Original Broadway Cast, 1970 (Ampex/RCA) (3 / 5) With music by Gary Geld and lyrics by Peter Udell, this show is based on the play Purlie Victorious (1961) by Ossie Davis, who is credited along with Udell and the show’s producer, Philip Rose, for the musical’s book. Neither version is often revived — presumably because, in both, the portrayals of African-Americans living in the Deep South “in the recent past” might be considered dicey by current standards. On the other hand, Purlie can still be quite palatable if viewed and presented as a broad satire, which was the approach taken by a well-reviewed 2023 Broadway revival of the original play. At any rate, the score of Purlie is quite wonderful, from the Gospel anthem “Walk Him Up the Stairs,” led by the roof-raising vocals of Linda Hopkins, straight through to the end. In the title role, Cleavon Little is dynamic and charismatic in the character-establishing “New Fangled Preacher Man” and other numbers. As Lutiebelle, the sweet, naïve, not very bright girl who’s in love with him, Melba Moore displays a thrilling voice of great range and power, especially in the show-stopping “I Got Love.” Novella Nelson is a worthy partner to Moore in the soulful duet “He Can Do It,” and it’s fun to hear Sherman Hemsley, who later gained fame on TV’s The Jeffersons, delivering the comedic “Skinnin’ a Cat.” Also offering colorful vocal portrayals (pardon the pun) are John Heffernan and C. David Colson as the musical’s only two white characters: the ridiculously racist Ol Cap’n Cotchipee and his progressive son, Charlie. Overall, the sound quality of the cast recording is excellent. — Michael Portantiere