Andrew Lloyd Webber first became interested in adapting Reverend W. Aubry's Thomas the Tank Engine stories in 1974.  A pilot episode for a proposed television series was produced but ultimately not picked up.  But the Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat composer didn't give up on the idea of musicalizing a story with trains.  He took a step towards that goal with the 1977 single "Engine of Love" for American singer Earl Jordan, and then developed an animated spin on the Cinderella story with trains.  That project never left the station, either, but in 1981 he began working on the musical that became Starlight Express.  Primarily written with lyricist Richard Stilgoe, Starlight Express opened in the West End in 1984 in a production directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Arlene Phillips with a cast of roller-skating racers.  John Napier designed the set which boasted roller-skating "train tracks" that extended into the auditorium of the Apollo Victoria Theatre (today the London home of Wicked) and a massive steel bridge connecting the various levels of the set.

Since then, Starlight Express has played all around the world including a 1987-1989 Broadway production and a 1988 Bochum, Germany staging which continues to play today after over 35 years.  (While the Broadway production was never recorded, the Bochum production has received numerous recordings over the years, most recently a 2023 EP.)  This summer, Starlight Express will return to London in a new custom-built auditorium at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, with original choreographer Arlene Phillips returning as a dramaturg and Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, The Little Big Things) as director.  To mark the occasion, Universal Music Recordings is reissuing a 1-LP "highlights" package of the original London cast recording on zoetrope vinyl.

The original London cast recording preserves the performances of Stephanie Lawrence (Pearl), Frances Ruffelle (Dinah the Dining Car), Jeff Shankley (Greaseball), Ray Shell (Rusty), Jeffrey Daniel (Electra), Lon Satton (Poppa), and soul queen P.P. Arnold (Belle the Sleeping Car), among others.  The complete 1984 recording featured 28 tracks, 11 of which are reprised on this single-LP release.  A twelfth song, "Crazy," has been appended from 1992's The New Starlight Express, a much-publicized revision to the London production.  (When the combined London run of the original and new versions ended in January 2002, Starlight Express had run for 7,409 performances.)

The zoetrope design, featuring train tracks which appear animated in rotation when captured in the right light or on a device such as a smartphone, was designed by Drew Tetz.  Look for this reissue of tracks from the original Starlight Express on June 7 from UMR.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.

Starlight Express: Original London Cast Recording (Zoetrope Edition) (UMR, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side A

1. Rolling Stock
2. Pumping Iron
3. AC/DC
4. He Whistled At Me
5. The Race
6. Starlight Express

Side B

1. N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.
2. Right Place, Right Time
3. I Am The Starlight
4. One Rock 'N' Roll Too Many
5. Light At The End Of The Tunnel
6. Crazy (From The New Starlight Express)

Side A, Tracks 1-6 and Side B, Tracks 1-5 originally released on Polydor 821597, 1984
Side B, Track 6 originally released on Polydor 5300410, 1992