The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber
1988 compilation album by Andrew Lloyd Webber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber is a 1988 compilation album, bringing together some of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's best known compositions at the time of release. It includes songs from the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Tell Me on a Sunday, Evita, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express and Requiem. Co-writers of the songs include Tim Rice, Don Black, Richard Stilgoe, Charles Hart and Trevor Nunn.
| The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber | |
|---|---|
| |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | 1988 |
| Genre | Classical crossover |
| Label | |
| Producer | |
The album spent two weeks at number one in the UK Compilation Chart in January 1989.[1][2]
It was released by Really Useful Records and Polydor Records on LP (with a gatefold cover), cassette and CD. A follow-up album, The Premiere Collection Encore, was released in 1992.
Track listing
All music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Side one
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Phantom of the Opera" (Sarah Brightman & Steve Harley) | The Phantom of the Opera | 4:37 | |
| 2. | "Take That Look Off Your Face" (Marti Webb) | Don Black | Tell Me on a Sunday | 3:56 |
| 3. | "All I Ask of You" (Sarah Brightman & Cliff Richard) |
| The Phantom of the Opera | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (Julie Covington) | Tim Rice | Evita | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Magical Mr. Mistoffelees" (Paul Nicholas) | T. S. Eliot | Cats | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Four Variations for Cello & Orchestra" (Julian Lloyd Webber) | ― | Song and Dance | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Superstar" (Murray Head & cast) | Rice | Jesus Christ Superstar | 3:56 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Memory" (Elaine Paige) |
| Cats | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Starlight Express" (Ray Shell) | Stilgoe | Starlight Express | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Tell Me on a Sunday" (Marti Webb) | Black | Tell Me on a Sunday | 3:30 |
| 4. | "The Music of the Night" (Michael Crawford) |
| The Phantom of the Opera | 5:12 |
| 5. | "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" (Barbara Dickson) | Rice | Evita | 3:18 |
| 6. | "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (Yvonne Elliman) | Rice | Jesus Christ Superstar | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Pie Jesu" (Sarah Brightman & Paul Miles-Kingston) | Lloyd Webber; traditional | Requiem | 3:58 |
Personnel
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]
Musicians
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra (side two: track 4)
- David Caddick – conductor (side two: track 4)
- Winchester Cathedral Choir – choir (side two: track 7)
- Martin Neary – director (side two: track 7)
- James Lancelot – organ (side two: track 7)
- English Chamber Orchestra – orchestra (side two: track 7)
- Lorin Maazel – conductor (side two: track 7)
Technical
- Andrew Lloyd Webber – producer (side one: tracks 2–7; side two: tracks 1–6), executive producer (side one: track 1)
- Tim Rice – producer (side one: tracks 4 & 7; side two: tracks 5 & 6)
- Mike Batt – producer (side one: track 1)
- David R. Murray – producer (side two: track 7)
- Martin Levan – engineer (side one: track 3; side two: tracks 2 & 4)
- David Hamilton-Smith – engineer (side two: track 1)
- J. L. – sleeve design
- Carlos Olms – digital engineer
Charts
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 2× Platinum | 200,000[9] |
| Canada (Music Canada)[10] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | 3× Platinum | 900,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||