Customer Reviews

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this CD on a whim back in the late 80's. In my early days of buying CD's, truly unique sound projects were very scarce. Only the most popular albums were being transfered to compact disc at the time.

I read a review many years earlier about a "progressive rock concept" from England. H. G. Well's classic story, "War of the Worlds" on a double LP. When I saw it on CD years later, I thought that I would go ahead and buy it. It was a brave move because a double CD of something I never heard before, was a big expense.

When I brought it home, I started to play it during the dusk of the coming evening. I remember pouring a glass of wine, sitting in the "sweet spot" of my sound room. I turned on the CD, and kicked back:

It opened with Sir Richard Burton (who is the journalist and the main narrator of the whole CD). His chilling, opening words to this H. G. Wells classic, truly set the stage for the impending doom and terror of my next 90 minutes.

The first CD really is just fantastic! The guitar licks, and the ambient, but nerving, incidental music that played in the background as Richard Burton describes what's happening before him. He puts you right there with him. You feel as if you should get up and run because the horror is unfolding right in front of you. Although, it's all just psychological, you might actually feel the heat of the space ship in the commons. Good narration can compell terror quite well. (Just like Rod Serling with the "Twilight Zone" and Robert Stack narrating the stories of "Unsolved Mysteries". A commanding voice, and the effective use of dramatic pause, can inspire terror).

For the longest time, I thought that I was the only one (in America) that has ever heard of this album. This was one of those albums that contributed to my being "proudly unhipp" for many years. Now I have friends calling me and asking me: "Is that the same "War of the Worlds" album that you told me about so many years ago?" Only now, are they interested in hearing the whole thing instead of just a few highlights.

Well, I'm glad it's available again, remastered, and being heavily promoted, along side of the new movie soundtrack.

I give this CD release a 4 star rating because I just don't like the paper digi-paks that they use to release this. CD's belong in jewel boxes. Always. Because, although, jewel boxes can get scratched up, the paperwork can stay new looking forever. Just replace the jewel box, and you have a new CD again. But these digi-paks suck. When these get tethered and worn, you're stuck with a packaging that's deteriorating in just a few years.

Anyway, check this album out. It's one of the UK's biggest selling albums. If you like the narrator concept of music and story, check out Rick Wakeman's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (1974), and also, check out a double CD concept called "Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales from Edgar Allan Poe". That's a gathering of various celebrities telling Edgar Allan Poe stories. (Marianne Faithful, Christopher Walken, Dr. John, Iggy Pop, Diamanda Galas, etc.) Really cool, chilling stuff.

A double album *rock musical* version of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic, "The War Of The Worlds"? Many people would laugh at such an idea. But in 1978, musician/songwriter/producer Jeff Wayne actually did it, and created one of rock's most supreme concept albums. Although the album has always been much more popular in Britain and other parts of Europe (even having a multi-year UK album-chart run rivaling Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon"), it nonetheless has a strong cult following here in North America, myself proudly included. I first became aware of the "War Of The Worlds" album sometime in the late 80's, when I discovered that Justin Hayward, the lead singer for The Moody Blues (one of my all-time favorite bands) was singing on it. Curious, I picked up a vinyl copy of the album at a used record store, dropped the needle on Side One, and I was instantly hooked. I'd never heard anything like it before. The way the Martian-invasion narrative is brilliantly sustained from beginning to end, and, of course, Jeff Wayne's incredible music score that matches it. And, completing the "War Of The Worlds" package, there's the elaborate artwork that accompanies & illustrates the album---simply marvelous to look at. No question about it, "The War Of The Worlds" is quite an acheivement. Nearly three decades later after it's initial release, the album still sounds just as fresh & exciting now as it did back then. Besides the legendary, commanding voice of Richard Burton as the album's narrator, Jeff Wayne's stunning music rocks ("Horsell Common & The Heat Ray"), rouses ("Brave New World"), has incredible beauty ("Forever Autumn"), and, at turns, is effectively eerie ("The Red Weed"). The musicianship that Wayne has ensembled for the album is first-rate, from great singers like Justin Hayward, David Essex, Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott & Julie Covington, to incredible musicians like Jo Partridge, Herbie Flowers, Chris Spedding, and Jeff Wayne himself. The album has amazing moods, atmospherics & sound effects, and the surprise twist at the album's end still gives me goosebumps to this day! There's no doubt in my mind that H.G. Wells himself would've been very happy indeed with this powerful musical treatment of his story. Although Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds" has never been staged, I was very fortunately blessed to see a Laserium presentation of the album at the London Planetarium back in July of 1990. They presented the *whole* double album, complete with lasers, slides, & pyrotechnics. There was even an intermission after Side Two! It was a truly spellbinding show, and a great tribute to the album's timeless appeal. The point of mentioning it is that Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds" succeeds not only as a rock album, but as a storytelling album that lends itself quite well to visual presentation. I can easily see a touring "rock concert" presentation of "War Of The Worlds" someday, complete with rock band & orchestra, singers, slides, lasers & pyrotechnics. Maybe Jeff Wayne could try to hook up with someone in the theater world and mount such a production? One can dream....In the meantime, buy the CD, and discover for yourself what all the fuss is about. Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds" is truly a rock musical masterwork. (NOTE: This is a slightly-revised version of the review I wrote for "The War Of The Worlds" five years ago, as the old CD version is now out-of-print. But I stand by every word of it, 'cause I love this album. Thanks.)

I was really anxious to hear this since it has been a favorite of mine for many years. I have to tell you that what I heard justified the existence of the SACD format. It is just incredible listening to this music in SACD Multichannel 5.1. Not only does the music hit you from all angles, I hear things in the new mix, nuances, that I have never heard before after at least 50 previous listenings on regular CD. And the new things I hear make this outstanding album even better! Wow!

