Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording Explained

Cats
Type:cast
Artist:the original Broadway cast
Cover:Cats Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording.jpg
Recorded:October 1982
Genre:Show tunes
Length:1:41:07
Label:Geffen Records
Producer:Andrew Lloyd Webber

A cast recording by the original Broadway cast of the musical Cats was released on January 26, 1983, by Geffen Records. It was later reissued by Polydor in 1993, and remastered in 2005.

The recording won Best Cast Show Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards.

Development and release

The original Broadway cast of Cats, including the understudies, recorded the album in October 1982. Andrew Lloyd Webber flew in from London to oversee the recording, which was estimated to cost as much as $400,000.[1]

The recording was released on January 26, 1983,[2] in two versions: a two-record/disc/cassette complete set, and a one-record/disc/cassette highlights version.[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by T. S. Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with any additional writers noted.

In the later Polydor reissue of the recording, the third track on disc two is incorrectly listed as containing "The Ballad of Billy McCaw", a duet based on an unpublished poem by Eliot that was used in the original London production. It actually contains an Italian mock aria titled "In Una Tepida Notte", which replaced "The Ballad of Billy McCaw" in the original Broadway run and was incorporated into all other US and UK productions of Cats.

"The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles", a song describing a fight between two tribes of dogs, is not included in this recording. It originally appeared between "Old Deuteronomy" and "The Jellicle Ball" in Act One, then was moved to Act Two to replace "Growltiger's Last Stand" after the latter song was cut from the US and UK productions in 2016.

Reception

Critical reception

Matthew Murray gave the recording four out of five stars, praising the orchestration and the cast's performance, particularly Betty Buckley's rendition of "Memory". However, he was wary of "the unconvincing Brit[ish] accents and American vocal mannerisms."[4] The recording also received favorable reviews from the Star Tribune[5] and the Times Colonist.[6]

Commercial performance

The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 5, 1988.[2] [7] According to Playbill, it has sold over 2 million copies[8] and is the 16th-best-selling cast recording in the United States of all time.[2]

Accolades

The recording won Best Cast Show Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards.[9]

Weekly charts

ChartPeak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
[10] 		5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 17
US Billboard 200[12] 131

Notes and References

  1. News: Nelsen . Don . October 24, 1982 . 'Cats' on wax: Will it break any records? . 260 . . . 23 May 2019 . 23 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190523035747/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31839820/cats_cast_recording_1982/ . live .
  2. Web site: Culwell-Block . Logan . The Definitive List of the 42 Best-Selling Cast Recordings of All Time . live . https://archive.today/20190324192122/http://www.playbill.com/article/the-41-best-selling-cast-recordings-of-all-time . March 24, 2019 . March 25, 2019 . Playbill.
  3. News: May 12, 1983 . The sound of Cats is unforgettable (ad) . 102 . . . 23 May 2019 . 23 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190523055809/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31841558/the_boston_globe/ . live .
  4. Web site: Cats: Original Broadway Cast, 1983 (Geffen). Matthew Murray (writer). Matthew. Murray. Cast Album Reviews. 25 February 2015 . March 27, 2019. live. March 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190326192224/http://castalbumreviews.com/cats/.
  5. News: Records: Cat-chy music creeps along. Star Tribune. Michael. Anthony. February 13, 1983. 87. Newspapers.com. 23 May 2019. 23 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190523054943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31840242/cats_broadway_cast_album_review/. live.
  6. News: Cats. Times Colonist. John. Hogbin. April 9, 1983. 32. Newspapers.com. 23 May 2019. 23 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190523055003/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31841320/cats_broadway_cast_recording_review/. live.
  7. Web site: Cats (Original Cast). Recording Industry Association of America. March 25, 2019. live. March 24, 2019. https://archive.today/20190324192745/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=ANDREW+LLOYD+WEBBER&ti=CATS+(ORIGINAL+CAST)&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH%23search_section.
  8. Web site: Cats Trivia Encyclopedia. Playbill. June 17, 1997. Ellis. Nassour. March 24, 2019. live. March 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190324151802/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/cats-trivia-encyclopedia-70737.
  9. Web site: Winners: 26th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1983). The Recording Academy. March 25, 2019. live. March 24, 2019. https://archive.today/20190324202613/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/26th-annual-grammy-awards.
  10. Web site: austriancharts.at – Suche nach: cats. Austriancharts.at. de. April 30, 2019. 30 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190430054030/https://austriancharts.at/search.asp?search=cats&cat=a. live.
  11. Web site: charts.nz – Search for: cats. New Zealand charts portal. April 30, 2019. 30 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190430051446/https://charts.nz/search.asp?cat=a&search=cats. live.
  12. Original Broadway Cast Recording: Chart History: Billboard 200. Billboard. 25 March 2019. live. 24 March 2019. https://archive.today/20190324180115/https://www.billboard.com/music/original-broadway-cast-recording/chart-history/billboard-200/4.

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