Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Overture - Original Cast Of Cats
2. Prologue: Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats
3. The Naming Of Cats
4. The Invitation To The Jellicle Ball
5. The Old Gumbie Cat
6. The Rum Tum Tugger
7. Grizabella
8. Bustopher Jones
9. Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer - John Thornton, Bonnie Langford
10. Old Deuteronomy
11. The Jellicle Ball
12. Grizabella, The Glamour Cat
13. Memory - Original Cast Of Cats

Disc 2:

1. The Moments Of Happiness
2. Gus: The Theatre Cat
3. Growltiger's Last Stand / The Ballad Of Billy McCaw
4. Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat
5. Macavity The Mystery Cat
6. Mr. Mistoffelees - Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas
7. Memory - Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman
8. The Journey To The Heaviside Layer
9. The Ad-Dressing Of Cats

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2485 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-07
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Soundtrack
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

Very Disapointing
Having seen the show live and falling instantly in love with it I could not wait to buy the Ultimate DVD. Although the DVD was different to the live show I had seen it is still great and gave me access to great stars such as Elaine Page, Sir John Mills and Jason Gardner to name a few. So it was with eager anticipation that I ordered the soundtrack for me and my daughters to listen to in the car. We expected the soundtracks to be the same as our much loved show and DVD - THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Some of the soundtracks are sung by other people and the standard is no where near the standard recieved on the DVD - the only exception being Memories by Elaine Page. We were personally horrified by one of our favourites Mungojerri and Rumpleteazer where the music is completely different and Mcavity has completely lost the sultry sound that it has in the show. At a massive 14.99 I really did expect much more from my money, especially from a CD that I will probably never listen to again.

The one star is for Elaine Page managing to keep the continuity, Thank you!

Unless you're a hardened fan, don't bother...
If you're expecting another amazing classic from the genius who is Andrew Lloyd Webber, then you'll be sorely disappointed.
Lloyd Webber created a score around a series of poems by TS Eliot about a clutter of "jellicle" (?) cats. And the word "jellicle" is not the only tosh involved in this musical farce. The fact that the basis for the show is not a story but several, individual verses tells heavily in the lack of any definable plot. The only storyline to tell of is the meeting of the cats to await Old Deuteronomy's decision about who will move on to the Heaviside Layer (ie die), which any fool can work out will be the weathered outcast, Grizabella. End of plot! This covers only the very beginning and very end of the show, leaving the majority to suffer the merciless introduction of pointless characters, who are inconsequential to the little bit of plot that there is, and the skipping from one unrelated scene to another. A 25-pound cat and two cat burglars, none of whom reappear, a feline felon whose only purpose is to kidnap (or is that catnap!) Old Deuteronomy so that the magical Mr Mistoffolees can be introduced. To the show's credit, however, this number is the best after "Memory". And the reminiscences of Gus are ridiculous, as they refer to his theatre days - again inconsequential.
To be fair, Lloyd Webber has worked his magic in the score - the music is varied and interesting, but not sufficiently so to relieve the boredom created by the lack of storyline and meaningful lyrics. The lack of relevant characters and plot means that you don't bond with the show and don't care what happens.
I have owned this CD for years and have never been able to get into it. Even watching the DVD didn't resolve this. I recently went to see the show, under the impression that, if I saw it, I would understand the story better and therefore appreicate the show more. All I can say is that the whole dubious charm of the show lies in the visuals - the choreography and its execution, sets, costumes and makeup, all of which are truly fantastic. I wouldn't see this show again, however, and I certainly wouldn't recommend purchasing an audio version, as, without the visual aspect, there is little left to bother with.

A wesk yet historically important CATS recording
Although this CATS recording is the grand-daddy of all that came after it, I find that there are times when it doesn't do justice to the musical. Not to disrespect it, but to look at it objectively certain things about it don't seem as polished as they do on the video and the Broadway cast recording. The original version of the score presented here may be fascinating but yet they only serve to make the rewrites appear better, but the polished performances help do the score justice, even if at times they may be wanting some oomph.

Elaine Paige is a true Grizabella in her own right. It's true that this early recording doesn't allow her to nuance the role as she did in the video, but she conveys a strength and vulnerability in her portrayal of the role. True, this early recording may not have Buckley's subtleties, but Paige gives a sure rendition of Memory. Brian Blessed partners her with his sincere and benevolent portrayal of Old Deuteronomy, and the supporting cast does quite well. However, I found Paul Nicholas as The Rum Tum Tugger to be somewhat wanting in energy. The orchestrations are less flashy but you can hear the sort of sound that Lloyd-Webber originally intended for the musical, and the variants. Yes, this OLC version is like a concept album of sorts, staying closer to the T.S. Eliot cat poems without cutting verses as in later productions. But there are two variants worth mentioning, the original jazzy version of Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, and the Ballad of Billy M'Caw that is included in Growltiger's Last Stand. They are fascinating in their own right, but I tend to prevfer the revised versions (and yes, the Italian aria that was later substituted), as they do more justice to their scenes.

I know this isn't my first choice for a CATS recording (that lies with the Broadway recording - no Yankcentrism intended) but the variants are fascinating and interesting and one can get closer to the original T.S. Eliot book in this version, and the original conception of the musical as well.