Excerpts from the Rock Opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1972)

Alan Caddy Orchestra & Singers

British LP released by Avenue Records in 1972, catalogue number AVE 0103, credited to The Alan Caddy Orchestra and Singers. It contains thirteen excerpts from the rock opera, arranged, produced and conducted by Alan Caddy. The collection holds two physical editions of this recording: the original British Avenue release and the 1974 Italian Joker reissue, as well as MP3 files at 320 kb/s. [1] [2] [3] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Production credits

• Production and musical direction: Alan Caddy.
• Rights societies on the British edition: MCPS/BIEM, made in England. [1] [2]

The original labels show the 1972 phonographic sign, the reference AVE.0103 and the arrangement, direction and production credits to Alan Caddy. The music is attributed to "Andrew Webber", without the compound surname. Side B reads "Crucifixion"; some catalogue transcriptions reproduce it as "Crucifixition", but that misprint is not on the label examined. The closing appears as "Conclusion - John Nineteen-Forty-One". [2] [1] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Repertoire

Side one:

1. Overture.
2. Heaven on Their Minds.
3. What's the Buzz.
4. Everything's Alright.
5. Pilate's Dream.
6. I Don't Know How to Love Him.
7. Damned for All Time / Blood Money.

Side two:

1. The Last Supper.
2. The Arrest.
3. King Herod's Song.
4. Superstar.
5. Crucifixion.
6. Conclusion (John 19:41). [1] [2]

The LP has thirteen cuts: seven on side A and six on side B. Damned for All Time and Blood Money share one. The selection begins with the overture and ends at John 19:41. It includes the last supper, the arrest and Herod, but not This Jesus Must Die, Gethsemane or Trial Before Pilate. When comparing reissues, it is worth looking at the order of the songs: counting each title separately can give a different figure. [2] [1] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The names proposed for the session

The labels do not say who sings or who plays. Gordon Melville, head of Avenue, recalled in a message published by Photo Memorabilia Clem Cattini on drums, Bob Falloon on guitar, John Fiddy on bass and Alan Hawkshaw on keyboards. He was less sure about Freddy Fendor on brass and the BBC Light Orchestra musicians on strings. These are his recollections, not the LP's credits. [10]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Melville was not at the recording of the vocals. On listening to them, he suggested Danny Street, Dana Gillespie, Maggie Eaves and her Ladybirds, and Tony Craige. CastAlbums names Martin Jay and Brian Keith, without saying which characters they sing. Keith denied having been Judas in an interview by Evan R. Grubbs. After hearing excerpts, he suggested John Goodison, but ended up saying he did not know and again denied taking part as Judas. The cast by song is still unconfirmed. [10] [9] [11]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Who Alan Caddy was

The name on the cover belongs to a musician with a prior career in British pop. His obituary in The Guardian, signed by Alan Clayson, places him as a founding member of The Tornados, the instrumental group behind "Telstar" (1962), and earlier guitarist with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, although on "Shakin' All Over" another guitarist recorded the solo and Caddy was paid the standard session fee of fifteen guineas. Trained as a chorister at Westminster Abbey and as a violinist, he ended up as staff arranger and producer at Avenue Records, a budget label specialising in cover versions of hits, and then in a similar post in Canada. He returned to England around 1975 and died on 16 August 2000. [4] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Avenue released cheap versions of the hits of the moment, and Caddy was the house arranger and producer. That is the context of this album. Clem Cattini, his former colleague in The Tornados, remembered him in the obituary with a sad line: "he never reached his potential because he did not believe in himself". [4] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The collection's editions and the other versions

The British Discogs entry documents the original Avenue edition (AVE 0103, United Kingdom, 1972). The Italian Joker one (SM 3286) is a reissue with a matrix dated 28 August 1974, distributed by Saar and with a cover by Sergio Balloni, which already presents itself under the title "Jesus Christ Superstar - A Rock Opera" instead of the original "Excerpts". [2] [3] [6]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Discogs and JCS Zone attribute to the Canadian edition AVE 6000 the executive production of Gary Salter and the design of Allusion Art Studio(s). These are data about that edition, not about the British labels. CastAlbums counts Damned for All Time and Blood Money separately; Discogs joins them. Both put I Don't Know How to Love Him on side A. CastAlbums also announces fourteen tracks for AVE 0103, although its list and the British labels have thirteen. That difference in counting does not prove it is another recording. [19] [20] [9]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

