'There's no way you can stop, the school of rock' is sung at the end of the rebellious and wonderful 'Stick It To the Man'. The thing is, the lyric is so, so true. Since the cast album arrived at Christmas, I have been playing Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glen Slater's songs over and over and over again. I can't get enough of it. It is simply a great musical, with songs that get in on you with such heart, and a large dose of fun. Lloyd Webber is back on form, and by on form think in terms of Joseph, Superstar and the brilliant Evita. Strong musicals don't come along too often, and one listen to You're In The Band, and If Only You Would Listen was enough: I did indeed want to be in this band.The songs come thick and fast, from a rock styling sound in 'When I Climb to The Top of Mount Rock', a fun take on rock superstardom ('No brown M&Ms in my greenroom backstage'), but something Dewey Finn believes will, and should by right, happen to him, through to the catchy Children of Rock, with an intro from Lloyd Webber's Variations album from the late 70s that he wrote for cellist brother Julian Lloyd Webber, and the delightful Time To Play, where band manager Summer takes control and gets everyone doing what they should be doing.
If Only You Would Listen allows the children voice their feelings in a deeper way, while 'Where Did The Rock Go', a rock balled itself, is sung with great control and depth by Sierra Boggess as Ms Mullins. There is no shortage of great songs, and they are all orchestrated fantastically by Lloyd Webber himself, but then just listen to the original Superstar and Evita albums for examples of his brilliant orchestrating skills. Between the rock charges there is also some prim and proper songs for the staff and the students of the expensive, and somewhat elitest, Horace Green School. The joy of it all is that it works so well together, without taking itself too seriously.
The powerhouse that is Alex Brightman plays Dewey Finn, and his enthusiasm and skill is on display throughout, even on a cast recording. The kids that make up the band are great as well, and really show off their vocal chops, and they play all their own instruments as well. The album, and show, features a couple of songs from the film itself, so not forgetting the source material, in this case it's Teacher's Pet and In The End of Time, with a little bit of Mozart thrown in with Queen Of The Night. A few bonus track are present as well - I'm Too Hot For You, If Only You would Listen, and a full version of In The End Of Time round off the album.
In all, it's a foot tapping, great cast recording, that I can't get enough of. It shows that when musicals are done right, they can be simply magic, and this is wrapped up with a lot of fun and skill. The book is by Julian Fellowes, he of Downton Abbey fame. I haven't seen the musical yet, but it is now firmly on my hit list. Until then, I will have to keep on listening to the great tracks from the School Of Rock. Do yourself a favour and take a listen. You won't regret it.