Godspell: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

As there are many versions of Godspell it is hard to choose the best version. As you read this review then you may find my guidance helpful.

If you buy Godspell make sure it has these songs: Prepare ye, Day by Day, Save the people, All Good Gifts, Learn your lesson well, Turn back oh man, Bless the Lord, Light of the world, By My side, Beautiful City, and On the willows. The movie has all these.

The movie has two excellent songs Beautiful City, and Light of the World which are not on some other versions.

All Good gifts is my favorite. I prefer the 1993 version because the singer is better than the movie singer whose falsetto on higher notes is not to my taste.

Godspell is based on Matthew's Gospel, and contains various American music styles. Day by Day starts as a Jazzy gospel Waltz changing to straight 8 rock, with harmonies and counter melodies.

All Good Gifts lyrics come from a two hundred years old hymn, with...Read more

As others have said, whether one is a religious person or not, this soundtrack makes you feel good. And if you are a follower of Jesus, it should remind you why. It's joyous and uplifting, and there's not a bad track to be heard. The performances are all first rate and are actually superior to the original Broadway cast recording, IMO.

If you only know Victor Garber from television or movies, you must listen to this recording! He has a beautiful, mesmerizing tenor voice that is filled with all the emotions that Jesus goes through in the film (Buy that too, if you haven't already!). Particularly good is his first song, "God Save the People" as well as the duet with David Haskell (John/Judas, also in the Broadway original) "All For the Best" and the heart-wrenching finale, where he sings, "Oh, God, I'm dead" as he breathes his last. Sadly, David Haskell is no longer with us, so listening to/watching his performance is a poignant experience. The...Read more

Godspell, that well-worn 70s quasi-religious clown musical, was transformed into a wildly creative movie musical in 1973. This soundtrack streamlines the raw, original cast album into a sleek pop recording that is infinitely listenable. The arrangements are gorgeous, and feature, in most cases, better vocals than the original. The sound is pumped up, and the orchestrations now include lush strings and thick, fat horns and soaring vocal harmonies. Beautiful City, written for the film, is beautiful; the finale, with its seamless transition into Day By Day, is truly moving. For my money, this is the best representation so far of Stephen Schwartz' brilliantly hooky and melodic score. FYI, Jesus is played by the luminous, young Victor Garber, whom most people now know as the architect, in the film Titanic.