Kingsway, 1971: the cast decided by a coin toss

Kingsway Youth Opera Company sounds like a youth theatre company, but this Superstar is a studio selection with professional session singers. Brian Keith plays Jesus, John Goodison Judas, Jenny Mason Mary Magdalene and Martin Jay Simon. Keith had been Annas on the concept album. Now he was changing character and moving from the double album to a single-LP selection. [1][2]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Keith wanted to sing Judas

Brian Keith told Evan R. Grubbs how the cast was decided. Decca called him after the first album to record another Superstar. He wanted Judas, but he and Goodison tossed a coin for the two roles. Keith got Jesus, though he still preferred Judas. The interview appeared on JesusChristSuperstar.net and is now kept at JCS Zone. [1]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

For Kingsway he was paid for the recording, with no royalties. He remembered sessions where he arrived, sang his part and left, with little contact between the performers. Asked about a tour, he said he had never played a character on stage. He was speaking of his own experience, not that of all his colleagues; nor did he give the record's budget. [1]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Keith remembered Martin Jay as a Pickwick session singer. He also explained his name: he was born in Scotland as O'Shea, took Brian Keith from a cinema advertisement and went back to O'Shea when he settled in Las Vegas. He was not the American actor of the same name. [1]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

A studio orchestra, not just four soloists

The discographic records attribute the production to Dick Rowe and Peter Sames, the musical direction and orchestrations to Zack Laurence, and the chorus to Maggie Eaves. Martin Smith appears as engineer, with Dave Grinsted and Iain Churches as assistants; Peter Collins is listed as production assistant. The orchestra is credited as The Kingsway Symphony Orchestra. [2][3]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

For SML 1088, Musicbase lists an orchestra with an electric section: Roger Coulam and Alan Hawkshaw on keyboards, Terry Cox on drums, Eric Ford, Brian Odgers and Russ Stableford on guitars, plus basses, percussion, strings, harp and winds. It includes David McCallum as concertmaster. These are the catalogue's credits; a clear reproduction of the original back cover could not be read here. [3]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

The same catalogue identifies Norman Smith as Caiaphas and John Tebb as Pilate, and an entry for the German edition agrees. That fills in two roles that other lists leave open. The other names in the chorus do not thereby become solo characters. [3][4]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Deram and Dick Rowe's reputation

Deram was founded in 1966 as a subsidiary of British Decca, and London Records distributed it in the United States. It is a different corporate family from the American Decca of the Broadway record. That it issued a selection of Superstar is also not enough to call it a budget label. [5]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

The Record Collector interviews describe a varied label, with pop, blues, jazz and experimental music. Hugh Mendl remembered that Deram was born for commercial and international distribution reasons; David Hitchcock saw it as another Decca label, without an artistic line as recognisable as Island or Harvest. Those recollections explain Deram, but not how the decision to make Kingsway was taken. [6]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Dick Rowe is remembered for turning down the Beatles, an episode unrelated to this record. Brian Viner, drawing on Mark Lewisohn, said in The Independent that Rowe was not at the audition and that he asked Mike Smith to choose between the Beatles and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Brian Epstein attributed to him the remark about the end of guitar groups; Rowe denied it. There is no documented connection between that and Kingsway. [7]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Ten blocks on the American LP

DES 18060 has five blocks per side. Some combine two songs, so there are more titles than bands. Superstar opens together with Heaven on Their Minds and returns alone on the second side. This is the programme of the US LP: [2][5]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Side A

1. Superstar / Heaven on Their Minds
2. What's the Buzz / Strange Thing Mystifying
3. Everything's Alright
4. Hosanna
5. Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem

Side B

1. I Don't Know How to Love Him
2. Superstar
3. The Last Supper
4. Gethsemane
5. The Crucifixion

Pilate's Dream does appear on other editions: CastAlbums places it at the start of the second side of the cassette SCM 1088, with eleven blocks, and the German entry SML 1088 also includes it. It is not added to the US LP DES 18060 to make the lists match. These references distinguish editions and formats, not necessarily new casts. [2][4][5]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​

Billboard put DES 18060 at 217 on Bubbling Under Top LP's on August 28, 1971. In the digitised magazine, Kingsway and the Deram number can be read. It appeared on that extended list, not on the Top 200. No verifiable sales total has been found. [8]‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​