| Cats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cast recording by the original Broadway cast | |
| Released | January 26, 1983 (1983-01-26) |
| Recorded | October 1982 |
| Genre | Show tunes |
| Length | 1:41:07[1] |
| Label | Geffen Records[2] |
| Producer | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Acast recording by the originalBroadway cast of the musicalCats was released on January 26, 1983, byGeffen Records. It was later reissued byPolydor in 1993, and remastered in 2005.
The recording wonBest Cast Show Album at the26th Annual Grammy Awards.
The original Broadway cast ofCats, including the understudies, recorded the album in October 1982.Andrew Lloyd Webber flew in from London to oversee the recording, which was estimated to cost as much as $400,000.[3]
The recording was released on January 26, 1983,[4] in two versions: a two-record/disc/cassette complete set, and a one-record/disc/cassette highlights version.[5][6]
All tracks written byT. S. Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with any additional writers noted.[1]
In the later Polydor reissue of the recording, the third track on disc two is incorrectly listed as containing "The Ballad of Billy McCaw", a duet based on an unpublished poem by Eliot that was used in the original London production. It actually contains an Italian mock aria titled "In Una Tepida Notte", which replaced "The Ballad of Billy McCaw" in the original Broadway run and was incorporated into all other US and UK productions ofCats.
"The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles", a song describing a fight between two tribes of dogs, is not included in this recording. It originally appeared between "Old Deuteronomy" and "The Jellicle Ball" in Act One, then was moved to Act Two to replace "Growltiger's Last Stand" after the latter song was cut from the US and UK productions in 2016.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Overture" | 2:52 | |
| 2. | "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" | 5:17 | |
| 3. | "The Naming of Cats" | 3:02 | |
| 4. | "The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball" | 2:10 | |
| 5. | "The Old Gumbie Cat" | 3:49 | |
| 6. | "The Rum Tum Tugger" | 3:42 | |
| 7. | "Grizabella, The Glamour Cat" | 3:06 | |
| 8. | "Bustopher Jones" | 3:08 | |
| 9. | "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" | 4:28 | |
| 10. | "Old Deuteronomy" | 4:03 | |
| 11. | "The Jellicle Ball" | 9:34 | |
| 12. | "Grizabella, The Glamour Cat/Memory" | Nunn | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Moments of Happiness" | 3:14 | |
| 2. | "Gus: The Theatre Cat" | 6:32 | |
| 3. | "Growltiger's Last Stand/The Ballad of Billy McCaw" | 11:41 | |
| 4. | "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" | 4:52 | |
| 5. | "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" | 8:23 | |
| 6. | "Mr. Mistoffelees" | 4:25 | |
| 7. | "Memory" | Nunn | 5:21 |
| 8. | "The Journey to the Heaviside Layer" | 2:44 | |
| 9. | "The Ad-Dressing of Cats" | 4:22 |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
Matthew Murray gave the recording four out of five stars, praising the orchestration and the cast's performance, particularlyBetty Buckley's rendition of "Memory". However, he was wary of "the unconvincing Brit[ish] accents and American vocal mannerisms."[7] The recording also received favorable reviews from theStar Tribune[6] and theTimes Colonist.[8]
The album was certified Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America on December 5, 1988.[4][2] According toPlaybill, it has sold over 2 million copies[9] and is the 16th-best-selling cast recording in the United States of all time.[4]
The recording wonBest Cast Show Album at the26th Annual Grammy Awards.[10]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [11] | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] | 17 |
| USBillboard 200[13] | 131 |
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