The original 1982 Broadway production is fully realized with this recording. Its novel fusion of pop-rock and biblical storytelling brims with spiritual elation and ear-tickling twists, like how “Joseph’s Dreams”—which is dominated by narrator Laurie Beechman’s punchy presence—morphs into psychedelic Vaudeville, and the way “Those Canaan Days” eases into slinky French pop. But even with big production values, numbers like the country-tinged “One More Angel” retain the childlike simplicity of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original vision.
