Tim recalls the early days of writing and recording Chess with Bjorn and Benny in 1983/4. A fascinating trip to Moscow with the Cold War still dominating international politics. He plays instrumental demos of some of the first tunes considered for the show, including one dedicated to Russia’s superstar Alla Pugachyova.

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A new UK tour of Beauty and the Beast has been announced for May 2021, pandemic permitting. The original production was one of Broadway’s top ten long-runners of all time when it closed in 2007 and this new tour will be in the hands of the original creative team, led by director Rob Roth for Disney Theatricals. Tim recalls the creation of the songs he wrote for the show with Alan Menken and muses on one or two song copyright issues. A must for lawyers.

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It’s not widely known that Tim wrote lyrics for two of Freddie Mercury’s songs on the Barcelona album he recorded with the great operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe. 

In Get Onto My Cloud episode 20 he plays both the tracks and assesses the theatrical aspect of Freddie’s huge talent. The podcast also includes a memorable recording of Bohemian Rhapsody by Elaine Paige.

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No show has caused Tim as much heartbreak and enjoyment as Chess, the musical he wrote with Abba genii Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. In the first of what may well be many Chess podcasts, he explains the genesis of the whole project which sprang into life at a dinner in Stockholm in December 1981.

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Tim recalls the great things and the disappointments of his most recent new West End musical, From Here To Eternity, music by Stuart Brayson, and plays four songs from the score, one of his favourites, and vows it will return!

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Tim returns to some of the songs he co-wrote for the cinema, before he joined the Disney animation circus in the 1990s. Songs with music by John Barry, Marvin Hamlisch and Andrew Lloyd Webber - sung by A-listers Rita Coolidge, Bing Crosby and Perry Como. Plus a thank you to Tim Sheader for being the first post-Covid director/producer to stage a musical in London - a wonderful interpretation of Jesus Christ Superstar - which gives Tim Rice an excuse to feature the magnificent Murray Head.

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Tim looks back at the two Lion King movies, the 1994 original and the 2019 remake. He plays the two new songs he and Elton wrote for the second movie, only one of which was used, and then only over the end credits. He recalls the brilliance of Jeremy Irons and why he had to miss one of the greatest cricket matches of all time thanks to the Disney Organisation not appreciating the importance of the World Cup Final.

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After 3 probing gripping podcasts about Evita’s early days (podcasts 12-14), Tim reveals all (or most, anyway) about his first theatrical misfire - Blondel, a show written with the late Stephen Oliver, which ran for a year in London 1983. He takes the blame for its problems but plays some selections from the score which shows that Stephen was as suited and as gifted in the musical theatre sphere as he was in the classical music world. One day, maybe, it will return.  Features the wonderful Cantabile (The London Quartet), Paul Nicholas, Stephen Tate, Sharon Lee Hill and David Burt.

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Tim recalls the great success of the Evita studio album in the UK and its total lack of same in the United States. So it seemed unlikely that the Broadway legend Hal Prince would respond to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s invitation to direct Evita in the West End - but he did, after just one hearing of the studio recording, albeit he had some criticisms and reservations. Tim reveals Hal’s first ever thoughts about Evita - sent to the writers by old fashioned air mail postal delivery in late 1976.

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Get Onto My Cloud Podcast 13 continues the story of the first ever revelation of Evita - as a record, not as a show, back in 1976. The album featured Julie Covington as Eva Peron, Paul Jones as Juan Peron and Colm Wilkinson as Che. Tim plays some lesser-known items from the recording including extracts that never made it onto stage two years later. Plus the First Lady of Musical Theatre singing the song Madonna first sang in the movie - You Must Love Me.

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