Music Store: Chess (1986 London Concept Cast - 1985 RCA/BMG Release) CD or Cassette

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This album is a concept recording, consequently the plot is difficult to follow at times, but that would have to be the only fault with this album. Set during the middle of the Cold War, 'Chess' focuses on three central characters; Florence played by the amazing Elaine Paige, the Russian (a reluctant protagonist, which makes him realistic) played by Tommy Korberg, and the American (the antagonist) played by Murray Head. Listeners are subject to the conflicts, controversies and, put simply, the darker (and more entertaining) side of the game of chess. Who would have thought that using chess as the subject matter of a musical would create an entertaining story for an audience? It is because of the use of such unexpected subject matter that makes this musical incredibly original and thus appealing.

Nearly all of the events which occur in 'Chess' are linked to the character of the Russian. Listeners are first introduced to the Russian in the song "The Russian and Molokov" where we see a tactical, yet cynical chess champion who has a bit of a temper, but is very focussed on the game of chess. While Tommy Korberg plays the Russian with great dramatic flair he doesn't have a terribly strong voice. But he still plays the character brilliantly, bringing dimension to the Russian as the focussed chess player ('Where I want to be'), the patriotic countryman ('Anthem'), and the gentle lover (Mountain Duet). Yet listeners will also notice that the Russian is extremely self-centred as he pushes aside his lover, Florence, and his wife, Svetlana (played by Barbara Dickson), in order to focus on winning the chess championship ('Argument' and 'Endgame'). This fault of the Russian makes him a more realistic character. The song, 'Anthem' is one of the most inspirational and emotive songs I have ever heard, but while the music is superb, it is Tim Rice's lyrics which create this paramount effect on the audience.

The character of Florence is portrayed as strong yet feminine, and is brilliantly performed by Elaine Paige. Paige, the star of 'Cats' and 'Evita', uses her exquisite, powerful, well-ranged voice to create a character who has endured a lot of suffering in her lifetime. That is; she lost her father at an early age, and she has tolerated the American's intolerable personality for seven years. Despite this suffering, Florence is probably one of the most 'normal' characters in the musical. She is polite and compromising ('A Model of Decorum and Tranquillity'), and a loyal lover ('Heaven Help my Heart', a beautiful song), but her true strength of character is found when she stands up to both the Russian ('Argument') and the American ('The American and Florence' and 'The Deal {No Deal}'). One of the most powerful songs sung by Florence is 'I Know Him So Well', a duet with the Russians wife, Svetlana. Paige and Dickson perform this song with gentle passion as they sing about the man they both love, the Russian. This song captures the listeners' emotions in the music and the lyrics are just brilliant, which is a credit to Ulvaeus and Andersson, and Rice. Another duet performed beautifully by Paige is 'You and I' with the Russian. I think the creators added this song in order to give the musical a happier ending, because 'Chess' once you think about it, is a really quite depressing musical, yet still magnificent.

Probably the most colourful character in 'Chess' is the American. The American is portrayed as a spiteful, trouble-making, conniving, money hungry, frivolous, and selfish chess champion by Murray Head (who played Judas in the Original Concept Recording of 'Jesus Christ Superstar', in which the lyrics were again written by Tim Rice). In the songs 'Merano', 'The American and Florence', 'Florence Quits' and 'The Deal (No Deal)', listeners are subject to these negative aspects of the American's character. Yet, the creators have evoked sympathy for the loathed antagonist in the song 'Pity the Child', where the American sings about his sad childhood and why he is the way he is. Another entertaining song of the American's is 'One Night in Bangkok' where the American introduces the setting to the second act in a very 1980's pop kind of way!!!!

'Chess' involves a lot of very well performed chorus numbers including 'Merano', 'Opening Ceremony', 'The Story of Chess' and the very intense 'Endgame'. All of these songs are different and powerful listening.

'Chess', though a concept album is a must have for any musical fan. Don't let the fact that its different to the normal type of musical turn you off, Time Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have created a wonderful musical from a rather mundane topic. If the lyrics and the music are not enough to coerce you to listen to this album, then buy it for the powerful vocals of Elaine Paige, Murray Head and Tommy Korberg.

But, what's at hand doesn't even go into the saga of Chess. This is the original concept album, a double LP created to popularize the music. This had worked twice before with Rice and Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and it worked again with Chess. The London production went well, the Broadway one (anecdotes place the blame on awful direction) not so well, but still had some degree of success. So what was it about the Chess concept album that worked?

