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Show Jesus Christ Superstar BY BOB HIXON Entertainment Writer Could it be that right in the midst of a move from atheism to mysticism, the Now Generation is trying out a revived form of spiritualism? spirit-ualism? , 4 Another look at the year s top selling songs might make you think so. The medium-rock religious reli-gious song movement got its start early in 1970 with Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Troub-led Waters" and the Beatle's "Let It Be". Both were very beautiful and moving sounds, and both reflected re-flected a mood of despair that was somehow soothed by a plea to diety. Notice, also, that these top-selling songs appeared just after the end of a period of widespread campus unrest and social upheaval. up-heaval. We are still living in the phase. To some it is merely a welcome respite from the pain of mass protest. To others it has been a period of calm that has prompted sincere efforts to answer ans-wer the question, "Where do we go from here?" Later in 1970, George Harrison continued to look to religion as an answer when he came out with "My Sweet Lord". He also continued con-tinued the style of the new move. "My Sweet Lord" is a quiet, soft melody that elicits unusual emotion emo-tion from many who hear it. A few weeks later, Judy Collins announced her contribution to the movement with her latest release, re-lease, "Amazing Grace". It too is : a gentle recognition of diety and : the comfort that can be found there. But the most exciting development develop-ment by far is the new album, "Jesus Christ Superstar". This set of songs is destined to make a big impression in the popular music world. "Jesus Christ Superstar" is a rock opera a collection of songs that retell the famous events of the last two weeks in the life of Jesus Christ. It is the brainchild of two young men from England, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Almost singlehandedly these two men coordinated the resources re-sources necessary to pull off a full-fledged, modern opera. A full cast of singers include Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman, Brian Keith, Paul Davis and Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame. The production pro-duction is complete with rock musicians and the orchestral backup back-up of the City of London Ensemble. Ensem-ble. The initial impression of sarcasm sar-casm and sacrilege that the title gives is quickly forgotten when the listener finds himself enthralled enthral-led with songs depicting the tragic events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus. The titles of the selections selec-tions illustrate the story: Pilate's Dream, The Temple, The Last Supper, The Arrest, Peter's Denial, De-nial, The Crucifixion and others. It is very definitely not a parody par-ody of the life of Christ. Instead, it is a moving, sometimes passionate passion-ate drama made manifest through the medium of popular rock music. Barry Dennen (Pilate) turns out an extremely delicate melody depicting the dream Pilate had in his house on Monday night. But my nomination for the most beautiful song of the opera would have to go to Yvonne Elliman for her rendition of "I Don't Know How To Love Him". The sensitivity and passion of her voice create a mood so filled with emotion that the listener cannot fail to be moved. It's a wonderful creation. In short, "Jesus Christ Superstar" Super-star" is a very religious rock opera that deserved much recognition for its attempt to tell the story of the most influential man of history. his-tory. The popular music scene is a fickled phenomenon. Trends come and go. If the apparent shift into the realm of spirituality sets a new trend, it will be another first for the now sounds of the modern musical world. |