Jesus Christ Super Star

I'm going to do it...I am going to admit, right here and now, that Jesus Christ Super Star is my second favorite record. Whew, glad I got that off my chest. You see, you can't just go up to people and say, "Hey man, doesn't Super Star FREAKIN' ROCK" the same way you could ask the same question with, say, Zeppelin or The Bealtes. First of all, most people think you're going to start preaching Christianity, which as far as religion goes, has little do to with Andrew Lloyd Webber's opera. Second, most think it is strange to rock out to a musical, and third, the majority of people out there just suck in general and can't appreciate a great riff driven ballad when they hear it.

Jesus Christ Super Star is a rock musical opera masterpiece based on the biblical accounts of the last days of Jesus. On the vinyl recordings from the '70s, Jesus is played by Ian Gillan of Deep Purple (think "Smoke on the Water"). He has a very wide vocal range and is able to hit those loud screetches that make it sound like he is really being tormented. As the story goes, Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus by handing him over to the Roman guards. Jesus is drug to see a King Herod, who think this problem is not under his jurisdiction, and sends him to Pontius Pilate. You know the rest. Pretty ordinary, almost like church, except every incident is a song. Its hard to describe without hearing it, but I can think of nothing, not even Tommy (The Who) that rocks so hard while telling a great story. Jesus being betrayed and crucified is epic on its own, but when backed with electric guitars and tambourines, the story becomes just about the best thing ever.

Unfortunately, "Hosanna" skips pretty bad, and the second record is warped to the point that I can't believe it still works. But it does, and that makes me happy.