In Australia, LF Records released a shorter selection, LF-1019. The sleeve says "An Avenue recording", manufactured by RCA and distributed by Landfall Press; the labels name Alan Caddy Orchestra and Singers. It has eleven cuts: Crucifixion and Conclusion are missing, and Damned for All Time opens side B. The Australian Summit/Flair edition FL 1019 does keep all thirteen cuts. Its side A carries FL 1019 and MX167043. LF and FL are different editions, not a misprint. No pressing date is assigned to them here. [15] [16]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Discogs also catalogues a New Zealand LF1019 of 1972, distributed by Beckett Sterling, and the British cassette Trama T.22-801-S of 1974. The Polish edition Muza SX 2540, catalogued in 1987, prints on its back cover "Licence Avenue Recordings LTD" and the name of Caddy's orchestra and singers. Discogs transcribes for it the matrices S3X 2540 A-3 K / B-2 K, along with variants A K / B K: they belong to the Polish format and do not identify the original British cut. [17] [18]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The Forest label spread the selection over three EPs of 1972: FVA 2018, FVA 2022 and FVA 2025. The splitting of "Damned for All Time" and "Blood Money" on the second EP produces fourteen titles divided 5/4/5, as against the thirteen entries of the LP. The first goes as far as "Pilate's Dream", the second as far as "The Last Supper" and the third brings together the ending. The Forest catalogue reproduces the labels and the distribution of each volume, which CastAlbums also records. [5] [9]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The Arrowtabs cassette lead

Photo Memorabilia shows the International Artists 40-122 cassette by Matt Taylor. The sleeve says Arrowtabs Limited, of Humber Road in London, distributed it worldwide; the tape carries ℗ 1971. Photo Memorabilia and CastAlbums place it in that year, but it has not been found here when it was made or went on sale. We cannot be sure it reached the shops before the Avenue LP. [21] [9]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The sleeve lists thirteen titles. The first side contains "Overture", "Heaven on Their Minds", "What's the Buzz?", "Pilate's Dream", "Everything's All Right", "Damned for All Time" and "King Herod's Song"; the second, "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Blood Money", "The Last Supper", "The Arrest", "Superstar" and "Conclusion". Compared with the LP AVE 0103, it reverses the order of "Pilate's Dream" and "Everything's Alright", moves Herod forward to the end of the first side, separates "Damned for All Time" from "Blood Money" and does not include "Crucifixion". The order matches that recorded by CastAlbums. [21] [9]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Maurice Mindel, founder of Arrowtabs, said they bought masters from independent producers. He mentioned Alan Caddy as a possibility, because of his work for Gordon Melville at Avenue, but did not confirm it. The different order of the songs could come from another selection, an earlier mix or another session. Until the audio is compared or more documents are found, the cassette remains a separate lead, not a demonstrated earlier edition of AVE 0103. [10]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

A cover-version label and its reissues

Avenue worked with different London studios. In July 1971, Studio Sound placed numerous budget LPs of the label at Majestic, most of them produced by Alan Caddy. In August 1972, the magazine reported a version of Godspell for Avenue at Intersound as finished and cited new recordings by the label at Majestic for the Canadian market. These reports describe Avenue's activity, but do not identify where AVE 0103 was recorded. [22] [23]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

In November 1971, the Beat Instrumental directory placed Avenue Recordings Ltd. at 203 Chingford Mount Road, London. Gordon Melville was general manager and Alan Caddy the producer. RPM explained on March 17, 1973 that Avenue of America lived off versions produced and licensed in the United Kingdom. It had bought and modernised a pressing plant on Dufferin Street, although it contracted out the tape copies to another company. This describes the label, not the Superstar sessions or how each edition was made. [12] [13]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

The catalogue of another Caddy record, Pay Tribute to Andy Williams (Avenue AVE 072, 1971), names Pye Studios and the engineers Alan Florance and Larry Bartlett. It is a nearby production, but it does not allow those same credits to be given to AVE 0103: we still do not know its studio or engineers. [14]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Cash Box described on March 31, 1973 an Avenue of America catalogue of 120 budget albums. Gary Salter announced plans to distribute them in Japan. The magazine named Caddy and his orchestra as responsible for versions of hits recorded in London. It did not speak of sales or of the Superstar sessions, but it helps us understand the kind of record: a version for the budget-album market, not a theatre recording. [7] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

In April 1973, Eliot Tiegel told in Billboard how those records were sold. Avenue was preparing regional television advertisements and department-store campaigns for its three-LP boxes. Salter said the advertising would bring buyers into the shops and distinguished new products from the old catalogue. The press of the time thus shows how Caddy's British recordings reached the Canadian market. [8] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​

Reissues can also confuse the names. CastAlbums records the 1998 CD Elap/On Stage 58511CD as a remastered compilation that mixes recordings by Caddy, The Disciples and Dave Stewart. It includes "Mayfair Ensemble" among the performers, but that name should not replace all the original groups. The catalogue also records a 2003 Saar CD and the 1973 LP Golden Hour GH 551, with ten Superstar cuts alongside Godspell. Neither adds names to the credited cast of the original Avenue. [9] ‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​