- Performer: Original Cast Recording
- Audio CD (23 April 2007)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Polydor
- ASIN: B000001DUI
- Other Editions: Audio Cassette | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 26,242 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
If you were to think this 1991 London revival cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat sounds a lot like the 1992 Canadian revival cast and the 1993 Los Angeles revival cast, you'd be right. All three use the glitzy version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rice's school-cantata-turned-musical based on the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, which debuted with this London revival in 1991 and became the basis for most subsequent productions, as well as the video version,. Yes, the "Joseph Megamix" is here, along with the witty lyrics and catchy melodies that borrow freely from country, calypso, French cafés, and Elvis,as well as favorites "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," and "Go, Go, Go Joseph." And orchestral credits, cover art, and running time are almost exactly the same, leading one to believe that the various casts recorded their vocals over the same prerecorded orchestral tracks.
So is there any difference between the three? Yes, the singers, most notably the role of the narrator and the title character. This London production starred Linzi Hateley as the narrator and Australian pop singer Jason Donovan as Joseph. For the 1992 Canadian cast, former teen pop sensation Donny Osmond took over the title role, with Janet Metz as the narrator. In Los Angeles in 1993, Michael Damian was Joseph and Kelli Rabke the narrator. All the narrators are solid, though Hateley is probably the best overall. The biggest difference is Osmond, the clear winner with a terrific voice and irresistible warmth, contrasted with Donovan's somewhat thick and heavy singing and Damian's rather deliberate pronunciation. You really don't need more than one of these Josephs, and the Canadian cast is the one to have. --David Horiuchi
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought this CD as I wanted to hear it again after all these years. Jason Donovan is excellent as Joseph, and David Easter (Pete Callahan in Family Affairs) is superb as the Elvis-style Pharoah! It is a great sing along CD, and will be especially enjoyable if you saw the original West End production starring Jason Donovan at the London Palladium in the early 1990s. The lyrics (all provided in the inlay) are really cheesy but it is just great fun to listen to. I think Joseph was one of the best Lloyd-Webber/Rice musicals, and have listened to my CD countless times without getting sick of it. Listen to the clips on Amazon too! They are not very good quality but give you a good idea of how the songs sound if you have forgotten.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have heard no less than FIVE official English JOSEPH cast recordings, and I feel compelled to say that this version with Jason Donovan in the eponymous title character is the best of all I've heard. Jason Donovan brings a level of emotion into his portrayal that seems to be missing from Donny Osmond's (a little) and Michael Damian's (a lot) portrayals. He really understands the essence of his songs, and he never fails to incorporate this into his glossy polished performance. The fact that he performs the role with a sense of being naive gives him an edge over his contendors. Linzi Hateley's portrayal of the Narrator is, like Kelli Rabke's and Janet Metz of the American revival soundtracks, and Laurie Beechman's of the first professional American version, a real treat for the ears. The things that she shares with them is her charisma, immediate presence and love for telling the story. Her voice is lively and energetic, and her performance is enough to count her as another defining highlight, like Donovan. Perhaps the most impressive part of this performance is David Easter's portrayal of the Elviessque Pharaoh. Not only does he give an authentic Elvis accent, but he really makes the part his own and includes a few touches of humour into his "Seven Fat Cows" song, turning it into the most ticklish number on this CD. The brothers, though they are more human on this recording than others, deliver powerful choral backings and make the most of their songs. Nicolas Colicos's "One More Angel," Philip Cox's "Canaan Days" and Johnny Amobi's "Benjamin Calypso" all resonate for an extremely long time in the memory. Johnny Amobi's "Calypso,", I should say, is the best rendition of all those I've heard. The supporting chorus contribute superlative quality performances, though you can't hear them on some numbers, resulting from the slightly poor mixing job, that does not affect the high quality of the recorded sound. This doesn't matter as you can make out what they are singing. As for Aubrey Woods, he makes the parts of Jacob and Potiphar his own, and delivers an extremely fierce and powerful roar towards the end of Potiphar's song. The orchestrations are well done and well-characterised, and the Elizabethan-ballad-styled "Go, Go, Go, Joseph" is extremely telling. This is not as cheesy as some may think, as only two synthesizers were used. Overall, I can safely say that because of the highest quality performance presented on this recording, if you want to buy just one record of this entertaining musical, you should make it this one. It is miles better than the seemingly-dated Original Broadway version, or the American revivals, (I have no bias against the American recordings, but it is just that the high quality of this version is not there. Nevertheless, the Americans make the musical their own and do their best at it.)
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat was Andrew Lloyd Webber's first all musical work and his first collaboration with his best lyricist Tim Rice. It all began when in 1967 Lloyd Webber and his friend Rice were commissioned by the head of music at Colet Court School, London, to write a religious concert for the school choir. Joseph was first presented in 1968 and, after further performances at St Paul's Cathedral and the Roundhouse in London, and the Edinburgh Festival, opened in the West End in 1973. It wasn't much of a success, however, until Webber bought the rights to it in the early 90-is, reworked it and put it on stage a very successful production that is still running and has been put in many other countries in the world and filmed for a special DVD.
