Jesus Christ Superpoll

not really specifying any particular recording here. for me, the gold standard is the original concept album, for what it's worth.

WHYYYYYYYYYY SHOULD YOU WANT TO KNOW

what's the hoos (tell me what's happenin')

I grew up with my dad playing "King Herod's Song" on the piano like 4 times a week.

And he's surprised I'm not a Christian anymore.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwalk across my swimming pool

lol, awesome

so is that your pick, then? man, i don't know. i'm leaning toward "judas' death," if only because murray head's performance on the original album is so ferocious there.

I voted "What's the Buzz" on impulse, but I really really like "Herod's Song" and would def vote for it if there were a volume 2 of this poll.

well, knowing me i might forget and make a new one in a week...

god this is hard

I love the whole album. I picked "I don't know how to love him"

On the original cast recording I always enjoyed the imbalance of Ian Gillan's Jesus being even more hysterical and OTT than Murray Head's Judas.

"Everything's Alright" because that's how I roll.

Yeah, that's my choice too. Such a beautiful ballad.

How can this be so good, and yet also be Andrew Lloyd Webber?

Toss up between Everything's Alright and Gethsemane.

Went for Gethsemane for the astounding vocal needed (and supplied by Gillan, of course).

heaven on their minds

I don't know how to poll him.

I need to think hard about this, because my gut reaction was Damned For All Time.

"Damned For All Time", easy (ever since Scratch Acid covered it in the '80s.) (But where is "40 Lashes," which David Yow told me was his second favorite song?)

Runner up: "I Don't Know How To Love Him."

wow was 'could we start again' not on the original?

i fucking LOVE the movie soundtrack.

yeah, i forgot about that one too. like i said, i was only thinking of the original concept album. oops.

the 39 lashes are part of the 'trial before pilate' sequence, i'm pretty sure...

Easily "What's the Buzz" for me.

Can somebody do Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreampoll? Because I don't know how to make polls. And that's the glorious apex of ALW.

"How do we deal with a car-penter kiiii-iiii-iii-iiiing?"

some of these are brilliant too

JUST DON'T!
SAY I'M
Dah-ha-ha-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamned!
Damned for AH-HALL time!

Don't you think it's kinda funny?

Murry Head <--- best
Yvonne Elliman <--- worst
Ted Neely <--- come on how can you hate this guy

The TEMPLE is damn great too! "See my THING I can barely STUFF!"

I need confirmation of this, but I think the one I want is "Everything's alright". Is that the one that appears to be in 5/4 time? I've had it going through my mind for years not knowing what it's called - my parents had the album and I heard it years ago as a little 'un - and I think that's the one I'm singing. I just need someone to tell me I'm right, then I'll vote for it.

Ian Gillan hilarious on that one: "BUT YOU HAVE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!! A den of the ha hjeeeeeee heeeives!"

re: the Temple

JUDAS is such a fucking damn badass.

Scene with King Herod in the movie is fucking SCARY

An all-time favorite of mine for many reasons. I voted "Gethsemane" but could as easily have gone for "Too Much HEaven on Their Minds."

Side note: In December 2006 I saw JCS in SF, with Ted Neeley reprising his Jesus role. (Yeah, a 60-year-old Jesus was implausible, but c'mon, give the guy his victory lap.) Corey Glover made a good Judas. Met them both afterward, and Ted kept lapsing into waving his hand beatifically/papally at people. Guess it's hard to get out of that character.

This poll is sooo "Everything's Alright" (I can't even listen to any other version of the song except this version). I have to admit, the Gillan "...when I'm GONE!!" buildup to the orchestra and strings bursting in with Elliman for the final verse still brings
chills to the spine after all these decades.

Agreed that this album is, was, & always will be the definitive JCS album (bad editing and all). Other candidates: "Overture", "Too Much Heaven on Their Minds" and the title track all kick ass. How could this come from ALWebber?

I always wished that the original cast had a version of "Then We Are Decided" and "Could We Start Again Please?" like in the movie.

Damn! Yes, "Gethsemane" is another fine track. Gillan's performance is excellent.

Had to vote "Heaven on Their Minds." Such a killer opener.

but I think the one I want is "Everything's alright". Is that the one that appears to be in 5/4 time?

Yes, that's the one. A pretty blatant Dave Brubeck "Take Five" cop in the rhythm dept. I've also read that the main melody to "I Don't Know How to Love Him" borrows heavily from a Mendelssohn concerto.

