Evita (album)

Evita is a concept album released in 1976 and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Having successfully launched their previous show, Jesus Christ Superstar, on record in 1970, Lloyd Webber and Rice returned to the format for Evita. The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London from April to September 1976 and released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1976.[1]

For the soundtrack of the film adaptation, see Evita (soundtrack).
Evita
Cover of Evita album
Cast recording by
Various artists
Released19 November 1976 (1976-11-19)
RecordedApril–September 1976
Olympic Studios, London
Length102:41
LabelMCA
Producer
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice chronology
Jesus Christ Superstar
(1970)		 Evita
(1976)		 Cricket
(1986)
Singles from Evita
  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
    Released: 12 November 1976
  2. "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"
    Released: 7 February 1977

Background

Elements of the original plotline on this album were removed before the show was staged in London in 1978. "Che" here was much more explicitly based on Che Guevara, including a subplot about Guevara's failed efforts to market the insecticide Vendaval, most significantly highlighted in the song "The Lady's Got Potential". The track was cut from the score and a new song written to include the key plotline of Juan Perón's rise to power: "The Art of the Possible".[2][3]

The libretto and synopsis record "Part One" ending after the balcony scene following "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and "Part Two" beginning with "High Flying, Adored". On both the original LP and subsequent compact disc releases, though, the recording is split such that the balcony scene begins the second half. This split point was retained for the London stage production.

As well as producing the album, Lloyd Webber and Rice also performed on the recording. Rice's principal role was as one of the army officers on the track "Rainbow Tour" and Lloyd Webber played keyboards. In his autobiography, Rice quotes the production cost of the album at £74,827.83; around five times that of the Superstar concept album.[4]

Packaging

The gatefold album was released with a monochromatic sleeve, simply black text and photographs on a white background. The cover had the name "Evita" written in a cursive font across a line drawn heart and the subtitle "An opera based on the life story of Eva Peron 1919-1952" below. A glossy brochure was included that contained the credits, libretto and a synopsis, with photographs of the cast and producers by Lord Snowdon and others, collected by the film director Carlos Pasini, of Eva Perón.

The album was relaunched on compact disc in 1996 as the "20th Anniversary Edition" with the cover printed on a silver, blue metalised paper rather than the original white.

Song list

Side breaks are from the original LP. The CD edition combines sides 1 and 2 on its first disc, and 3 and 4 on its second.

Side One
  1. "A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 1952"
  2. "Requiem for Evita" / "Oh What a Circus"
  3. "On This Night of a Thousand Stars" / "Eva and Magaldi" / "Eva, Beware of the City"
  4. "Buenos Aires"
  5. "Goodnight and Thank You"
Side Two
  1. "The Lady's Got Potential"
  2. "Charity Concert" / "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You"
  3. "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"
  4. "Dangerous Jade"
  5. "A New Argentina"
Side Three
  1. "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada" / "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
  2. "High Flying, Adored"
  3. "Rainbow High"
  4. "Rainbow Tour"
  5. "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)"
  6. "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)"
Side Four
  1. "Santa Evita"
  2. "Waltz for Eva and Che"
  3. "She is a Diamond"
  4. "Dice Are Rolling" / "Eva's Sonnet"
  5. "Eva's Final Broadcast"
  6. "Montage"
  7. "Lament"

Cast

Musicians

The recording also featured The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Bowles.

Charts

Certification
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Platinum 300,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 700,000[17]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Production credits
  • Producers - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
  • Engineer - David Hamilton Smith
  • Assistant engineers - Jeremy Gee and Anton Matthews
  • Executive producer - David Land
  • Orchestrations - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  • Musical co-ordinator - Alan Doggett
  • Mastering Engineer - Denis Blackham

Credits per AllMusic.[18]

See also

References
  1. White, Chris (20 November 1976). "£5.99 double album for MCA rock opera". Music Week: 1 & 4.
  2. Clark, Mark Ross (2015). The Broadway Song: A Singer's Guide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-935167-1.
  3. Hischak, Thomas S (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195335330.
  4. Rice, Tim (2012). Oh, What a Circus. Hachette UK. ISBN 9781444762174.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Evita" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Evita" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. "Charts.nz – Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Evita". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  9. "Swedishcharts.com – Musical / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Evita". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  10. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  13. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  14. "Top Albums 1977" (PDF). Music Week. 24 December 1977. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  15. "Cash Box Newspaper" (PDF). Cash Box. April 8, 1978. p. 53. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  16. "British album certifications – Studio Cast Recording – Evita". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  17. Murrells, Joseph. Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 415. ISBN 0668064595. This sold 700,000 copies around the world before the show was finally produced... the single of the big hit 'Don't cry for mt Argentina' from the album, sung by Julie Cvington, sold 1,700,000
  18. Evita > Review by William Ruhlmann on AllMusic
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