Chess
Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice
℗ 1984
Chess is a musical that sounds like it shouldn't work but instead succeeds surprisingly well. This is the original concept album that was recorded before the musical was staged in London. Chess is the story of a love triangle told against the backdrop of an international chess tournament during the height of the cold war. The composers are Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (the Bs in ABBA) and the lyrics are by Tim Rice, who supplied the words for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, as well as Disney's Aladdin (with Howard Ashman), The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. The six-member cast does a beautiful job with the songs, which are a combination of ballads, rock, and operatic choruses. Murray Head's version of "One Night in Bangkok" became a surprise hit in the mid-'80s and it still turns up on the turntables in dance clubs around the world. — Michael Simmons. |
- 1. Merano (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [06:59]
- 2. The Russian and Molokov · Where I Want to Be (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [06:22]
- 3. Opening Ceremony (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [09:19]
- 4. Quartet (A Model of Decorum ond Tranquillity) (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [02:18]
- 5. The American and Florence · Nobody's Side (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [05:31]
- 6. Chess (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [05:48]
- 7. Mountain Duet (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [04:43]
- 8. Florence Quits (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [02:53]
- 9. Embassy Lament (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [01:30]
- 10. Anthem (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [03:03]
- 11. One Night in Bangkok (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [05:01]
- 12. Heaven Help My Heart (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [03:29]
- 13. Argument (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [01:51]
- 14. I Know Him So Well (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [04:15]
- 15. The Deal (No Deal) (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [03:54]
- 16. Pity the Child (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [05:30]
- 17. Endgame (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [10:52]
- 18. Epilogue: You and I · The Story Of Chess (Benny Andersson — Bjorn Ulvaeus — Tim Rice) [10:28]