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Jesus Christ Superstar

Joe Nerve

Joe Nerve

Oct 7, 2000
18,619
38,939
New York City
www.joenerve.com
Disclosures
Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
#1
Not the movie soundtrack, the play soundtrack. Anyone here familiar with it? I grew up with it, and it's probably the only double album I own that I know every single word on. Anyhoo - haven't listened to it since my turntable died over a decade ago, but stumbled upon a cassette yesterday that had The Garden of Gethsemane song on it. In the second half of that song, around the part where Jesus starts singing - 'God, thy will is hard... but you hold every card. I will drink your cup of poison..." the bass playing is unfreaking believable. Pure art IMO. I don't think anyone ever plays bass like that these days. It's not riffy, doesn't sound too complicated - but it's soo unbelivably beautiful and musical. If I had the cd (which I may go out and buy today) I'd post a clip of that part. If anyone else does - please do.

Who played on that recording anyway?

Last note on this - while I dont' believe in the resurrection of Christ, that album had waay more of an effect on me than Mel Gibson's The Passion did. Beautiful music reaches my soul a lot more quickly than gore and violence. I yearn for certain aspects of the good ol days. Ohhh melancholy me.
 
#4
Not the movie soundtrack, the play soundtrack.
Click to expand...

The original English production soundtrack? Brown cover? That is the bomb. I still can't believe my parents had that (still have it - I guess I didn't fully wear it out). Some of my favorite music ever. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) as Jesus? How can you beat that.

I've got some other versions - the movie on DVD (purple cover on audio) and the Indigo Girls rerecording of it with a bunch of their friends. Good stuff but not at the level of the original.

I try to go see it live whenever I can and it always throws me for a loop when they do the "Can we start again" song since it wasn't in the original cast recording.

I need to get that out and start learning it. Looking back I'd have to say that it's one of my greatest influences in what I like to hear and what I'd like to play my parts like.
 
#8
I've always loved the music in that show. I first got into it in high school (mid nineties), and the bass lines on the recording I have were a huge influence to me as a young player. I remember driving my college roommate nuts playing the CD over and over and over again picking out the lines.

I'm going to dig it out and listen to it right now!
 
#9
According to Link Removed , Bass was played by Alan Spenner. I googled his name and found him all over the place, but I can't place him in a "semi-permanent" line-up. Is my ignorance showing through again?
Like the rest of you guys, this double album (the original brown version) was a significant influence on me.
Thanks for the stirring up some old (but VALUABLE) music!
Matt
 
#11
Yeah, after another 20 minutes or so of googl'ing, I've come to find that he was, indeed, in Spooky Tooth, as well as: Joe Cocker's Grease Band, Kokomo, David Coverdale's Northwinds, and even played with Roxy Music.

I hope someone can add some more to this...it's been fun....

BTW, I broke out the old album and played the Gesthemane song (on side 3)...after the side got done, I flipped it over to finish it out and listen side 4....BUT...as some of you other old skool'ers might remember, double albums back then had side 2 on the other side of side 3...lol. The idea was when you stacked the two records together on an old recorder player it would drop the first LP, play side 1, then drop the second and play side 2...after that was done, you would grab the two LPs together and lfip them over together to play sides 3 and 4. It was really funny for me to "re-discover" this historical oddity.

Again, thanks for the interesting morning!
Matt
 
#13
bbourgon said:
Link Removed is the track that Joe was talking about (It's 7Meg, so be patient). The cool mellow and melodic bass part starts at about the 4:00 minute mark. This double CD set is incredible as all attest to. Enjoy.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude. It sounds a whole lot better on my computer than the tape I have. I was actually talking about the part from 4:42 right to the end (although the whole thing is great). I love the emotion and the coloration the bass gives behind what's being said lyrically. It's like a heartfelt painting to me. I think of covers I do from just about any band nowadays and compare it with this. What the hell happened to music????? I have no more apologies for not owning a single operating FM radio.
 
#17
Joe Nerve said:
Not the movie soundtrack, the play soundtrack. Anyone here familiar with it?
Click to expand...

how can i know if the one i have is the movie soundtrack or the play soundtrack?

a firend of mine gave me the soundtrack in a copied CD, cause its IMPOSSIBLE to get this kind of music in original CD`s in music stores in Uruguay (yuk).

i think it has GREAT tunes, great bass lines, and lots of feeling.
 

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