One of Many Factors

Oh, Jesus Christ Superstar, huh? #45

I remember just where I was, exercising my 2-S draft dodge deferment, in the frat house hallway, almost to my room, when I hear the radio, from a bro's room behind me, blaring the chorus, "Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Who are you, what have you sacrificed?" This was before my "rebirth" from reading the Gospels, but I credit it with being one of many factors ultimately pushing me that way.

The JCS* single was released to test the waters for the whole opera (just as the Who had released Pinball Wizard before Tommy). I didn't realize this until...

I was working at the mighty WBCR-FM, 5 watts (on a clear day with a North wind you could catch us in Rockford) when the station manager, my frat dad, brought me the promo copy of JCS*. In later years, after our frat was no longer running the station, kids ripped off all the best of their decades-old, magnificent collection of LPs of all genre, and in retrospect, I kinda wish I'd absconded with that promo box, with all its bg info on the artists & all.

(Some former students had gone on to work in the music industry, so we got advance copies of stuff all the time. I also premiered Joni Mitchell's Blue album in the midwest.)

I liked Deep Purple, and thought casting their lead singer as Jesus was fantastic; what a voice! Regardless of the religious shallowness of the opera, it had its moments, and 'the rocks and stones themselves would start to sing' was one of them.

I've always wondered if Jesus was speaking literally or was merely amusing himself taunting his critics with hyperbole when he said the stones themselves would cry out, but it certainly spoke to the incredible, powerful enthusiasm of the moment. Still does, two millennia later.

FenelonSpeaks, thanks for "Ride on in Majesty." We aren't churched, so this helped me feel like I was there again. With choirs singing beautifully and enthusiastically... but I can't make out what they're saying. (Glad that vid had lyrics.)

Hey, sun's almost up here in the middle of America.