So, yes in that sense, I guess JCS IS indeed an Andrew Lloyd Webber work. :)

I liked Barry Dennen's unctuous Pontius Pilate. So funny to see him as the almost-no-lines assistant manager in Kubrick's The Shining.

Walks like a woman and wears a bra.

The TEMPLE is damn great too! "See my THING I can barely STUFF!"

i love the line, "see my tongue, i can hardly talk." yeah, but you can sing just fine, right?

I think that's what irked JC.

"Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"
(Oh, wait, that was another guy ;) )

my cover of everythings alright was played on wfmu once!

This was one of my first favorite records. Really hard to choose. I played and sang Pilate's Dream at my induction into the Thespian Society in high school, how goofy is that.

I voted for Gethsemane though. "Tried for three years, seems like thirty. Could you ask as much from any other man?"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"The Temple" really scared me when I was a kid.

See that STEEN he can barely DRIVE!

Won't you touch me and heal me HOOS?

Murray Head and Carl Anderson were so so good as Judas

I listened to this so many times when I was a kid. "hosanna" and herod's song were my favorites then. Afghan Whigs do a cover of "the Temple" but it's not as good as Scratch Acid.

what do we do about this Jesusmania?

one thing i'll say for him -- jesus is cool.

"I Don't Know How To Love Him" takes it. But if this were the '73 film soundtrack I'd have to say "Heaven On Their Minds", because Carl Anderson > Murray Head. I still like both versions a lot. Yeah, the movie itself, too. (Less so.)

I love on the title track (Murray Head version) when the beat doubles-up towards the end in kind of this gospel feel--they should have ridden the song out that way--but it only lasts a few measures before sliding back down into the regular beat. Bummer.

Also, the orchestral instrumental ending that closes everything is awesome. The final shudder of the brass and the subtle electric guitar strum = awesome.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw this on tour in Philadelphia a few years ago with Carl Anderson as Judas and Sebastian Bach as Jesus. It was quite the mélange of amazing and terrible.

And on looking it up, it seems that I saw Carl Anderson perform less than a year before he died. Crazy.

wow. how could he keep doing that role for so long? i would think singing that night after night for however many years would shred your voice but good.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

the nuns made us listen to this in 7th grade...talk about buzzkill

king herod got robbed

man this album is unlistenable

are you fucking serious?
this album totally rocks. deep purple's ian gillian is one of the best rock vocalists ever and the band is basically joe cocker's awesome touring band. shakey, ou are fucking WRONG.

murray head is the star of the album though.

Murry Head <--- best
Yvonne Elliman <--- worst
Ted Neely <--- come on how can you hate this guy

-- Abbott, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:30 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

more proof that Abbott is completely out of her mind/

none for 'superstar?' huh, that's surprising.

though that's the least impressive judas vocal of the whole thing, so i suppose not...

wow. how could he keep doing that role for so long? i would think singing that night after night for however many years would shred your voice but good.

Well he first performed as Judas in 1971 and last performed it in 2003, but it's not like he was doing it the whole time in between. But yeah, it sure seems like a physically demanding role.

sebastian bach punched him out like month before he died!!

"everything's alright" is lame.. no votes for the last supper?

also, who are the other 2 who voted for "this jesus must die"

NO YOU'RE LAME

SRSLY

I did, Daria. It's the hookiest, I love the vocal turns.

"FOOLS, you have no perception!"

I see bad things arisin'!

Blood and destruction, because of one man!

Thank you for this thread, it's been too long since I've listened to this! I think I should've voted for Heaven on Their Minds, though.

Nazareth your famous son should've stayed a great unknown
like his father carving wood he'd have made good!
Tables chairs and oaken chests would've suited Jesus best
he'd have caused nobody harm, no one alarm!

oh, you're very welcome. i hadn't listened to it for a while myself. what did you vote for, anyway?

I voted for Gethsemane. But on listening tonight I think it's really tough to beat Judas's vocal and the background strings and the kickass 7/8 section in Heaven on Their Minds.

yeah, that whole song is pretty great. my favorite part's "have you forgotten how put DOWN we are, oh OHH OH OH OHHHHH..." man, goosebumps every time. it's probably my all-time favorite singing-in-the-car album. at least then i can attempt (sometimes successfully!) those screaching jesus notes without wondering if i'm freaking out the neighbors.