The plot uses motives from a well known biblical story of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, patriarch of Israel, and the coat of many colors that Jacob gave to Joseph as a sign that he is the special one among his sons. Joseph's older brothers became jealous and sold Joseph to be a slave in Egypt, telling their father that he's been killed by a passing goat. After being imprisoned by his equally jealous master, Joseph helps the pharaoh in solving his enigmatic dreams and becomes his first adviser who saves Egypt from the great famine. Back in Canaan, Joseph's brothers and father are starving and so the brothers go to Egypt where food is in abundance. Joseph recognizes them, but not vice versa. After he learns them a lesson because of their past behavior, Joseph is reunited with his brothers and father in Egypt.
This show is mostly aimed at kids, but can be viewed and heard by people of all ages. The songs are mostly pop and a merry note can be found in most of them. Also, this show is supposed to be fun, so there are numerous vocal styles in it. For example, there is a country song that the brothers sing; at the other point they sing a French chanson with the French accents. The pharaoh sings like Elvis and one song is in calypso tone. Overall, it's a nice whole of diverse songs and singing styles. Tim Rice has written his funniest lyrics, blending beautifully with the score. The most notable songs are "Any dream will do" and "Close every door" sung by Joseph and the big number "Jacob and sons"
This London cast recording features Jason Donovan, the Australian pop singer as Joseph and Linzi Hately as a female narrator. Donovan's voice isn't as strong as that of the American Joseph Donny Osmond, but his voice has the boyish vibretto that Osmond lacks. Hately's soprano follows the speedy tempo of her songs with ease. The booklet contains photos and full lyrics.
The flashy production of Joseph can be seen at the DVD of the same name with Donny Osmond playing the lead. Joseph remains a part of Webber-Rice trilogy that cannot be overlooked.
The plot uses motives from a well known biblical story of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, patriarch of Israel, and the coat of many colors that Jacob gave to Joseph as a sign that he is the special one among his sons. Joseph's older brothers became jealous and sold Joseph to be a slave in Egypt, telling their father that he's been killed by a passing goat. After being imprisoned by his equally jealous master, Joseph helps the pharaoh in solving his enigmatic dreams and becomes his first adviser who saves Egypt from the great famine. Back in Canaan, Joseph's brothers and father are starving and so the brothers go to Egypt where food is in abundance. Joseph recognizes them, but not vice versa. After he learns them a lesson because of their past behavior, Joseph is reunited with his brothers and father in Egypt.
This show is mostly aimed at kids, but can be viewed and heard by people of all ages. The songs are mostly pop and a merry note can be found in most of them. Also, this show is supposed to be fun, so there are numerous vocal styles in it. For example, there is a country song that the brothers sing; at the other point they sing a French chanson with the French accents. The pharaoh sings like Elvis and one song is in calypso tone. Overall, it's a nice whole of diverse songs and singing styles. Tim Rice has written his funniest lyrics, blending beautifully with the score. The most notable songs are "Any dream will do" and "Close every door" sung by Joseph and the big number "Jacob and sons"
This London cast recording features Jason Donovan, the Australian pop singer as Joseph and Linzi Hately as a female narrator. Donovan's voice isn't as strong as that of the American Joseph Donny Osmond, but his voice has the boyish vibretto that Osmond lacks. Hately's soprano follows the speedy tempo of her songs with ease. The booklet contains photos and full lyrics.
The flashy production of Joseph can be seen at the DVD of the same name with Donny Osmond playing the lead. Joseph remains a part of Webber-Rice trilogy that cannot be overlooked.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Magical Musical
I was first introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice via a TV performance of `Joseph' back in the 1970s - and I was spellbound by their magical music. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Elliott
Service
Speedy service and excellent packaging daughter loved it and is using
It to practice for school production. But it does skip on a few tracks.
Never the less thanks
It to practice for school production. But it does skip on a few tracks.
Never the less thanks
Published 6 months ago by Redcoshh
amazing
loved this musical when went to see it in the `90s with jason donovan in it, had this in a tape back then and as time goes by you have to update, found it hard to get an origional... Read more
Published 9 months ago by lesley
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
If you like musicals then this is a great CD with some lovely songs! Also comes with a booklet containing all the words- very useful!
Published 19 months ago by Ms. H. C. Newrick
good product
Item received well packaged and in good time. Not quite as good condition as i would have liked but fair for the money. Would use this seller again.
Published on 7 Mar 2010 by C. Cooper
Jason Donovan a Definitive Joseph...
Going back to my school days this was something we learnt and performed for the parents open day around 1970. Read more
Published on 28 July 2009 by C. FULLER
Joseph CD
I bought this shortly after the programme on TV was on, Could you be Joseph? I was not disappointed, great for upbeat listening in the car, it's one of those CDs you forget you've... Read more
Published on 27 April 2009 by Ali Cooper
fun singalong
Have always loved this show and love having the CD.....have seen the show with my 2 children and all sing along to the CD. Highly recommend!
Published on 25 Feb 2009 by Lucinda J. Wessel
Go, go, go Joseph.....
I bought this CD after seeing the show. The CD is fab with great performances all round. I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 as Jason Donovan's vocals as Joseph are often very soft... Read more
Published on 23 May 2007 by GeekZilla
It was red and yellow and green and brown....
What a fantastic CD! I have never seen the show and was introduced to this when I was little. It is amazing how music like this really sticks to you and wont let you go! Read more
Published on 4 July 2005 by C. Crabtree
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