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Jesus Christ Superstar: Mining the meaning of the '70 rock opera

by Tim Young

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar, a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, created a lot of controversy when it surfaced in 1970. Aside from the question of whether rock music was an "appropriate" medium for the subject matter, there were also complaints that Jesus was made to look bad, Judas seemed to be the hero, and so forth.

In this commentary, I don't try to have all the answers, but I do want to explore the themes running through the work, both in terms of story and music. I hope that you, the reader, will offer your own opinions or information if you are familiar with JCS. If you have anything to add, click on the link for the JCS forum and post your thoughts.

The following examines the original 1970 double album, which preceded the Broadway show and movie. The movie soundtrack includes a few songs that are not on the 1970 record.

DISC ONE

DISC TWO

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Copyright 2003 timyoungonline.com This page last updated December 27, 2003 . E-mail Tim