Cats: Original Cast Recording (1981 Original London Cast)
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Composer: Andrew Lloyd WebberOrchestra: Cats Pit Orchestra
Performer: Brian Blessed
Performer: Paul Nicholas
Performer: Ken Wells
Performer: Sarah Brightman
Performer: Peter Barry
Performer: Elaine Paige
Performer: Myra Sands
Performer: Anita Pashley
Performer: Bonnie Langford
Performer: Roland Alexander
Performer: David Baxter
Performer: John Chester
Performer: Julie Edmett
Performer: Geraldine Gardner
Performer: Finola Hughes
Performer: Seela Indrani
Performer: Sharon Lee-Hill
Performer: Jeff Shankley
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2005-11-14
Music Label: Decca Broadway
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Overture
- Prolugue: Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats
- The Naming Of Cats
- The Invitation To The Jellicle Ball
- The Old Gumbie Cat
- The Rum Tum Tugger
- Grizabella, The Glamour Cat
- Bustopher Jones
- Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer
- Old Deuteronomy
- The Jellicle Ball
- Grizabella, The Glamour Cat
- Memory
- The Moments Of Happiness
- Gus: The Theatre Cat
- 'Growltiger's Last Stand' Including 'The Ballad Of Billy McCaw'
- Skimbleshanks
- Macavity
- Mr. Mistoffelees
- Memory
- Journey To The Heaviside Layer
- The Ad-dressing of Cats
Music reviews of Cats: Original Cast Recording (1981 Original London Cast)
Music Review: A rather weak CATS recording that has its own merits and aura
Rating: 4 Stars
I do not mean to ruffle anybody's feathers in my comments of this particular CATS recording, However, of all the official English-language recordings this recording sounds a little stilted and wanting in that littbe bit of energy. Part of it could be due to some of the performances, and part of it because this album uses the first version of CATS. Yet despite the lack of oomph, it is quite good and redeems itself by the aura it projects for being the world-premiere recording of the score.
This recording features the Grizabella of Elaine Paige, who can be considered a true Grizabella in her own right. It's true that this early recording doesn't allow her to nuance the role as she did in the video, but she conveys a strength and vulnerability in her portrayal. Paige's rendition of Memory is solid, but at this early stage she had yet to mature into the role. I guess that it's also because this recording used the single version of the song, and that's probably why it sounds stilted. Brian Blessed partners her with his sincere and benevolent portrayal of Old Deuteronomy, and the rest of the performers fare quite well. However, I found Paul Nicholas as The Rum Tum Tugger to be somewhat wanting in energy. He fares a little better in his rendition of Mr. Mistoffelees, but doesn't smoke it out in his standout number. I think this is pretty much the case for most of the performers here, as the performances of the cast as a whole sound solid yet stilted at the same time. The orchestrations are less flashy and somewhat weak but you can hear the sort of sound that Lloyd-Webber originally intended for the musical, and the variants. Yes, this West End cast recording is like a concept album of sorts, staying closer to the T.S. Eliot cat poems without cutting verses as in later productions.
The redeeming feature of this West End cast recording are the variants of numbers that were changed in lature productions. One variant, the duet for Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer is set to an unvarying and jazzy melody that Lloyd-Webber replaced with the vaudeville-like version as heard on the Broadway video and in the video. The other variant is the duet for Growltiger and Griddlebone during Growltiger's Last Stand. Before this duet number was replaced with the better-fitting Puccini spoof, Growltiger and Griddlebone sang a rather unromantic drinking song about a musically talented parrot named Billy M'Caw. Even if Lloyd-Webber admits to preferring Billy M'Caw I tend to like the Puccini spoof a little better as it better integrates itself into the scene. For those who are used to the later versions of these numbers and to the beefed-up orchestration of the Broadway and video versions, this recording can offer a nice contrast. Yet in my view they have only made the rewrites and revisions that Lloyd-Webber added to the score for the rest of the productions much better. Despite my feelings, at least the aura of this recording is enough to save it from being stilted, despite the solid performances from everyone concerned. And besides, it includes extra verses that were cut for the Broadway and subsequent productions of the show, so it makes this album feel closer to the T.S. Eliot poems.
It's good to see this recording in a reissue that treats it with respect. The 2 CDs come in a slimline double-disc case, packaged in a neat slipcase. The booklets are an improvement over those in the previous Polydor releases, as they have offered a better-print edition of the libretto and the production credits, including the musical numbers. However, I do admit that there isn't much of a difference in sound quality between this release and the original Polydor CD. The CDs appear to have been pressed from the original CD master rather than the better-sounding remastered version that was released in 1998. I know that if I were to recommend this West End cast recording I would recommend the 1998 remastered version, as it sounds less muffled compared to the sound on this release. Yet it would not be practical because that 1998 CD costs a whopping 65 dollars.
In short, even if CATS fans covet this recording I'm sorry to say I don't covet it as much as they do. I acknowledge its strengths, but yet I know it sounds a little stilted on the whole. Even so, this recording redeems itself with its solid performance and the aura of it representing the first thoughts of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and staying close to T.S. Eliot's source material before the show was tweaked and altered for Broadway. But my first choice for a CATS recording still lies with the Broadway cast Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording (1982 Original Broadway Cast)as it's got this energy that makes the show work, without destroying its spirit and nature.
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Description of Cats: Original Cast Recording (1981 Original London Cast)
Original London Cast Recording. Universal. 1999.Since its debut in 1981, London's and the world's longest-running musical still fills seats in a dozen theaters worldwide. Uncountable recastings and reorchestrations later, Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats strives to please the ears of ever-new generations. This is the original cast recording, and it retains a freshness from the still-recent opening, its novelty untarnished by decades of success. Also, the abundance of "names"--both singers and musicians--makes this one of the high-class musical recordings of all time. Elaine Paige rose to stardom as Grizabella with the hit "Memory"; at the time, though, bigger names were Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas, and Brian Blessed. Sarah Brightman and Bonnie Langford are also on the cast list. Lloyd Webber himself plays keyboards and the impressive roster of session musicians includes Barbara Thompson and David Locke. Lloyd Webber, well versed in the practice of "auto-quotation," can always look back to this work for cat-chy material: the Overture, "Old Gumbie Cat," "Rum Tum Tugger," and "Mr. Mistoffelees"--the list of good tunes and themes goes on and on. This remains a fun listening experience, even for those few who still haven't caught the show. It's also available in a highlights version. --Yngvil V.G.
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