Premiering in London in 1981, Cats won seven Tony Awards in 1983 after it opened on Broadway. Based on the book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, Cats also includes several poems by Eliot that were previously unpublished, including 'Grizabella: The Glamour Cat'.  A departure for Webber, Cats was one of the first projects where he created compositions around previously created lyrics.

There are 26 tracks on this album: Tracks 1-13 contain the background tracks and guide vocals; tracks 14-26 contain the background tracks alone. All tracks are re-recorded by professional singers and are in the original show tempos and keys.