Track Listing

1. Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord) - David Haskell
2. Save the People - Victor Garber
3. Day by Day - Robin Lamont
4. Turn Back, O Man - Victor Garber, Joanne Jonas
5. Bless the Lord - Lynne Thigpen
6. All for the Best - Victor Garber, David Haskell
7. All Good Gifts - Merrell Jackson & Company
8. Light of the World - Robin Lamont, Gilmer McCormick, Jeffrey Mylett, Jerry Sroka
9. Alas for You - Victor Garber
10. by My Side - Katie Hanley
11. Beautiful City
12. On the Willows - Victor Garber, Richard LaBonte, Stephen Reinhardt
13. Finale - Victor Garber

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1430 in Music
• Released on: 1992-05-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English, Hebrew, Spanish

Customer Reviews

My recommended version of Godspell
As there are many versions of Godspell it is hard to choose the best version. As you read this review then you may find my guidance helpful.

If you buy Godspell make sure it has these songs: Prepare ye, Day by Day, Save the people, All Good Gifts, Learn your lesson well, Turn back oh man, Bless the Lord, Light of the world, By My side, Beautiful City, and On the willows. The movie has all these.

The movie has two excellent songs Beautiful City, and Light of the World which are not on some other versions.

All Good gifts is my favorite. I prefer the 1993 version because the singer is better than the movie singer whose falsetto on higher notes is not to my taste.

Godspell is based on Matthew's Gospel, and contains various American music styles. Day by Day starts as a Jazzy gospel Waltz changing to straight 8 rock, with harmonies and counter melodies.

All Good Gifts lyrics come from a two hundred years old hymn, with beautiful early Elton John piano style accompaniment. By My side is a great folk style song, with wonderful harmonies.

On the willows is based on Psalm 137. You may know the song 'By the rivers of Babylon.' Perhaps you can imagine the Egyptians taunting the Israeli slaves to sing one of their songs of Zion for their mirth. Light of the world has a funk motown riff. Ragtime, broadway and vaudeville are in other songs.

I got this CD two years ago when we were doing the songs in choir, not liking all the songs. Yet the more you listen the more you tend to like it, as it grows on you. I still listen regularly.

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God Save the People!
As others have said, whether one is a religious person or not, this soundtrack makes you feel good. And if you are a follower of Jesus, it should remind you why. It's joyous and uplifting, and there's not a bad track to be heard. The performances are all first rate and are actually superior to the original Broadway cast recording, IMO.

If you only know Victor Garber from television or movies, you must listen to this recording! He has a beautiful, mesmerizing tenor voice that is filled with all the emotions that Jesus goes through in the film (Buy that too, if you haven't already!). Particularly good is his first song, "God Save the People" as well as the duet with David Haskell (John/Judas, also in the Broadway original) "All For the Best" and the heart-wrenching finale, where he sings, "Oh, God, I'm dead" as he breathes his last. Sadly, David Haskell is no longer with us, so listening to/watching his performance is a poignant experience. The women are wonderful as well, with Lynne Thigpen shining on "Bless the Lord," Katie Hanley's encouraging "By My Side" and, perhaps the most recognizable, "Day By Day" by Robin Lamont. Every track is wonderful, beautifully sung and gently reverent in its own way.

I find myself listening to this CD over and over, whenever I'm in need of an emotional boost. It's cheaper than liquor and much better for you. Fat-free too! ;-)

CLASSIC
Godspell, that well-worn 70s quasi-religious clown musical, was transformed into a wildly creative movie musical in 1973. This soundtrack streamlines the raw, original cast album into a sleek pop recording that is infinitely listenable. The arrangements are gorgeous, and feature, in most cases, better vocals than the original. The sound is pumped up, and the orchestrations now include lush strings and thick, fat horns and soaring vocal harmonies. Beautiful City, written for the film, is beautiful; the finale, with its seamless transition into Day By Day, is truly moving. For my money, this is the best representation so far of Stephen Schwartz' brilliantly hooky and melodic score. FYI, Jesus is played by the luminous, young Victor Garber, whom most people now know as the architect, in the film Titanic.