Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording (1982 Original Broadway Cast), May 15, 2009

Definately a must have for any Cats fan. I perfer this over the UK version my self. I got the UK version whne I actualy saw CATS in Jan 2008.They sold the UK origional version at the shopping stands there. I loved that version instantly seeing how it was the only copy I had. I then got my hands on Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording (1982 Original Broadway Cast)version and found that I love it much more and better. There a few resons for this. In case you havnt heard either I will try to explain them to you. The UK sings out the whole song including verses that are not sung during the actual play. No complaint there Where this 1 follows the play exactly. During Grizabellas first apearnce you get remark the cat song but it ends there. In this version you Get Remark and alos when they explain shes an outcast in the first song. The uk has this just before she sings her first part of Memory. In this version she does part of her remark song and then all...

As a devoted fan of CATS and this recording of this wonderful musical, I am very thrilled that Lord Lloyd-Webber has released this wonderfully remastered version of the recording. Although I will touch a little on the performances, I'd use this review to praise the remastering. The original Geffen and Polydor CDs didn't sound too good, with rather boxy sound, but this new remastering spreads out the sound much more and allows the voices to come across more vibrantly.In my other reviews of CATS on Amazon I've mentioned that I like this Broadway cast recording much more than the West End cast recording. I do not say this to be Yankcentric, but I say this because I can sense the irrepressible energy that pours out of my speakers when listening to this version, without destroying the original British spirit of the musical. Buckley's Grizabella rivals Elaine Paige, but yet with her husky voice that makes the character more real and worn-out. Ken Page lends his solid portrayal...

In many ways Cats was a turning point for Andrew Lloyd Webber. At the beginning of the 80-is he was already a hugely successful musical theatre composer, thanks to his work with the lyricist Tim Rice on "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita". In the early 1980-is he decided to part ways with Rice and many people predicted him a quick downfall, even more so when he decided to use T. S. Eliot's book of children's poetry called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" as a basis for his next musical. He used then a relatively unknown musical director Trevor Nunn and Gillian Lynne as a choreographer. Cats was imagined as a mixture of pop songs and ballet; by that time an unseen combination for a musical, so it is no wonder that Webber and his producer Cameron Mackintosh had trouble finding financial backup. The show opened in London and became a phenomenon in its own right. It closed in London after exactly 21 years of running in May 2001. The same thing happened when the show came to...