The sound of the show, for one thing. Chess is a wonderfully pop musical, with a unique 1980s tone that sets it up as a cold war love story. That is not to say that it is weak--just that there are a lot of very cool elements of '80s pop (hence Abba). And it makes a middle-aged white guy rapping sound cool in "One Night in Bangkok," a dance hit particularly in the UK. Andersson and Ulvaeus prove that they have a very diverse range in the nicely through-composed score, setting up certain themes for the various situations that the characters find themselves in throughout the show. As is to be expected, guitars, bass, synths, and percussion make up the orchestra on the album, and complete the total-pop sound of the piece.

The lyrics help a lot. As a fan of Tim Rice, I must admit that he continued the top form he had in Evita here, creating lyrics with a rapier wit. The libretto here is very honest as well, creating a group of characters who seem genuinely real in their faults. It is a tale about politics of nations and affairs of the heart that uses chess as a centerpiece, and whether in fun bits like the entire opening ceremony or the serious argument between Florence and the Russian, Rice's lyrics are perfectly fitting. They are also well-tailored to the reuse of themes throughout, creating a nice consistency in the piece.

And the cast certainly didn't hurt. Even though he's played by a Swede trying to sing in English with a Russian accent, the Russian (Tommy Körberg--Jean Valjean in the Swedish Les Misérables) is performed marvellously, and does a great job with his show-stopper "Anthem." His character is convincingly split between a chess obsession and his personal life, and becomes quite compelling.

In true form, the Russian's foil is just as good. The American (Murray Head--Judas in the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album) is a rather creepy character, but Murray Head's distinctive voice gives a great edge to his performance, and he gets the coolest song in the show ("One Night in Bangkok") plus a great showstopper that almost makes him sympathetic ("Pity the Child"). His performance on this album is excellent, and it's a shame that playing the role on stage in London killed his voice as it did.

The female lead, Florence (Elaine Paige--original London Evita, Grizabella in the Cats video), is also incredible. She gets two great solos ("Nobody's Side" and "Heaven Help My Heart") as well as an incredibly witty song performed in contrast with the Russian's wife, Svetlana (Barbara Dickson), in "I Know Him So Well." However, I found one moment in the album to simply be a perfect bit of vocal acting--in "The Deal (No Deal)," Florence's lines "Are you sick? Are you mad? You still don't understand why I loathe you, why I left you?" are delivered in a way that...wow.

The rest of the performances are great, too. Björn Skifs gets to have fun in the role of the Arbiter, in one of the VERY pop sections of the Opening Ceremony, and for a few other bits in Act I. Denis Quilley is a great Molokov, who has a lot of behind-the-scenes bits, though no big individual parts. Likewise, Barbara Dickson's part of Svetlana might be a bit small on the album, but it is still performed with some style.

So, let's see. It has a great '80s pop score (no Abba fan should miss it), ultra-clever lyrics (no Tim Rice fan should miss it), and some great performances no musical theatre fan should pass up. It doesn't contain the complete show--that is why it is a concept album, not a cast recording. I rather enjoy concept albums--they're a great way to get a musical's score out there and known. It's good that such an excellent one was made for Chess, which is under-recorded otherwise. A shame that the whole score wasn't recorded, but this is a good tideover until something more comes to Broadway. So, if you like the Cold War, '80s pop, Abba, Tim Rice, Elaine Paige, Murray Head, or Tommy Körberg, you owe yourself this sweet little double-disc.

This fine CD of the "Concept Cast" for Chess in London is the one you want with fine performances by Murray Head (Judas in the London Stage version of Jesus Christ, Superstar) and Elaine Paige (Evita, in Evita and Grizabella, in Cats). Also noteworthy is the hit song "One Night in Bangkok" which scored big on the pop charts.

Unfortunately, the "rock opera" concept of Chess as originally envisioned by the composers never made it to the United States, where an attempt was made to "translate" the concept into a musical. This turned out to be a big mistake, and the show never achieved the popularity it should have achieved.

Nevertheless, the music is beautiful and varied in style and the storyline is solid (if a bit dated, since the fall of the Soviet Union). Chess historians will also recognize sly references to various highly charged championship matches in the past.

I highly recommend this edition of Chess.