The Premiere Collection: The Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Original Cast Compilation)
There are many, manyAndrew Lloyd Webberalbums out there, including cut-and-paste compilations and songbooks from individual artists, most notablySarah Brightman,Michael Crawford, and evenJose Carreras.The Premiere Collectionis probably as authentic as you can get in a hits album, however. In addition to the most popular selections from the original casts ofEvita,Cats, andJesus Christ Superstar, the 57-minute album includes two selections fromTell Me on a Sunday(also recorded by Bernadette Peters asSong and Dance), the title tune fromStarlight Express, the "Pie Jesu" from theRequiem, and a snippet from thePaganini Variations, thereby allowing you to hear the good stuff without having to spring for the complete albums. Note that the three selections fromPhantom of the Operaare the 1986 pop singles instead of the cast recordings, meaning Steve Harley rather than Crawford sings with Brightman on the title tune and Cliff Richard subs for Steve Barton on "All I Ask of You." (Crawford does sing "The Music of the Night," of course.) This 1989 compilation was too early forAspects of LoveorSunset Boulevard, andJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoatis ignored, but these omissions are rectified in the follow-up albumThe Premiere Collection Encore, and the American-slanted version,The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection.--David Horiuchi