I first heard this while sitting in a bar with some friends in Germany in 1978 while serving there in the U.S Army.

I had been a fan of the story since I was a kid of 12, which is when I first read it. So as I am sitting in a bar with friends, I hear this music playing. At first I did not pay much attention to it, but it caught my attention very quickly. The owner/bar tender was a German friend of mine, so I asked him to start it over and turn it up. I spent the next 90 min or so enthralled sitting at the bar ignoring my friends. I was totally blown away by it. The next day I went to downtown Heidelberg and walked into a local music store and bought this album. I still have it along with the CD copy I bought years later when it came out.

I have played this for many good friends and they have all loved it. On a whim I took it along with me to a romantic weekend in the mountains with my then girl friend (now my wife). The weekend turned out to be stormy with some heavy thunder. I thought this would be a perfect time for her to listen to it for the first time. So we had a few glasses of wine and I put it on. We laid back in front of the fire place and just listened. She was not familiar with the story at all, but she just listened to it with no questions. At one point during the song "thunder child" I looked over at her and she was crying. I knew this woman was the one for me.

So, this album has a great many memory's for me, and it will always be one of my favorites!

This is one of those lesser known albums here in the U.S. But if you love a good story set to some great music, this is the one to buy. And then you to can become one of the lucky few who has had the pleasure to listen to one of the greatest story's ever written, to the sound of beautiful and stirring music.

Being a fan of The War Of The Worlds story, when i heard about this I was a little skeptical. But having purchased it and listened to it I must say it is one of the best adpatations of the novel and one of the best things I have listened to.

In terms of being faithful to the novel, this is almost completly faithful. There are some details changed and some of the events have been rearranged to better fit into the format, but besides that it is pretty faithful.

In terms of the actual songs, this is one of the most unusal mixes I have ever heard. Richard Burton, one of my favorite actors, does incredibly well in the role of the narrator (known as the Journalist). The rest of the cast/singers are excellent as well and they make many of the songs memorable and addictive.

The music is one of those things that seems out of place at first listening, but one gets used to the rock music in this Victorian era story. The rock music overtones of tracks like "The Eve Of The War", "Thunder Child", and "Brave New World" are perfect examples of how well Jeff Wayne's music works.

The album can best be described as a classic novel read mixed with a fine actor reading passages, the best singers in Britian circa 1977, and 70's rock music put together into one of the most intriguing things you are ever likely to listen to. If you're a fan of the classic Wells novel or 70's rock this is a must-have.

My father played this for me and my sister in a dark room back in 1978 when I was 11. He played it in a dark room so that we could "imagine". Little did we know he had a hand full of poppers (tiny fire crackers that detinate when thrown against something). Scared the shiznit out of me BUT I loved it!
Years later I found a copy of this and played it for my 8 and 9 year old children (who are now 20 and 21) outside on our deck around sunset. . There was heat lightning way off in the distance. We watched the light show to these tapes. It was like an alien battle in the clouds. It was one of the coolest things EVER!! We still talk about it from time to time with big smiles on our faces.
I have an 8 year old now that LOVES it. When something is this good it stands the test of time.It is an experience you will cherish.

This album sounds as fresh as a new production...I had this on vynyl as a child....I feel this album is more detailed than any of the movies of War Of The Worlds.....The list of talent is exellent....This comes form a time when the music matters.....when people played their instruments....and accually sang notes.....todays music(if you can call it that) is now produced by pushing buttons and welll they just dont sing now a days..

The energy from all musicians put forth in this effort is timeless

I knew of this album for many years, but never quite had the wherewithal to buy the CD. All I ever really heard of it was "Forever Autumn," when that track was included on the Moody Blues' box set Time Traveller. "Forever Autumn" certainly stands on its own well enough--it certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he's singing to an absent (possibly deceased) loved one through painful memories and aching loneliness.

Put into the context of The War of the Worlds, however, gives the song a whole new depth. So I knew I'd eventually have to track down a copy of the album, but it remained out of print until last year. Then, coming off having seen the new film with Tom Cruise, and wanting to expand my collection of SACDs (I'm a Surround Sound fanatic now), I decided to pick it up. In short, the experience was worth every penny. (And I realised that, save from changing the locale of the story to New York City, upstate New York, and Boston, the filmmakers had stayed true to the original story; H.G. Wells would have been proud...of both the film and this album.)

Justin Hayward has long been one of my favourite singers, and I think Phil Lynott really shines as Parson Nathaniel. (Phil, you are most definitely missed.) Richard Burton's narration proves that he was one of the finest actors of our time. The surprise twist at the end also gave me goosebumps, as it did another reviewer...what frightening possibilities! By all means, pick this up and don't pass it by.

I ordered this CD for 2 reasons.1 because its on SACD and 2 because Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy is on it.I cant help but mention that Sony dropped the ball enlightining the music buying public to the amazing sound of the SACD format.Stereo or 5.1.I was afraid this cd would sound dated but that really isnt the case[i was born in 61]i had never heard of this record until now somehow.If you enjoy the Moody Blues and good story telling and a great score then check this out.For me to hear something new from Mr Lynott is priceless.

Review-wise, there's nothing I can add to what hasn't already been said. But I have a question. Aside from the fact this has been in production for almost 30 years, this is still a big seller, continues to come out in new versions and presentations, has been performed in public under numerous formats (I actually saw it done in the '80s at Hagar Planetarium in San Francisco) is considered by almost everyone who has heard it as something you Have to have, and recently has been turned into a live stage musical--why isn't this considered an "Amazon Essential Recording"?