composer's mega-hitPhantom of the Operathan its originalcast albumandsoundtrack albumroots. While rocker-for-hireAlice Coopertakes a refreshing, if familiar, vaudevillian turn on "King Herod's Song," much of the remaining music has been rendered notably Big and Serious--just the sort of  thunderous, orchestral pomp that has gained Lloyd Webber a worldwide following and a knighthood.--Jerry McCulley