David Axelrod's Rock Interpretation of Handel's Messiah (commonly known as Rock Messiah) is a 1971 album by David Axelrod

David Axelrod (musician)

David Axelrod is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.-Biography:...

. It is a rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

-based interpretation of George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

's oratorio Messiah

Messiah (Handel)

Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...

.

The album features arrangements by Axelrod played by a 38-piece orchestra conducted by Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

writer Martin Bernheimer described the album as "relatively straight and square, as much concerned with Handel and jazz and the gospel tradition as it is with blatant rock". Axelrod described his motivation for the album as "making Handel more accessible".

Ebony

Ebony (magazine)

Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...

writer Phyl Garland described the album as "Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...

on a bad trip", also stating "The whole thing just seems so unnecessary."

It was originally released in 1971 on U.S. RCA label issue nine-track on a standard vinyl LP (RCA LSP-4636).

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by David Axelrod

1. "Overture"
2. "Comfort Ye My People...Recitative"
3. "And The Glory Of The Lord...Chorus"
4. "Behold...Recitative"
5. "Pastoral Symphony"
6. "And The Angel Said unto Them...Recitative"
7. "Glory To God...Chorus"
8. "Hallelujah...Chorus"
9. "Worthy Is The Lamb...Chorus"